referncing in essays (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter .ben
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jhakka
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Unless otherwise specified, I would suggest using a minimum of 5 different sources.
Silver Persian
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Different as in the sources will be listed separately in the bibliography. So, for instance, it would be OK to use 5 books..ben said:
5 should be the absolute-omg-i-am-panicking-and-dont-have-enough-time-to-do-this minimum.
c_james
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No offence to the people who have responded with "bare minimums", but I really think a question like this is moot. First, because your markers are looking for original argument, something which no amount of secondary sources is magically going to imbue your essay with, and second, because these things have no fixed minimums, especially in really discursive subjects like English and philosophy.
By all means, do your research and consult as many works as you think appropriate, but when it comes to the crunch, filling out your bibliography with lots of sources really doesn't do much for your cause. In my first semester I went all out with the referencing, but it really just tended to obscure my arguments and make them too contradictory. Better to form the argument first, then pad it out with only those references that are absolutely necessary.
So it's pretty much something at your discretion. There is no minimum or maximum amount. I can envision an essay with four sources easily beating one that has twenty, simply because the latter is big on other peoples' ideas and short on its own.
By all means, do your research and consult as many works as you think appropriate, but when it comes to the crunch, filling out your bibliography with lots of sources really doesn't do much for your cause. In my first semester I went all out with the referencing, but it really just tended to obscure my arguments and make them too contradictory. Better to form the argument first, then pad it out with only those references that are absolutely necessary.
So it's pretty much something at your discretion. There is no minimum or maximum amount. I can envision an essay with four sources easily beating one that has twenty, simply because the latter is big on other peoples' ideas and short on its own.
exactly - there is no real prescribed number. if you have only 1 reference, they will probably mark you down for not showing extensive referencing. If they see too many, they may think that you have defined the scope of the essay too broadly.
Ultimately, you cite enough references that makes your argument substantial. In a business subject, for the word limit, this will be around 6-12.
Ultimately, you cite enough references that makes your argument substantial. In a business subject, for the word limit, this will be around 6-12.
Silver Persian
Banned
While I agree with you that the number of sources you use doesn't have much to do with the quality of your essay, I'd note that:c_james said:
1) One of the marking criteria will be how widely you've read
2) Sometimes putting in too many of your own ideas can raise suspicion about plagiarism.
Nebuchanezzar
Banned
lol. Exactly. While it's all nice for the older students to lecture the younger students about how the quantity of references isn't really anything concerning yourself over so long as your argument is fine, first year courses slap a big fat criteria over most essays saying that you must cite (x) scholarly sources in a bibliography.Silver Persian said:
From the two essays I've done, both of which were 2000 words in length, about 10 or so were required. I think it's too late for that now anyway. Sorry.
Yes but how widely you've read is subjective. There's a difference between basing your argument around a couple of in-depth sources and simply looking up 50 sources in a database and citing them all with a crap argument. Wide reading implies that you need to widely research a viewpoint (i.e. all sides of an argument), rather than look up many sources.
e.g. do argue a marxist point, you would only really need 2 sources, one for and one against. the more in-depth your essay goes the more sources you will need
e.g. do argue a marxist point, you would only really need 2 sources, one for and one against. the more in-depth your essay goes the more sources you will need
Nebuchanezzar
Banned
...yeah, but they require a certain number of references in addition to a good argument. If you do not cite (x) sources, no matter how good or bad, you will get a big fat 'unsatisfactory' tick in that criteria box.
.... no. if you have a strong compelling argument based on a few sources, and you define in your introduction the specific issues that you wish to focus on, and say you wish to base it on the works of one particular academic, then you won't get an unsatisfactory in that area.Nebuchanezzar said:
if you go crazy and reference many things they don't give you any marks. how can you be expected to analyse so many sources in such a small word limit. Look up academic works and see how many sources they refer to.
Nebuchanezzar
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Yes, you will. If you continue to disagree, I will run off, get my lovingly photocopied marking criteria and show you that one of the specified, required criteria for any first year essay is (x) amount of citations. I'm not sure what happens after first year, so I can only assume (and hope) that it bends towards what you're saying.
If that is a specified, required criterion with a quantitative indicator then they're more testing your research skills, rather than the skills to write a compelling essay to sustain an argument. I have also done an assignment in which we had to find 10 sources and analyse a problem using them. This is a different kind of assignment
Nebuchanezzar
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I believe they're trying to get you in the mood for research, and to try to enable students to actually research properly 'n' such. You know, forcing them to actually engage in some actual research instead of relying on the course textbook.
Here's the criteria for EDUF1018, quite similar to that of GOVT1101 which said there was a minimum of 10 scholarly sources.
Here's the criteria for EDUF1018, quite similar to that of GOVT1101 which said there was a minimum of 10 scholarly sources.
c_james
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I've never seen anything of that sort, but then I don't do education and government subjects. I understand your predicament. However, what I'm arguing against is the mentality of "oh, I need x number of sources". It's a very HSC mindset, and I mean that in a bad, bad way. I guess I'm trying to say that if you have faculty-defined minimums, by all means meet them, but make sure it's not at the expense of your argument (if you care about getting anything above a pass, that is).
Nebuchanezzar
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Oh my yes. I absolutely despise the idea that there's a prescribed number of sources. I mean, I can deal with the idea that they want us to engage in research, but forcing us to adhere to a certain set number of resources is ludicrous. Why not just SAY that you need to do research, and form a detailed, weighed out response based on research. The bright ones would pick up on it for sure.
it would really depend on the nature of the essay.
if you are to express your understanding and novelty in the subject, then you probably don't want to reference any cept the fundamentals. if on the other hand your essay is a review...
having did just 2 major reviews each of approx 1k-2k length long, i used approx 10 for one and 60'ish for the other...
if you are to express your understanding and novelty in the subject, then you probably don't want to reference any cept the fundamentals. if on the other hand your essay is a review...
having did just 2 major reviews each of approx 1k-2k length long, i used approx 10 for one and 60'ish for the other...