How would someone quote an ATS post in an academic paper?

Just how would you do it? I'm nearly finished with a paper but I would like to credit some members of ATS for their ideas, what would be the proper way to add an Above Top Secret reference regarding a single member post?

If you want to be taken seriously then I wouldn't, I'd say thanks to members of online communities but if you really want to credit them then ask for their names.

Originally posted by Nerdling
If you want to be taken seriously then I wouldn't, I'd say thanks to members of online communities but if you really want to credit them then ask for their names.

That would be epic!!! Simulacra quotes Nukunuku on his esteemed academic paper. I just spewed Diet Coke out of my nose.

No disrespect intended Nukunuku, it's just that your name cracks me up.

Peace

[edit on 4-5-2005 by Dr Love]

Just found it:

MLA Style citations:

Author's name
Title of posting, in quotation marks
Phrase online posting
Date of posting
Name of forum
Date of access
URL, in angle brackets

Example:
Colleen. "Climbing Questions." Online posting. 20 Mar. 1999. Climbing Forum. 27 May 1999 .
---------------------------

APA Style

Author's name
Date of posting, in parentheses
Title of posting
Posting statement


Example:
Abeles, T. (1999, May 21). Technology and the future of higher education. Formal discussion initiation. Message posted to ifets.gmd.de...
----------------------

Chicago Style (my personal favorite)

Author's name
Title of posting, in quotation marks
Date of posting
URL, in angle brackets
Date of access, in parentheses

Example:
1. Daniel LaLiberte, "HyperNews Instructions," 23 May 1996, (24 May 1996).
---------------------------

CBE Style

Author's name
Date of posting
Title of posting
URL, in angle brackets
Date of access

Example:
1LaLiberte D. 1996 May 23. HyperNews instructions. . Accessed 1996 May 24.

Just a reminder, there will be a day when the AboveTopSecret.com resource will be used by academics from across the world and your post will appear credited in the academic field. Trust me.

"How would someone quote an ATS post in an academic paper?" abovetopsecret.com 2005 www.abovetopsecret.com... (May 5, 2005)


That's my best guess. Source

I would not reccomend using the actual board post. Only the link or evidence presented (if it is credible and factual). Bad sources can immediately get you docked points, john smiths's discussion board post is not a credible source.

For refernces on proper citation in essays and papers use, and when it may actually be appropriate to use such references:

MLA handbook
IEEE


Hope this gets you a good grade.

[edit on 4-5-2005 by Eyeofhorus]

As Simulacra doesn't tell us what his paper is about, we can't judge whether or not his quoting from the board is appropriate or not. Every quote requires a citation and the MLA is the best source for style, unless you're writing for a science class and in that case professional scientific organizations have their own manuals of style.

Grady is right. Every source requires a reference. Simulacra knows whether he has incorporated data/information/concepts taken from ATS or not, and it appears he realizes that the question is not whether he should reference that source, but how to correctly do so.

Sim...it looks like you found the proper methods. Good luck...and do we get to read it???

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
As Simulacra doesn't tell us what his paper is about, we can't judge whether or not his quoting from the board is appropriate or not.

Here here!

God I used to despise having to do that in college....Every field of science has its own method of citation....

NO! Weeee call it "Works Cited" - And if you put a comma before your two tab spaces I'll consider it trash...

NO! Weeee call it a "Reference Page" - If it's numbered without double spaces I'll shoot you...

NO! Weeee call it "Footnotes" - And if you don't link your footnotes to a "Works Cited" you get an immediate F....

And on...and on....and on....

Good luck Sim!

Reminds me of that scene in The Meaning of Life.....
"It's perfectly simple. If you're not getting your hair cut, you don't have to move your brother's clothes down to the lower peg, you simply collect his note before lunch after you've done your scripture prep when you've written your letter home before rest, move your own clothes on to the lower peg, greet the visitors, and report to Mr Viney that you've had your chit signed."

[edit on 5/4/2005 by EnronOutrunHomerun]

More important than "how" is "why".

I recall a friend quoting me lengthily as an (obscure, LOL) expert in the field he was writing in at the time, from an address I once gave. He got top marks on the paper, but what he didn't say in the citation was that my address was for his ears alone, over a beer.

