Referencing, Authoritative Sources and Academic Writing Integrity

This assignment delves into the critical role of referencing and the use of authoritative sources in academic writing. It emphasizes that proper referencing acknowledges the contributions of others and enhances the credibility of the work. The assignment defines authoritative sources as reliable documents published by reputable authorities, highlighting the importance of .gov and .org websites over .com sites. It underscores the need for using these sources to maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism. The assignment also outlines the characteristics of good-quality sources, including accuracy, authority, coverage, and objectivity. Accuracy ensures the reliability and verifiability of information, while authority assesses the author's credentials and the publisher's reputation. Coverage highlights the scope of the research, and objectivity addresses potential biases. By understanding these aspects, students can improve their research and writing skills. The document includes references to books and journals.

USING AUTHORATIVE
SOURCES

Table of Contents
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Importance of using correct referencing from authoritative sources...........................................3
Characteristics of good quality sources.......................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

MAIN BODY
Importance of using correct referencing from authoritative sources
Referencing is a way of acknowledging the contribution of someone else in the work that
is being written. It is the practice of giving credit to the authors and writers from whom ideas or
thoughts have been borrowed (Drew and Bingham, 2017). In an academic context, in order to
present a valid proof of the writing, it is necessary to provide proper sources from where ideas
have ben taken because a properly referenced article is more authoritative as compared to an
equally insightful article but without any citations or referencing. Authoritative sources can be
defined as those sources which are known for their reliability and authenticity and such
documents are usually published by a proper authority, government archives etc. In case of
online websites that are being used, .gov or .org are considered to be more authoritative than the
websites that are ending with .com (Cottrell, 2019). When these sources are used for the purpose
of referencing, the reader automatically realizes that the information that has been presented on
the article is reliable and true rather than being hypothetical.
It is essential to use authoritative sources in academic writing because it ensures that the
academic integrity is not compromised by the writer and the chances of academic misconduct
such as act of plagiarism etc. can be avoided under which the writing or views of another author
is used in an unauthorised manner. The authoritative sources must be used when any image is
being used, or any quotation, figures, statistics etc. are to be included in the academic writing.
Characteristics of good quality sources
When the sources that have been used for citation in the work are from good or relevant
sources then the entire work automatically becomes more authentic or reliable (Szigeti, 2016).
There are certain characteristics that can be identified regarding the quality of sources that are
being used:
Accuracy: This aspect ascertains that whether the information that is being presented in the
article is reliable or not and whether it can be verified. This aspect also involves evaluation of the
facts that whether the sources which has published the data are taking responsibility for such data
or not.
Authority: This characteristic ensures that whether the author's name has been listed or not and
what are the credentials of the author, I.e. What is the authority of the author that is publishing

the paper. The institute where author is employed and the publishing house are also contributing
factor in establishing that the source is reliable.
Coverage: Coverage states the scope of the research paper that is being published and the wider
the scope or area covered, more will be the percentage of ambiguity in the data collected thus
making the source unreliable (Mbutho and Hutchings, 2019). Therefore, sources that are
covering a smaller range of topic or area are trusted to be more reliable and relevant.
Objectivity: The biasness that might have been incorporated in the source, the fallacy of the
author by emphasizing one point only or the use of visual images as a manipulation tool are
some of the common tactics that show that the source is unreliable thus segregating itself from
the reliable sources.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Cottrell, S., 2019. The study skills handbook. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Drew, S. and Bingham, R., 2017. The guide to learning and study skills: For higher education
and at work. Routledge.
Mbutho, N.P. and Hutchings, C., 2019. Factors that influence the ways univrsity students think
about referencing and related concepts. South African Journal of Higher Educatio. 33(5).
pp.230-248.
Szigeti, E.B., 2016. Learning is an adventure “The Study Skills Handbook”. Opus et
Educatio. 3(2).
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