how does citation be important in crafting a research paper

Research Basics: an open academic research skills course

• Lesson 1: Using Library Tools
• Lesson 2: Smart searching
• Lesson 3: Managing information overload
• Assessment - Module 1
• Lesson 1: The ABCs of scholarly sources
• Lesson 2: Additional ways of identifying scholarly sources
• Lesson 3: Verifying online sources
• Assessment - Module 2

Lesson 1: Creating citations

• Lesson 2: Citing and paraphrasing
• Lesson 3: Works cited, bibliographies, and notes
• Assessment - Module 3
• - For Librarians and Teachers -
• Acknowledgements
• Other free resources from JSTOR

Citing your sources means that you give credit for the ideas and information you’ve used in your paper. It builds credibility and helps readers understand where your ideas come from. In this lesson, you’ll learn what elements make up a citation, where to find the necessary information for a citation, and how to compose your own citations.  

After watching the videos below, you can take the practice quiz for this lesson to test what you've learned. Take the quiz as many times as you need before moving on to the next lesson.  You can  download the script  for the videos to help you study. Please note that these lessons and quizzes are based on citation style rules that were current in 2015, when the course was created. 

Practice Quiz

Watch the introduction to Lesson 1

Watch part 1: why cite / citation styles, watch part 2: elements of a citation / collecting citation elements, watch part 3: composing a citation / examples / special sources.

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• Next: Lesson 2: Citing and paraphrasing >>
• Last Updated: Apr 24, 2024 6:38 AM
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Citation styles & tools.

• Chicago/Turabian
• Other citation styles
• What is plagiarism?
• Citation Management Software Comparison

I Need Help Formatting My Citations!

For assistance with any of your writing, please visit Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication at the Science Library.

Why Are Citations Important?

Citations are for transparency and access. Academic papers are conversations between multiple authors and responsible scholarship dictates that we properly credit scholars with their work when it is mentioned.

In addition to proving that you've done your due diligence as an academic, citations let readers know what you've read and where they can access a source you've used.

APA Style (American Psychological Association)

Used primarily in Education, Behavioral Sciences, and Social Sciences.

• This style supports disciplines that emphasizes the date in publication. In APA Style, the date directly follows the author's name.
• Uses parenthetical in-text citations. Sources are compiled on a "References" page.

Chicago (also known as Turabian) Citation Style

Notes and bibliography systems.

• Used in some Humanities disciplines (including History, Literature, and the Arts).
• This system can accommodate a variety of source types that are more difficult to format in the author-date system.
• Uses footnotes for in-text citations. Sources are compiled on a "Bibliography" page.

Author-date systems

• Used in the Sciences and some Social Sciences disciplines.
• This systems looks and functions very similarly to APA Style.
• Utilizes parenthetical in-text citations. Sources are compiled on a "References" or "Literature Cited" page.

MLA Style (Modern Language Association)

• Humanities research emphasizes authorship. In MLA style citations, the author is most important data point.
• Uses parenthetical in-text citations. Sources are compiled on a "Works Cited" page.
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• Last Updated: May 14, 2024 11:00 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/citation-styles-and-tools

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• Directories
• What are citations and why should I use them?
• When should I use a citation?
• Why are there so many citation styles?
• Which citation style should I use?
• Chicago Notes Style
• Chicago Author-Date Style
• AMA Style (medicine)
• Bluebook (law)
• Additional Citation Styles
• Built-in Citation Tools
• Quick Citation Generators
• Citation Management Software
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• Citing Sources

Citing Sources: What are citations and why should I use them?

What is a citation.

Citations are a way of giving credit when certain material in your work came from another source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find that source again-- it provides an important roadmap to your research process. Whenever you use sources such as books, journals or websites in your research, you must give credit to the original author by citing the source. 

Why do researchers cite?

Scholarship is a conversation  and scholars use citations not only to  give credit  to original creators and thinkers, but also to  add strength and authority  to their own work.  By citing their sources, scholars are  placing their work in a specific context  to show where they “fit” within the larger conversation.  Citations are also a great way to  leave a trail  intended to help others who may want to explore the conversation or use the sources in their own work.

In short, citations

(1) give credit

(2) add strength and authority to your work

(3) place your work in a specific context

(4) leave a trail for other scholars

"Good citations should reveal your sources, not conceal them. They should honeslty reflect the research you conducted." (Lipson 4)

Lipson, Charles. "Why Cite?"  Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More . Chicago: U of Chicago, 2006. Print.

What does a citation look like?

Different subject disciplines call for citation information to be written in very specific order, capitalization, and punctuation. There are therefore many different style formats. Three popular citation formats are MLA Style (for humanities articles) and APA or Chicago (for social sciences articles).

MLA style (print journal article):  

Whisenant, Warren A. "How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX." Sex Roles Vol. 49.3 (2003): 179-182.

APA style (print journal article):

Whisenant, W. A. (2003) How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX. Sex Roles , 49 (3), 179-182.

Chicago style (print journal article):

Whisenant, Warren A. "How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX." Sex Roles 49, no. 3 (2003): 179-182.

No matter which style you use, all citations require the same basic information:

• Author or Creator
• Container (e.g., Journal or magazine, website, edited book)
• Date of creation or publication
• Publisher 

You are most likely to have easy access to all of your citation information when you find it in the first place. Take note of this information up front, and it will be much easier to cite it effectively later.

• << Previous: Basics of Citing
• Next: When should I use a citation? >>
• Last Updated: May 1, 2024 12:48 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/citations

Why Citation is important: Different styles and examples

Understand why citation is important to validating a paper, citation styles and examples, and tools to help you accomplish it the best way.

To acknowledge the author or source of an idea you have used, you should cite the contributor/author or resource. Even if you do not use their precise words or ideas, citing their names is necessary.

You can help your viewers understand your research by citing your sources and explaining how your research relates to them. Several styles are available for referencing sources. There may be a requirement for using a particular style, or it may be a choice that has been made.

Reference sections are an integral part of the research proposal or scientific paper and should be included. The fact that it’s often listed as one of the last parts of a research proposal checklist does not mean that you should ignore it; it just means that you will need to devote a lot of attention to it.

It is possible for a researcher to become confused about which citation formats or styles to use for their research papers.

The purpose of this article is to cover why citation is influential to validating a paper, as well as what are the most appropriate citation styles to use for a scientific research paper, journal article, or a master’s or doctoral dissertation.

We have also included the tools that can make this process much more convenient and user-friendly as well as providing an easy way to accomplish it. We are now ready to get started!

What makes citations so important?

In any kind of writing, accuracy is a very important consideration, particularly when we are writing about science. This is where citation comes into play.

Taking the time to look up a reference for the purpose of confirming its accuracy serves as a measure of assurance. There are a number of reasons why citing your sources is so important. We’ve gathered a list of a few of the most significant reasons.

1. Check for accuracy

The final draft of any academic paper gets reviewed several times before it can be published or uploaded online. Especially for peer reviewers, editors, and editorial assistants whose job is to track down sources in bibliographies and verify their accuracy, keeping an eye on the content of a source and ensuring that it is acknowledged is important.

You’re more likely to have your work published sooner if you have taken the time to properly give credit to information and cite all your sources when you submit.

2. A reliable writing practice

A quality research project will be characterized by detail-oriented research that results in the ability to discern themes and draw conclusions between them.

A good citation policy will help you to write a good research paper and get the results you want. It is important to be precise when attributing sources, which includes date, numbers and correct spellings of author names, as well as being accurate with the data you present in your article.

Having focused methods that are focused on details in one aspect of your research automatically affects your entire research process. As far as recognizing trends and regularities is concerned, a good reference library prepares you for this skill, especially important for scientific research. Its condensed nature makes it easy to absorb the large amount of information.

3. What makes a good researcher

We all strive to write an impressive paper that can make us stand out among the other researchers. To achieve this goal, we need good citation habits, compelling arguments, and all of these things go hand in hand.

We can turn academic negligence, vague thinking, and blatantly false assertions into much more well-researched topics when we cite concrete sources to back up the information we present.

Research is supposed to ensure that all the information is easily understood by the audience and that all information is accurate. It leaves no doubt regarding the authenticity of your point in an audience’s mind when you adequately cite sources.

As an added bonus, citing enables active writing and helps avoid raising the suspicion of the argument. Cite the sources accurately, and you may be able to generate a well-credentialed paper.

So, Citation is influential because of these three factors. Almost all research or discoveries are based on previous ones or improvements over them. As a continuation to the previous point, it is equally important to cite the right appropriate source names.

Scholarly citations are , in fact, the cherry on top of an article with high citations. Bibliographies also provide as a means to elicit credibility in a researcher’s field. Your work will be accepted as more legitimate by your peers in science if your research and arguments are well-supported.

Different Citation formats and examples

There are quite a few different citation formats available for research papers, so do you have any idea which ones are most widely used specifically for science papers? We have compiled a list of the most common style of citation in science in order to make your paper easier to write and read. The style descriptions offer insight into how the style is used and written.

A citation marks uniquely identifies one or more published works such as books, articles, chapters, or websites.  Those who have authored these works are listed in bibliographies. Articles and journal databases also include them.

There are several standard components to citations, including the following information so that publications can be identified:

• The names of the authors
• Book titles, article titles, and journal titles
• The publication date
• References to pages
• Identifying volumes and issues (for articles)

In this section, we will explore how the above elements are put together, and how the different types of citations work.

The APA citation format, also known as the American Psychological Association style, has mainly been used in education, social science, psychology, and engineering. In-text citations and a reference list are the two parts of the APA citation format.

As an example, you could use the following format: XYZ 2022, which refers to an author-date style, which gives a writer’s last name and the year of publication as an in-text citation. Citations in-text point readers to the reference section at the end of the paper, which contains information about all sources cited.

Reference List example:

“ Pamplona, F. A., Prediger, R. D., Pandolfo, P., & Takahashi, R. N. (2006). The cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 facilitates the extinction of contextual fear memory and spatial memory in rats. Psychopharmacology, 188(4), 641-649 . ”

From the aforementioned example, we see that the author’s name follows the year of publication and, of course, the title of the article.

In- text Citation example:

“ accelerated by CB1 agonists or cannabinoid reuptake inhibitors (Chhatwal et al, 2005a; Pamplona et al, 2006). “

This is an in-text citation that includes the author and the year of publication(cited in parentheses using the Author-Date format). Citations in science are typically made using APA format.

#2 MLA Style

Writings in the humanities are commonly formatted in MLA (Modern Language Association) style by students and authors. This style is commonly used in disciplines ‌such‌ ‌ as‌ ‌cultural‌ ‌studies,‌ ‌language, ‌literature,‌ ‌and‌ ‌theoretical studies. It is uncommon for scientific papers to be cited using the MLA format.

MLA format may, however, be used for papers and books cited in the social sciences or in the humanities. It is therefore useful to be knowledgeable about MLA format.

