How to cite a blog in an academic paper or report
February 28, 2008
Are blogs credible? Some are, some aren’t because they were not developed to be credible. Just as we choose seminal authors to compare and contrast upon, so too can you do so with blogs. Some are bogged down in personal opinion and some successfully use Web 2 platforms to convey information and findings.
Imaginif uses our blog as a consciousness raising tool for child protection, particularly protection against child sexual assault. We publish a mix of anecdotal and evidence based practice information and issues. This is to suit our mixed audience - many parents, foster carers, students, workers and academics. You can safely use most of our blogs as reference material because the knowledge that is shared is knowledge based in child protection research and popular culture.
I have recently been asked though, how to reference some of my own posts in professional reports. Initial reactions were to cite according to electronic media (a blog is an interactive website - a web log) but then some blogs (and even some of my posts) are very personal, chatty, day descriptive and would suit citing as personal communication.
Heading to Aussie Forums, I asked the opinion of the wider Australian blogging community. Meg from Dipping into the Blogpond, offered a contemporary and credible site for exact blog style referencing: Citing Medicine - Sample Citation and Introduction to Citing Blogs. Thanks Meg, most useful.
Remember to stay consistent with your referencing style throughout your report. There is nothing worse than reading a document with several different styles of referencing. This certainly damages the credibility of the author and the halo effect of the presented paper is shattered.
Comments
5 Responses to “How to cite a blog in an academic paper or report”
Got something to say about the above post or child safety in general?
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Very thoughful post and something I have been thinking about lately. There is so much great stuff being written in the blogosphere it deserves to be cited.
Thanks Planning, I agree…there is SO MUCH excellent blog comment around. Academia wants peer reviewed stuff and at the moment I am receiving negative feedback from colleagues about the credibility of using blogs as research in a lit review. I beg to differ. Bloggers have a wealth of data just begging to be used. They are a source of media that I always go to first - even before the Australian online.
Our peer review is via comment from other bloggers - many of whom are academics and leaders in their field of knowledge. We open ourselves to international peer and cohort review. If anyone has ever wondered the strength of comments past egocentric “I did good” thoughts for the blogger, comments may well act as peer review. Leave comments for those bloggers who have made sense.
Thanks so much for this Megan! Now, one more thing would be great to know. Is there a generally accepted format for blogs when linking to, or referencing, or quoting, etc. other blogs and information? I haven’t found any guidelines, and notice the lack of consistency is extensive. Plus there are so many who simply cut and paste entire article or pieces without any indication it isn’t there work… in the beginning of getting into this some months ago, I was really impressed with some sites! Now I’m so familiar with what’s out there and the latest articles, etc. that I usually know immediately. Still I know as I muddle along that there should be, if there isn’t, a standardized format and rules for those of us who would prefer that.
A Child is Waiting.
Take care…be aware,
Nancy
Another good question Nancy….umm…I’m not sure what the standard is. There are some researchers doing research on blogging so it will be interesting to see if a standard becomes available in the short term.
Stay with courtesy as you always do. I keep in mind google alerts, ethics and copyright when I link. I also tend to use the indentation tags (quote tags) if I am using direct quotes of no more than a paragraph. The Aussie bloggers forum has an incredible wealth of knowledge if you want to slip over there for a ask around. There may be an exact standard.
Isn’t the plagiarism dreadful. I am shocked that so many people are so scummy and openly steal others work!!!!!! If this was university they would have their enrollment cancelled. If you click your own google ads, google can cancel your account. What a shame that the plagiarisers don’t have their blogs deleted!
very nice web site. My English is not so good, so I do not understandt it well, but it seems very good. Thanks