Citing Secondary Sources: Can We Correct What Students Do Not Know?

Abstract

Our research assesses student understanding of citation practices, especially problems in citing secondary sources, and the effectiveness of direct instruction to correct evident misunderstandings. Forty-six college undergraduates completed a pretest of their knowledge. Twenty-six of these undergraduates received direct instruction about primary versus secondary sources and problems in citing secondary sources. After instruction, we again tested all participants. Knowledge of citation practices before instruction was inadequate, and instruction significantly increased performance for the experimental group. We suggest that such direct instruction should be systematically included early in the undergraduate psychology curriculum.