Reference List Example:

“ Homburger, Julian R., et al. “Genomic insights into the ancestry and demographic history of South America.” PLoS genetics 11.12 (2015): e1005602. “

In-text Citation Example :

“  Currently, many population-genetic studies only carry out one run of clustering inference per value of K (Homburger et al)… ”

A popular form of citation in science is the Chicago style. In comparison to other styles, its format is slightly more intricate, offering two formats: notes and bibliographies, and author-dates. In humanities, notes and bibliographies are mostly used. While, in science, author-dates are most commonly used. 

“ Homburger, Julian R., Andrés Moreno-Estrada, Christopher R. Gignoux, Dominic Nelson, Elena Sanchez, Patricia Ortiz-Tello, Bernardo A. Pons-Estel et al. “Genomic insights into the ancestry and demographic history of South America.” PLoS genetics 11, no. 12 (2015): e1005602. “

“ Currently, many population-genetic studies only carry out one run of clustering inference per value of K (Homburger et al., 2015)… ”

#4 Vancouver Style

Many journals and institutions in the medical field use Vancouver style , which uses a standardized author-number system. This style differs from the others by using square brackets to enclose the number [ ] within an in-text citation. In the reference list at the end of the paper, bracketed numbers direct the reader to the relevant cited source. It’s pretty much similar to IEEE format.

“ [1] : Pamplona FA, Prediger RD, Pandolfo P, Takahashi RN. The cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 facilitates the extinction of contextual fear memory and spatial memory in rats. Psychopharmacology. 2006 Nov;188(4):641-9. ”  

“ ….accelerated by CB1 agonists or cannabinoid reuptake inhibitors [1]”

Physicists and biologists use the CSE or Council of Science Editors style as a preferred format to cite. Citation lists, instead of bibliographies, are used in CSE style. Citation systems within this style include sequence, name-year, and name-citation.

• Name-year : Write the author’s last name and the year of publication in parentheses, then include a bibliography at the end of the paper with a complete list of references.
• Citation-Sequence : Each source is cited in the text by a superscript number. All numbers appearing in the text are listed in the bibliography in the order they are cited in it. 
• Citation-Name : There is an alphabetical list of references by author last names; each name has a number that can be inserted as an in-text reference. In superscript, mention the appropriate reference number. If you use a graph, diagram, or illustration from a source that is also in the text of your paper, place the superscript number in the caption.

Reference List Example :  

“ Pamplona, F. A., Prediger, R. D., Pandolfo, P., & Takahashi, R. N. (2006). The cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 facilitates the extinction of contextual fear memory and spatial memory in rats. Psychopharmacology, 188(4), 641-649 .”       

In- text Citation Example: 

“….accelerated by CB1 agonists or cannabinoid reuptake inhibitors (Pamplona, F. A., Prediger, R. D., Pandolfo, P., & Takahashi, R. N. 2006)

(Authors are listed alphabetically with the year of publication after their names.)

Engineering and science papers should be cited according to the IEEE or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers style, which is modelled on the Chicago citation style. An in-text citation for this style is given as a number enclosed in square brackets. Reference list entries at the end are identified by this number.

“ [1] : Pamplona, F. A., Prediger, R. D., Pandolfo, P., & Takahashi, R. N. (2006). The cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 facilitates the extinction of contextual fear memory and spatial memory in rats. Psychopharmacology, 188(4), 641-649 .”  

It is known as AIP style, or the American Institute of Physics style, and is commonly used in physics and astronomy publications. Citations within this style are numbered, with superscript numbers showing in-text citations. You’ll find the numbers in a list at the end of the paper with the complete author name and title.

Example: “A similar study was carried out in 1977 ¹ “   

“ 1: Berg, Howard C., and Edward M. Purcell. “Physics of chemoreception.” Biophysical journal 20.2 (1977): 193-219.” 

For chemistry, the ACS style is the standard. It uses both numbered citations and author-dates. Citations in the text can be written as superscripts or italics. As for author-date, it is based on the author’s surname and publication date. In both cases, a list of references follows the author.

Example:  (1) Mater, A. C.; Coote, M. L. Deep Learning in Chemistry. J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2019, 59 (6), 2545–2559. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00266.

Citation tool to simplify the process

Your scientific paper must include a bibliography or reference section, citing all sources mentioned. At the end of your paper, you should give each in-text citation in full, in order to provide the reader with all the pertinent information.

Any paper, article should include citations as a central element, and publishing houses highly value them (Read our article on “ How to write Research paper ”). But it can be tedious and time-consuming to cite according to requirements of each journals as well as the type of content.

Tools like these can help you simplify the process. By using such simple tools, we can make citing an easier task and be able to do it quickly and effectively.

Mendeley Cite 

By using Mendeley Cite , you can directly integrate references from your Mendeley library into your Word document, build a bibliography and change citation styles without leaving your document. Using this tool is very easy, and one can use it to its fullest potential and enhance the process.

You can edit the reference using the attributes panel. As well as providing a prefix/suffix, you can give specific reference attributes values.  The author name is also optionally suppressed. In accordance with the citation style you have chosen, any changes you make to this specific citation will be reflected within your paper.

Zotero 

Research collection, organization, citation, and sharing are made easy with Zotero , a free and easy-to-use tool. With it, you can create references and bibliographies directly within any text editor, including Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. You can format your work using over 100,000 style guides and publications, thanks to the support of over 100,000 citation styles.

A great advantage of Zotero is that your data can be synchronized across devices, so your citations, files, and bibliographic records are always current. Your research will always be accessible from the web if you choose to sync.

Another good thing about this tool is that it lets you work with a colleague to write a paper together. Develop a collaborative bibliography or disseminate course materials. The Zotero library can be shared with as many people as you like, without charge.

See what these amazing tools can do for you to make the most of them. You can make the most of their solutions , and they will certainly be your best citation buddies! 

We have come to the end of this article, which means you are officially ready to start citing. Throughout this article, we have discussed all of the major citation formats used in a variety of publications.

Hopefully, you have taken advantage of all the information and easy-to-use tools to make things easier.

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About Fabricio Pamplona

Fabricio Pamplona is the founder of Mind the Graph - a tool used by over 400K users in 60 countries. He has a Ph.D. and solid scientific background in Psychopharmacology and experience as a Guest Researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (Germany) and Researcher in D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR, Brazil). Fabricio holds over 2500 citations in Google Scholar. He has 10 years of experience in small innovative businesses, with relevant experience in product design and innovation management. Connect with him on LinkedIn - Fabricio Pamplona .

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Citation Best Practices

These tips are designed to help bring visibility to your published work, standardization.

Use a unique name consistently throughout your career Be consistent with your name when submitting research. If you have quite a common name, consider including your full middle name in publications.

Use a standardized institutional affiliation and address, using no abbreviations. Include your institution, college, department, and zip code in the contact information when you submit papers for publication. Providing accurate contact details is essential so researchers can contact you directly for queries, further information, and discussions about the publication. This information also helps departments, colleges, and accrediting bodies accurately track publications.

Keywords and phrases:

Repeat key phrases in the abstract  Make some key phrases of your study and repeat them in the abstract page of your paper. Since search engines and citation trackers search the abstract of your article, the repetition of keywords increases the chance of your paper being retrieved more easily.

Assign keyword terms to the manuscript. In an age of search engines and academic database searching, keywords in your publications are critical. Keywords and phrases in the paper’s title and abstract are also helpful for search purposes. Using keywords in the URL of scientific web pages can also help readers quickly determine the subject matter of the paper.

Make a unique phrase that reflects your research interest and use it throughout your career. Add the unique phrase to all publications and use it consistently.

Picking the right journal:

High-impact factor journals The most effective strategy to increase citation rates is publishing in a journal with a higher  impact factor . Journals that focus on website optimization may enhance your citations indirectly. Submitting a paper to a special journal issue increases the likelihood that others in your field will read it.

Make your research easy to find, especially for online searchers – Open Access. Research suggests a correlation between the number of downloads an article has and citations. Free access invites greater engagement with research through citations. To make your papers more accessible, consider publishing in an open-access journal (see the  Directory of Open Access Journals  for a list of journals that observe OASPA’s principles of transparency and best practices in scholarly publishing). Alternatively, deposit your paper in open-access repositories, like the WSU  Research Exchange , or see  re3data  to search for a list of open-access data repositories.

Publish your article in one of the journals everyone in your discipline reads. Choosing a journal that matches a researcher’s field of study is very important because it makes it more likely that the article receives more citations. A journal that covers a broad range of disciplines may be the best. Publishing across disciplines has been found to increase citations.

Publish your work in a journal with the highest number of abstracting and indexing services. Citation potential increases by attributing to the high visibility of scientific materials. Therefore, a journal with the highest abstracting and indexing in different databases can be a good target.  Indexed journals are considered to be of higher scientific quality than non-indexed journals.

Present a working or tutorial paper. Go to a conference and present some parts of your research or publish working papers. Working papers are freely available before and after the articles are published. Researchers may upload their working papers to their websites or open-access repositories such as  arXiv ,  SSRN , or the WSU  Research Exchange .  Tutorial papers are “a paper that organizes and introduces work in the field. A tutorial paper assumes its audience is inexpert; it emphasizes the basic concepts of the field and provides concrete examples that embody these concepts”. These papers tend to have a higher number of citations.

Write a review paper. Authors seeking to be well-cited should aim to write comprehensive and substantial review articles and submit them to journals that carry previous articles on the topic.

Papers published after having first been rejected elsewhere receive significantly more citations. Resubmissions from other journals typically receive significantly more citations than first-intent submissions.

Paper characteristics/types

Use more references There is a strong relationship between the number of citations a paper receives and the number of its references.

Papers with more “callouts” can be more likely to receive more citations. A “callout” is a phrase or sentence from the paper that is displayed in a different font somewhere in the paper. Also, longer papers have been shown to gather more citations.

Your paper’s title is very important. Evidence shows that articles with short, concise, succinct, and informative titles describing the results or conclusions generally have more impact and citations. Articles with question-type titles tend to be downloaded more but cited less than others.

Choosing collaborators

Publish with international authors Citation analysis shows that papers with international co-authors are cited up to four times more often than those without.

Team-authored articles get cited more. Team-authored articles typically produce more frequently cited research than papers authored by individuals. Typically, highly cited articles are authored by a large number of scientists.

Publish papers with ‘big names’ in your field. Some landmark papers of Nobel laureates, for example, quite quickly give their authors a sudden boost in citation rate. This boost would extend to the author’s earlier papers too – even if they were in unrelated areas.

Publicize yourself!

Claim and use an ORCID ID An ORCID is a unique identifier you can register for at no cost. Publishers, funders, and universities increasingly use them because they help distinguish researchers with similar names. For convenience, you can now sign in to your ORCID account using your WSU credentials. After claiming your ORCID, navigate to the  ORCID sign-in page , click on the “Institutional account” tab, and select WSU as your institution. For other questions about ORCIDs, see  this guide  and list of FAQs.

