The Virtues of Correct Citation

Abstract

Scientific statements have to be supported by evidence. The usual way to do this in academic articles is by citing the literature—that is, by giving references. A reference citation is supposed to provide accurate underpinning for a statement and to represent the current state of research, or, in the case of a maverick opinion, to ensure it is recognizable as such. Reference to a published source allows the reader to probe more deeply into the subject and puts him or her in a position to judge the underlying evidence. Using references puts the author under a duty to formulate them precisely so as to reproduce the source publication accurately. The convention of reference citation is a constituent element of scientific texts; it distinguishes them from journalism and other forms of writing and gives their content a particular authority. The majority of readers will have more confidence in a referenced statement than in one without a reference, even without checking it. The choice and placing of references, however, are complex processes prone to error. The following mistakes can appear: The source does not support the statement, or does so only partially (“quotation errors”). The reference citation is placed in such a way that it is not clear which statement it relates to. The bibliographic data (authors, title, volume number, page numbers, or journal title) are incomplete or wrong (“citation errors”). This can make it difficult or impossible to find the source. Quotation errors are particularly problematic because it is difficult to spot them: Often the reader can only judge the accuracy of a reference if he or she has relevant specialist knowledge or takes the trouble to research the sources cited. Another form of referencing error, which will not be treated here, is plagiarism: In this case the source of information is knowingly suppressed and the statement is presented as the plagiarizing author’s own intellectual achievement (1).

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