Measures of Central Tendency

SOURCING1One of the most important aspects of academic writing is making use of other peoples ideas. This is important as a writer needs to show understanding of the materials used and that the writer can use their ideas and findings in his/her own writing. One of the most essential activities that a researcher can engage in is the complex activity to write from other texts, which is a major part of their academic experience. In writing, however, the main voice should be the writers own and the writers point of view in relation to the topic should be clear.2Sourcing refers to the explicit attention of writers to source information, their use of source information in interpreting a documents content or judging its trustworthiness, and their citing of sources in written essays Sourcing implies actions taken by readers to identify the source of a message and use source information in interpreting and evaluating a text.Sourcing implies justifying a statement by source information and following academic conventions in giving credit to the source of a particular message.IDENTIFIENG SOURCESWhen researching a topic for academic writing, academic sources are preferred over other types of writing. They carry more weight and authority, and are likely to be more convincing.Academic sources are:

Authoritative: academic sources identify the qualifications and expertise of the writer. A source written by a recognized expert in a field is more likely to be trustworthy. Sourced: academic writing is careful to credit the origins of information and ideas, usually by means of a reference list or bibliography. Peer-reviewed: other academics have read the source and checked it for accuracy. Before publication in an academic journal, for example, an article is checked by a panel of referees. Academic books are checked by editors and other reviewers. Objective: academic sources aim to examine a topic fairly. This does not mean that they never take a side, but that the source does not ignore alternative positions on the topic. Written for academics: academic sources target university lecturers, students, and professionals interested in the theoretical side of a topic.The most common forms of academic source are:

Books Journal articles Published reportsInternetTYPES OF ACADEMIC SOURCESSources such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, opinion pieces, and websites are not commonly academic, although there are some exceptions. Many journal articles and reports can be found online, for example.PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCESPrimary sources present original and direct evidence. They are usually created by someone with personal experience of something. Common primary sources are historical documents raw data from an experiment, or demographic records.Secondary sources draw on primary sources. They may comment on primary sources, or use the evidence from primary sources to construct an argument. Books or journal articles that analyse, critique, or synthesise a range of sources are examples of secondary sources.It will always be assumed that the words or ideas are the writers own if the writer does not say otherwise. When the words or ideas a writer is using are taken from another writer, it must be made clear. Using another person's words or ideas as if they were the writers own is plagiarism and plagiarism is regarded as a very serious offence.CITING SOURCESThe ideas and people that a writer refers to need to be made explicit by a system of citation. A writer needs to acknowledge the source of an idea unless it is common knowledge in the writers subject area. The object of this is to supply the information needed to allow readers to find the source. American Psychological Association (APA): refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for documenting sources used in a research paper. APA style requires both in-text citations and a reference list. For every in-text citation there should be a full citation in the reference list and vice versa.

Example:

from theory on bounded rationality (Simon, 1945)as has been shown (Leiter & Maslach, 1998)FORMATS OF CITING SOURCESModern Languages Association MLA: citation style uses a simple two-part parenthetical documentation system for citing sources: Citations in the text of a paper point to the alphabetical Works Cited list that appears at the end of the paper. Together, these references identify and credit the sources used in the paper and allow others to access and retrieve this material.

Example:

Dover has expressed this concern (118-21)Williams alludes to this premise (136-39, 145)A writer needs to show that he/she is aware of the major areas of thought in his/her specific subject. This allows a researcher to show how his/her contribution fits in, by correcting previous research, filling gaps, adding support or extending current research or thinking.REASONS FOR CITING SOURCES A writer needs to support the points he/she is making by referring to other people's work. This will strengthen a writers argument. The main way to do this is to cite authors that agree with the points the writer is making. A writer can, however, cite authors who do not agree with the writers points, as long as the writer explains why they are wrong. If the writer is a student, the writer needs to show that he/she have read and understood specific texts. The writer needs to show he/she have read around the subject. A writer must not use another person's words or ideas as his/her own. REFERENCESIdentifying academic sources. Retrieved December 12, 2015 from http://owll.massey.ac.nz/academic-writing/identifying-academic-sources.phpCiting sources. Retrieved December 12, 2015 from http://www.uefap.com/writing/citation/citing.htm#introAPA citation style. Retrieved December 14, 2015 from https://www.library.cornell.edu/research/citation/apaMLA Citation Style. Retrieved December 14, 2015 from https://www.library.cornell.edu/research/citation/mlaNumber system: In-text citation. Retrieved December 14, 2015 from https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c5_p12.html