Present at conferences  Present preliminary research at conferences and consider making posters, figures, and slides available in  FigShare ,  SlideShare , or WSU’s digital repository,  Research Exchange . Contact  [email protected]  for more information about Research Exchange or see these  Research Exchange FAQs .

Create and curate your Google Scholar profile and make an online CV Keep a scholarly profile up to date in Google Scholar or other venues for increased visibility.  An online CV can link the list of published papers and open-access versions of relevant articles and increases researchers’ output visibility to the academic community.  Include your ORCID in your CV.

Keep your professional web pages and published lists up to date, issue press releases, and self-archive articles. Establish an online presence for your research—create a website that describes findings and links to slides, figures, abstracts, and progress reports. Issue press releases with significant findings. Maximize the visibility of your research by making copies of your articles available online.

Be ready to react Once your study has been accepted for publicity, be prepared to provide a quote for the press release and, once it’s been sent out, be available for interviews (these can often be done by email rather than over the phone).  Always reply promptly to requests for interviews or further information from your press office.  Journalists are on tight deadlines and may drop the story if they don’t hear back within a few hours.

Contribute to Wikipedia Try to contribute to Wikipedia. As a good example, one paper that was used as a reference in defining virtual teams in Wikipedia has received significant citations in comparison to the rest of the articles from the same author.

Start blogging/tweeting. Leverage social media by starting a blog or tweeting about your research. Remember to include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) in your tweets and posts. DOIs are typically assigned by publishers to published articles; they are persistent links to your work online, and they help others find your research. Note that WSU Libraries can now mint a DOI for you at no cost, should you wish to add it to a dataset or other research material that doesn’t receive one from a publisher.

Join academic social networking sites. Increasing the availability of articles through social networking sites broadens dissemination and enhances professional visibility, which leads to increased citations and usage. ResearchGate and Linkedin are just a few examples of knowledge-sharing tools to make others aware of research articles that may be relevant to authors and hence get cited.

Link your latest published article, and list your ORCID, in your email signature. A great way to spread researchers’ outputs and get the extra attention of email recipients is to add a link to the latest publication. This little section of contact information provides a good platform for publication marketing.  Include your ORCID in your signature line as well.

Cite others… and yourself. Do not forget to cite your colleague’s research in relevant areas – sometimes called “colleague for colleague citation.”  It is also fine to cite your relevant work on a new manuscript.

Create a podcast describing the research project. Research is not just text and figures. Create a podcast describing the research project and submit the podcast to  YouTube  or  Vimeo . Video is an increasingly important way for researchers to communicate their results and welcome submissions of podcasts from authors and editors.

Set up citation alerts. Awareness of who has referred to your articles can expand further collaborations.

Use “Enhancing Visibility and Impact” tools Familiarity with academic advertisement tools allows the researcher to increase his/her  h-index in the short term. A person with high levels of h-index has higher quality publications with high citations.

Information on this page is taken from the following:

“effective strategies for increasing citation frequency”, “enhance impact of researchers, journals and increase success for more citations”, “how to improve your citation count”, “how to effectively publicize your research”.

Citing sources: Overview

• Citation style guides

Manage your references

Use these tools to help you organize and cite your references:

• Citation Management and Writing Tools

If you have questions after consulting this guide about how to cite, please contact your advisor/professor or the writing and communication center .

Why citing is important

It's important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons:

• To show your reader you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information
• To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas
• To avoid plagiarism by quoting words and ideas used by other authors
• To allow your reader to track down the sources you used by citing them accurately in your paper by way of footnotes, a bibliography or reference list

About citations

Citing a source means that you show, within the body of your text, that you took words, ideas, figures, images, etc. from another place.

Citations are a short way to uniquely identify a published work (e.g. book, article, chapter, web site).  They are found in bibliographies and reference lists and are also collected in article and book databases.

Citations consist of standard elements, and contain all the information necessary to identify and track down publications, including:

• author name(s)
• titles of books, articles, and journals
• date of publication
• page numbers
• volume and issue numbers (for articles)

Citations may look different, depending on what is being cited and which style was used to create them. Choose an appropriate style guide for your needs.  Here is an example of an article citation using four different citation styles.  Notice the common elements as mentioned above:

Author - R. Langer

Article Title - New Methods of Drug Delivery

Source Title - Science

Volume and issue - Vol 249, issue 4976

Publication Date - 1990

Page numbers - 1527-1533

American Chemical Society (ACS) style:

Langer, R. New Methods of Drug Delivery. Science 1990 , 249 , 1527-1533.

IEEE Style:

R. Langer, " New Methods of Drug Delivery," Science , vol. 249 , pp. 1527-1533 , SEP 28, 1990 .

American Psychological Association   (APA) style:

Langer, R. (1990) . New methods of drug delivery. Science , 249 (4976), 1527-1533.

Modern Language Association (MLA) style:

Langer, R. " New Methods of Drug Delivery." Science 249.4976 (1990) : 1527-33.

What to cite

You must cite:

• Facts, figures, ideas, or other information that is not common knowledge

Publications that must be cited include:  books, book chapters, articles, web pages, theses, etc.

Another person's exact words should be quoted and cited to show proper credit 

When in doubt, be safe and cite your source!

Avoiding plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when you borrow another's words (or ideas) and do not acknowledge that you have done so. In this culture, we consider our words and ideas intellectual property; like a car or any other possession, we believe our words belong to us and cannot be used without our permission.

Plagiarism is a very serious offense. If it is found that you have plagiarized -- deliberately or inadvertently -- you may face serious consequences. In some instances, plagiarism has meant that students have had to leave the institutions where they were studying.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources - both within the body of your paper and in a bibliography of sources you used at the end of your paper.

Some useful links about plagiarism:

• MIT Academic Integrity Overview on citing sources and avoiding plagiarism at MIT.
• Avoiding Plagiarism From the MIT Writing and Communication Center.
• Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It From Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Services.
• Plagiarism- Overview A resource from Purdue University.
• Next: Citation style guides >>
• Last Updated: Jan 16, 2024 7:02 AM
• URL: https://libguides.mit.edu/citing

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The Art of Crafting a Research Paper with Citations

Writing a research paper is an essential part of the educational process, and understanding how to properly craft one with citations is an important skill for students at all levels. This article seeks to provide an overview of the fundamentals involved in researching and composing a successful scholarly work, including considerations such as selecting appropriate sources and correctly citing them within the text. Additionally, this discussion will focus on strategies that can help enhance both academic integrity when utilizing external information in one’s writing as well as offer helpful tips for avoiding plagiarism. Ultimately, by demonstrating how best practices are followed throughout each step from outlining to editing your final product, it should be possible for any student to produce quality papers worthy of professor-level approval.

I. Introduction to Crafting a Research Paper with Citations

Ii. identifying appropriate sources for citing in the research paper, iii. understanding citation styles and formats, iv. including in-text citations in the body of your work, v. building a bibliography or works cited page, vi. avoiding plagiarism when using sources, vii. finalizing your crafted research paper with citations.

Preventing and Treating Diabetes Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. This can lead to high blood sugar, vision loss, kidney failure, stroke and other potentially life-threatening complications. Fortunately, there are steps that people with diabetes can take to prevent its onset or delay its progression.

The first step for preventing diabetes is maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and proper nutrition. People who eat foods rich in fiber (fruits, vegetables), lean protein (fish) and low fat dairy products have lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consume more unhealthy processed foods such as white breads or pastries. Regular physical activity helps regulate glucose levels by using up extra calories from food intake throughout the day rather than storing them as fat tissue – reducing obesity risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes development [1]. Additionally it’s important to maintain an ideal weight range that is determined according to age & height – this minimizes strain on organs like heart & kidneys while also helping control sugar levels too [2].

For patients already diagnosed with either Type 1/Type 2 Diabetes medications may be prescribed along with dietary changes in order to manage their symptoms effectively; Insulin injections help keep track of body’s glucose concentrations while certain oral medications target hormones directly responsible for regulating metabolism thereby controlling amount of sugar produced within bloodstream at any given time [3] . In some cases surgery might be recommended if patient meets specific criteria set out by healthcare provider; bariatric operations reduce size stomach allowing food reach small intestine faster thus reducing demand on pancreas resulting decrease production sugars ultimately leading lower overall level circulating system[4].

[1] Roeback J R et al., “Physical Activity Habits during Childhood Predict Cardiorespiratory Fitness 20 Years Later” PLoS One 9(7) e101511 2014 https//doi 10/1371/journal.pone 0101511

[2] Dietz WH Jr , “Etiology And Prevention Of Obesity” Pediatr Clin North Am 57(2010)1109–1127 DOI 101016 / j pedclin2009 09 020

                                                                                                             [3] Boyle JP et al., “Management Of Hyperglycemia In Type 2 Diabetes A Patient Centered Approach Position Statement From American Diabetes Association And The European Association For The Study Of Diabetes” Diabet Care 35(2012)1364– 1379 doi 10 2514 / 6 583534XCB201410024041

                                    [4] Schauer PR et al.,”Bariatric Surgery versus Intensive Medical Therapy For Diabetes 5 Year Outcomes”, New Engl J Med 3661567 1576 2012

Research Paper Crafting: A How-To Guide As a student, writing research papers with citations can be an arduous task. It is important to understand the basics of how to craft one in order to make sure that your paper meets all requirements and produces compelling results. Here are some steps you should take when crafting your own research paper.

• Start by finding appropriate sources for reference.
• Consult multiple resources so that you have adequate information.
• Gather enough evidence from these sources and develop an understanding of their contents.

Once this step is done, it’s time to begin constructing the paper itself. Begin by making a plan or outline of what the paper will cover. This could include topics such as purpose and relevance, main ideas related to argumentation, possible counterarguments etc., as well as bibliographical information on cited materials. Assemble each point into separate paragraphs within the body section; maintain focus on them while providing support through relevant facts taken from reliable source material.

Correctly citing sources: It is essential for any research paper to cite all of the sources used. Citing a source allows readers to follow along with the facts and ideas presented in your work, while also giving credit where it is due. It also helps demonstrate academic honesty and can prevent plagiarism from occurring.

When selecting what sources should be cited, an author must consider how credible each one is. Generally speaking, books published by well-known publishers are reliable; whereas online blogs and forums may have some questionable content. Additionally, information which has been recently updated or peer reviewed carries more weight than outdated material that may contain inaccuracies over time.

Using scholarly articles as evidence requires being selective about their quality too – not just including every article you come across related to your topic area! Before quoting or referring back to such documents in your own writing, make sure they are trustworthy by double checking the details of authorship and publication date on either journal websites (or library catalogs) before relying on them for factual accuracy within a research paper. [1] .

