Do you remember when you were in grade school? It’s been awhile for me, but I remember having to do book reports and research papers. When writing a book report there were certain points the teacher wanted you to cover, but most importantly you needed to list the title and the author. You couldn’t just write the summary without identifying what you were going to write about. The same can be said for a research paper. These are important throughout your academic career. I want to say high school was when I really learned about research papers. But it really started at a younger age, when I had to do reports on historical figures. When you’re in school working on these papers your teacher will instruct you to list your references or sources. This page is usually towards the back of your paper. If you use any of these sources in your paper, you must list what they are and where you found that information. Usually this is indicated by quotes, footnotes, bibliography or indicating the author specifically. No matter how you do it, you have to give the source credit. You need to indicate where your conclusions are coming from.

The importance of citing your references becomes increasingly important as you get older. You will do more research papers in college. Should you go on to pursue a master’s or PhD (professional degree), you will need these sources for your thesis or dissertation. Not indicating this information could lead to punishment in the form of a failing grade or being accused of plagiarism (if you copy the information without giving credit where it’s due). If it’s this important at the academic level, it should be the same when we receive any important information as an adult. I have recently come to enjoy documentaries. Usually when you watch this visual learning experience, they have experts in whatever field they are discussing . On top of that they will list any sources they pull information from. Sometimes after watching I will look up and read these sources to get more information, or gain a deeper understanding of what I just saw. Some people call it going down the rabbit hole. You get so intrigued that you need to know or learn more.

You may say “what’s the point of this?” Well my point is always look at the source. Look at data, look for truth. Especially when you’re talking about subjects that impact your life or well being. For instance , it’s helpful to watch a news program that gives statistics or present studies, when they are giving me important information. The beauty is they are giving you the source. Now you can go look up those sources, and even read that information for yourself. A good news program, will present the experts, the data and the source. They are giving you facts. If you are watching news where there is endless talking and no presentation of data that’s an opinion. While I know we gravitate to people that think like us on certain subjects, note that if they are not giving you data or a source that you are just listening to an opinion. That could be dangerous when it comes to things that could affect your way of living, your health and other aspects of your life. I employ you to find a news station, news paper, magazine article with facts, legitimate sources and valid data. A well respected new source will give you the facts, and if they get something incorrect they will retract that information. Key word is respected. Go research the sources they present in order to certify their validity for yourself. It saddens me that people put misinformation out there and people believe it (possibly putting their own lives at risk in the process.) What’s worse is when someone quotes an opinion based on the source, but they only mention part of it. They take that one part and use it to fit their narrative. When you present a source, make sure you read all of it. Not doing so could be presenting false information, or just outright lying. Lastly, there have been media institutions who have been around for years. If they give you the fact, present the data and provide valid sources for their information, don’t forsake that for random sources on the internet.

This piece is specifically my opinion of what I’ve observed recently. I do hope it encourages you to look for the truth, and not believe what any random person tells you about any given topic.