Referencing

[gemfyre]

This is a rant I just wrote on the MLPTP. I liked it so much I decided to stick it here for prosterity.

Sure referencing is well and good. But I have a major gripe about it.

I am doing Biology. I have read books and watched documentaries on this kind of stuff ever since I could read and understand it. So when it comes to writing a lab report I just write a heap off the top of my head. Now, how the heck am I going to know exactly where each piece of information came from? I don't, it's a combination of years of reading and watching. I usually just write the report. Then look through a few of my textbooks and the odd journal and find something relevant and bung that in just so I can reference it and not lose marks for not referencing. I still get all over marked lab reports "reference?" pointing to most of the info. I DON'T KNOW where I got that info from, believe me if I knew I would tell you but it's probably from some documentary I watched when I was 8 years old or something.

So is it better to be honest and say, "yeah, I did read/hear/watch this somewhere but I can't remeber where." or fudge the reference just to please the tutors??

Comments

[terrycat.livejournal.com]

yup. Definitely.
and btw, i love the kitten pic.

[loftykitten.livejournal.com]

aw, thanks! I love my little kitty icon. I keep thinking I'll change it to a picture of my real kitty one of these years, but I've grown quite attatched to it