Being in a college or a university requires tons of paper to be filed, and even more, literature to be read. Having so many sources available on the internet makes this seem like an easy job, but the truth is it only confuses you further. Plus, plagiarism keeps bugging you, because every time you check your document, it seems that someone has already stated a similar opinion in a similar way. There are times, though, when plagiarism goes well. However, this does not mean that stealing other people’s ideas should become the rule.
Another confusing source can be the citation. Having all these materials available online, on YouTube, podcasts, and other sources makes one confused about the rules of citing content from the video, or audio material used.
Let’s put an end to your confusion! We bring you a guide on how to properly quote content you find on the podcast, how to write well, and what mistakes to avoid.
Let’s start by explaining a bit more about citation…
What is it?
Citing literature is mentioning the sources from which we take data for our seminar, final, or any scientific paper.
There are two main types of citations:
- citing literature at the end of the paper
- citing literature in the paper: direct citation, indirect citation (or paraphrasing).
As we mentioned earlier, in your work you can quote YouTube videos, podcasts, articles from the Internet, and even posts on social networks.
Why is citation important?
Well, first of all, citing literature is important because you want to be a person who acknowledges the authors. Someone went to great lengths to write something that would benefit you. The least you can do is show some respect toward the author.
In addition to this, quoting literature will help you and make your work better for several reasons:
- Quotes make you more convincing. With quotes, we tell the reader that we are not the only ones who claim something and that people more expert than us have come to the same conclusions.
- You show your knowledge with quotes. When you quote other authors, you show the professor that you have read the literature.
- Quotes make your work more interesting. Quotes break the monotony in the text.
- By quoting, we achieve win-win cooperation with the authors who helped us in our work. We get better work, they get publicity.
So, what are the useful tips you can use?
1. Discover the type of citation you should.
Here It’s important to know there are two different styles you may be required to use. We say two because APA and Harvard are the two most common citation styles in schools and colleges.
Both citation methods allow you to specify:
- author’s last name out of parentheses
Suby (2019) argues that digital marketing is the most profitable profession in the 21st century.
- and last name and year of issue in parentheses
Digital marketing is the most profitable profession in the 21st century (Suby, 2019) ..
Also, the following applies to both citation styles:
- We only quote the quote if it is short. If it is longer, we put it in a new line, indent the text and omit the quotation marks.
APA and Harvard, however, define short citations differently:
- For the APA, a short quote has up to 40 words. Everything above should be treated as a long quote, that is, it should be included in the text.
- Harvard, on the other hand, says that a short quote is a quote that has a maximum of two lines.
Based on the type you should use, you’ll know exactly how to cite material from Podcast, or some other audio source, but you can find here more guidelines on this if you need them.
2. Choosing the right topic is important
How can you know if it was a good choice? Simple, ask yourself the following:
- Has this topic been sufficiently scientifically researched, i.e. will I be able, after the introduction, to present the scientific basis and theories that deal with this topic?
- Are there any specific examples I can rely on when researching and writing this paper?
- What is the chronologically logical order of research and presentation of the story on the topic of the paper?
3. Have a clear concept of work
When we do not have a clear vision of the appearance and content of the work we are writing, we return to the previous parts much more often, add and remove them, and change parts of sentences and their layout. All this often leads to syntactic chaos, so the first part of the sentence is written in one person and the second part in another, the verb tenses are in incompatible combinations and the sentences do not make sense. To avoid such situations, or reduce their amount, before writing a paper, determine its main structure and start writing. Apart from the fact that your paper will have fewer potential mistakes, you will write it faster.
4. Save changes regularly
For some, this may sound like a bizarre tip, but those who have experienced a computer crash right in the middle of finalizing their work, know how important it is. Ctrl + s here will be your best friend because once you get into the habit of pressing that key combination (in Word and elsewhere), you’ll be constantly saving what you type. Do not allow the computer to shut down or accidentally press something to erase your work.
5. Make copies of the document
In other folders, on the desktop, wherever you can think of – save multiple versions of the document so you don’t run out of it. Upload it somewhere so you can access it whenever there’s a need.
Remember these five tips when writing your next paper, take enough time and arm yourself with patience – this is the formula for success. And if you think that the work is not literate enough even then, find external help.
