Say you found two papers about the same research: Paper A is the original finding; Paper B is an analysis that references Paper A. You use a section of the analysis from Paper B. Which paper do you cite?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When dealing with sources in scholarly work, the goal is to give proper credit for all material you actually used or relied upon.
Option 1: "Both" — This option considers that you used a section of Paper B, and Paper B itself discusses or references Paper A. Since you drew directly from Paper B for the content, you should cite Paper B to acknowledge the exact source of the wording or analysis you employed. Additionally, because Paper B references Paper A and discusses the original finding, some citation practices would also require citing Paper A to credit the original discovery or to provide readers with access to the primary source of the finding.
Option 2: "Paper B" — Citing only Paper B would properly credit the exact material you used. However, it may omit giving credit to the origin of the finding if Paper B is merely an analysis or interpretation of Paper A’s result. If the content you used is directly from Paper B and does not rely on the original finding, this could be acceptable, but in this scenario there is a direct link to Paper A as the original source.
Option 3: "Paper A" — Citing only Paper A would credit the original source of the finding, which is important for acknowledging the origin of the result. However, since you used a section from Paper B, which contains its own analysis and possibly direct wording, citing only Paper A may miss acknowledging the specific analysis and framing provided by Paper B. This could undercut the precise source of the material you actually consulted.
In sum, omitting Paper B would fail to credit the exact source you used, while citing only Paper A might overlook the analytical framing that Paper B provides. Including both papers ensures you attribute the original finding to Paper A and the specific analysis/interpretation you consulted to Paper B, aligning with best practices for source attribution.

SP25 ESL 118 011 Paraphrasing and Plagiarism Quiz

Say you found two papers about the same research: Paper A is the original finding; Paper B is an analysis that references Paper A. You use a section of the analysis from Paper B. Which paper do you cite?

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