The Principle of Transparency

This refers to the need for clarity in the terms and expressions used in citing the works used. For example, when abbreviating, easily understood terms should be used e.g. the use o f “ed. ”as abbreviation for “editor”or

“edited”.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REFERENCING Referencing is important for a variety o f reasons:

1. Referencing helps to trace the origin of ideas and place them within their proper historical, cultural, and geographical context. Knowing the origin of ideas helps to understand what informed their formulation, and this helps in making appropriate use of them. Thus a student may discover that an idea postulated by a particular writer have become obsolete, having been overtaken by subsequent discoveries in the particular field. As students progress in their studies and come against conflicting claims by reputed authors, they soon realize that ideas postulated by these authors are not infallible simply because they are printed.

They learn to challenge ideas, look for flaws in arguments and for exceptions to general rules.

2. Referencing helps to build a web of ideas. A student conducting research in a particular field o f knowledge should realize that others have worked, to a greater or lesser extent in that field. Referencing helps to build a framework of the ideas that already exist in the field and this can then be used as the foundations for the student's research.

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3. It helps students to formulate their own ideas. After consulting, examining and comparing ideas postulated by different authors in the field of research, the student is able to formulate his own arguments, opinions and ideas, which may be in agreement or disagreement with established ideas.

4. It helps to distinguish the student's ideas from that of someone else: readers know what idea is yours and what idea is another person's.

5. It helps to cite different points of view and this adds depth to the student's work.

6. It helps to emphasize an opinion, an argument or an idea that you agree or disagree with.

7. It helps to highlight a point by quoting the original source.

8. It helps to integrate all the relevant information used for the student's work by assessing, comparing, contrasting or evaluating it, and this shows that the student understands the topic being researched.

9. It provides validity for arguments presented in the students work. A student must present reliable evidence in the form of facts, definition, statistics and other data to support their arguments. Referencing the sources of these supporting data validates them and also helps tutors and other users of the work to check for themselves the validity of the arguments, their relevance and originality to the subject being discussed.

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10. It informs people of the scope and depth of the research that accompanied the work being referenced. It is a reflection o f the variety, width and depth of the sources, ideas, arguments and opinions consulted to arrive at the conclusion being presented. This serves to further reinforce the conclusion arrived at as it shows that it is a result of careful and in depth research.

11. It gives tutors and other users of the work the opportunity to expand their own knowledge by leading them to the various resources used by the student for his work, giving them the opportunity to use this information for their own purposes.

12. It serves as an acknowledgement and appreciation o f the intellectual efforts o f others. Most times, authors of works consulted in any research have spent time, energy and resources in researching, preparing and making them available for use by others by putting it in the public domain. Referencing their work is an acknowledgement that the user is indebted to these authors.

13. It prevents violation of ownership rights of authors of the ideas used in the work. Using someone's work or ideas without giving credit to the original authors of the idea amounts to a violation of the author's ownership of the idea. Sometimes, violation of these rights is a punishable offence under copyright laws.

14. It gives a reflection of the ideas that influenced your arguments and conclusions. Tutors in grading a student's papers, are interested in knowing the ideas that shaped or

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influenced his arguments and conclusions. This influences how the work is graded by the tutor.

15. It is a requirement for grading a student's work, i.e.

presentation of the sources of the ideas and arguments contained in a work or assignment is an important aspect of the grading process. As a matter of fact, some tutors will award mark not only for the presentation of references used in a work, but also for their accurate and correct presentation in line with requisite referencing styles used by the department or in the institution.

16. It helps to avoid plagiarism. When a student uses the work of another in his research and does not acknowledge the original author, he is said to have plagiarized the author's work. Charges of plagiarism in an academic work are serious indeed and in most institutions of learning, they attract dire sanctions, including suspension and outright expulsion. The subject o f plagiarism has been comprehensively discussed in another chapter of this book.

What information should be referenced?

Not all information used in a research must be referenced.

The information that should be referenced is that which has been presented by their respective authors in the public domain in the form of writings, recordings, films, and so on. The information being referenced must be such that can be located, read, heard or seen by another person who wants to find the same source. For example, a personal telephone conversation may be used in research work, but may not be referenced. The list of information

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that can be referenced includes the following:

1. Books. These may be books written by one author, books written by more than one author, or an edited book with contributions from several authors.

2. Legal documents.

3. Journal articles.

4. Newspaper articles.

5. Reports o f various kinds: these may be official reports from government departments, a university working paper, etc.

6. Learned papers presented at conferences and seminars.

7. Notes supplied by a tutor or lecturer.

8. Internet sources, for exam ple, w eblogs, email correspondence, etc.

9. DVD and CD databases.

10. Radio, television, video/audio cassettes, CDROMS.

11. Cinema films, theatre plays, and other creative productions.

12. Illustrations..

13. Works o f art and designs

Criteria for Choosing Sources to be used for Research When choosing the sources to be used for a particular research or work, one must consider how reliable the particular source being used is. This is what gives credence, authority and support to the research being done. To ensure that the source being used is reliable, certain things must be considered:

* Relevance and bias

In doing this certain points must be considered:

* To what extent is the source relevant to the work

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being done?

* Does the source give a comprehensive and in depth view of the subject or does it give a partial and restricted view?

* Is the language used balanced and objective?

* Does the author treat arguments of other authors that oppose his view with respect? If not, why?

* Currency of the source

* When was the source originally published?

* Has the author changed or revised his views since the date of the original source? If so, when, why and how?

* Does the author's view agree with that of other authors in the field who hold the same position as the author?

* Accuracy

In considering the accuracy of the source, its authority must be considered. Points to consider include;

* The credibility of the source i.e. is it from a peer reviewed journal or a reputable publisher?

* Do other authors in the field of knowledge make reference to that particular source?

* Do you consider the source credible in the light of what you know about that field of knowledge?

* Coverage

* Are these topics successfully addressed, with clearly presented arguments and adequate support to substantiate them?

* Is the target audience identified and appropriate foryourneeds?

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When to Reference

These following are instances when information used in a work must be referenced:

1. When tables, statistics, diagrams, photographs or other illustrations are included in an assignment or research work.

2. When theories, models or practices associated with a particular author are used in an assignment.

3. When direct quotations or definitions are used in an assignment.

4. When paraphrasing another person's work that is outside the realm of common knowledge.

5. To give weight or credibility to an argument presented in an assignment or research work.

6. When emphasizing a particular theory, model or practice that has found a measure of agreement among, or supported by several authors.

When not to Reference

The following are instances where information used in research work should not be referenced: