How to properly cite sources in a research paper

Indeed, if you examine many journalsвЂ™ author guidelines, youвЂ™ll note that journals have a higher maximum reference limit for review articles than original research papers. Therefore, their reference lists will be more exhaustive than those of research papers whose primary focus is the current authorsвЂ™ findings. For example, literature and systematic reviews are surveys of existing studies. The number of references required for a paper will depend largely on yourВ workвЂ™s purpose.The following are some of the many factors that may influence the number of references you use: The opposite situation should never happen! Key Factors Influencing theВ NumberВ of References You Use Therefore, the number of citations you have is typically larger than the number of references an average paper includes. Citations are meant to identify the source of the information you use in your paper. References are the source materials therefore, each reference should be listed only once in your references section. Show your readers what youвЂ™ve discovered and how the new information you present fits into or departs from the academic communityвЂ™s current understanding of your topic.ДЄdditionally, let us highlight the difference between the number of references versus citations. DonвЂ™t bury your hard work under strings of citations and discussion regarding other works. Unless youвЂ™re writing a literature review, your paperвЂ™s primary focus should be on your investigation and findings. If you have too many references, readers may wonder if you did any original research at all.Unless youвЂ™re John Nash, who cited only two texts in his seminal 26-page PhD thesisВ (one of which was to his prior work), ensure that youвЂ™ve properly researched the relevant papers and included appropriate citations! Especially, make sure that you have found, read, and included all the latest publications on your topic before finalizing and submitting your own paper-if the drafting process took some time, new literature might have come out in the meantime, and you donвЂ™t want to give the editor the impression that you are not on top of the newest developments.

Additionally, readers might be concerned that you may have plagiarized by failing to properly cite information.

WhatвЂ™s novel and valuable about your paper? Were you just as sloppy with conducting your study? The answers to these questions need to be evident. If youвЂ™re sloppy in conducting your diligence, readers will wonder whether your paper is worth reading. Surely someone else has thought about related topics or used similar techniques.

If you donвЂ™t have enough references, particularly on a topic familiar to a wide audience, readers may think that you havenвЂ™t done enough research into existing literature.

We would be remiss if we didnвЂ™t tell you that being at either extreme (having too few or too many references) can reflect poorly on your intellectual aptitude and your studyвЂ™s validity.

Number of Sources Used Can Matter Due to Perceptions of Quality Therefore, the famous adage вЂњquality over quantityвЂќ is the key to deciding how many references are sufficient. We emphasize вЂњcritically assessвЂќ in the last sentence because references are only as good as you apply them to your research. You establish authority and credibility when you can critically assess other literature and distinguish your findings from previous works (if any exist). References show that you have carefully reviewed the relevant literature and are now contributing something novelВ to the academic community. Why Research Paper References are Necessary There is such a thing as having too many or too few. The common response? вЂњAs many as you need.вЂќ What exactly does that mean? While we admit there are very few hard-set rules regarding this issue, in this article, we will try to provide more concrete guidelines that will help you assess whether you have enough references in your paper.Д«efore we do so, let us briefly explain why references matter and whether the number of references you include can project certain perceptions about the quality of your work. Junior researchers frequently wonder how many references should be included in their research papers.

How to properly cite sources in a research paper