Referring to sources
Refer to sources skilfully: integral and non-integral citations, reporting verbs that show your stance, and synthesising several sources.
In this lesson you will
- Use integral and non-integral citations
- Choose reporting verbs to show stance
- Synthesise multiple sources
Learn
Integral citation puts the author in the sentence: Patel (2020) argues that… Non-integral puts it in brackets: …has been widely questioned (Patel, 2020; Kim, 2021). Integral emphasises the author; non-integral emphasises the idea.
Reporting verbs show stance. Neutral: states, notes, describes, reports. Author’s strong claim: argues, contends, maintains, insists. Tentative: suggests, proposes, speculates. Your agreement: demonstrates, shows, establishes. Your doubt: claims, alleges, asserts.
Tense: present simple is standard for ideas (Kim argues); past for specific studies (Kim found that…); present perfect for a field (Several studies have shown…).
Synthesis: don’t list sources one by one — connect them: While Patel (2020) emphasises cost, Kim (2021) focuses on access. Both, however, agree that…
Examples
- Smith (2019) demonstrates that the effect is significant.
- It has been claimed that the method is unreliable (Jones, 2018).
- Several studies have shown a link between noise and stress (Ali, 2017; Brown, 2020).
- Whereas Lee (2021) attributes the decline to cost, Park (2022) points to changing habits.
Vocabulary
citation
a reference to a source
stance
your attitude or position
contend
argue strongly
synthesise
combine ideas from different sources
attribute to
say something is caused by
Practice
Which verb suggests YOU accept the finding?
Speaking
Compare two opinions you’ve read on a topic (e.g. AI in education) as if presenting a literature review: Author A argues…, whereas B…; both agree…
Writing
Write a mini literature review (130–160 words) synthesising three imaginary sources on remote learning, using integral and non-integral citations and varied reporting verbs.
Lesson quiz
“Kim (2021) argues…” is…
Review
Key points
- Integral vs non-integral.
- Reporting verbs show stance.
- Tense choices.
- Synthesise, don’t list.
What you learned
- ✓ I can cite sources skilfully.
- ✓ I show stance through verbs.
- ✓ I synthesise sources.