Chapter 7: Citing Sources

Why Cite?

You might be coming to this chapter thinking: is citation just a way for composition teachers to deduct marks and torture their students? Or maybe you enjoy incorporating citations into your writing—a methodical and satisfying task.

There are many reasons why we use citations in scholarly writing:

  • To give credit to those who have come before you and/or have influenced your work
  • So your reader can tell the difference between your contributions and others’ contributions to your discipline
  • To build your credibility
  • To increase transparency
  • To avoid intentional or unintentional plagiarism

It is important to consider the diversity in perspectives represented in our writing. The video Citing MMU Scholars created by Utah State University Library discusses Multiple Marginalized and Underrepresented (MMU) scholars and explains the historical and systematic prejudices within research and citations.

 

References

Tungohan, E. [@tungohan]. (2021, March 15). When writing, I’ve begun to see my citations as love letters to fellow thinkers who came before me & who write alongside me. [Tweet]. https://twitter.com/tungohan/status/1371595462977978370

Utah State University Libraries. [USU Libraries]. (2021, March 8). Citing MMU Scholars. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF8S4Qr_-FM&t=151s

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