Noreen's
PERSONAL BLOG & JOURNAL

Why Students Have Difficulty Citing Information

 

            Citing sources is important to let readers know that a specific piece of information we're giving was provided by a different source or author and is not solely from our observation.  The strength and credibility of our work also depends on the validity of our sources which is why our ability to acknowledge those sources clearly without plagiarizing is essential in the work we do. Citing sources is easy as long as we know which style to use. There are different types of citations for different disciplines. We must also consider how we want to identify our sources. In citing important information gathered, we must mention the author/source in the sentence where we used the reference. On the other hand, when citing a minor idea we may also use footnotes or endnotes.

 

            Citing information has been taught as early as elementary for most students but up to this day most students still experience difficulties in citing sources. There are many reasons behind this. Not fully understanding the material is one possible reason. For example, it would be difficult for someone to paraphrase or summarize a work properly if he/she is not familiar to the topic of the text. Another reason is running out of time to properly cite sources. Students face deadlines almost every week and citing sources properly in every paper seems to be a hassle so most tend to disregard citation and just pass the work done without giving credit to the source.  Nowadays, everything is easier with the help of technology. Students have it easier because new technologies make finding, using and sharing information easier and faster. In social media, we only click share without properly citing the source since we think that it is not really a big deal. We also quote song lyrics and lines from speeches without giving credit to the provider. Blog posts often “reference” other articles or works by simply linking to them since this makes it easy for the readers to see where the author’s ideas have come from and to view the source very quickly. In these more informal writings, the use of proper citation is not observed most of the time.

 

           As a student, I am also guilty of not properly citing sources at all times. Citing sources is a hassle for me most of the time particularly when I’m already cramming my paper or I still have a ton of homework to do that’s why I just usually disregard proper citation. I usually follow simple steps so I can get over my difficulty of citing sources. First, it is important to know that plagiarism is not a joking matter. We should be fully aware of the different kinds of plagiarism so that we avoid stealing someone else’s intellectual property. Another tip is to readily cite the sources after including them in our work. Most of the time I finish my work first then proceed to citing sources then organizing them properly in the bibliography or reference list but I realized that this is a wrong method since we sometimes forget where we got the information which leads to not properly citing all the information gathered. Lastly, I keep in mind that I won’t be happy if someone steals my work so I have no right to steal other people’s work.