Citations and the scholarly credibility of research papers

Sep 26, 2018 | research paper, writing

When a research paper is mentioned, the picture that comes to your mind if working with large stacks of books, articles, journals and so on to search for the unique thoughts of other people in relation to your idea. Whatever type of image that comes to your mind, you are trying to create a real picture of what you envision from these sources. This is what creates the credibility of your research. However, this credibility has to be 100% genuine because you may have good sources but failed to cite them or lack thereof makes your paper lose credibility.

It is more than a collection of sources

Your research paper transcends the collection of your sources and the information related. It morphs into a review of the available knowledge and literature in the field under investigation. Such a paper analyses a point of view and argues an idea. It does not matter whether you are using research paper writing services or not, the kind of paper that you present must show independence of thought backed up by ideas and information from other scholars. This is how you enhance the credibility of the entire research paper.

To put things clearly, take for instance a lawyer arguing a case in court. He has to research and read many cases to use them in defending their client and supporting the case. On the other hand, scientists may read different case studies to support a specific idea that regards a scientific principle. In both situations, they have invoked research to support their idea with facts and information that is relevant to their cause.

So what is a research paper?

This is a paper that presents your interprets or evaluates or argues a point from your perspective. Research papers are expanded essays that allow you to use every piece of relevant knowledge and information that concerns a subject. The research paper writing process allows you to build upon what you know concerning a subject and attempt to find out what other experts in the same field know. You have to survey a body of knowledge for you to settle on the best information in that field.

The credibility of your research paper

Research papers use a literature review as a platform to incorporate supporting ideas from other sources. It combines the extensive literature coming from credible sources to support the topic under investigation. If you want to assess the credibility of your research paper, you have to start from the sources. Consider the following things:

  • Standings of the journal

  • The lead author

  • The article

If you are assessing the credibility of these sources and the research as well, you can use these quick gauges. These three simple criteria are applicable and easier rather than scrutinising, the controls, sample size, logic, and everything else that is detailed in the study.

However, there is a disadvantage to this approach

  • Just because a journal is prominent, it is not a measure of credibility

A journal might be highly selective or peer-reviewed, but that does not mean what it presents is credible. The measure of credibility cannot emanate from the affiliation with a given publisher, institution or society. Sometimes even the non-predatory journals might may misjudge credibility. On the other hand, good research may be published by a less known journal due to its niche and significance but remains credible.

  • The reputation and institutional affiliation of the author are not always the indicators of credibility

The seniority, Read, education, affiliation, or publication record of the author does not mean that the research paper is credible. He can have limited oversight over the paper and the day-to-day research process. A big name or reputation does not guarantee quality. In the meantime, a newcomer in the field or a completely new researcher with a lesser known affiliation or reputation may present valid ideas and credible paper altogether.

  • Citation count does not indicate credibility

Citations are important in a research paper. However, their numbers can be inflated or reduced by misconceptions about the credibility of your research paper.

If you use the journals, authors and articles to assess the credibility of a research paper, you will have negatives more than positives. Simply put, you might cite questionable studies leaving the credible ones. This undermines the overall credibility of the research paper, and you might be overlooking important findings that might refute or support your subject.

If you want to assess the research design, information that is outside the paper can be useful. However, it might require a little more research. You have to find out:

  • If the work is still relevant

  • Ascertain that the paper has credible references that are appropriately interpreted

  • If the list of references is comprehensive

  • How the post-publication peer reviews evaluate the quality of the study, which is if they are available.

Conversely, you might not have time to go through all the aspects of a research paper, but looking at one or two can help you in assessing your paper’s credibility and understanding of the literature review.

Citations in a research paper

The reference to a published or unpublished source in a research paper is known as a citation. The documentation of these sources pegs on the writing style that is preferred by your professor or the institution. Citations can be done in Turabian, MLA, APA, Harvard, and Chicago Manual Style and so on. Proper citations in a research paper help in the following ways:

  • Allows the reader to locate the materials from other sources

The readers can expand their knowledge on the topic under investigation. The best way to follow citations is to use footnotes or references from sources that are well known.

  • Citations indicate you have thoroughly reviewed the available literature on your topic

In other words, citations help you in presenting your argument from an informed point of view.

  • Citations are essential for using other researcher’s ideas to support your argument

These arguments from other researchers can be a perfect anchor for your emphasis on the significance of your study. It provides more evidence about how you address different aspects of your question.

  • Citations are necessary because they avert cases of infringing intellectual property

Failure to cite your sources and eventually presenting their ideas as your own can bring serious repercussions. It eats into your credibility as a researcher and failure to cite these sources may culminate to legal actions and on the extreme, ruin your career in the professional world. You have to acknowledge the work of other people if you use it in your paper.

  • Avoiding plagiarism

Citations enhance the credibility of your research paper by averting plagiarism. This is a serious academic offence, and every time that a researcher uses another person’s work, it is crucial to indicate the source.

Research paper writing is a crucial process because it contributes to the body of knowledge. The credibility of your paper depends on how well you have adhered to the laid out instructions. It also extends to how well you want to communicate your idea to your intended audience. If you understand such, your research paper is going to be credible, and you will make your contribution through the subject you are investigating in the field.