It helps them acknowledge where the information came from.

To Avoid Plagiarism – Citations allow researchers to properly quote the work of others.

It is also crucial to the whole research publication and consumption process for the following reasons: Properly referencing a source is not only important that the right people get the proper recognition for their ideas. In research, this is very apparent in literature where scholars discuss and debate who first created a research methodology, an idea, or made a discovery (e.g., Newton versus Leibniz for calculus and Le Verrier versus Adams for Neptune). We have a strong drive to know who or where exactly pieces of information came from and how ideas develop. This is because we humans have a strong sense of ownership, not just of our physical properties but also of our intellectual works and achievements.

Presenting ideas of other scholars without proper recognition goes against scientific ethics (Gross, 2016). While this is not the highest of ethical requirements, it is simply basic decency. The main reason for citing references properly is to avoid intellectual dishonesty (Bast & Samuels, 2008). How To Cite a Research Paper Table of Contents This way, you can concentrate more on the content of your paper rather than what many consider a cumbersome task.

A list of digital tools that can make citation easier and a quick tutorial will also be provided. As such, this article should serve as your guide on how to cite a research paper in popular formats: APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and the IEEE style. One of the most important ones is that you can easily establish to your reviewers and readers the context around and relevancy of your work.īut, creating a reference section for your paper or dissertation can be a tedious task. Citing your sources properly is also important for many reasons. Thus, it is best for graduate students and aspiring researchers to know how to cite a research paper and other sources in their works. And, publication venues like journals and conferences are quite strict about their formats. In academic research, it is standardized by many bodies. Citing your sources is an important practice when it comes to any type of publishing.

How to insert a citation.