Tips for posting a reference link on this forum

[forgottenrhetoric]

Hey everyone,

I thought I would just post this helpful guide on how to reference articles, links, etc when you are supporting your arguments in a post. I've seen that a handful of people post references and what really bothers me is a lot of the time, they're references actually refute their argument. This then becomes a huge waste of time for others in the discussion because they decided to read an article that either has nothing to do with anything or actually supports what they are saying instead of the OP. So here it goes:

1) Read the article you are referencing carefully and in full.
2) READ THE ARTICLE YOU ARE REFERENCING CAREFULLY AND IN FULL.
3) Make sure the article actually has something to do with the topic of the post and your argument.
4) Finally, if the main point of the article does not support what you are saying, DO NOT USE IT AS SUPPORT FOR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!

I am a troll but that does not make this post any less true.

[Joker]

Originally Posted by forgottenrhetoric";p=&quot

1) Read the article you are referencing carefully and in full.
2) READ THE ARTICLE YOU ARE REFERENCING CAREFULLY AND IN FULL.

Who has the time to read entire articles before posting links to them? That's stupid.

3) Make sure the article actually has something to do with the topic of the post and your argument.
4) Finally, if the main point of the article does not support what you are saying, DO NOT USE IT AS SUPPORT FOR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!

I'm not concerned if the article is on topic or supports my argument. I only post links because they look cool and boost my credibility. Nobody checks them out anyway.

[ashleykennedy]

Originally Posted by forgottenrhetoric";p=&quot

Hey everyone,

I thought I would just post this helpful guide on how to reference articles, links, etc when you are supporting your arguments in a post. I've seen that a handful of people post references and what really bothers me is a lot of the time, they're references actually refute their argument. This then becomes a huge waste of time for others in the discussion because they decided to read an article that either has nothing to do with anything or actually supports what they are saying instead of the OP. So here it goes:

4) Finally, if the main point of the article does not support what you are saying, DO NOT USE IT AS SUPPORT FOR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!

I am a troll but that does not make this post any less true.

Sorry don't agree with point 4. Conclusions are for the reader to to form based on the evidence. Some writers only give some of the evidence on which they form conclusions. If you as the reader based on the articles evidence plus other evidence form a different conclusion, then it is possible to use an article whose main point is not in support of your argument.

[Tedminator]

Words bore me. I prefer pictures. Preferable in color.

[forgottenrhetoric]

Originally Posted by ashleykennedy";p=&quot

Sorry don't agree with point 4. Conclusions are for the reader to to form based on the evidence. Some writers only give some of the evidence on which they form conclusions. If you as the reader based on the articles evidence plus other evidence form a different conclusion, then it is possible to use an article whose main point is not in support of your argument.

Even though my post was a troll post just to take out my frustrations for people who quote articles and don't really explain their reference at all, thank you for taking the post seriously. Your right. It's not always the case.

[JP5]

It isn't required that the entire article agree with your points. Most articles----unless it's the truly biased ones----will encompass more than one point of view. And, in fact, it can be totally against your point of view and maybe you want to counter argue it.

IMO, most of us use a link to back us up in some way.....but it's not necessary that it does. It IS, however, necessary to use a link that covers the issue/subject of what you are debating.