It’s time for a citation smackdown! We’ll pit two citations against each other and see which is the strongest information source.
Round 1: Authority
- In this corner, hailing from the peer-reviewed article Journal of Common Market Studies, weighing in at 22 pages…
- Mahoney, C. Beckstrand, M. J. (2011) Following the money: European Union funding of civil society organizations. Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(6), 1339-1361.
- Correct!
- Mahoney, C. Beckstrand, M. J. (2011) Following the money: European Union funding of civil society organizations. Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(6), 1339-1361.
- The challenger, hailing from the respected newspaper The New York Times and written by the respected economist Paul Krugman, weighing in at 2 pages…
- Krugman, P. (2012) What ails Europe? The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/opinion/krugman-what-ails-europe.html
Explanation: Though Krugman and the New York Times are both reputable sources, it is an editorial (and not peer-reviewed) and so doesn’t have as much academic authority as does the other article.
Round 2: Recency
- Hailing from the past, but aiming to last…
- Whyman, P. B. (2010). The Heritage of the 1975 European Referendum for the British Trade Union Movement. Economics, Management & Financial Markets, 5(4), 133-150.
- Correct!
- Whyman, P. B. (2010). The Heritage of the 1975 European Referendum for the British Trade Union Movement. Economics, Management & Financial Markets, 5(4), 133-150.
- Relevant and deadly…
- Strange, G. (2002). British Trade Unions and European Union integration in the 1990s: Politics versus Political Economy. Political Studies, 50(2), 332.
Explanation: Though one article is written about a more recent event (integration in the ’90s), it was written less recently than the other article — 2002 rather than 2010. That doesn’t mean it’s conclusions aren’t still legitimate, the Whyman article is simply more recent.
Round 3: Bias
- Straight from the European Union’s official website, EUROPA, and in it to win it…
- European Commission Home Affairs (2011). European Information Exchange Model. EUROPA. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/policies/police/police_eixm_en.htm
- Published in print but not out of the game…
- Arquilla, A. (2009) Information Wars. In Globalization and security: an encyclopedia (Vol 1, pp. 206-238). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Security International.European Commission Home Affairs (2011).
- Correct!
- Arquilla, A. (2009) Information Wars. In Globalization and security: an encyclopedia (Vol 1, pp. 206-238). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Security International.European Commission Home Affairs (2011).
Explanation: The resource straight from the EU’s own website suggests inherent bias, especially in contrast with the other article, which is from an encyclopedia.