Transcript Citations: what, when, how and why!!

Citations: what, when, how
and why!!
Citations: what, when, how
and why!!
What are citations for?
What are citations for?
1. Giving credit to others
What are citations for?
1. Giving credit to others
2. Referring compactly to facts or ideas
What are citations for?
1. Giving credit to others
2. Referring compactly to facts or ideas
3. Tracing the thread of argument
What are citations for?
1. Giving credit to others
2. Referring compactly to facts or ideas
3. Tracing the thread of argument
4. Bean counting
The first journals appeared in the 1600’s
Peer review was relaxed
Citation was vague
The first journals appeared in the 1600’s
Peer review was relaxed
Citation was vague
Youatt, who was probably better acquainted with the works of
agriculturalists than almost any other individual, and who was himself a
very good judge of an animal, speaks of the principle of selection as 'that
which enables the agriculturist, not only to modify the character of his flock,
but to change it altogether. It is the magician's wand, by means of which he
may summon into life whatever form and mould he pleases.' Lord
Somerville, speaking of what breeders have done for sheep, says: 'It would
seem as if they had chalked out upon a wall a form perfect in itself, and
then had given it existence.' That most skilful breeder, Sir John Sebright,
used to say, with respect to pigeons, that 'he would produce any given
feather in three years, but it would take him six years to obtain head and
beak.’ Darwin, 1859, Origin of Species, Ch. 1
The first journals appeared in the 1600’s
Peer review was relaxed
Citation was vague
"it is astonishing," as Mr. B. D. Walsh(3) has remarked, "how many
different organs are worked in by nature, for the seemingly
insignificant object of enabling the male to grasp the female firmly."
The mandibles or jaws are sometimes used for this purpose; thus the
male Corydalis cornutus (a neuropterous insect in some degree allied
to the Dragon-flies, &c.) has immense curved jaws, many times longer
than those of the female; and they are smooth instead of being
toothed, by which means he is enabled to seize her without injury.(4)
3 'The Practical Entomologist,' Philadelphia, vol. ii. May, 1867, p. 88.
4 Mr. Walsh, ibid. p. 107.
Darwin, 1871, The Descent of Man
Now there is a strong convention
But citation is often shallow and narrow
Now there is a strong convention
But citation is often shallow and narrow
And sometimes just plain wrong!!!!!!
Choosing the right citation
Give proper credit for ideas to the person that had them
If sex is going to increase the rate of
adaptation then the supply of beneficial
mutations must be abundant (Colegrave
2002)
If sex is going to increase the rate of
adaptation then the supply of beneficial
mutations must be abundant (Colegrave
2002)
BAD!
Whitlock, M. C., and N. H. Barton. 1997. The effective size of a subdivided
population. Genetics 146:427-441.
Cited nearly 200 times
Whitlock, M. C., and N. H. Barton. 1997. The effective size of a subdivided
population. Genetics 146:427-441.
Cited nearly 200 times
Most citations are to the concept of Ne
Should cite original papers
Choosing the right citation
Modern review or original source?
Choosing the right citation
Modern review or original source?
Local mate competition theory predicts female biased sex
ratios in situations where daughters mate with their
brothers, and this has been shown empirically to occur
across a wide range of taxa.
Choosing the right citation
Modern review or original source?
Local mate competition theory predicts female biased sex
ratios in situations where daughters mate with their
brothers (reference to original paper), and this has been
shown empirically to occur across a wide range of taxa
(for review see reference to recent review).
Choosing the right citation
Choosing the right citation
Choosing the right citation
Try to look beyond your own immediate field
Choosing the right citation
Try to look beyond your own immediate field
Penna, T. J. P. 1995. A bit-string model for biological aging. Journal of
Statistical Physics 78:1629-1633.
•cited by 99 papers
Choosing the right citation
Try to look beyond your own immediate field
Penna, T. J. P. 1995. A bit-string model for biological aging. Journal of
Statistical Physics 78:1629-1633.
•cited by 99 papers; 97/99 in physics journals
Choosing the right citation
Cite other authors honestly and accurately
Choosing the right citation
Original statement: Our model shows that whilst group selection can occur in
principle, the requirements for it to operate are so restrictive as to make it
extremely unlikely that it has been an important evolutionary force
Choosing the right citation
Original statement: Our model shows that whilst group selection can occur in
principle, the requirements for it to operate are so restrictive as to make it
extremely unlikely that it has been an important evolutionary force
Statements that might cite this
Theory shows that group selection can occur.
Theory shows that group selection is unlikely to occur.
Butlin, R., and T. Tregenza. 2005. The way the world might be. Journal of
Evolutionary Biology 18:1205-1208.
•
Analysed 200 citations to Dieckmann, U., and M. Doebeli. 1999. On the origin of
species by sympatric speciation. Nature 400:354-357.
Butlin, R., and T. Tregenza. 2005. The way the world might be. Journal of
Evolutionary Biology 18:1205-1208.
•
Analyse 200 citations to Dieckmann, U., and M. Doebeli. 1999. On the origin of
species by sympatric speciation. Nature 400:354-357.
Read the papers that you cite
Read the papers that you cite
Make sure that they really say what you think they do
Make sure that you understand the arguments that they make
Read the papers that you cite
Make sure that they really say what you think they do
Make sure that you understand the arguments that they make
If you cannot read the original, make this clear in your citation
Read the papers that you cite
Make sure that they really say what you think they do
Make sure that you understand the arguments that they make
If you cannot read the original, make this clear in your citation
YOU MIGHT GET ASKED IN YOUR VIVA!!!!!
• Be aware of the wider literature
• Be aware of the wider literature
• Be precise:
– cite page #, give quotations….
– Summarise the argument
• Be aware of the wider literature
• Be precise:
– cite page #, give quotations….
– Summarise the argument
• Be scholarly:
– Refer to the whole history of the argument