Referencing and Research Credibility

There is a general saying that no man is an island of knowledge. Why this saying? The whole of a research work can’t be carried out without making reference to external resources and other researchers’ works. This makes a research credible and an empirical one, because proven ideas would have been garnered from scholars in that particular subject area being researched.

Another important point to note is that, references (and citations) reflect the researcher’s skills and competence in carrying out research. Any form of bias is really reduced on the part of the researcher when other works are referenced.

Other points may include:

• Referencing would allow people who view the research work to verify sources and filter errors.
• The honesty of the researcher is made evident
• It will allow for the outcome of the research to be tested against credibility.

References

Reasons for Referencing. (n.d). Retrieved November 26, 2010, from the Hawker College website: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:HDUAS0-saH4J:www.hawkerc.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/62464/3_REASONS_FOR_REFERENCING.pdf+referencing+and+credibility&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh6bWgU4hOEDuSbjkLmNlIU5w2MJMfQ11_ocGk3TLLB99P3Qe6n3DUbVDa9xrHxDUXy_mGCzu-9b0ee9u20QeOM2sEGKj0ExPn1sJsmDHLRrKFQUxd1j2RJjhmYILGst9FyI5oW&sig=AHIEtbTPoIHJbPdyhs-qGtLaSaVp5BmAgw
 
Harzing, A. (2002). Are Our Referencing Errors Undermining Our Scholarship and Credibility? The Case of Expatriate Failure Rates. Retrieved November 22, 2010, from http://business.nmsu.edu/~mhyman/M610_Articles/Harzing_Journal_of_Organizational_Behavior_2002.pdf