to recognize the contributions of pioneers in a field
to identify the original publications in which an idea or concept was first presented
to provide access to other readings on the topic of the work at hand
to identify a methodology
to refer to work of one's own or others that is being critiqued or corrected
Avoid Plagiarism
NEVER
[do NOT] cut and paste text from an electronic source with the intention of paraphrasing the text after copying it -- this practice makes it easy to accidentally plagiarize by following the original text to closely
NEVER
[do NOT] use direct quotations; in scientific writing, you express the information and ideas you have taken from other sources in your own words, rather than how the author says it
ALWAYS
think about the information that you are using from another source -- when you understand it sufficiently you will be able to reproduce the information in your own words
When Should You Cite a Source
You do NOT need to cite if:
You use information that seems to be common such as background knowledge. For example: The majority of birds have functional wings.
You DO need to cite if:
You refer to or describe specific information that you have taken from a source. For example: The Galapagos flightless cormorant has rudimentary, non-functional wings.
You refer to a theory or idea from a source
You want to incorporate a figure, table, or photograph from another source
