Proper Use of Sources

Many papers and reports are written yearly at both the novice and professional level. This e-pamphlet has been designed to help individuals learn how and when to reference sources. The e-pamphlet is not intended to be the final source on this subject but a start into the ethical uses of sources when writing a paper or report. There are many books on this subject and this e-pamphlet is another educational source provided by the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (CEPA) of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Introduction:

The first time in a chemical professional’s career that the issue of proper use of sources arises is usually on high school science projects. At this time, the science teacher should instruct the students in the proper procedure by which information should be used and cited in their reports. Students will likely carry these skills forward into their careers when they obtain this instruction early in their education. But what is meant by “proper use of sources?”

Proper Use of Sources:

Proper use of sources requires referencing any ideas, research, data, wording, etc. which is not the author’s own. Consider the case of the high school science students reporting on the results of their first project. Sources which should be referenced in the text include:

1. Rationale for current investigation

2. Procedures and key findings of previous research

3. Definition of operational variables in current research

4. Detailed experimental procedures used in current research

5. Results and conclusions generated from current research

6. How the current results compare with those obtained by others

7. Limitations of the current work

8. Possible future research questions arising as a result of, or in conjunction with, present study

Many instructors routinely use programs to check for possible plagiarism. According to ‘Rebekah Nathan’ (a pseudonym) in her book “My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student”² the instances of all forms of academic dishonesty in the classroom is a function of the culture – notably increased time pressures that plague students today. Importantly, many of today’s students don’t believe that ‘cutting and pasting’ others’ work without the proper attribution is wrong. Therefore, it is imperative that students realize that the use of other sources is proper only when these sources are referenced.

In addition, students may now find it easier to research papers and reports using the web. This increases the ease and therefore the possibility of students using material which is not their own as well as selecting material from sources which may or may not be accurate.

Recently, it was noted in “The Chronicle of Higher Education”¹ that students in the Middlebury College History Department are banned from using open-source encyclopedias in essays and examinations. The main concern is students using information from “Wikipedia” which is edited by many random people and can contain inaccuracies. Students are urged to use these sources only as starting points and research as many peer-reviewed sources as possible prior to presenting the information.

Professional manuscripts received from investigators, their teachers, or other mentors are likely to receive close scrutiny by referees and editorial staff of scientific publications. Thus, chemical professionals have a responsibility to ensure the proper uses of sources. There are many books and publications written on this subject. Two of these, “Handbook for Authors of Papers in American Chemical Society Publications” ³ and “The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information” ⁴ are excellent resources.

Reports, presentations, and manuscripts must acknowledge other points of view, particularly if research findings have a bearing on public issues. They should bring to the attention of all concerned the relevant work of other investigators even if it is published and/or presented in venues outside of the major venues for presentation of scientific results. Of course, investigators are free to show how their own research gives a better explanation of the experimental findings than other work. The important point is nothing should be hidden or omitted to skew the final outcome.

Chemical professionals have an increased responsibility for proper use of sources as referees and editorial staffs may defer to experienced authors without making sure that authors have included all relevant sources. This is particularly true for articles that may have a bearing on public issues.

Finally, the ACS Publications Division has published ethical guidelines ⁵ for chemical professionals in preparing manuscripts. This document provides guidelines for authors as well as editors and reviewers.

References:

1. Read, Brock; “Middlebury College History Department Limits Sudents’ Use of Wikipedia”; The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 16, 2007.
2. Nathan, Rebekah; “My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student”; Penguin Books, 2005.
3. “Handbook for Authors of Papers in American Chemical Society Publications”; American Chemical Society, 1978. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/084120425Xref=dp_olp_2/104-3115658-6217501
4. Coghill, Anne M. and Garson, Lorrin R.;“The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information”; American Chemical Society, 2006. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=refnb_ss_b/104-3115658-6217501?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ACS+style+guide
5. http://pubs.acs.org/page/policy/ethics/index.html