It is a sign of respect for the work of others. Providing references to their work pays tribute to this. Hundreds of other authors have dedicated their scholarly lives to academic research, and added bits and pieces to an ever-evolving body of knowledge, be it on social class or any other topic we write about. When we write about social class today, we stand on the shoulders of giants, scholars like Marx, Weber, or more recently, Pierre Bourdieu. This is because social science is ever-evolving. What distinguishes academic writing from other forms of writing is that indeed, it builds on what others have written before, and makes explicit reference to it. But providing references goes deeper than that. It is tempting to see this as a tick-box exercise of a specific number of readings you need to cover. Anchoring this discussion to its purpose will help you gain a deeper understanding of the issue, and the rest will make more sense. Rather than providing a fixed number, this blog post lays out what it depends on, and what kinds of parameters play a role in determining the number of readings.įirst, however, a short reflection on why you need to use references in the first place. But the answer is not very straightforward. This is a very legitimate question, especially if you don’t have much essay writing experience to start with. Read More: A Researcher’s Guide to Citations: listing authors and using et al.Possibly the most frequently asked question when it comes to social science essay writing (certainly in first and second year courses) is how many sources should be used in an essay. (2019), the Korean diaspora can be broken down into several economic and cultural factors. This is especially useful when you want to append your own commentary or criticism.Īccording to Kim et al. Write the first or lead author’s name along with “et al.”, followed by the year in parentheses. In narrative citation format, the author of the cited work is referenced as part of the written sentence itself. The Korean War technically ended in an armistice, not a treaty (Kim, 2019) or (Kim, 2019, p. In parenthetical format, citations include all relevant information (author’s last name, publication year, page number) within the in-text citation, which is located at the end of the sentence. When using in-text citations in any style format, there are two methods: parenthetical and narrative. The following are some benefits of using parenthetical citations:ġ) Parenthetical or in-text citations show that you gave credit to those who deserve it by acknowledging their work in your own research.Ģ) They provide readers with more detailed information about how you discovered certain content or information, which may be helpful for future research.ģ) It shows a level of professionalism that is essential for academic papers since it shows that the author is deliberate, credible, and familiar with relevant research. Proper citations can hugely impact the credibility of a paper. Parenthetical citations are often used in formal research papers and journal manuscripts to show where information was found.
![how to cite sources in an essay how to cite sources in an essay](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/30/88/1030068769-Brief_20Guide_20to_20Parenthetical_20Citations__20pic.jpg)
![how to cite sources in an essay how to cite sources in an essay](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/64/22/1465163229-guide-to-referencing-your-extended-essay-1-728.jpg)
This helps the reader stay focused while providing the necessary sources. With the reference placed directly in-text, the reader does not have to check footnotes at the bottom of each page nor the citation list at the end of the paper. This allows the reader to understand the cited author’s voice, the date of publication, and the source of the information. Parenthetical citations are important because they give credit to the original author or speaker’s message or research within the text.
![how to cite sources in an essay how to cite sources in an essay](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/2/18/649412405-slide2_intext_citation_no_arrows.gif)
![how to cite sources in an essay how to cite sources in an essay](https://spectrumlorain.com/research-sources-online/?getimage_szuo=research+sources+online.jpg)
The reader can immediately see where your information comes from, which will save you the effort of producing footnotes or endnotes in your document. Citing original sources within parentheses in your text is known as in-text parenthetical citation.