The Basics Citing sources correctly is a critical part of writing any research paper. To avoid plagiarism, citing accurately helps to ensure that the author’s own words and ideas are properly attributed in one’s work. Different citation styles have different formatting guidelines, such as APA, MLA or Chicago style guides.

In academic circles, it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest citations standards for your field of study. For example: The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) outlines specific requirements for referencing sources used in psychology papers; whereas The Modern Language Association (MLA) has set guidelines most commonly used when composing works related to literature and language studies. Properly formatted citations can help add credibility and accuracy to research papers by providing readers with access points so they may review source material themselves if desired.

• No matter what format you use, always include basic information about each cited source.
• Always double check your references against accepted examples from established guides like those listed above.

When writing your research paper, proper in-text citations are essential to provide credibility and support for the arguments you make. In order to correctly include these references within the body of your work, there are several key elements that must be considered.

Firstly, it is important to ensure that all works cited throughout your document appear on a separate bibliography page at the end of the paper. This list should not contain any sources which have not been mentioned or referred to in some way within the text itself; such information will only serve as an unnecessary distraction for readers and could damage both their trust and confidence towards your points made. Furthermore, direct quotations from external publications must be enclosed with quotation marks (“…”) while paraphrased material should still cite its original source appropriately ( Smith & Jones , 2018).

Additionally , when referencing specific chapters or sections contained in longer texts – such as novels or anthologies – then including this detail can help increase clarity for those consulting your work (see Frye et al., 2016: Chapter 4 ). Depending upon which citation style is being used, other pieces of relevant information may also need stating alongside each entry – e.g., city/place of publication etc.

The focus here has largely been placed on providing general guidance related to how exactly one goes about citing another’s words in-text however; bear in mind too that authorship credit needs acknowledging whenever discussing a broader concept introduced by someone else ( “as Smith states…” ) so do take care when summarizing others’ ideas without directly quoting them!

A bibliography or works cited page can be a vital component of any research paper. It is important to ensure that all sources used in the construction of an essay are accurately referenced and credited in this list. A well-formatted and properly organized reference page allows readers to more easily find and understand additional information, should they wish to do so.

• Check Formatting Requirements: Every professor has different formatting guidelines for citation styles, such as APA or MLA. Ensure you know what style your instructor requires before beginning work on building a bibliography.

Once these requirements are determined, begin listing each source with its appropriate notation. Make sure all elements—author’s name(s), year published, title of article/book etc.—are included correctly for every source; if one element is incorrect then the whole citation will have limited value in helping other researchers locate it later down the line. Additionally, pay attention to punctuation when citing multiple authors within the same entry (e.g., Smith & Jones 2019).

• Include Annotations: Depending on the assignment instructions you may need to include annotations along with each item listed on your works cited page; annotated entries provide explanations about why certain references were chosen (for example their relevancy or connection) alongside basic citations details.

Understanding Plagiarism It is essential to understand the concept of plagiarism when using sources in an academic research paper. It occurs when someone uses another person’s idea or phrase and passes it off as their own work without providing appropriate credit, whether intentional or not. The consequences of plagiarizing can be significant, leading to a poor grade at best and expulsion from school at worst.

Ensuring All Research Cited is Accurate It goes without saying that for any research paper, accuracy and validity are key. As such, it’s essential to make sure all of your sources have been properly cited throughout the course of writing. This requires double-checking each fact and source provided against its original material in order to ensure no mistakes were made along the way. For citations within your text, be sure they are consistent with whichever style guide you chose (such as APA or MLA). Finally, add a bibliography at the end so readers can quickly find additional information on each topic if needed.

Checking Your Crafted Paper Thoroughly The final step in completing an effective research paper with citations is going through it multiple times from start to finish. Not only will this allow you time to catch potential errors before submitting it but also give insight into areas where more work needs done – whether that’s finding further evidence for certain claims or rewording sentences here and there which don’t sound quite right yet. The same attention should be given when proofreading references; these need to align perfectly with those mentioned within the body of text since even minor differences can affect how credible an academic article appears overall.

• Provide extra care towards ensuring proper grammar usage.
• Verify facts/statements once again.

The crafting of a research paper with citations is an art form that requires much practice and dedication to perfect. By following the strategies outlined in this article, students can ensure their papers are accurate, well-structured, and properly cited. With time and effort dedicated to researching both primary sources as well as understanding how best to cite them within one’s own writing, scholars can be sure they have crafted a top-tier work of scholarship. As such, it is essential for those wishing to pursue academic pursuits at higher levels or enter into doctoral programs understand the importance of proper citation style as part of effective scholarly composition techniques.

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Why Citations Matter

Introduction.

There are many reasons why it is important to cite the resources that you consult when researching a paper. The most important of these are:

• Gives credit to authors whose works you have used (whether you quote them or not).
• Provides a trail by which others can locate the materials you consulted.
• Provides evidence of your research.
• Properly citing materials is one strategy to help you avoid plagiarizing.

Choosing a Citation Style

Which citation style you should use depends upon the subject area of the class and the preferences of your professor. There are three major citation styles:

• American Psychological Association Style (APA) - the most common style in the social sciences (psychology, education, sociology etc.)
• Chicago (or Turabian) Style - commonly used in the humanities (history, philosophy, and etc.)
• Modern Language Association Style (MLA) - used in English and in some other disciplines in the humanities

What is Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using another person's work without giving them credit. At UVM plagiarizing, whether intentional or by accident, is a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity (PDF) .

Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism

• Never cut and paste material into a paper.
• Learn to properly quote or paraphrase others' work in your writing
• Cite your sources using the style recommend by your professor.

Learn More about Plagiarism

• Avoiding Plagiarism (OWL at Purdue)
• Plagiarism.org

Related Guides & Tutorials

• Last Updated: Aug 31, 2021 10:44 AM
• URL: https://researchguides.uvm.edu/why-citations-matter

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Identifying Parts of a Citation

• Why Citing Sources is Important
• Identifying Types of Sources

Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves three purposes:

• It gives proper credit to the authors of the words or ideas that you incorporated into your paper.
• It allows those who are reading your work to locate your sources, in order to learn more about the ideas that you include in your paper.
• Citing your sources consistently and accurately helps you avoid committing plagiarism in your writing.

If you cite a source in your bibliography simply like this:

http://0-search.proquest.com.library.anselm.edu/sciencejournals/docview/963513704/FCC731C646FD481FPQ/8?accountid=13640

it does technically indicate where you found it, and someone might be able to find it again. But :

• What if the URL breaks?
• What if your reader doesn't have access to Geisel Library's databases? (This is the URL to the PDF view of a journal article in the database ProQuest Science Journals.)

A good citation makes it easy for the reader to figure out the who, what, when, and where of the source. In MLA style, a citation also often indicates how it was accessed.

Within MLA style, the format of the citation also tells you "what"--that this source is a journal article that you accessed through an online database.

• Template courtesy of Nash Community College
• << Previous: Identifying Types of Sources
• Last Updated: Aug 14, 2023 10:44 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.unk.edu/citationparts
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Do Citations Really Matter? How to Identify High-quality Academic Sources

One of the most important ways that the quality of an academic paper is measured is through its citations. Citations are a critical part of any paper as they indicate the sources that the writer referred to when writing and performing their research.

A well-researched paper will include high-quality citations so that others can easily understand how the author formed their understanding of the topic.

Citations also provide evidence of how deeply the author understands the main relevant discussions in their field. If you are writing an academic paper, citing high-quality sources is critical to having your own work recognized. But how can you rate the quality of a citation? There are a number of metrics used to evaluate citation quality.

Let’s look at how citation quality is measured, how important citation quality is to the impact factor of an academic publication, and some tools that can help you determine the quality of the sources you are citing.

Table of Content:

How is citation quality measured, avoiding low-quality citations.

• Use a Citation Checker

One of the most common is simply how often a paper has been cited . Logically, we assume that  academic work that becomes fundamental or famous in a particular field tends to have a very high citation rate. Thus, the more a paper is cited, the more central to the field it must be .

Citing a paper that many other people have cited before you shows that you are familiar with the authoritative voices in the literature. Proper citation also avoids the risk of plagiarism , which can risk your paper being retracted or not published at all if it is detected.

However, increasingly, publishers and authors are trying to consider other aspects when evaluating citation quality. One reason for this is that simply measuring by the number of citations can create a kind of self-reinforcing cycle.

One example is that Google Scholar organizes papers by the number of times they have been cited, so papers that have already been cited many times are more likely to be viewed, read, and cited again. Other considerations like language and regional biases can also influence how often a paper is cited.

So what other things should you consider when you are citing a source to determine its quality? In addition to how many other people have cited a source, you should consider how old the source is, whether it has been peer-reviewed, and whether it has been discredited or retracted.

In addition, you want to avoid relying too much on a particular journal or author in your research. Citing a balance of recent, peer-reviewed, recognized sources will improve the quality of your own research paper .

Even if you know what you’re looking for, it can be challenging to determine whether a source is high quality and worth citing in your paper. The nature of the internet means that even if a paper has been retracted or found fraudulent, it may still be easy to find and appear like a normal source in old journal editions.

Always check the status of an article on the publisher’s website to see if any announcements have been posted regarding the article you want to cite.

You should also do some research into the journal that published the article you want to cite. With pay-to-publish predatory journals on the rise, it’s easier than ever to accidentally cite sources that were not properly peer-reviewed.

Citing this kind of low-quality source in your paper can harm the credibility of your own argument and research, so make sure you are only citing work from reputable publications.

Finally, you should make sure that the source you are citing is the most up-to-date on the subject, and that you aren’t relying too much on the work of one journal or author in particular. Relying on out-of-date reference materials runs the risk of making your own work obsolete before it has even been published.

If you don’t address the latest developments on your topic in your own writing, your work will be of limited use to others. It is also key to avoid overusing one journal or author. Doing so makes it seem as though the amount of research you did was limited and that you aren’t aware of other relevant experts and research.

Save Yourself Some Time: Use a Citation Checker

It’s clear that identifying high-quality sources is a big task. Doing the necessary due diligence to ensure that you are only citing high-quality sources in your paper can add hours to the time needed to research. Fortunately, there are tools available to help you with this process.

While there are a number of citation checkers and reference managers available, many of them still have limited functionality when it comes to evaluating citation quality. This is because they rely on citation metrics alone to determine source quality.

Trinka, an AI writing assistant available at trinka.ai ,  is one of the rare citation checkers that can review citations not only for metrics, but also for journal overuse, age, retraction status, and journal or source quality.

Trinka offers comprehensive citation analysis reports for free. You can submit your paper to the Trinka citation analysis and it will highlight problematic citations in your work.

Any researcher or academic knows the importance of publishing, and citing quality sources is a great way to make sure that your work gets the recognition it deserves. Now, you can save yourself  time and energy while still making sure that your work contains the highest quality of citations possible by using Trinka. Give it a try today.

