Reading lesson: Citing the literature used
Within the broader scope of literature management, this lesson discusses the subject of citation in academic writing.
Basics of citation management
Defining the concept and characteristics of citation, plagiarism and bibliographies
Tools for citation management
What is a citation style and what are reference management systems?
Basics of citation management
Citation (i.e., academic citation) is an essential tool in academic writing. By using citations, the author of the work, the researcher, establishes their place in a chain of research and in a tradition, with their own work either following up on the research and ideas of others or providing innovative contributions. Incorporating citations into a work allows the researcher to express their agreement or disagreement with regard to other related research. However, even entirely new and original research and insights need to be put into some kind of framework, which, of course, also requires the use of citations.
What is a citation?
A citation is a reference that authors use in their own work to point to an idea or a finding that originates from another author, with the specific bibliographic source of that idea or finding indicated.
Citations can be categorised in several ways.
Based on method of citation
Based on type of citation
It is important to make sure that all citations in a text are correct and that respective sources are clearly identifiable in the bibliography.
On plagiarism
Plagiarism is the practice of using or copying someone else’s idea or work and pretending that you thought of it or created it.
Collins Online Dictionary
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/plagiarism
Plagiarism is a rather complex matter. This is because, in addition to the most obvious cases of plagiarism (i.e., the intellectual theft of an entire work or one or more chapters of a work), it may manifest itself in less conspicuous forms as well. These include the reproduction of an idea or a finding without citation, or even the writing of a paper that contains nothing but quotations without any insights originating from the author of the paper.
In academia, plagiarism is not only considered to be a serious ethical offence but it also involves some form of disciplinary action. In addition, with increasing digitization, plagiarism detection services are becoming more and more reliable in helping to check whether academic integrity has been compromised.
Like many libraries, the SZTE Klebelsberg Library, too, provides a plagiarism-checking service.
Here we should mention the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which is becoming increasingly widespread, and higher education is no exception.
AI can be used to search for, summarise and select information, but it is important to note that its answers are based on previously learned information. It can therefore be useful for outlining or summarising when writing an essay, speeding up a task (e.g. translation) or checking for linguistic accuracy.
However, it cannot be used to produce an independent piece of academic writing, as it cannot substantiate its claims and provide the necessary references. We are responsible for any claims made in the manuscript and must provide credible evidence to support them.
Bibliography or list of references
In-text citations are not a substitute for a bibliography that must be included at the end of a written work. However, it is not sufficient to simply include a bibliography at the end of an academic essay without indicating the references anywhere in the text.
It is usually a compilation of all or a selection of literature on a subject.
Lists the literature actually used in writing.
Also called: [list of the] literature used, [list of] sources
Bibliographies come in different formats, including:
The descriptive units of a bibliography, which provide information about the documents, are called bibliographic records*. As entries in a reference list, bibliographic records are comprised of mandatory data elements: author or editor (if any), title, publication, and/or access information.
Bibliographic record
A document description unit, which contains the bibliographical data necessary for the identification of the work in a uniform structure.
The elements that should be included in a bibliographic record when citing different types of documents are specified by various standards and in guides for citation styles. Citation standards and citation style* guides also provide rules on the structuring and formatting of references, covering matters such as highlighting in italics or bold, or using punctuation marks.
Citation style
Refers to a consistent way of formatting references and citations to the sources used in a work, including the works, thoughts, and findings of others.
Tools for citation management
When it comes to academic publications, citation and the management of citations are of great significance. In terms of managing citations, authors can rely on two major types of tools for help: citation style guides and reference management systems.
Citation styles
“Citation styles are rules on how to cite sources in academic writing. These citation guidelines and referencing styles may vary across academic disciplines. […] The guidelines of different citation styles are usually published in an official handbook detailing the explanations of the citation styles, the examples, and the instructions.”
Citation Styles in Research Writing.
Formplus: https://www.formpl.us/blog/citation-style
“The way that citations appear (format) depends on the citation style, which is a set of established rules and conventions for documenting sources. Citation styles can be defined by an association, such as the Modern Language Association (MLA), publisher, such as the University of Chicago Press, or journal, such as The New England Journal of Medicine.”
Brown University Library
https://libguides.brown.edu/citations/styles
What does a citation style determine?
- The method of citation to be used in a work (e.g., in-text, footnote, or numbered citation)
- The order in which sources are to be listed in a bibliography (alphabetical, chronological, numbered)
- The order, typography, and structure of mandatory elements in bibliographic records (for each type of document cited)
Where to find information about citation styles?
- Papers written as class assignments are generally subject to the citation style guidelines of the relevant department, with such guidelines usually available on department websites.
- Guidelines for theses may be set by departments, institutes, or entire faculties, with the relevant regulations being in line with either national or international publication practices relevant in a particular discipline.
- In reference management systems, there are thousands of predefined citation styles for authors to choose from.
It is important to note that, for any piece of academic writing, particular attention should be paid to checking citations and bibliographies, in terms of both accuracy and consistency, as well as to ensuring that the style of citation used complies with the relevant citation guidelines.
Reference management systems
“Reference management systems are used for storing, organizing and sharing reference collections. A particular advantage is the simple formatting of citations and bibliographies in scientific papers.”
Reference Management Systems
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry: https://www.biochem.mpg.de/7024966/BibMgmt
“Reference management software systems are powerful tools used to create, organize, store, and share references for manuscripts. These provide a complete set of tools that enables the researcher to focus on delivering a cohesive and fully-referenced research paper.”
Bouchrika, Imed: Best Reference Management Software in 2023
https://research.com/software/best-reference-management-software
Reference management systems may be accessed in several ways. Whereas some systems can only be accessed online, other systems can only be used if installed on a device; and there are also others that combine the two approaches. In addition, some services are only available upon purchase or as part of subscription plans, while many offer free access.
The best-known reference management systems are:
To determine which service may be the most suitable for a given purpose, authors can rely on written comparisons available online, such as the one in the document cited above or the one on Wikipedia.
But what does a reference management system do?
- It helps to collect bibliographic data on documents.
- It stores and retrieves collected data based on criteria defined by the user.
- It stores attachments, such as text, images, and video.
- It creates a separate bibliography or a reference list based on the data collected.
- In terms of academic writing, it can create and manage references, in the form of in-text citations, footnotes, or endnotes.
- For finished works, it allows the citations and bibliography to be easily adapted in accordance with different citation styles.
- It can even facilitate academic cooperation.
In conclusion, it is worth taking the time to learn how to use reference management systems, as they can save a lot of time when it comes to managing references and bibliographies in academic papers.
Add-on: How to use a reference management system?
A few aspects:
- The University of Szeged does not subscribe to Refworks.
- With SZTE subscription, Web of Science connection – EndNote
- Free and platform-independent – Mendeley, Zotero
- Scholarly communication – Mendeley
EndNote:
- online registration from SZTE IP-domain → online account
- browser plug-in
- MS Word plug-in
Mendeley:
- online registration → online account
- desktop application
- browser add-on
- text editor plug-in
Zotero:
- online registration → online account
- desktop application
- browser add-on
- text editor plug-in
- We have already created tutorials for Zotero:
1. Installing Zotero
2. Import to Zotero
3. Export references and bibliography from Zotero
- Mendeley is not discussed in detail; you can find out how to use it on the Mendeley website.