Citation Function Analysis in Two or More Discourses

Leslie Bruce

Different disciplines cite sources for different reasons, and they use different methods and styles as they
attribute information to those sources. In this exercise, you will analyze two excerpts from journal
articles to analyze these variations.

Student Instructions:
With your group, read the pages you’ve selected from a journal article in your discipline, making notes
about how each citation is functioning (see the non-exhaustive list of possible functions below for
ideas). Do the same thing for one of the excerpts provided by your instructor—ensure that you choose
an article from a different discipline. Fill in the chart below (add rows as necessary). Afterwards, discuss
your findings with the class.

Source (Title) Citation Function Example from Article

Rublee et al, on Dinoflagellate
Rublee et al, on Dinoflagellate
Rublee et al, on Dinoflagellate
Wang et al, on SNS addiction
Wang et al, on SNS addiction
Wang et al, on SNS addiction
 “Orienting the known”
 Establshing past…,
 Establishing facts
 Attribution
 Application
 Exemplification
 Establishing links…
 Comparing one’s work
 Exemplification
 Evaluation
 Extending an argument
 Establish link between
sources
 Establish ppf
contributions
 Establish the authority…
 Attribution
 Application
 Establishing the
authority…
“Since it was first discovered in
1988, Pfiesteira piscicida, and
its sister species, P.
shumwayae, have been the
focus of intense research and
frequent controversy.”
“Definitive identification relied
on SEM observation of the
thecal plate structure”
“An additional approach has
been competitive PCR”
“According to the coping style
theory, if people cope with
their problems negatively, it can
lead to decreased well-being.”
Prior studies have mainly
focused on the mediating
effects on envy and social
comparison between SNS use
and depression
Then, we followed the four-step
procedure to execute the
mediation effect

Examples of Citation Functions:

o Establishing facts
o Attribution (e.g., give credit for an idea or data)
o Exemplification (e.g., providing an example to illustrate an idea or argument)
o Further reference (e.g., if someone wants to read more about an idea or field)
o Application
o Evaluation
o Establishing links between sources (e.g., a relationship to previous work or current
project/document)
o Summarizing
o Comparing one's own work with others’.
o “Orienting the known,” (e.g., providing a “review of the literature”)
o “Extending an argument,”
o Establishing the authority of a particular argument or method (e.g., of interpretation of
experimentation)
o Establishing newness, difference, or gap, etc. in previous knowledge (often to justify current
work)
o Establishing past, present, or future contribution to the knowledge in the field.