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Organizing Academic Research Papers: 11. Citing Sources

• Purpose of Guide
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Glossary of Research Terms
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
• Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
• Academic Writing Style
• Choosing a Title
• Making an Outline
• Paragraph Development
• Executive Summary
• Background Information
• The Research Problem/Question
• Theoretical Framework
• Citation Tracking
• Content Alert Services
• Evaluating Sources
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Tertiary Sources
• What Is Scholarly vs. Popular?
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Using Non-Textual Elements
• Limitations of the Study
• Common Grammar Mistakes
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Footnotes or Endnotes?
• Further Readings
• Annotated Bibliography
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• How to Manage Group Projects
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Essays
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Acknowledgements

A citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source that you consulted and obtained information from while writing your research paper. The way in which you document your sources depends on the writing style manual your professor wants you to use for the class [e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.]. Note that some disciplines have their own citation method [e.g., law].

Importance of a Citing your Sources

Citations show your readers where you obtained your material, provides a means of critiquing your study, and offers the opportunity to obtain additional information about the research problem under investigation.

Properly citing the works of others is important because:

• Proper citation allows others to locate the materials you used . Citations to other sources helps readers expand their knowledge on a topic. In some disciplines, one of the most effective strategies for locating authoritative, relevant sources is to follow footnotes or references from known sources ["citation tracking"].
• Citing other people's words and ideas indicates that you have conducted thorough review of the literature on your topic and, therefore, you are operating from an informed perspective. This increases your credibility as the author of the work.
• Other researcher's ideas can be used to reinforce your arguments , or, if you disagree with them, can act as positions from which to argue an alternative viewpoint. In many cases, another researcher's arguments can act as the primary context from which you can emphasize a different viewpoint or to clarify the importance of what you are proposing.
• Ju st as other researcher's ideas can bolster your arguments and act as evidence for your ideas, they can also detract from your credibility if they are found to be mistaken or fabricated . Properly citing information not unique to you prevents your reputation from being tarnished if the facts or ideas of others are proven to be inaccurate or off-base.
• Outside academe, ideas are considered intellectual property and there can serious repercussions if you fail to cite where you got an idea from . In the professional world, failure to cite other people's intellectual property ruins careers and reputations and can result in legal action. Given this, it is important to get into the habit of citing sources.

In any academic writing, you are required to identify for your reader which ideas, facts, theories, concepts, etc., are yours and which are derived from the research and thoughts of others. Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or use direct quotes, if it's not your original idea, the source needs to be acknowledged. The only exception to this rule is information that is considered to be common knowledge [e.g., George Washington was the first president of the United States]. If in doubt regarding whether something is common knowledge, take the safe route and cite it, or ask your professor for clarification.

Citing Information . The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Referencing More Effectively. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra.

Structure and Writing Style

Referencing your sources means systematically showing what information or ideas you are quoting or paraphrasing from another author’s work, and where they come from . You must cite research in order to do research, but at the same time, you must indicate what are your original thoughts and ideas and what are the thoughts and ideas of others. Systems used to reference the sources you've used vary among different fields of study. However, always speak with your professor about what writing style for citing sources should be used for the class because it is important to fully understand the citation style to be used in your paper, and to apply it consistently.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• Should I avoid referencing other people's work?  No! Referencing other people's work is never an indication that your work is poor or lacks originality if placed in the proper context. In fact, the opposite is true. If you write your paper with no references to previous research, you are indicating to the reader that you are not familiar with the research that has already been done, thereby undermining your credibility as an author and the validity of your research. Including references in academic writing is a way of demonstrating your knowledge of pertinent literature about the research problem.
• What should I do if I find that my idea has already been published by another researcher?  Acknowledge the other researcher's work by writing in your reference something like this: [see also Smith, 2002]. Do not ignore another author's work because doing so will lead your readers to believe that you have either taken the idea or information without properly referencing it [this is plagiarism] or that you have failed to conduct a thorough review of the literature in your field.
• What should I do if I want to use an adapted version of someone else's work?  You still must cite the original work. For example, maybe you are using a table of statistics from a journal article published in 1996 by author Smith, but you have altered or added new data to it. Reference the revised chart as: [adapted from Smith, 1996]. You can also use other terms in order to specify the exact relationship between the source and the version you have presented, such as, based on Smith [1996], summarized from Smith  [1996], etc.
• What should I do if several authors have published very similar information or ideas?  You can indicate that the idea or information can be found in the work of more than one author, by stating something like: "Though in fact many authors have applied this theory to understanding economic relations among nations [for example, Smith, 1989; Jones, 19991; Johnson, 1994], little work has been done on applying it to understand the actions of non-governmental organizations." If you only reference one author, then your readers may assume that only one author has published on this topic, or, conclude that you have not read the literature thoroughly knowing that others have published research in this area. Referencing multiple authors indicates to your readers a clear idea of the breadth of analysis you conducted about the research problem, not a distorted or incomplete one.
• What if I find exactly what I want to say in the writing of another researcher?  It depends on what it is; if someone else has investigated precisely the same research problem as you, then you likely will have to change your topic, or at the very least, find something new to say about what you're researching. However, if it is someone else's particularly succinct expression, but it fits perfectly with what you are trying to say, then you can quote directly, citing the page reference as well as the author and year of publication. Finding someone else who has stated or made the same point that you have is an opportunity to reinforce your own interpretation of the research problem.

How to Cite Other Sources in Your Paper . The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. Department of Biology. Bates College; Lunsford, Andrea A. and Robert Connors; The St. Martin's Handbook. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989; Research and Citation Resources . The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Using Evidence. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University.  

Citation Research Guides

SHU Library has a collection of Quick Guides to help you cite your sources. They are all available on our Citation Style Guides page.

Listed below are particularly well-done and comprehensive websites that provide specific examples of how to cite sources under different style guidelines.

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab
• University of Wisconsin Writing Center

Automatic Citation Generators

Type in your information and have a citation compiled for you. Note that these are not foolproof systems so it is important that you verify that your citation is correct and check your spelling, capitalization, etc. However, they can be useful in creating basic types of citations, particularly for online sources.

• BibMe -- APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian styles
• DocsCite -- for citing government publications in APA or MLA formats
• EasyBib -- MLA style
• KnightCite -- APA, MLA, and Chicago styles
• Son of Citation Machine -- APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian styles

Most databases provide some kind of automatically generated citations for the major citation styles. Here is a video explaining how to find the citation feature in an EBSCO database. 

• Research 911: Citations (printable tutorial)
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Citing sources in writing is a practice that is begun in elementary school and then formalized as students continue in higher education. The importance of this academic requirement is often overlooked as something as minor as mastering a standard, but the implications go far beyond that matter.

For those who don’t pursue an education in scholastic areas, citations are a necessary annoyance or headache. But for others, this practice is crucial to ensuring credit is given where credit is due and can mean the difference between a highly cited or lowly cited paper ranking and academic impact.

Citations and Academic Legitimacy

For academic research to be considered impactful, it must contain specific elements. These characteristics set it apart from all other conventions and styles of writing. Academic research is always formal and must contribute to a specialized field in which its content is able to advance or expound on the current knowledge base.

These issues are complex, requiring in-depth analysis that is founded on scientifically sound evidence that can be repeated for accuracy and verification. Because of this requirement, the research aspect must be clearly described and any relevant sources used must be referenced and cited, no matter how small or large a role the information played in the research itself. 

Research that is published without credit to other sources can be viewed as skewed or unreliable. The information in the document is sourced wholly on the word of the researcher without backup data to make it credible and legitimate. This practice dates back for centuries and is based on common sense. The more experts who support your premise and theory, the more valid it is likely to be. But although citations are a necessity, the way researchers go about including their references may be different.

Attributes of Citation Styles

The use of citations doesn’t always look like a footnote or endnote in a research paper. With over 200 citation styles and reference points, it often comes down to the writer’s preference or publication’s requirements.

There are multiple formats that authors can include in their academic writing to credibly cite a source as relevant to the data they are referencing, such as:

●      Evidence-based - Theories and arguments of the author are supported through data and evidence that is visible, documented, and repeatable. Steps are transparent and can be checked for validity.

●      Formal - A formally stated argument is clearly expressed and sources that support the premise are referenced immediately for support of the argument.

●      Collegial - When an author uses an idea from another source, the original source is given credit in academic citations. This ensures that the author is not trying to take credit for the idea and that those reading the paper can follow the citation to the source of the information directly. 

●      Empirically consistent knowledge - Some information is relevant because it is consistent with what has been proven to be true in similar situations. Scientific evidence of a known truth can be applied to other experiments as a basis of fact when it is a parallel idea.

Because citations have so many purposes, there is no one way that is recommended over another. Over-citing is a safer bet than under-citing, so many scholars err on the side of the former. Subjectivity has no place in academic citations. If the information was used in your research, it should be cited in your academic writing.

Using Citation to Impact Your Research

As you compile your research and begin to write your paper, think about how you will integrate your citations. Consider the information that is necessary to include and in what order it should be added. Does it make sense to include the source in the text or would a reference to a footnote or endnote suffice?

Take into account the required formatting for citations of your institution or publisher. Two of the most common citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association), with Chicago Style gaining in popularity.

As you write your paper, carefully use your citations to make as much of an impact as possible. Citations can be used to get the reader’s attention with a strong claim or prove to the reader that you have done the hard, thorough work to substantiate your claim. Citations can also be used to document other experts who support your research findings.

Be careful to cite all references to data other than your own. Plagiarism in higher institutions and academic writing is taken seriously. A strong researcher knows the value of researching their field for support. They also understand the need to respect the intellectual property right of other researchers.

Citing With Impactio

Because of the importance of citing research in an academic paper, it can be an area of concern for many published scholars. In order to ensure you have cited accurately and followed your writing’s academic impact, publish your work with Impactio .

Impactio is an all-in-one platform that experts use to create a professional profile. Citation data is tracked through mapping techniques that collect and trace your publications and citations. Scholars can access a community of peers to connect and network with and follow their own academic impact without lifting a finger.

When you want to ensure your citation and publication information are professional and clearly displayed, Impactio is the smart tool to use.

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What is a Citation in Writing? Definition, Examples

• Posted on June 7, 2023

Writing is not only about expressing your own thoughts but also about using information from other sources to support them. But how do you show your readers where you got that information from? 

That’s where citations come in. Citations are a way of giving credit to the original authors and avoiding plagiarism. They also help your readers to find the original sources if they want to learn more. 

A proper citation includes:

• The author’s name.
• The title of the source.
• The publication date.
• The page number.
• The references page is where all the sources are listed.

You can use different citation styles depending on your writing purpose and audience.

You can also visit a writing lab to get help with citations and other aspects of writing. Citations can make your writing more credible and authoritative because they show that you have done the research and used reliable sources. They can also help search engines to rank your writing higher in the search results.

