Frequently Asked Question No.2: How many references should I use?

This is by far one of the most common questions, not only that I get asked myself, but also that I have heard asked when observing revision or assignment workshops and the answer is always the same: "as many as you think is necessary", which isn't the most useful response, but is very much true.

As with drafting work unfortunately,

there is no single magic number

which will guarantee a high grade.

(Although 0 is a number which

will guarantee a fail!). Again it is all to do withthe variables, as this weeks video illustrates

in part. You ought to consider the length of

the piece, the demands of the question

(you might be lucky enough to be given

guidance in the question itself) and, of

course, the level of your studies and the

point at which you are in them (because

expectations only increase the further on

you go!)

That being said, these expectations are not purely expectations of quantity but also of

quality. When it comes to thinking about how

many references you need, think about what it is that adequate referencing shows. On the one han d it shows how much reading you have done and with that, how committed you are to your work but on the other it shows what you are reading, how far outside of the prescribed materials you are willing to go (which is a different kind of commitment!) It is important for you to remember that while an essay or assignment which is supported by a number of sources which are generally applicable to your course (handbooks, general theory textbooks and encyclopaedic sources) in all likelihood will reward you a pass provided that you have done nothing egregiously wrong elsewhere, it will not necessaily break you into those higher brackets of academic success. The key to these levels lies in your creativity and willingness to explore. Sources which come from recent peer-reviewed journals, which are specific to your question or topic of discussion, this type of reading shows that higher commitment and while you still may need those general underpinning theories for context, a few of the more adventurous sources will do no harm. Moral of the story, think not just of quantity but of quality. Think of your question and what you need to answer it.

Finally, it might sound daft but when I handle student's work, before I even read it I simply look at the page and if I see a page of text unbroken by bracketed citations, I am already cracking my knuckles and dusting off the ol' red pen. 500 words of unsupported text in a 1500 word essay, that's one third of your work going unsupported. Question for the class, does that sound like a good way to go?

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