How to explain why it is important in academic writing
When essay writer service start academic writing initially, it might seem that the use of references and citations is complex and useless. You might feel that it takes too much effort and complicates your essay writing.
However, once you start to practice your academic writing your use of citations would also improve. You would also realize the significance of using citations in your work.
An in-text citation is added in academic writings to show that you have taken material from another source. As an academic essay writer, you have to follow the protocol of using in-text citations at all times. A citation indicates that you have either paraphrased, summarized, or quoted data from another source.
It is an important method to acknowledge the source, give credit to the authors, and avoid plagiarism. The in-text citations can direct the reader to identify the sources in the reference list and reach the full source for further study.
Getting started
In simple language, citations indicate the sources from where you have taken your material.
You have to add the in-text citation at the end of the line where you have quoted some data, paraphrased, or summarized some information from a source.
After adding this in-text citation you have to add the full reference for the source at the end of your essay in the list of references. This list is organized in alphabetical order and it can be labeled as references, bibliography, or list of references depending on the type of referencing style you use.
Significance of using in text-citations
The use of intext citations provides many important benefits, some of which are listed below;
- The first most important reason for using in-text citations is to give credit to the appropriate author or organization.
- It allows you to separate your ideas, thoughts, and work from that of the cited material.
- It is an essential element of academic ethics to give due credit where it is required. As the authors and researchers have worked for a long time to collect their data and generate their results, they must be acknowledged.
- Citing sources helps identify the source of data for quoted or paraphrased material which prevents the allegations of plagiarism.
- Academic honesty in writing your essay would be helpful in keeping you on track during your academic progression.
- In case of any miscalculation or misinformation charges, the data source can be traced and you would not be held responsible for any falsifications.
- It allows your readers to trace back the source if they want to identify and verify the information. It also allows them to read further if they are interested in a source.
- Following proper citations helps eliminate any confusion or ambiguity. It helps you create a solid and valid piece of writing that is supported by evidence.
- Citing good sources increases the credibility of your work and yourself as an author. It shows that you are aware of the research in your field and you can use the available information for your own research.
- Try to use the most recent research in your field and quote experts or pioneers in the field to indicate that you are aware of recent research findings. You can use old research papers that report pioneering research findings.
- On the other hand, if you are citing old, dis-reputed, or unreliable data sources your work would also lose credibility.
However, you are not required to use citations for data collected personally, your personal analysis, observations, and experiences.
How to cite your sources properly?
Hopefully, you understand the significance of using in-text citations but you have to also ensure that you cite them properly. Now you might be wondering ‘how to cite sources when I write my essay?’. Let me explain some basics to consider.
Using appropriate methods to cite your sources is important and there are different styles and formats that you can use for this purpose. There are elaborate guidelines available on each type of citation style that you may use.
It is also important to use standardized and accepted ways to cite your sources. If you need sample papers on different citation techniques you may contact an essay writing service. You can use either APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, and AMA format for writing your citations.
- MLA format is often used for humanities subjects like literature
- APA format can be used for citing sources in psychology and other social sciences.
- While Chicago can be used for business subjects.
In the MLA format, you have to just write the last name of the author and no date. You may mention the page number with the name of the author. If there are two authors you would write ‘and’ between their names. If there are 3 or more authors you would use et al. for authors other than the main author.
In the APA format, you have to write the last name of the author and the date of publication. You have to write ‘&’ in between the names of the authors if there are two authors. If there are more than three you would use et al., (John et al., 2018).
The citations in the Chicago format are written differently. Use a superscript at the end of the sentence where you want to add the citation. The full reference would be added in the footnote of the same page.
Now that you know the significance of using in-text citations and how to use them, don’t forget to add them in your next essay.
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