By the end of this article, you will have gained valuable insights into crafting accurate citations that adhere to formatting guidelines while effectively avoiding plagiarism throughout your writing process.

What is a Citation?

A citation is a way of giving credit to the source of information that you use in your writing. It shows your readers where you got the information from and how they can find it. It also helps you avoid plagiarism, which is copying someone else’s work without permission. A citation usually includes the following information:

• Original author information : This tells your readers who wrote the original source that you are using. For example, if you are citing a journal article, you would include the author’s name and affiliation.
• Date of publication of your copy : This tells your readers when you accessed the source that you are using. For example, if you are citing a web page, you would include the date that you visited the page.
• Year of publication of original copy : This tells your readers when the original source that you are using was published. For example, if you are citing a book, you would include the year that the book was printed.
• Page numbers you are using : This tells your readers which part of the source that you are using. For example, if you are citing a chapter in a book, you would include the page numbers that you are quoting or paraphrasing.
• The material you are using in the citation : This tells your readers what kind of information you are using from the source. For example, if you are citing a quote , a paraphrase, or a summary.

You should include citations in the text of your paper and on a separate references page at the end of your paper. 

Why is it Important to Cite Original Sources?

Citing original sources is important for several reasons. First, it shows respect and honesty to the original authors and sources you use, and it acknowledges their contribution and gives them credit for their work. 

Second, it helps you avoid plagiarism , which is using someone else’s work as your own without permission. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense that can negatively affect your reputation and career. 

Third, it shows the credibility and quality of your own work. It demonstrates that you have researched and used reliable and relevant sources to support your arguments. It also indicates that you have followed the writing style and format of your discipline and source type. 

Finally, it helps your readers to find and evaluate your sources. It provides them with a reference list where they can access the original sources if they want to learn more or check your information.

When Do You Need to Cite?

You must cite whenever you borrow ideas, words, or images from another source. Some examples of when you need to cite are:

• When you borrow an idea that someone else has already presented in their work
• When you use a direct quote from a source, using the same words as the author
• When you restate the author’s words in your own words
• When you mention a specific detail from the work of another, such as the title, date, or page number
• When you rely on the research and work of another to create your own ideas or arguments

You can cite your sources in different ways, such as using parentheses with the author’s last name and the year of publication or using footnotes or endnotes. You can also use Libguides to help you with citing your sources correctly for your research paper.

The Most Common Citation Style Guides

In today’s academic and professional world, various citation styles are used to appropriately credit the original authors of the sources referenced in a piece of writing. These citation style guides provide standardized formats for referencing sources, ensuring consistency and clarity across different disciplines.

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style

The MLA citations are popular among humanities scholars like literature and language researchers and use parenthetical citations within text along with an alphabetically arranged Works Cited page at the end.

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

APA citations are commonly used in social sciences such as psychology, education, and sociology. It emphasizes the author-date system for in-text citations and includes a detailed reference list at the end of the document.

In-Text Citation

In-text citations are references in your work that show the source of other authors’ ideas and words. They help readers find more information and avoid plagiarism. There are different in-text citation formats, such as parenthetical and narrative. They usually include the author’s name and publication year, and sometimes page numbers. They should match your reference list, which has all the sources you used.

Chicago Manual of Style

Chicago-style citations are a way of referencing sources in writing, especially in the humanities. They are based on the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), a style guide for American English. There are two types of Chicago-style citations: notes and bibliography and author-date. Notes and bibliography use footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography to cite sources, while author-date use parenthetical references and a reference list. Chicago-style citations help writers avoid plagiarism and show respect to the original authors and sources.

Turabian Style

Chicago/Turabian style, favored by historians and other fields that use extensive primary source material, offers two options: notes-bibliography system or author-date system, depending on discipline-specific preferences.

In conclusion, a citation is an essential aspect of writing that helps to acknowledge the original sources used in creating content. It ensures that credit is given where it’s due and prevents plagiarism. Knowing when to cite and which citation style guide to use can be crucial for businesses and marketing teams looking to create high-quality content.

Citing sources can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Quetext is a trusted tool and partner that can help you avoid plagiarism and generate quality citations. Quetext has a citation generator that can create citations in various styles, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and more. You can also use Quetext to check your work for plagiarism and improve your writing skills. 

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6 Reasons Why Citation of Sources is Important When Writing

Sir Isaac Newton’s famous words in a l675 letter to Robert Hooke, “If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants,” may serve as a pithy reminder that even the most famous scientists depended on their forebears.

But, in fact, it is even inadequate because Newton did not explicitly name those giants. (As a historical aside, Newton’s comment was not as benign in intent as the words might indicate. The two men had been embroiled in a bitter dispute over certain optical discoveries and the handsome upper-class Newton was likely taking a dig at his lower-class rival’s physical deformity. Regardless of intent, however, the statement has come to represent the importance of giving credit where credit is due).

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But aside from these self-evident reasons, there are other perhaps less-considered arguments for scientists to be meticulous about citing sources properly. Some of these reasons are for the good of the entire research community, whereas others are more personal. This article discusses some of those less obvious, yet compelling, arguments for reserving a block of time specifically for the purposes of attending to citations.

1. Attribution serves as a fact-checking tool .

Accuracy is all important in any writing, especially when we write about science. The very act of looking up a reference for verification serves as an accuracy check, e.g., to double check a direct quote, to ensure the fidelity of a passage that you paraphrased, or to cite another study that is related to your study.

2. Citation makes you a better researcher .

Some of the hallmarks of good research include attention to detail and the ability to discern patterns and make connections. Good citation practices can help with both. The proper attribution of sources entails many details, such as correct page numbers, the spelling of author names, and of course, the accuracy of facts that you are presenting in your own article or other work.

3. Good citation practices make you a better writer .

All of us aspire towards that elegant paper in which the prose is as compelling as the content and good attribution habits build a strong foundation towards that goal. Citing specific sources for the various facts that we present removes the hallmarks of intellectual laziness, vague thinking, and sloppy writing as generalizations, clichés, and outright false claims, e.g., as when the phrases, “everyone knows” or “they say,” are replaced with specific sources.

When you cite sources properly, you leave no question in your readers’ minds regarding your point. Furthermore, by citing, you can easily use active language and avoid raising the dreaded red flag of passivity to journal editors and reviewers. Cite well, and you may forever expunge the phrase “It is said” from your academic paper.

4. A good bibliography shows off your scientific knowledge .

A bibliography is simply the compilation of the various sources that you have read and cited in your own manuscript, dissertation, book, etc. Thus, an extensive bibliography is naturally a hallmark of a widely read and well-informed scientist.

I can remember at least one occasion when my peers offered more compliments on my bibliography than on the content of the paper (though they liked that too). In blind reviews, the matters for which I’ve drawn the harshest critiques are for errors of omission, i.e., for not having read or cited certain references. The last thing you want is a reviewer that says that you do not know your field because you forgot to cite a critical and well-known piece of scientific literature!

5. Careful citation practices will build your credibility as a scientist or scholar.

This point is a simple corollary of the previous one. Indeed, showing off scholarship is simply the icing on the cake of what a well-cited article has to offer. A deeper, more meaningful role that a good bibliography plays for researchers is to establish a writer‘s credibility among peers in their field. The better documented your research and arguments, the more credible you are to your scientific colleagues.

6. Citation enables better verification of your work .

Any piece of academic writing gets vetted several times over before it finally makes it into print or onto a website. Whether one is a peer reviewer, editor, or editorial assistant whose job is simply to track down sources in the bibliography and make sure that the citations are accurate, life is simply easier when there is less busy work. So, your paper is much more likely to be passed through these multiple rounds of editing with minimal criticism and positive feedback if you have already taken the trouble to attribute your information correctly and cite all your sources.

In a future article, we will discuss strategies for integrating good citation practices when writing and revising your articles. You are also encouraged to view our related article on Important English Academic Style Guides . Until then, incite yourself to cite when you write!

For further reading:

The following is a list of suggested readings on the subject of citation. The citation style used in this bibliography is that adopted by the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th edition, which I chose because it is one commonly used in many scientific journals.

Bryson, D. (2012). Using research papers: citations, referencing and plagiarism. Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine , 35(2), 82–84.

Clarke, R. (2006). Plagiarism by academics: More complex than it seems. Journal of the Association for Information Systems , 7(2), 5.

Culwin, F., & Lancaster, T. (2001). Plagiarism issues for higher education. Vine , 31(2), 36–41.

Karami, M., & Danaei, G. H. (2016). A brief review of plagiarism in medical scientific research papers. Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research , 2(2), 1–8.

Klompien, K. (2001). The Writer and the Text: Basic Writers, Research Papers and Plagiarism. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Denver, Colorado. (Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED452547 ).

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About the author:

Neeraja Sankaran is a historian of science (Ph.D., Yale University, 2006) specializing in the recent history of biological and biomedical research. She came to this field with a background and experience in science writing (Grad. certificate, 1993) and microbiology (M.Sc., 1990). Author of two general reference-style books on the topics of micro-organisms and the human genome as well as numerous articles on science and scientists for general audiences, she has also published a number of papers in peer-reviewed academic journals on various aspects of the history of biology and medicine, including but not limited to, virus research, immunology, and origin-of-life theorizing. She is currently an independent scholar working on a scholarly monograph that is expected to be published in 2018 by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

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The importance of crafting a good introduction to scholarly research: strategies for creating an effective and impactful opening statement

Mohsen tavakol.

1 Medical Education Centre, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, UK

David O'Brien

Introduction.

The introduction section is arguably one of the most critical elements of a written piece of research work, often setting the tone for the remainder of any dissertation or research article. The primary purpose of an introduction is to provide the reader with a clear understanding of the research question, in addition to the scope, rationale, aims and objectives of the study. This ensures the reader can more easily comprehend the context of the research, which will consequently help them better interpret and evaluate the study results. One could liken an introduction to a trailer for a movie, where the plot of the film (the research topic) is introduced by setting the scene (outlining the significance of the topic) and enticing you to watch the full movie (understanding the research and its importance).

Despite this, our experience suggests that students frequently pay insufficient attention to the introduction section of their dissertation or omit elements which we consider essential to address. This editorial aims to help researchers appreciate the importance of a comprehensive dissertation introduction in medical education research and learn how to effectively manage this key section of their work.  Although it focuses purely on the introduction section of a written research submission, readers interested in learning more about the other primary steps of the research process are encouraged to read AMEE Guide No. 90 1 , 2 textbooks on research methods and both consult and seek constructive feedback from colleagues with expertise in research methods and writing for publication.

Here we aim to provide the reader with a simple structure of how best to construct the introduction for a dissertation and recommend that this should typically include the following essential components and principles.

