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Why are citations significant in your college essays and what do they entail?

Citations are the details used to identify books, web links, journals, and any other source referenced in your essay. They are identified by the names of authors, year of publication, the page referenced, and the publisher, among other details. A citation will appear at the end of a sentence or paragraph in parenthesis. 

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The layout of a citation is determined by the formatting style indicated in the instructions. The formatting style on its part is dictated by the discipline or subject you are studying. It means that a book could be cited differently depending on whether you are writing in APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard, among other formatting styles.

What citations entail 

A citation requires you to capture details that can lead a reader to a specific book, page, or author. Get a psychology essay writing service to draft any paper for you and avoid having to deal with the confusing rules on citations or other aspects of writing. The details required include the name of the author or authors, the year of publication, the title of the publication, the publisher, and the volume. The page where you got the information must also be included in some formatting styles. A scholar reading your work should use the details to trace the source of your ideas. 

The details of the source are placed in parentheses before a period in the sentence or paragraph. Since the format used and details entered will vary from one formatting style to the next, it is recommended that you use samples as well as examples. You may also use citation platforms or apps to generate the correct citation. 

Why are citations important in a college essay? 

Recognize the source 

Scholars recognize that all the ideas you will capture in your writing are not original. You require the ideas of other people to create a context for your work. These ideas also help to reinforce your ideas as you advance the academic space. Citations count as a writer accepting that the arguments used in the paper are not entirely his.

Readers can see a strand of ideas that they may have encountered in other books. Since you have cited the source, they can go ahead to identify the areas you have advanced new ideas in your writing. By admitting the use of the ideas collected from other people in your work, you recognize their efforts in academia as well as helping you to advance your point. 

Avoid plagiarism accusations 

Academic papers like essays, dissertations, theses, and research papers provide an opportunity for the writer to advance the existing ideas. An accumulation of ideas, for example on viruses or marketing, has helped the industry to generate knowledge over the years. It is only honest for a writer to credit the right person with ideas added to his work. Claiming the ideas developed by other people amounts to plagiarism. 

A plagiarized essay demonstrates the failure to put any academic effort into your work. You will pass as dishonest because you claimed the ideas of other scholars. By citing sources, readers can attribute ideas to the rightful owners.

Separate original ideas from those borrowed from other authors

Academic work involves the exchange and blending of ideas. However, each academic exercise requires the writer to push the discussion or knowledge further. A reader will only identify an original idea from a copied one by using citations. 

Old ideas are important in academic writing because they show a context. If you share ideas with another author, you will be said to follow the same line of thinking. If you pick an idea but argue against it, the reader can trace the point of departure. A citation will clarify an original idea from those gathered from other authors or sources to support your point. 

Direct readers to where to find more information 

A reader may find your point of argument to be interesting and wants to learn more about it. The details captured in the citation will direct the reader to a specific book. Since one person can write several books, it is the other details that will provide specific directions. The reader will use details like the year of publication, publisher, and page number to get the specific source. He can read more about an idea and agree with you or will understand why you took a particular perspective. 

Demonstrate a context 

Every academic paper or discussion must have a context. A context demonstrates that other scholars have explored the same idea even though you have an advanced argument. It is a chance to admit that you are not the alpha and omega in the discussion. You are genuine enough to accept the contributions made by other writers or thinkers in the same space. 

A citation is an evidence that you researched the topic instead of providing an opinion or unsubstantiated points. The reader or an examiner can verify your research by following the citations provided. By putting the debate in perspective and acknowledging the contributions of other authors, the reader can discern your original ideas.