Teachers generally will have their students start citing information from various sources beginning around junior high. It may start off just here and there as they are asked to cite during their essays, but by the time they are in high school most teachers will require it.
Students usually don’t enjoy citing sources simply because it takes longer to write their assignments. Also, it can become a bit complicated getting used to the different formats that teachers require. For instance, your Science teacher might require an APA format while your English instructor could want an MLA. It takes some time to get used to citing sources and figuring out the formats, but it is needed. Listed below are five reasons every student needs to know how to cite their information.
1. Strengthen Your Argument
Writing papers for school means more than just sharing your views on certain topics. If your argument is that the Arts need to be taught in high school to prevent it from getting its budget severely cut, then it is a great idea not to go off of full emotion alone. Cite sources from experts and entertainers on how the Arts are beneficial to all students. Your opinion matters, of course, but it matters more when you can cite other impressive sources to back it up.
2. To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due
Have you ever heard how the great inventor Thomas Edison invented the light bulb? We have all had this information passed down to us in and out of school. But there is something that you may not know. Edison gets the credit, but he probably shouldn’t. In the book The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America, the author Ernest Freeberg details how the light bulb was actually the work of many inventors. Edison was never shy of self-promotion, though, and took hold of the credit and wouldn’t let go. And don’t even get me started on how Edison “borrowed” numerous ideas from Nikola Tesla.
As you can see by this example, it is important to give credit where credit is due otherwise you may look like a thief. Even if it is just borrowing a quote here and there from people, you must cite where the quote came from originally. You may think stealing only happens when someone physically takes an item from somebody else, but stealing can happen with ideas and words as well. Plagiarizing in a paper is not a good look for anyone.
3. Research Is Required
Citing information and sources in college courses is a given. It needs to be done. Your professors want to see these references and citations for many reasons, but perhaps the main one is to know that you have completed your appropriate research on the topic.
How many people do you know in your life that will start speaking on a topic they know absolutely nothing about but act like an expert on it? If you are listening to this person and know better, this probably drives you crazy. Not only have they not performed the research needed on the subject, but they try passing themselves off as an expert in the field. By citing sources in your papers, you avoid looking like the know-it-all that is just blowing smoke.
4. It Gives Credibility to You as a Writer
If you are reading a nonfiction book or article and certain facts are given out without any citations, then in the back of your mind you won’t believe it as much as if it was supported with citations. Unless the person writing the book or article is the lead expert on the subject, you will have doubts about the legitimacy of the text.
This same thing will happen to you when someone is reading text that you wrote. If you write that global warming is nothing but a sham created to put people into a frenzy about the possibility of the world ending, then you will want to cite experts that believe the same thing otherwise you will be labeled a crackpot. Citing sources gives you a certain credibility as a writer that you otherwise would not receive.
5. Allows Your Readers to Research More About the Topic
Have you ever read a book or article and it interested you so much that you immediately wanted to run out and find more material about the subject? It seems the more books I read about the JFK assassination the more I realize that I have to continue reading more. I don’t think I will ever get around to solving it completely, but it is a topic that is fascinating on so many levels.
By having sources cited, it provides an immediate link to more material about the topic so the person will not have to go digging on their own. References and citations at the end of your paper will be a goldmine of material for those readers that want to learn more.
Don’t Think of It as Extra Work
It may be tough in the beginning when you are first asked to start citing sources, but it is a much-needed process to provide you credibility as a writer. As you climb through the levels of education, more and more is going to be asked of you. This includes writing in a professional and mature way.
Luckily for you in this day and age, there is certain technology that can make formatting so much easier. Navigate to our homepage to generate your citations in seconds. No longer are you going to have to look at your notes to keep the different formats straight like we all did before computers and the internet. Now you can just put in the information on your source and it spits it out all formatted for you and ready to go. Technology really is an amazing thing even when you are merely considering the advances in how it allows you to become a better writer.
