When it comes to any type of publishing, the importance of citing sources can just not be neglected. It is an important practice in academic research, as it is standardized by many bodies. It is vital for aspiring researchers and graduate students to know how to cite a research paper, and other sources in their works since publication venues like conferences and journals are quite strict about their formats. Furthermore, it is also important for several other reasons such as to establish the context around and relevancy of your work to your reviewers and readers, to avoid intellectual dishonesty, etc. For countless other reasons, you must learn the basics of citation if you aspire to be a researcher because creating a reference section for your paper or dissertation can be a tedious and confusing task. Considering this, we’ve written this blog which will serve as a guide about the importance of citation and some of the most popular formats; APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and the IEEE style. Using this help, you will be able to concentrate more on the content of your paper rather than worrying about this cumbersome task:
Why is Citation Necessary?
We humans have a strong sense of ownership not only for our physical properties but also for our intellectual achievements and works. We have a strong drive to know how ideas develop and who or where exactly pieces of information came from. The main purpose of properly citing references is to eliminate intellectual dishonesty. It goes against scientific ethics to present the ideas of other scholars without proper recognition. This is not even the highest of ethical requirements but a simple act of basic decency. When we talk about research, this is very apparent in the literature that scholars debate and discuss who was the first to create an idea, a research methodology, or made a discovery (e.g., Le Verrier versus Adams for Neptune and Newton versus Leibniz for calculus).
Properly referencing a source is crucial to the whole research publication and consumption process for the right people to get the proper recognition for their ideas. Other than this, it is important for the following reasons:
- To Eliminate Plagiarism: Using citations, you can properly quote the work of others. It helps the readers acknowledge what the actual source of knowledge is.
- To Respect Intellectual Property Rights: Research work can include legally protected information by intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, geographical indications, and industrial designs. Creative pieces of work for entertainment and leisure are also included, ranging from architectural designs to films.
- To Prove Authenticity: Properly citing data and information enables you to prove the authenticity of your work by providing evidence for key points. This is especially crucial when making a case for a position you take.
Now that you know the importance of citation, you should know about some of the most popular styles of citation, so you don’t feel confused if ever you feel the need to use one of them. Here you go!
APA Style Citation
APA is the abbreviation for American Psychological Association. This style of citation is prevalent among social science and behavioral journals but isn’t limited to only such disciplines, however. The style was formed in 1929 by a group of anthropologists, psychologists, and business managers to enhance reading comprehension. The APA citation style has gone through several amendments over the years. The APA 7th edition is the latest version, published in October 2019.
MLA Style Citation
MLA is the abbreviation for the Modern Language Association based in the U.S. This style is used globally and is commonly used in the humanities. The 8th edition published in 2016 is the latest version, and, similar to APA, it has reference list rules and in-text citation. However, when you use the MLA format, you use the title “Works-Cited List” for your reference list.
Chicago/Turabian Style Citation:
These two styles, Chicago and Turabian, are interchangeable. The latter is a much simpler style used by students who do not intend to publish their work. However, both of them are considered the official Chicago style. The notes and bibliography style and the author-date style are the two citation style conventions within the Chicago style according to The Chicago Manual of Style. The 8th edition is the latest version. The Notes and bibliography style is prevalent in subjects like literature, humanities, and the arts. In comparison, the author-date style briefly cites the sources in the text by the year of publication of the work and the author’s last name.
IEEE Citation Style:
The IEEE citation style is commonly used for summaries, reports and research papers in electronics, computer science, engineering, information technology, and telecommunications. The style consists of three main parts listed below:
- Name of the Author: Written as the first initial of the first name and full last name (e.g., K. Johnson).
- Work’s Title: it can be a conference paper, journal article, patent, etc. Also, it should be written with quotation marks.
- The journal or book’s Title: The title of the larger work you referenced should be written in italics. (e.g., Information Technology for Beginners).
In IEEE style, the format and inclusion of punctuations, page numbers, dates, and other information vary depending on the types of references cited just like other popular citation styles.
To wrap up:
Keeping this in mind, it is important that you cite your research papers using one of the styles mentioned above. If you still need any help for writing your research paper or for citing them, you can avail the services of WriteMyEssay4Me.