Background to the research topic

The purpose of providing background information in an introduction is to supply the context and other essential information concerning the research topic, and thus allow the reader to understand the significance of the specific research question and where it sits within the broader field of study. This aids the reader to better understand how the research question contributes to the existing body of knowledge and why it is, necessary to investigate this specific aspect further. For example, suppose the study concerns the effectiveness of simulation-based training in medical education. In this case, the broader field of the study may include relevant areas such as medical simulation, medical education research, health care education, standardised patients, simulation-based training, and curriculum development based on simulation training. After providing the reader with an understanding of the context and relevance of the topic of interest, the researcher must then establish a theoretical or conceptual framework. This underpins the study topic in order that the reader can understand how any research questions and objectives are formulated. It is important to distinguish between these two frameworks. A theoretical framework describes the rationale for applying a particular theory to provide support and structure for the topic being studied. In the absence of an applicable theory, a conceptual framework substantiates the significance of a particular problem, context or phenomenon within a specific area of the study by illustrating its relevance and connection to research topic. 3 A conceptual framework highlights the importance of a research topic by showing how it relates to the larger body of knowledge in a particular field. Here is an example to demonstrate the use of a theoretical framework in a research context.

When considering Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), one of the key constructs is self-efficacy, as described by Albert Bandura, 4 and refers to the belief that a person has it within their own ability to accomplish a specific task successfully. This is not related to what a person does, but more how they perceive their ability to use these skills. So, based on this construct of self-efficacy, a researcher may formulate a research hypothesis; that examiners with higher self-efficacy in OSCEs will demonstrate improved performance in subsequent exams compared to those with lower self-efficacy. Now the researcher is in a position to identify the fundamental concepts of the research, i.e., self-efficacy (personal factors), examiner performance (behavioural factors) and examination conditions and examiner scaffolding support (environmental factors). Identifying key concepts helps the researcher find the relationship between these, and develop appropriate research questions, e.g., 1) How does an examiner's self-efficacy in OSCEs affect their ability to assess students in subsequent exams? 2) How does the support provided to examiners and exam conditions influence the link between self-efficacy and examiner performance in OSCEs? 3) Do examiners with high self-efficacy provide fairer scores than those with low self-efficacy in OSCEs? By having a theoretical framework, researchers can establish a foundation for their research and provide a clear picture of the relationship between the key concepts involved in the study. Researchers must also provide any conceptual and operational definitions for key concepts or variables that will be used in the study. Clearly defining key concepts and variables in the background section of a dissertation can also help establish the significance of the research question and its relevance to the broader field of study. As the name implies, a conceptual definition refers to a variable's meaning in a conceptual, abstract, or theoretical sense. Conceptual definitions are often used to describe concepts which cannot be directly measured, such as active learning, rote learning, inter-professional learning, inter-professional education, or constructs such as clinical performance. Conversely, operational definitions define the steps researchers must take in order to collect data to measure a phenomenon or concept. 5 For example, clinical performance can be considered a conceptual construct but may also be defined operationally as the ability of students to pass 12 out of 16 stations of an OSCE. The researcher having already pre-specified specific the criteria for classifying students as pass/fail in order to determine the ability of students to perform clinically. This operational definition provides a clear method for evaluating and measuring student ability, which can then be used to give feedback and guide further learning or to establish clear expectations for students and provide a basis for evaluating and assessing their performance. In general, it can be beneficial for medical education programs to define aspects such as clinical performance operationally in this way in rather than conceptually, especially if there is a need to ensure that students meet a required standard of competence and are prepared for the demands of real-world clinical practice. These definitions can also then be used to establish the methods and criteria by which the variables of the study will subsequently be measured or altered.

Citing the existing literature to support the research aim

A literature review is the process of critically evaluating existing research and utilising it to inform and guide the research proposal under investigation. Taking this approach enables researchers to ensure that their research is not only grounded in, but also contributes meaningfully to, any existing knowledge as a whole. Critically reviewing the literature provides evidence and justification for any research and is essential when formulating a hypothesis, question, or study objectives. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, it helps identify any gaps or inconsistencies in the existing knowledge base. Determining the knowledge gap is critical in justifying the necessity for our research and advancing knowledge. A comprehensive literature review also helps establish the theoretical or conceptual frameworks to ground any subsequent research, providing researchers with guidance and direction on how best to conduct their future studies. Understanding from the literature what has worked previously and what may pose challenges or limitations assists researchers when exploring the best methods and techniques for answering new research questions. To clarify, consider a hypothetical study in which researchers wish to examine the effectiveness of a specific educational intervention in medical students to improve patient safety. Based on the existing literature, let's assume that researchers learned that most studies had only focused on short-term outcomes rather than long-term ones. The long-term effects of any intervention in medical students on patient safety therefore remain uncertain. Researchers may therefore wish to consider conducting longitudinal studies months after interventions have been carried out, rather than simply repeating research based on short-term outcomes, in order to address the current knowledge gap. A review of existing literature may highlight hitherto previously unconsidered logistical difficulties in conducting longitudinal studies in this area that the researcher may need to be aware of.

Stating the significance of the research

More than simply reporting the existing research, one of the key objectives in any literature review is to summarise and synthesise existing research on the intended topic in order to analyse the significance of the research in question. In this process, diverse ideas can be merged to form fresh new perspectives. Any gaps, limitations, or controversies in medical education can be identified, and potential future benefits and implications of the proposed research explained to the reader. Based on any potential impact or perceived importance, the introduction provides an excellent opportunity for the researcher to affirm the significance of the research study and why it should be conducted.

By way of an example, the significance of a study concerning feedback given to examiners for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) is used to illustrate this point further. The potential significance of this research lies in improving the validity and reliability of OSCE scores in medical education. As a result of reviewing different types of feedback given to examiners, the research may assist in identifying the most effective strategies for improving the quality of OSCEs in medical education. By providing new insights into how feedback can improve the reliability and validity of OSCE results, the research could also contribute to the broader knowledge of assessment in general. This may result in the development of more accurate and robust medical education assessments, which in turn may potentially enhance delivery of healthcare and improve patient outcomes and safety. It may also address the current challenges and gaps in medical education assessment by providing evidence-based approaches for improving OSCE quality.

Formulating Research Questions and Objectives

Researchers formulate research questions and objectives based on the topic they are seeking to address. As noted previously, these will have already been derived as a result of a comprehensive literature review of any existing knowledge and based on a theoretical or conceptual framework. Furthermore, in medical education, the literature review provides researchers with the opportunity to formulate new research questions or research objectives to address any gaps or limitations in the existing literature and add something new to the current body of knowledge. Research questions and objectives should be stated clearly, being both specific, and measurable. These should then guide the subsequent selection of appropriate research methods, data collection and any subsequent analytical process. Clear, focused, and rigorous research questions and objectives will ensure the study is well-designed and make a valuable contribution to the existing body of knowledge.

Qualitative research questions should be open-ended and exploratory rather than focused on a specific hypothesis or proposition. It is common for qualitative studies to focus on understanding how and why certain phenomena occur, rather than simply describing what has occurred. These should be formulated to elicit rich, detailed, and context-specific data that can provide insights into the experiences, perspectives, and meanings of the participants. In contrast, quantitative research questions are more specific and are designed to test a particular hypothesis or relationship. In medical education, it is imperative to emphasise the importance of both qualitative and quantitative research questions when it comes to generating new knowledge. Combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods (mixed methods) can be particularly powerful in providing a more comprehensive understanding of any phenomena under study. Assume again that we are examining the effectiveness of feedback on the performance of medical students and adopt a mixed-methods approach using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. A quantitative research question may be, what is the impact of feedback on the performance of medical students as measured by OSCE mark? How the experience of receiving feedback on performance contributes to the future professional development of medical students is a more qualitative research question. This combination of quantitative and qualitative research questions will provide an in depth understanding of the effectiveness of feedback on medical student performance. It is important to note that in qualitative research methods particularly, there can be a wide variety of research question types. For example, grounded theory researchers may ask so-called "process questions", such as 'how do students interpret and use the feedback they are given?' Phenomenologists, on the other hand, are concerned with lived experience of research subjects and frequently ask questions looking to understand the "meaning" of any such experience, often aiming to attribute feelings to this experience, for example, ‘how do students feel when they receive feedback?’ Ethnographers look to understand how culture contributes to an experience, and may ask more "descriptive questions" 5 for example, ‘how does the culture within a specific medical school affect students receiving feedback on their performance?’

For ease of reference, the key points we recommended are considered in any dissertation introduction are summarised below:

1.       Set the context for the research

2.       Establish a theoretical or conceptual framework to support your study

3.       Define key variables both conceptually and theoretically

4.       Critically appraise relevant papers during the literature review

5.       Review previous studies to identify and define the knowledge gap by assessing what has already been studied and what areas remain unexplored

6.       Clearly articulate the rationale behind your study, emphasising its importance in the intended field

7.       Clearly define your research objectives, questions, and hypotheses

Conclusions

Whilst crafting a research introduction may seem a challenging and time-consuming task, it is well worth the effort to convey your research clearly and engage potential readers. Providing sufficient background information on the research topic, conducting a comprehensive review of the existing research, determining the knowledge gap, understanding any limitations or controversies in the topic of interest, before then exploring any theoretical or conceptual frameworks to develop the research concepts, research questions and methodology are fundamental steps. Articulating any conceptual and operational definitions of key concepts and clearly defining any key terms, including explanations of how these will be used in the study is also paramount to a good introduction. It is essential to clearly present the rationale behind the research and why this is significant, clarifying what it adds to the existing body of knowledge in medical education and exploring any potential future implications. Lastly, it is vital to ensure that any research questions are clearly stated and are open-ended and exploratory in the case of qualitative studies, or specific and measurable in the case of quantitative studies.

We feel that observing these basic principles and adhering to these few simple steps will hopefully set the stage for a highly successful piece of research and will certainly go some way to achieving a favourable editorial outcome for possible subsequent publication of the work.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The purpose of the discussion section is to interpret and describe the significance of your findings in relation to what was already known about the research problem being investigated and to explain any new understanding or insights that emerged as a result of your research. The discussion will always connect to the introduction by way of the research questions or hypotheses you posed and the literature you reviewed, but the discussion does not simply repeat or rearrange the first parts of your paper; the discussion clearly explains how your study advanced the reader's understanding of the research problem from where you left them at the end of your review of prior research.

Annesley, Thomas M. “The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument.” Clinical Chemistry 56 (November 2010): 1671-1674; Peacock, Matthew. “Communicative Moves in the Discussion Section of Research Articles.” System 30 (December 2002): 479-497.

