Citation Review on 02/142008

Researchers have arguments about the purpose of citations in academic writing. Most researchers agree that citations are good ways to acknowledge other’s original work. However, different points of view about citations are proposed as well. Some researchers suggest that proper citations are a matter of ethics and are a means to prevent plagiarism. Some researchers [Gilbert 1977] claim that citations are mainly for providing support to authors’ statements. Other researchers [Bavelas 1978] argue that the completeness of citations can show the writers’ familiarity to a particular field. In a word, citations are used to give credit to original authors, to prevent plagiarism, to support claim, and to demonstrate familiarity with the field. More investigation are needed to show their relationship in the future