You must accurately cite your study sources as an academic writer. Citing different sources using different styles may be as difficult as working with a chemical equation balancer. Nevertheless, when writing a research paper, citing your sources is vital.
Documenting sources, however, need not be as difficult and time-consuming as it may seem.
There are various ways to reference a research paper more effectively and facilitate your and your readers' inquiry.
This tutorial is intended to make it easier for you to cite sources correctly so that you won't have to worry about it again.
1. Misquoting is a common error that students make when crediting their sources.
This kind of citation error in Vancouver referencing or Harvard damages your authorship reputation and might also get you in trouble. Make sure you have the quote correct and use quotation marks if necessary to prevent misquoting.
2. Errors regarding page numbers- When citing, be sure to mention the page number where the data was found. Following the direct quotation or paraphrase, include page numbers in parentheses.
If your source doesn't have page numbers, you can still properly reference it using other identifying information, like chapter titles or figure numbers.
3. Repetition of the same reference- A paragraph should not contain the same reference more than once after each sentence.
It is superfluous and causes misunderstanding. By mentioning the source only once, your goal of acknowledging the original author and attributing the source is achieved. It is suggested to always use a Chicago citation generator or other online tools to avoid this error.
4. Not following the alphabetic order- It's crucial for citations to use proper alphabetization, also referred to as alphabetical ordering. Always list writers by their last names in alphabetical order when citing them.
By doing this, confusion is reduced, and it is simpler to find the citations.
5. Incorrect punctuations- Determining where to place commas and periods in your citations is one of the most challenging parts of beginning to write down citations.
It's even possible that some of your teachers will carefully review your work and check for citation problems.
6. Not defining citations- There is a problem with phrases like "Earlier study demonstrated..." and "Previous research has proven..."
The "previous studies" mentioned in the article should always be justified and referenced.
As a general rule, these statements require citations to demonstrate the original research and source.
7. Incorrectly using et al. - As you are already aware, et al. is used in in-text citations when a source has numerous authors. To list more than 20 writers in a book might become tedious.
It would also consume a significant amount of space in your article's text. As a result, the appropriate time to utilize et al. instead of writing out each author's name depends on the style.
But you don't always have more than one author when you use et al. When citing more than three authors in a text; you often use the et al. format.
Summary
Last but not least, if you are an amateur, it is always suggested to use an online reference generator tool. If you have any doubts, you can always contact your instructor and ask for assistance.
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