If you want to stand out as a leader in your field or even be remotely credible for that matter, you need to do proper research.
As an English literature graduate, I had MLA formatting shoved down my throat until it became second nature. Of course, there other types of formatting like APA and Chicago, but those are usually used within different disciplines like Science and History. We also needed to know about primary sources, secondary sources, etc.
It can be daunting for a newbie when learning how to cite for the first time. Don’t think that writers who have been doing it for years still don’t worry about unintended plagiarism. We do, trust me. It would be concerning if we didn’t.
Why Citations Make Your Research Credible
Your work is only as good as your credible research. That being said, if you read “Wikipedia” anywhere in a potential source, run away…far. Why? It’s because anybody can edit a Wikipedia page so it loses all credibility.
If Joe Blow from down the street thought in his heart of hearts that the moon landing occurred in 1970 and not 1969 then went to change the popular Wikipedia page editing that date, Joe is spreading misinformation.
As a result, people who use that Wikipedia article without prior knowledge of the subject will also be spreading misinformation unknowingly. Let me tell you, misinformation or “fake news” as the kids are calling it these days, moves about quickly.
Common Questions When Learning to Cite:
How Do I Know If a Source Is Credible for Research?
I’ve been told that a website can be considered credible or not by looking at the end of the website’s address. For instance, if the page of the website you plan to reference ends in “org”. You’re probably safe as it stands for “organization” and should be peer-reviewed and well-researched. The same with “gov” which would mean it is a government website.
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of using information with the understanding that it is your own. For example, I could write a whole five-page essay about our planet that is heliocentric (revolves around the sun) and not add any references.
People reading my essay would find out pretty quickly that I’m not Copernicus, the man who discovered that we live in a solar system. The general understanding would be that the information in my essay is my own. Without proper references and citations, that is plagiarism; it’s the theft of ideas.
You can use all the credible information you like but without properly citing it in your document, you’ll be in trouble. Give credit where credit is due and build off (or argue) those points with your own ideas.
You Mean I Can Plagiarize Myself?! How Does That Work?
Unfortunately, yes, you can. It’s called “self-plagiarism”. Don’t panic though, this is something you can avoid.
Self-plagiarism is essentially recycling your old ideas. Here is a short video from the George Mason University Office of Academic Integrity that briefly and clearly explains self-plagiarism. An example would be if you were given a research project about a topic you were also assigned 5 years ago. Self-plagiarism would be you submitting your 5-year old essay and claiming it to be newly written.
Helpful Tools for Credible Research
Just starting out with citations? Not sure of how to properly format them? One source I’ve always found useful is “Citation Machine”. All you need is to change the citation machine to the format you are using, state the type of source you have, and input the pertinent information from your website or text manually.
It gives you multiple options for citing depending on which type of work you are doing. MLA, APA, and Chicago are each formatted differently and to me, it’s a headache to try and remember them all.
It even includes different types of documents like images, books, newspapers, dictionaries, etc. (HUGE thanks to my high school History teacher for introducing me to this life-saver).
Here is a link: https://www.citationmachine.net/
Also, that librarian at your local library? That’s his/her’s job. They should be able to help you with your citations and reference research if you ask. I’ll venture to say that all libraries have a reference section in their buildings or at least they should. You can find some credible sources in the reference area like encyclopedias, essays, etc.
For different types of copywriting content that use citing, check out my earlier posts on blogs here or white papers here.
Over to You
Whether you’re an academic, a content marketer, or even an employee making a quick 3-minute slideshow presentation for a meeting, exhibiting integrity when using information is imperative.
Have you ever come across any big no-nos or funny stories like Wikipedia citations when looking at writing as a Teacher’s Assistant or maybe even as a helpful editor? I’d love to hear some!
Good points! I use google scholar a lot and there is a feature in it that generates citations with the push of the button! APA format just updated their manual so I am trying to get used to somewhat different rules for citations.