Why cite?
Everyone at a university needs to pay attention to the issue of proper documentation. All of us--faculty and students together--draw from a vast pool of texts, ideas, and findings that humans have accumulated over thousands of years; we could not think to any productive end without it. However, it is imperative that we identify those facts, ideas, and concepts that are a result of research.
Professors require you to reference and cite the resources you use for the following reasons:
- To become a more mature thinker. By seeking out information from knowledgeable people, you are expanding your wealth of information. “Academic scholarship, at its heart, is about the interplay of ideas. The best research is not, in that sense, wholly original, but rather develops from previous discoveries.” (Yale)
- To establish intellectual context. The sources cited will give the reader a better understanding of the implications of your argument.
- To give credit where credit is due. More than giving credit to others whose ideas you use, you also give credit to your analysis of their ideas. cite to show where the experts’ ideas end and where our analytical skills begin.
- To lead us to further research. “Acknowledging your sources greatly enhances your paper’s value because it shows readers where they might look to test, explore, and extend your conclusions.” (Yale)
Information taken from http://www.yale.edu/bass/writing/sources/why.html