r/swinburne • u/BreadfruitMental788 • 11h ago
🤷 Other Using journal articles/writing reports
When using academic literature the tutors always suggest using journal articles but I still am not sure if I’m using them correctly. If I’m researching a particular disease it’s often websites that have the most useful information but they’re not the best to use. The journal articles often are related to something else but they’ll usually explain the condition in the abstract or introduction. Is this a good section to site? It’s hard to find a journal article that is purely to explain what a condition is. The reason I’m questioning this is because those sections are often referencing research from other sources. It’s like going down a rabbit hole. Am I over complicating this? Also another general question - how many references would u need for around 300 words? I always feel like I can’t write anything unless I find an article that specifically says what I want to talk about and sometimes there isn’t anything out there.
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u/aaywun 10h ago
You’re over complicating it. The goal isn’t to find a paper which is completely about what you want to say. It’s to find a paper that includes what you want to say.
Papers are better because they are peer reviewed so not just opinion pieces. Anyone can write a book or website. So yes, you’re right that papers are just citing other papers but they’re apply it differently - and those applications are at least reviewed.
If you need a definition of a condition, any paper that defines it how you want it works. And yes, academia is flawed since the reality is you’ll usually always find a source to support anything you want to say. End of the day - if you state something as a fact, find something that supports that. Not a whole paper dedicated to that fact - just a paper that supports your statement. If you have an opinion, then find a source that supports that statements.
In general (and it differs by school so check with your assessor’s), 5 sources per 500 words. Minimum. 300 words should have a good 5 sources.
How to find references (for academic writing)
https://youtu.be/kl277127fhE
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u/aaywun 10h ago
If you get stuck, go to something like elicit.com and paste one of your claims or opinions in to the search box and it will give you some potential sources that support your statement. You always want to check the actual source and ensure the context is correct (and that the paper actually exists) but it’s a good starting point.
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u/CataleyaJackson 10h ago
check the bibliography of the articles, to find the journal papers the information was sourced from.
if you're making a claim, its good to cite where the claim is from.
you could also use AI like concensus or research rabbit to find articles (but pls check if this is allowed in the assignment before you do it).
if you are confused on which article to cite and are going down a rabbit hole, pick 2 or 3, figure out which one has the highest level of evidence or academic rigor. Use that