You are reading a literature review written by a novice researcher in your field. You notice that the researcher seems to have relied heavily on the World Wide Web in preparing the literature review. Your hunch is supported when you glance at the reference page and find a long list of Internet addresses. What goes through your mind regarding the quality and adequacy of the literature review in this situation

Better citation education is needed

Explanation:

Citation involves giving the benefit and acknowledgement of the authors or authors of a piece that you are referring to. This is especially important to avoid plagiarism and informing the readers that there is a credible source of the information that you are giving. This creates a trust between the reader and the writer.

If the sources are not properly cited the reader will lose all trust and the writer will have no credibility. Aside from improper citation, a writer may also lose credibility if they do not have credible sources.

Using the internet as a source is not a bad bad practice. There are numerous sources of good information online. Unfortunately, there are also non-credible sources as well. If one were reading a literature review with citations of the "world wide web" I would visit at least three of the cites and observe whether or not they are meaningful or if the writer did not cite properly. Many scientific journals and library periodicals are now available online and do have a "world wide web" reference but it is important that the writer know how to cite these proper sources properly.

A poorly cited article and an article with no credibility are similarly destructive to the writer's credibility. Both must be taken into consideration when reviewing and writing.

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