Ainur ElmgrenMar 14

There are always some 2nd year students who complain about having to use a specific citation style in a task. This makes me think that they probably haven't been taught why citation styles exist. Yet another task that lands on my desk.

(My students have been told to use APA7 since year 1. I, a historian, have my issues with APA7 but allow them to use it with some specifications - ALWAYS cite page numbers, or at least subchapter headings, if the cited ebook lacks pagination. This is for some reason a big hurdle to some of them. They are writing 2-page reports referencing a maximum of three publications.)

#apa7 #citationstyles #universitypedagogy

Show threadAinur Elmgren

I tell those that complain that citation styles evolve. (What else does the 7 in APA7 stand for?) They are tools for clarity and transparency that - when used well - save time.

Another thing is the predilection for citations as fillers in sentences like "Anderson & Peterson (2007) state in their 2007 study that this method is effective (Anderson & Peterson 2007)"... This should also have been ironed out in year 1! #academia #whining

Mar 14 at 10:12amWeb
Show threadKaislaMar 14
@ainurelmgren The thing is, during my year one in 2019 for example, I didn’t get any concrete feedback on the citation use in my texts, and after that it has seemed my work is looked at only through the substance (at least there are no comments on the structure). Therefore, I keep going back to the APA7 references still to this day, and I couldn’t tell the difference between that and another style very well. But I do feel weird about it. Perhaps other teachers don’t care about it as much?
Show threadAinur ElmgrenMar 14

@kaisla They do. There are specific citation rules in other courses, too. I copied the "page numbers required" rule from a first year course. I wonder if the teachers in that course get similar feedback. It's a much longer essay in sociology of education.

I do think that most students accept these rules. Feedback is rare - but there is always some feedback along the lines of "why do we have to use different styles" (although it is one minor change to the regular style).

This is why I think it is important to teach my students that all the rules that their teachers are imposing on them have their reasons. My students will become teachers themselves very soon, after all.