Importance of a Good Discussion

The discussion section is often considered the most important part of your research paper because it:

• Most effectively demonstrates your ability as a researcher to think critically about an issue, to develop creative solutions to problems based upon a logical synthesis of the findings, and to formulate a deeper, more profound understanding of the research problem under investigation;
• Presents the underlying meaning of your research, notes possible implications in other areas of study, and explores possible improvements that can be made in order to further develop the concerns of your research;
• Highlights the importance of your study and how it can contribute to understanding the research problem within the field of study;
• Presents how the findings from your study revealed and helped fill gaps in the literature that had not been previously exposed or adequately described; and,
• Engages the reader in thinking critically about issues based on an evidence-based interpretation of findings; it is not governed strictly by objective reporting of information.

Annesley Thomas M. “The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument.” Clinical Chemistry 56 (November 2010): 1671-1674; Bitchener, John and Helen Basturkmen. “Perceptions of the Difficulties of Postgraduate L2 Thesis Students Writing the Discussion Section.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes 5 (January 2006): 4-18; Kretchmer, Paul. Fourteen Steps to Writing an Effective Discussion Section. San Francisco Edit, 2003-2008.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  General Rules

These are the general rules you should adopt when composing your discussion of the results :

• Do not be verbose or repetitive; be concise and make your points clearly
• Avoid the use of jargon or undefined technical language
• Follow a logical stream of thought; in general, interpret and discuss the significance of your findings in the same sequence you described them in your results section [a notable exception is to begin by highlighting an unexpected result or a finding that can grab the reader's attention]
• Use the present verb tense, especially for established facts; however, refer to specific works or prior studies in the past tense
• If needed, use subheadings to help organize your discussion or to categorize your interpretations into themes

II.  The Content

The content of the discussion section of your paper most often includes :

• Explanation of results : Comment on whether or not the results were expected for each set of findings; go into greater depth to explain findings that were unexpected or especially profound. If appropriate, note any unusual or unanticipated patterns or trends that emerged from your results and explain their meaning in relation to the research problem.
• References to previous research : Either compare your results with the findings from other studies or use the studies to support a claim. This can include re-visiting key sources already cited in your literature review section, or, save them to cite later in the discussion section if they are more important to compare with your results instead of being a part of the general literature review of prior research used to provide context and background information. Note that you can make this decision to highlight specific studies after you have begun writing the discussion section.
• Deduction : A claim for how the results can be applied more generally. For example, describing lessons learned, proposing recommendations that can help improve a situation, or highlighting best practices.
• Hypothesis : A more general claim or possible conclusion arising from the results [which may be proved or disproved in subsequent research]. This can be framed as new research questions that emerged as a consequence of your analysis.

III.  Organization and Structure

Keep the following sequential points in mind as you organize and write the discussion section of your paper:

• Think of your discussion as an inverted pyramid. Organize the discussion from the general to the specific, linking your findings to the literature, then to theory, then to practice [if appropriate].
• Use the same key terms, narrative style, and verb tense [present] that you used when describing the research problem in your introduction.
• Begin by briefly re-stating the research problem you were investigating and answer all of the research questions underpinning the problem that you posed in the introduction.
• Describe the patterns, principles, and relationships shown by each major findings and place them in proper perspective. The sequence of this information is important; first state the answer, then the relevant results, then cite the work of others. If appropriate, refer the reader to a figure or table to help enhance the interpretation of the data [either within the text or as an appendix].
• Regardless of where it's mentioned, a good discussion section includes analysis of any unexpected findings. This part of the discussion should begin with a description of the unanticipated finding, followed by a brief interpretation as to why you believe it appeared and, if necessary, its possible significance in relation to the overall study. If more than one unexpected finding emerged during the study, describe each of them in the order they appeared as you gathered or analyzed the data. As noted, the exception to discussing findings in the same order you described them in the results section would be to begin by highlighting the implications of a particularly unexpected or significant finding that emerged from the study, followed by a discussion of the remaining findings.
• Before concluding the discussion, identify potential limitations and weaknesses if you do not plan to do so in the conclusion of the paper. Comment on their relative importance in relation to your overall interpretation of the results and, if necessary, note how they may affect the validity of your findings. Avoid using an apologetic tone; however, be honest and self-critical [e.g., in retrospect, had you included a particular question in a survey instrument, additional data could have been revealed].
• The discussion section should end with a concise summary of the principal implications of the findings regardless of their significance. Give a brief explanation about why you believe the findings and conclusions of your study are important and how they support broader knowledge or understanding of the research problem. This can be followed by any recommendations for further research. However, do not offer recommendations which could have been easily addressed within the study. This would demonstrate to the reader that you have inadequately examined and interpreted the data.

IV.  Overall Objectives

The objectives of your discussion section should include the following: I.  Reiterate the Research Problem/State the Major Findings

Briefly reiterate the research problem or problems you are investigating and the methods you used to investigate them, then move quickly to describe the major findings of the study. You should write a direct, declarative, and succinct proclamation of the study results, usually in one paragraph.

II.  Explain the Meaning of the Findings and Why They are Important

No one has thought as long and hard about your study as you have. Systematically explain the underlying meaning of your findings and state why you believe they are significant. After reading the discussion section, you want the reader to think critically about the results and why they are important. You don’t want to force the reader to go through the paper multiple times to figure out what it all means. If applicable, begin this part of the section by repeating what you consider to be your most significant or unanticipated finding first, then systematically review each finding. Otherwise, follow the general order you reported the findings presented in the results section.

III.  Relate the Findings to Similar Studies

No study in the social sciences is so novel or possesses such a restricted focus that it has absolutely no relation to previously published research. The discussion section should relate your results to those found in other studies, particularly if questions raised from prior studies served as the motivation for your research. This is important because comparing and contrasting the findings of other studies helps to support the overall importance of your results and it highlights how and in what ways your study differs from other research about the topic. Note that any significant or unanticipated finding is often because there was no prior research to indicate the finding could occur. If there is prior research to indicate this, you need to explain why it was significant or unanticipated. IV.  Consider Alternative Explanations of the Findings

It is important to remember that the purpose of research in the social sciences is to discover and not to prove . When writing the discussion section, you should carefully consider all possible explanations for the study results, rather than just those that fit your hypothesis or prior assumptions and biases. This is especially important when describing the discovery of significant or unanticipated findings.

V.  Acknowledge the Study’s Limitations

It is far better for you to identify and acknowledge your study’s limitations than to have them pointed out by your professor! Note any unanswered questions or issues your study could not address and describe the generalizability of your results to other situations. If a limitation is applicable to the method chosen to gather information, then describe in detail the problems you encountered and why. VI.  Make Suggestions for Further Research

You may choose to conclude the discussion section by making suggestions for further research [as opposed to offering suggestions in the conclusion of your paper]. Although your study can offer important insights about the research problem, this is where you can address other questions related to the problem that remain unanswered or highlight hidden issues that were revealed as a result of conducting your research. You should frame your suggestions by linking the need for further research to the limitations of your study [e.g., in future studies, the survey instrument should include more questions that ask..."] or linking to critical issues revealed from the data that were not considered initially in your research.

NOTE: Besides the literature review section, the preponderance of references to sources is usually found in the discussion section . A few historical references may be helpful for perspective, but most of the references should be relatively recent and included to aid in the interpretation of your results, to support the significance of a finding, and/or to place a finding within a particular context. If a study that you cited does not support your findings, don't ignore it--clearly explain why your research findings differ from theirs.

V.  Problems to Avoid

• Do not waste time restating your results . Should you need to remind the reader of a finding to be discussed, use "bridge sentences" that relate the result to the interpretation. An example would be: “In the case of determining available housing to single women with children in rural areas of Texas, the findings suggest that access to good schools is important...," then move on to further explaining this finding and its implications.
• As noted, recommendations for further research can be included in either the discussion or conclusion of your paper, but do not repeat your recommendations in the both sections. Think about the overall narrative flow of your paper to determine where best to locate this information. However, if your findings raise a lot of new questions or issues, consider including suggestions for further research in the discussion section.
• Do not introduce new results in the discussion section. Be wary of mistaking the reiteration of a specific finding for an interpretation because it may confuse the reader. The description of findings [results section] and the interpretation of their significance [discussion section] should be distinct parts of your paper. If you choose to combine the results section and the discussion section into a single narrative, you must be clear in how you report the information discovered and your own interpretation of each finding. This approach is not recommended if you lack experience writing college-level research papers.
• Use of the first person pronoun is generally acceptable. Using first person singular pronouns can help emphasize a point or illustrate a contrasting finding. However, keep in mind that too much use of the first person can actually distract the reader from the main points [i.e., I know you're telling me this--just tell me!].

Analyzing vs. Summarizing. Department of English Writing Guide. George Mason University; Discussion. The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. Department of Biology. Bates College; Hess, Dean R. "How to Write an Effective Discussion." Respiratory Care 49 (October 2004); Kretchmer, Paul. Fourteen Steps to Writing to Writing an Effective Discussion Section. San Francisco Edit, 2003-2008; The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Sauaia, A. et al. "The Anatomy of an Article: The Discussion Section: "How Does the Article I Read Today Change What I Will Recommend to my Patients Tomorrow?” The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery 74 (June 2013): 1599-1602; Research Limitations & Future Research . Lund Research Ltd., 2012; Summary: Using it Wisely. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Schafer, Mickey S. Writing the Discussion. Writing in Psychology course syllabus. University of Florida; Yellin, Linda L. A Sociology Writer's Guide . Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2009.

Writing Tip

Don’t Over-Interpret the Results!

Interpretation is a subjective exercise. As such, you should always approach the selection and interpretation of your findings introspectively and to think critically about the possibility of judgmental biases unintentionally entering into discussions about the significance of your work. With this in mind, be careful that you do not read more into the findings than can be supported by the evidence you have gathered. Remember that the data are the data: nothing more, nothing less.

MacCoun, Robert J. "Biases in the Interpretation and Use of Research Results." Annual Review of Psychology 49 (February 1998): 259-287; Ward, Paulet al, editors. The Oxford Handbook of Expertise . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2018.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Write Two Results Sections!

One of the most common mistakes that you can make when discussing the results of your study is to present a superficial interpretation of the findings that more or less re-states the results section of your paper. Obviously, you must refer to your results when discussing them, but focus on the interpretation of those results and their significance in relation to the research problem, not the data itself.

Azar, Beth. "Discussing Your Findings."  American Psychological Association gradPSYCH Magazine (January 2006).

Yet Another Writing Tip

Avoid Unwarranted Speculation!

The discussion section should remain focused on the findings of your study. For example, if the purpose of your research was to measure the impact of foreign aid on increasing access to education among disadvantaged children in Bangladesh, it would not be appropriate to speculate about how your findings might apply to populations in other countries without drawing from existing studies to support your claim or if analysis of other countries was not a part of your original research design. If you feel compelled to speculate, do so in the form of describing possible implications or explaining possible impacts. Be certain that you clearly identify your comments as speculation or as a suggestion for where further research is needed. Sometimes your professor will encourage you to expand your discussion of the results in this way, while others don’t care what your opinion is beyond your effort to interpret the data in relation to the research problem.

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