Some notes for research apprentices on citation and reference lists in the dissemination of educational research results

Abstract

New knowledge is generated at a rapid speed nowadays. It moves so fast that a research finding can become obsolete once it passes for all the different channels of dissemination, a conference, a publication in a journal with high impact factor, or a book from a prestigious publisher. The incorporation of new researchers in academia every  year, and the generation of new research has put on some pressure on the time authors spend reviewing texts, the time peer reviews dedicate to determine the academic paper suitability to be published, or the publishers time for copyediting and proofreading. Therefore, all the attention is directed towards a detailed review, the finding, the methodological rigor, the theoretical framework-which it is acceptable but it leaves little room for the form, use of language, and conventional means to disseminate scientific knowledge. The intention in these notes, especially for students who are pursuing research through a thesis (graduate or undergraduate), and research apprentices who collaborate as research assistants, is to find good reasons to write carefully and systematically the work they have in mind.