In my school we have recently been discussing the need for our students to be academically honest scholars. Many of them will go on to study at university and some of these students will complete post graduate research. One of the characteristics of a good scholar at any level is that they can show that they are well read and that they have utilised current research and thinking within the academic discipline they are studying.

Thus the use of citations or referencing in research work is essential. Most of us will never come up with completely new thinking in our academic discipline unless we go on to complete a doctorate. Even then these doctoral studies rely to a greater or lesser extent on ideas from scholars who have gone before.

For students at school this is all the more the case. They have to rely on the ideas and thinking of scholars who are more learned. Thus we need to brainwash our students into citing the sources of their research. The problem is that there are so many systems and personal preferences for the format of citations. These will vary between academic institutions and between faculties within institutions and between individual tutors within the faculty. 

No system is any better than any other. In the end we choose the one that suits ourselves best as tutors and thus we load it on our students. Alternatively we look at past writing on the matter of citations and decide that we prefer the authoritative stance of a certain academic and we choose to align ourselves with their system.

Having scanned a number of systems on the internet and within texts of various types it seems that no one system of citiation could really be thought of as THE BEST. I wonder what some of you think about this?

I am increasingly concerned about the way our students learn in school in these days. The emphasis in our edcuational system tends to be on individual performance as opposed to group effort. Our exams system focuses on this throughout the school and college years. However beyond school and in the work place it is so much more important to work in a team and collaborate on projects. Yes our children do need to have individualised learning and be able to gather knowledge and develop skills.

The Philippines is a geographers paradise. If you are interested in how the physical world can demonstrate its power then this archipelago is a place you must visit. The islands are located slap bang in the middle of the western Pacific typhoon track and also directly on the boundary of two major tectonic plates.

Hi to you all

This is a brand new blog site for you to browse through. I am gradually learning the idea that we can collaborate electronically like this so I wanted to see how useful a tool it would be. Why not look at the pages included and add your ideas if you feel so inclined. Please have a look at my profile page to find out who I am. Why not drop me a line about you and your ideas on the topics listed?

Oh by the way the picture you can see is of Taal Volcano in the Philippines. This is a place that we visit with our students for geography fieldwork. The picture shows the main crater.