What Are The Functions Of A Reference?
The primary purpose of a reference is to refer. Why do I violate all the rules of writing by stating the obvious? Because I have seen people use the word – and even more seriously, make references – without full awareness of its meaning or ultimate purpose. The word itself has been denatured: it describes an academic product, a specific format, and even a writing formula subject to rules of textual and ortho-typographic composition. But what are its functions and how should I weave it into the text?
First function: the itinerant reader’s map
In the academic field, the essence of referencing is to connect two texts: on the one hand, we have the expositions, arguments and conclusions of an author and, on the other, the many documents, influences and bases from which this author has formed his own opinions; that is, his sources. One text refers to another and helps us to reconstruct the itinerary of its author, the origin of his ideas and the background of his assertions. The text becomes a travel map for the reader interested in delving deeper into a particular topic, fact or argument.
[I put this feature first because it is the most playful and exciting for me (personal tastes, not academic truths). I love picking up a book and knowing that I have the freedom to access any of the sources mentioned.]
Reviewing the source has added academic values: the possibility of verification and the analysis of the educational tradition of the text.
Verification is essential, even more so if one is a reader-editor or intends to specialize in a subject of study. It not only serves to see if what the author says is true but also to check how accurate his interpretation of the thought referred to may be.
The academic tradition also gives me many clues about the choices and exclusions of the text to be read. Not all paradigms are compatible with each other. There are theoretical currents that repel and exclude each other. A glance at the list of references may be enough to know the pedigree of the text: who are its parents, children and relatives, where it comes from and therefore what I can expect.
The second function is credit, where credit is due.
The reference, adequately understood, is honesty put into practice. I give credit to those who have earned it with their work and intellectual effort, and I confess the origin of some ideas that were not initially mine even though they now belong to me.
Credit is also a legal necessity: I can only exploit another’s intellectual property for my selfish benefit if I face the laws and penalties of each country and international agreements. Thanks to the reference, I can use a particular portion of another’s work without resorting to endless procedures or permits.
What is not acceptable is copying verbatim (without using a direct quote), paraphrasing incorrectly (changing two or three words and then saying that I rewrote it) or reproducing pages and pages – without further elaboration on one’s part – through endless paraphrasing. Any of these cases is blatant plagiarism and has criminal consequences.
The third function of academic collaboration
Knowledge cannot be monopolized. In fact, the more it is disseminated and shared, the more it is reproduced (this is the fundamental reason why I maintain this blog). Humanity has reached where it is thanks to accumulated knowledge; each fragment is understood as the heritage of humanity and not of its individuals. You cannot reach Mars without mastering the art of fire. Thus, the first astronaut owes everything to humanity’s first campfire.
The reference is the evidence of collaborative work: I wrote this article (at a time that has already vanished), you read it at this moment, and thousands of new ideas, yours, rooted in your experiences and experiences, are mixed with my opinions. My text is left behind; you create a new text and take from it some phrase, word or paragraph, and, with justice, you “refer” to it (mention, indicate, point out, give an account of its source). You and I are working together (or together, perhaps, I don’t know) because in the final product – already the heritage of humanity – both of our fingerprints remain. But we do not know each other, nor will we see each other’s faces.
And yet, whoever reads the new text – yours, the one you will write – will know that at least two people, you and I, had some part in that product of our distant collaboration.
Fourth function: the weight of authority
I have deliberately left this function for last. In academia (or should I write Academia, with a capital letter?), this is often considered the essential function of reference and is written accordingly. The result is execrable texts (but that would be a topic for another article).
The need to support and frame one’s claims in a recognized academic tradition can lead to extremes such as imposing or forcing reference to some source, any source.