Importance of citations
Since research writing/essay writing follows from reading other people’s works, citations inside the paper and a list of the citations for all sources used at the bottom of the paper is a must. It is important to note that, if one was to fully write in their own words but fail to cite, this would still be termed as plagiarism because of the fact that some information was borrowed. Therefore always cite when you read from a source in the essay writing process.
Marks awarded to citations
Most marking criteria/rubrics used by universities and colleges will award at least 10 marks to correct citations according to the requested style. Therefore it is important to a student to pay attention to the citation format mainly for in text citations and reference page for the citation style required.
In-text citation
In-text citation is a method of providing information about a source. It includes a signal phrase which gives the author’s name and a parenthetical reference, which can include the author’s name and the page number. Example:
As Joan (1999: 50-51) points out that…
An in-text citation typically includes either the last name of the author, the title or publication name (in parentheses), or the name of the company, organization, or Website, if no author or article title is known.
Requirements
- In-Text citations always include the author and the year. Page numbers are required for direct quotes and encouraged for paraphrases/summaries.
Signal Phrases
- In-Text citations rely on signal phrases to signal the reader where you received your information. Typically, signal phrases use verbs such as: stated, noted, found, etc…
How do we cite in APA
The APA style was established by the American Psychological Association. It requires that you use Arabic numbers, p. or pp. for page numbers, and a list of references for the citations. It also requires that you add a bibliography if you consulted works but did not specifically cite them, or if you are suggesting other books and articles for further information. For example, in journal submissions, APA style requires that reference list entries for articles (considered copy) be double-spaced. For reference lists in student manuscripts (considered final), APA style permits the entry to be single-spaced. Another difference is that reference lists for student manuscripts contain only the references cited in the text, unless there is a specific requirement (by citing references) to give evidence that students have read more widely or are more widely knowledgeable about the field.
Up to date sources
Ensure that you cite relevant and current or recent sources. The rationale behind this requirement is simply that, facts change, as research is carried out, a lot of information is challenged, discovered or update so the recent the source of information the better. Take for example a term paper in IT, citing a text book authored in the 1980’s will easily discredit your paper since a lot especially in the internet and social media was discovered after the 80’s therefore older texts may lack crucial data or information on the subject.
Also, the APA style is concerned about dates and requires that the author and date of a source be mentioned in the citation. It uses commas to separate the elements of citation. Here is an example of APA citation style for student papers:
Examples of Citations Using APA Style
“The lifting of the eyebrows in surprise allows the taking in of a larger visual sweep and also permits more light to strike the retina. This offers more information about the unexpected event, making it easier to figure out exactly what is going on and concoct the best plan for action” (Goleman, 1995, p. 7).
This citation would appear the following way in the section called “References,” which lists the sources from which citations were taken. Three references have been added to illustrate this bibliographic format.
Using APA Style
References
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam.
APA general rules
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation unless you have been requested to use APA 6th Edition which requires page numbers in addition to Author and year. This means that the author’s last name and year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example, (Joan, 2011), and a complete reference should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
If you are referring to an idea, from another work but no directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference. All sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
Phrases/verbs that can be used while inserting in-text citations
To make your paper really attractive and powerful, utilize the action verbs and phrases below in your in-text citations. Remember that, a citation can be place in the beginning of the sentence, in the middle or at the end of a sentence.
But…..disagrees with this point, saying…..
….writes that…
….says that….
…writes that…
…observes that…
…notes that…
…remarks that…
…adds that…
…declares that…
…informs us that…
…alleges that…
…claims that…
…states that…
…comments that…
…thinks that…
…affirms that…
…asserts that…
…explains that…
…argues that…
…propose that…
…predict that…
…Estimates that…
…exclaim that…
…thinks that…
…complain that…
…criticizes that…
…points out that…
….suggests….,
..states…..,
…..indicates….,
…..explained……,
…. described….,
….confirmed….,
…asserted….,
….. acknowledged….,
….declared…. ,
….illustrated….
…. presents evidence that shows….
…. According to….
