Citation

(Introduction, on the textbook)

Citations are widely recognized as being an important and distinctive property of academic texts. Indeed, the presence or absence of citations allows the casual reader to get an immediate sense of whether a text is an “academic” or “popular” one. Because citation is such an obvious surface phenomenon, it has been much discussed in the academic world. Indeed, there are several theories about the role and purpose of citation in academic texts.

(Sections below written by Arthur Rimbaud)

The most accepted theory is that: "Citations are used to recognize and acknowledge the intellectual property rights of authors. They are a matter of ethics and a defense against plagiarism." This theory is widely proposed in manuals and standard practice guides. In the well-established field like the sciences, there is also a theory which has many supporters. " Citations are used to show respect to previous scholars. They recognize the history of the field by acknowledging previous achievement."

Some researchers also provided theories about citation. In the rhetorical aspect, Gilbert(1977) said that citations are tools of persuasion; writers use citations to give their statements greater authority. Swales(1990) also claimed that citations are used to create a research space for the citing author. By describing what has been done, citations point the way to what has not been done and so prepare a space for new research. And in the economic aspect, Ravetz(1971) developed a theory that citations operate as a kind of mutual reward system. Rather than pay other authors money of their contributions, writers “pay” them in citations. Besides, Vavelas(1978) also provided a theory from the sociological viewpoint. He said that citations are used to supply evidence that the author qualifies as a member of the chosen scholarly community; citations are used to demonstrate familiarity with the field.