1. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Chapter 8
References and Plagiarism

2. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Importance of References
• Give credit to the ideas and findings of others
• Direct readers to other literature
• Show your familiarity in your field

3. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Types of References
• Primary: original, peer-reviewed
publications, like journal articles
• Secondary: review articles
• Tertiary: textbooks
Select the most relevant references

4. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Top Science Databases
• PubMed
• MEDLINE
• SCOPUS
• BIOSIS
• Web of Science
• Current Contents

5. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Selecting References
Relevant
SignificantAvailable
Fewest

6. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Selecting Relevant References
Most significant
Most available
• Journal articles
• Books
• Ph.D. theses
• Some conference proceedings
• Journal articles
• Books
• Ph.D. theses and
proceedings of meetings
Most relevant = most significant + most availableMost relevant = most significant + most available

7. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Accuracy of References
Verify references against the original document
•References have a surprisingly high rate of error
•References must be accurate
•Information within the reference must be accurate
•Reference List and the text references must
correlate

8. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Format of References
Follow the journal’s style for details in the
reference citation
Cite references in the correct form and order

9. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Placement of References
Know where to place references in a scientific paper
•Abstract—no references
•Introduction—most relevant only
•Materials and Methods—as appropriate
•Results—usually no references
•Discussion—include references for comparison
and contrast with other studies

10. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Placement of References
Know where to place references in a sentence
• After the idea
• After the names of the authors
• After the appropriate point—not simply grouped
together at the end
• Not in the middle of an idea
• Not directly after “in a recent study” or “has been
reported”

11. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Correct Reference Placement?
Example
In the rat, the concentration of nuclear receptors in the brain
decreases during the first 2 weeks after birth (30), whereas the
receptor concentration in liver nuclei increases (29) during this
period. In addition, a temporal correlation has been reported
(16) between the T3 binding capacity of nuclei and the activity
of fatty acid synthetase in fetal rabbit lung.
Revision
In the rat, the concentration of nuclear receptors in the brain
decreases during the first 2 weeks after birth (30), whereas the
receptor concentration in liver nuclei increases during this
period (29). In addition, a temporal correlation has been
reported between the T3 binding capacity of nuclei and the
activity of fatty acid synthetase in fetal rabbit lung (16).

12. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Citing References
• Style depends on instructions
• Cite references in the text using: (author, year),
(number ), or number
• When more than one reference is cited for a point,
list references in chronological order

13. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Citing from the Internet
Example
Author’s name (last name first) Title. Available
from: URL: http://Internet address or World Wide
Web address.
Alternate: Use MLA, CSE, or Chicago style.

14. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Citing References from Authors of
Other Papers
• For one author:
“. . . developed by Libanoff (4).”
• For two authors:
“Barrington and Finer (16) treated nine infants.”
• For three or more authors:
first author’s name + “et al.”

15. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Reference List
Follow the journal’s style for details in the
Reference List
Examples
a)Alphabetically:
Bailey, S.E., Olin, T.J., Bricka, R.M. and Adrian, D.D. (1999). A review
of potentially low-cost sorbents for heavy metals. Water Res. 33:2469–
2479.
Das, N.C., and Band….
b)In order of appearance in the text:
1.) Lackovic, K., Angove, M.J. Wells, J.D. and Johnson, B.B. (2004).
Modelling the adsorption of Cd(II) onto goethite in the presence of
citric acid. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 269:37–45.
2.) Bailey, S.E., Olin …

16. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Managing References
Manage yours references well
•Manage references from the start
•Consider using a computer program to keep track
(EndNote, ReferenceManager)

17. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Plagiarism
Definition
• Quoting material without acknowledging the source
• Borrowing someone else’s ideas, concepts, results,
and conclusions and passing them off as your own—
even if reworded
• Summarizing and paraphrasing another’s work
without acknowledging the source
Exceptions
• Common knowledge
• Materials and Methods

18. Scientific Writing and Communication, 2e Angelika H. Hofmann Copyright © 2014 by Oxford University Press
Plagiarism—Examples
Ensure that you are not plagiarizing
Keep track of ideas and references
Know how to paraphrase
Example 1
Many endemic species exist on the Galapagos Islands.
Common knowledge—no citation needed
Example 2
Based on a recent study, the blue iguanas of the Grand
Cayman Islands are an endangered species (9).
Interpretation—citation needed