Proper citation is a key element in academic scholarship and intellectual exchange. When we cite we:
- show respect for the work of others
- help a reader to distinguish our work from the work of others who have contributed to our work
- give the reader the opportunity to check the validity of our use of other people’s work
- give the reader the opportunity to follow up our references, out of interest
- show and receive proper credit for our research process
- demonstrate that we are able to use reliable sources and critically assess them to support our work
- establish the credibility and authority of our knowledge and ideas
- demonstrate that we are able to draw our own conclusions
- share the blame (if we get it wrong)
Source: http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/digital-tookit/brochures/effective-citing-and-referencing-en.pdf
