The Importance Of Citing References In Academic Writing

Introduction.

 

Students do a considerable volume of writing assignments, with freshmen expected to produce between 43 and 52 pages, while seniors write 66-89 pages on average. From essays to papers, academic writing needs proper referencing for several reasons.

Citations give the paper credibility and authority, and they also credit the source of information, avoiding plagiarism. Unfortunately, pupils and students may find it hard to remember why referencing is a vital feature of academic writing.

Why You Should List Your References

Citations enable you to recognize the hard work of researchers and writers. Any piece that draws on the ideas and research of others must be properly referenced. Citations give credit to the people whose ideas and words you have borrowed.

They respect the intellectual property rights of individuals. Accurate referencing also enables you to easily locate sources that you will use in future coursework or academic papers.

Moreover, it also shows your teachers or professors that you have done your research and homework. Referencing provides evidence supporting any claim or assertion that you might make in your essay or paper. When you cite the work of experts, it gives your piece credibility.

Referencing also makes your piece compelling and persuasive. Above all, it preserves the integrity of your work and others, and at the same time, upholds academic integrity by avoiding plagiarism.

Referencing Is A Skill

For some students, referencing is a skill that they might not possess. Even if they do, there are many styles of referencing that are currently used worldwide. Unless there is specific guidance from a mentor, supervisor or teacher, a student may find it hard to choose a citation style.

On the other hand, there are also students who skip referencing because it takes too much time. Writing a paper already consumes time, and if they have to make a bibliography or insert sources, then it would even take longer to produce an essay. In addition, citation is also taken for granted as a basic skill that should have been learned before entering university or college.

If this is the case, ensure that your study skills information includes the type of referencing required, and learn how to do it properly.

Improving Research Habits Can Help

While lack of time and knowledge are no excuses to omit referencing, there are ways to gain the skill. Since a substantial part of writing involves research that can be obtained by going to the public or school library, using reference books and documents, or surfing the internet, it is critical to learn to identify trustworthy information.

Some of the ways to search for reliable sites that you’re sure are authoritative include using advanced search operators, accessing databases of a library, and using trusted government sites.

Another important strategy is to record what you have found online or offline. To do this, as you write your paper, keep notes of where you got your quotes, facts or statistics. Online sources can be recorded by copying and pasting links so that you can immediately reference the page where you found your information.

You can also add references as you write so that it is immediately in your piece, rather than going through the process of editing and adding sources later on. This will eliminate the struggle of remembering where the data came from, striking out critical citations.

Referencing is a fundamental skill that every student should have. It acknowledges the work of others and improves the credibility of your paper. Considering that writing is going to be a part of a student’s academic life, it’s also critical to look for reliable and authoritative sources, and cite them properly.

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