Question

Citing references in-text is a skill that takes practice. The fastest way to learn this skill is to use the Publication Manual (APA, 1010) as a resource. What are your thoughts on why it is necessary to credit sources of information when doing archival research? Provide at least three reasons for including references to sources in psychology and sociology research reports.

Answer 1

Citing scholarly sources fulfils several responsibilities. Firstly, to be an ethically responsible scholar, one should give credit to other researchers and acknowledge their ideas if they are used in one’s study. Secondly, intellectual property theft can be a serious crime and to avoid plagiarism, one should quote ideas of other authors. Finally, citations allow readers to track down the sources easily and accurately by way of footnotes, a bibliography or reference list.