30 Giving Credit Where It’s Due
Why and How to Cite Your Sources
Liz Delf
Using outside sources in your paper is a great move. Doing outside research enriches the conversation in your paper, builds your fluency and confidence in the subject, and can bolster (or challenge) your own argument. As a writer, it’s important to give credit to the original author whenever you use outside words or ideas. This is true in every academic discipline, and it’s true in less formal contexts, as well.
Citation Is Good for Creators
Imagine that you’re scrolling through Instagram or TikTok (or whatever cool new social media platform has been invented since these words were written—the challenge of writing in such a fast-moving world!). If an influencer uses someone else’s audio clip or artwork, it’s considered basic internet courtesy to tag the original source to give them credit. In fact, if reposters don’t do this, the original creator might publicly complain and accuse the “borrower” of stealing their work.
Why do they care? Why does it matter to the creators or artists if someone reposts their artwork? Some people would argue that reposting helps spread the art around, so it’s actually good for the original artist. That makes sense, to a point—but how does that argument hold up if the original creator isn’t tagged or attributed in any way?
Your answers to those questions are probably similar to the reasons why citation matters in academia. Researchers and authors are generally glad for others to reference their work—after all, they published it rather than keeping it in a private diary—but they want credit for the work they’ve done. Using someone else’s words or ideas without citing them—or citing them incorrectly—can feel like stealing. The original author (or content creator) only benefits from the “repost” if you cite their work, leading others back to the original source. In that sense, citation is an ethical issue: giving credit where credit is due.
Citation Is Good for You Too
Don’t get me wrong though. Citation isn’t a purely selfless act. It also benefits you, the writer! Citing your sources builds your credibility as a speaker on the subject because it shows your audience that you have done your research. It gives your statements more weight by indicating that they came from a reliable source. (You should, of course, be using reliable sources; chapters 22 and 23 on evaluating sources can help you determine whether a source is trustworthy.)
For example, if you write that there will be 25 million centenarians (people who are 100 years old or more) in the year 2100, your reader will immediately want to know how you reached that conclusion. “Based on what?!” they’ll ask. If the statistic seems to come out of nowhere, your audience could be distracted by the statement. They might even wonder if your arguments or conclusions are well founded, since you seem to be pulling numbers from thin air.
However, if you cite your source—and it’s a reliable, reputable s