Puffery gets you places in academia if you are good at bluffing.

I imagine you know that Simulacra!

Actually, this is something that I'm doing with a paper right now as a matter of fact. As far as forum posts being credible or not in an academic paper, I imagine they are taken with a grain of salt, but not immediately discarded as unreliable. And some of the posts and articles here are actually more reliable (IMO) than a lot of "normal" sources. In here different sides of the story can be presented and weighed, whereas in a scholarly journal or a news article, if you have a different opinion you have to just right your own. This is a great place to learn; there's much better debates on here than on any television station, and everyone gets to throw their hat in the ring.

Well, good job finding the info, MLA always comes through.

I actually intend to use ATS for an upcoming research paper, but not as a quote. When it comes to certain topics (of which there are many) ATS is a much better search engine than google.

I would just like to add to make sure anything quoted is open, i.e. not RATS. Probably also best to use the singlepost feature or the postID option, just so the reader could find it and take context easily.

Simulacra, I have done some writing semi-professionally and I just wanted to give you a for posting this topic, honestly I was wondering myself as I am apparently "old school" these days and the internet has grown so fast so quickly that the journalistic world just hasn't had time to develop a commonly accepted format for quoting online information in hard copy. Thanks for filling us in!

I write journal articles on a fairly regular basis and use Endnote to keep track of the references I use. Great program. Citing ATS as a source would probably generate an automatic reject from the editors before it even got to the reviewers. In any case, my version of Endnote doesn't directly support web page citations. "Electronic Source" is an option, with several fields that would be amenable to citing a web page or forum posting.

I've cited ATS before in papers (homework) and will cite it in the future -- I did an analysis of Jeff Weise, the shooter in the Red Lake high school earlier this year, commenting ONLY on his posts (and that our community was shocked and angered, contrasting the reaction with that of the NeoNazi comunities)

Different fields use different styles. I'm in Anthropology, so I use the ASA style (but if I write for a non-anth journal, I may have to use another style.)

If this is a paper for a class, use ASA style if you were given no other guidelines.

Academic standards: If Jeff was alive, I would have to ask him directly. Since I'm citing the board, I asked Simon and the admins directly and received permission (this is considered courteous.)

If I was doing a paper about people's reactions here, I would have to get permission from Simon, take a special message thread, state that I am doing research and that messages on that thread only would be used in my paper... and then I would point to it.

Social scientists (like anthropological me) are ALSO supposed to present an outline of what they're doing to the IRB (human studies research board of their local university/college), present the questions they will be asking to the population and any experiments they will be running. The IRB then goes over it with a fine toothed comb and makes sure everything is legit before you can proceed with research.

It takes about 2 months to get IRB approval (longer if you annoy them.)

Agreed with CL that Endnote is wonderful -- IF you can afford it!


(isn't it interesting to see how many academics hang around her?)

[edit on 4-5-2005 by Byrd]

Originally posted by Valhall
Sim...it looks like you found the proper methods. Good luck...and do we get to read it???

Finally finished it up...5:45am in the UK. But sure, if you want to read it just U2U me. It's for the supervisors in my Phd so hopefully they will be able...well, read it. Anyway, like I said, It's 5:47am here. I need to find a bed, quick.

Depends on who the post came from if you ask me. If it came from The Vagabond, the answer is "sparingly". In the case of some other members the answer would be "as gospel".

Originally posted by Simulacra

Finally finished it up...5:45am in the UK.

But sure, if you want to read it just U2U me. It's for the supervisors in my Phd so hopefully they will be able...well, read it. Anyway, like I said, It's 5:47am here. I need to find a bed, quick.

What is the title / field of study?

Originally posted by ChemicalLaser

Originally posted by Simulacra

Finally finished it up...5:45am in the UK.

But sure, if you want to read it just U2U me. It's for the supervisors in my Phd so hopefully they will be able...well, read it. Anyway, like I said, It's 5:47am here. I need to find a bed, quick.

What is the title / field of study?

PhD in screenwriting/Sociology and Psychology