Common
citation problems
in HK student writing
This section is divided into 3 categories:
•Inappropriate verbs: 'discovering' a set of
opinionsHow do you know that?Introducing authors with
no reference•Openers:
"According to X"Too much detail (about sources)Opening paragraphs with quotations or
citationsPassive vs Active formsDouble subject: "According to Smith, he said
..."•No source at all (courting charges of
plagiarism)Incomplete information: e.g. no page
numberPunctuationHandling brackets 