LANG 1404 - Advanced Academic English for University Studies

Some Reasons Why Scholars Cite  

1. To provide credibility and strengthen my argument (my opinions are supported from authoritative authors/papers in the field) 
2. To embody concepts or methods (instead of describing how to determine a protein, I cite the paper which gives the detailed methodology, and focus on my own addition to knowledge)
3. To give credit for ideas and show the reader where to go for a further elaboration
4. Scholarship as conversation: similar to an ongoing conversation, communities of scholars cite original sources (support or contrast), build upon previous research, and add new interpretations over time to advance human knowledge.

Note: You need to cite sources in your writing if you use someone else's ideas, data, methodologies, illustrations, etc.; it does not matter what format they are in.

Scholarship as Conversation

Examine how the sources were cited by others (supporting, contrasting, mentioning...) with added features of some Library databases. However, avoid finding sources just to support/prove your predisposition.

Scite : search results can be sorted by Most/Least supported/contrasted

Web of Science: some records have Enriched Cited Reference

So, what is a citation? Click "Start" to find out.

Learn How to Cite APA Style:

If, for example, you want to cite this article "Fertile LAND: Pricing non-fungible tokens" in your paper to support your argument, you should:

1. Make an in-text reference within your writing:
    

   .. This first study of NFT pricing shows a NFT LAND price series characterised by both inefficiency and a steady rise in value...(Dowling, 2022), ...

   
    
2. Include complete details about the article in the references section at the end of your paper:
    

   Dowling, M. (2022). Fertile LAND: Pricing non-fungible tokens. Finance Research Letters, 44, 102096. https://10.1016/j.frl.2021.102096

What about indirect sources?

For example, you read about Smith's idea (or research findings) in Nicholson's paper but you did not read Smith's article yourself. In this case, you CANNOT cite a source that you have not read, so you need to indicate that the information is obtained from a secondary source:

1. List the source you have read (Nicholson's paper) in the reference list, and
2. Make an in-text citation such as
   • Smith's survey (as cited in Nicholson, 2020) showed ...
   • According to Nicholson (2020), Smith's survey says ...

What about personal communications?

Personal communications may be private letters, memo, electronic communications (e.g. e-mail), personal interviews, telephone communications, etc. Because they are not considered recoverable data, so personal communications are not required in the reference list, but you have to cite personal communications within the text. Give the initials, follow by the surname (family name, last name, 姓) of the communicator, and provide the exact date as possible.

In-text Reference = (T.W. Lau, personal communication, September 2, 2012)

See A Guide to Good Referencing Skills for more tips on how to paraphrase and summarize sources.

Citation Styles

• There are several common citation styles (standard formats for listing references). Style varies across disciplines. Ask your instructor which style s/he prefers.
   
• In general, references of periodical articles should have these elements:
  • Author(s) - who wrote it
  • Title - what the article is called
  • Source - title of the periodical or larger work it appeared in
  • Volume & Issue numbers
  • Publication date
  • Page numbers

Free online tools to help create citations in different formats.

• Zbib (really simple!)
• Citation Machine
• Citethisforme

RefWorks is a subscription-based advanced tool available to all HKUST staff & students,

• RefWorks Guide
• Plug-in for inserting citations into MS Word: Refworks Citation Manager (RCM)