Students are often short on time and try to save some steps by asking us:

Why is it necessary to cite sources in my academic research paper or thesis?

We may admit that citing scholarly sources takes time and is detailed work, but there are many advantages:

If we cite sources, we prove that we have done the required research. It also makes our own work appear more serious and reliable, because we use the published work of recognized authorities in any field.

The student may argue:

I prefer to look original rather than mention all the writers of the past who dealt with my subject.

To this we may reply:

It is polite to show respect for previous scholars by mentioning their names and publication. If we cite sources, we show that we have considered different points of view on any question. That makes our conclusions look more serious.

The question of being original overlooks the fact that by organizing and presenting information in a certain way and drawing our own conclusions, we are in fact being original. Being original in scholarly does not mean we make everything up by ourselves. The idea is to persuade our readers that we have arrived at reasonable results by basing our arguments on past research. Even if we only seem to be rearranging or presenting the arguments of other ajarns, we may be building towards interesting conclusions of our own. We do not always see our own originality. By following the responsible path of citing sources, we arrive at our own results and personal message. The opposite of the student who wants to be original at all costs is the student who feels that past research has been done so well that it is impossible to improve on it. To this student, we may say:

You are writing now and writers of previously published research wrote in the past. There are always new approaches and developments in any field, No area of academic research stays the same over the years. There is always something new to contribute.

The student may wonder:

Who really needs to know all the details about where information came from?

To this it is possible to answer:

Academic research papers and theses sometimes have readers, beyond the ajarns who are supervising the research. Other ajarns and future students may need help to find an interesting source that we have mentioned. It is helpful to refer these readers to what we have already read, so they can find the information more directly.

The student may still insist:

My academic research paper or thesis does not agree with the conclusions of past authorities, so why should I mention them?

We can explain:

Even if we do not agree with certain experts, we are all part of the research world in a particular field. If we cite other publications, even if we draw different conclusions, we are showing that we are part of a world of academic research.

We still may not have convinced the student, who may decide:

It is too much work. What is the worst that can happen if I do not cite previous articles?

Without trying to scare the student, we can honestly inform them that there may be problems if the academic research paper or thesis does not contain appropriate citations. For example:

When citations are lacking, it is easy to fall into the mistake of plagiarism. In addition to being against the Thammasat academic code, plagiarism does not respect other researchers, since it does not mention sources of information, and does not help other students and ajarns do their own research.

Also:

In the academic world, it is important to win friends by showing respect for ajarns. If we do not cite their publications, sometimes ajarns we do not even know may find out about it, and they will not appreciate our lack of respect. It is much better to take the time to mention all our sources in citations, to make people happy instead of resentful.

If the students are particularly frank or candid, they may ask:

Suppose I got most of the information from a single source or just the internet, so I do not have enough sources to cite?

The answer would be:

Your ajarn will immediately know if an academic research paper or thesis does not show enough serious research. They have read many papers and know hwo they should be organized and what they should contain. Instead of trying hide a lack of work, it is better to use the same energy to do some more work and be sure to show that we have done that work by citing our sources.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)