Citations in the Book

Use this forum to discuss the August 2020 Book of the month, " Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide" by Gustavo Kinrys, MD.
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xsquare
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Re: Citations in the Book

Post by xsquare »

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> xsquare wrote:
> > Actually, I fail to see how including citations would have made this
> > practical guide any less accessible - the authors could have easily used
> > less obtrusive methods of citations such as the number reference system.
> > Readers who are interested in verifying the truth of the statements /
> > finding out more could pursue the original sources in further detail if
> > they wished to, and those that are satisfied with the explanations in the
> > book can just ignore them.
> >
> > I am generally sceptical of non-fiction books which fail to include
> > citations – I don't think we should take the opinions of one or two authors
> > at face value.
>
> Your statements are true. But although the citations haven't been included, I'm
> pretty sure you can connect with what the book says.

I can definitely relate; the authors have written the book well on that front. However, as many other posters have said - citations are not only a matter of credibility, but they also help readers to explore more about a specific topic. I know the authors have included a further reading list but it seems to be more general than specific.
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Maria Esposito
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Post by Maria Esposito »

I also come from an academic background and I would have also liked some citations and sources. The book does have a further reading section at the end, but there were passages where I definitely thought “hmmm, I wish I could read a paper/book to learn more about that.” I trust the authors’ credentials, but it’s just for the sake of readers, so they’re able to fact check and do further reading on that specific topic if they want to.
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Post by gatuguta2030 »

I am for the opinion that citation would have been a plus. However, we should not underrate the input of the author. We need to appreciate his good work.
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Post by Joseph_ngaruiya »

gatuguta2030 wrote:
> I am for the opinion that citation would have been a plus. However, we
> should not underrate the input of the author. We need to appreciate his
> good work.

Citation is a way to highlight the credibility and acknowledge other authors who contributed to the book. But that doesn't mean a book is irrelevant when it lacks citation.
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Post by Joseph_ngaruiya »

espo wrote:
> I also come from an academic background and I would have also liked some
> citations and sources. The book does have a further reading section at the
> end, but there were passages where I definitely thought “hmmm, I wish I
> could read a paper/book to learn more about that.” I trust the authors’
> credentials, but it’s just for the sake of readers, so they’re able to
> fact check and do further reading on that specific topic if they want to.

Well summarized, the citation could have made the book even better. Although I didn't need to do further research on the topics, I agree that some readers are always looking for other sources to broaden their knowledge.
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Joseph_ngaruiya
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Post by Joseph_ngaruiya »

mpsmaster wrote:
> To me it was sad. I like to check the references, not because I doubt the
> author, although many times I do, but because it's a great opportunity to
> learn more. Usually author's take what they think to be the best in others
> books, but many times a found treasures of wisdom when I read the source.
> But even though the book is great.

Kinrys managed to keep all of us hooked to the book. It's understandable when a reader wants to know more regarding a subject. As practical as the book is, so many want to dig deeper into the research.
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Post by cookiedough »

I totally agree. I am academic and scientific as well and citations are my jam. Especially if one quotes a study, I would like that study to be credited. Either way, the book is a helpful resource even without the citations.
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Post by Howlan »

xsquare wrote:
> Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> > xsquare wrote:
> > > Actually, I fail to see how including citations would have made this
> > > practical guide any less accessible - the authors could have easily used
> > > less obtrusive methods of citations such as the number reference system.
> > > Readers who are interested in verifying the truth of the statements /
> > > finding out more could pursue the original sources in further detail if
> > > they wished to, and those that are satisfied with the explanations in the
> > > book can just ignore them.
> > >
> > > I am generally sceptical of non-fiction books which fail to include
> > > citations – I don't think we should take the opinions of one or two authors
> > > at face value.
> >
> > Your statements are true. But although the citations haven't been included, I'm
> > pretty sure you can connect with what the book says.
>
> I can definitely relate; the authors have written the book well on that front.
> However, as many other posters have said - citations are not only a matter of
> credibility, but they also help readers to explore more about a specific topic. I
> know the authors have included a further reading list but it seems to be more general
> than specific.

Yes, a major reason why we read a particular topic is to learn more about it. Simple research is effective but at the end of the simple citation reference can, make searching for the topic a little easier and that can make the book a lot more effective than it is.
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Post by Howlan »

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> gatuguta2030 wrote:
> > I am for the opinion that citation would have been a plus. However, we
> > should not underrate the input of the author. We need to appreciate his
> > good work.
>
> Citation is a way to highlight the credibility and acknowledge other authors who
> contributed to the book. But that doesn't mean a book is irrelevant when it lacks
> citation.

Yeah, and it also shows the readers which sources to look for if they want to have a better understanding of the topic. So it is definitely effective and shows how deep the concept actually is and there are much more interesting things out there regarding this topic.
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Post by Howlan »

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> mpsmaster wrote:
> > To me it was sad. I like to check the references, not because I doubt the
> > author, although many times I do, but because it's a great opportunity to
> > learn more. Usually author's take what they think to be the best in others
> > books, but many times a found treasures of wisdom when I read the source.
> > But even though the book is great.
>
> Kinrys managed to keep all of us hooked to the book. It's understandable when a
> reader wants to know more regarding a subject. As practical as the book is, so many
> want to dig deeper into the research.

Yes not only from a research perspective but also in times of need. And there is certainly a limit to how much information you can put into a book before it starts to get way too thick to read.
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Post by Howlan »

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> espo wrote:
> > I also come from an academic background and I would have also liked some
> > citations and sources. The book does have a further reading section at the
> > end, but there were passages where I definitely thought “hmmm, I wish I
> > could read a paper/book to learn more about that.” I trust the authors’
> > credentials, but it’s just for the sake of readers, so they’re able to
> > fact check and do further reading on that specific topic if they want to.
>
> Well summarized, the citation could have made the book even better. Although I didn't
> need to do further research on the topics, I agree that some readers are always
> looking for other sources to broaden their knowledge.

Yeah, definitely. Suppose you or any other person who you know has come up with methods to deal with anxiety. This book can definitely give you a general idea about the remedies and if a certain remedy catches your interest you will not be able to get all the details of the remedy from this book alone. Thus, in this case, a citation if provided will help you get into detail and provide better guidance.
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Post by djr6090 »

Post by espo » 10 Aug 2020, 15:50

I also come from an academic background and I would have also liked some citations and sources. The book does have a further reading section at the end, but there were passages where I definitely thought “hmmm, I wish I could read a paper/book to learn more about that.” I trust the authors’ credentials, but it’s just for the sake of readers, so they’re able to fact check and do further reading on that specific topic if they want to.

I'm the same. With a little more work, the authors could have turned some of their 'studies show' comments into links to their further reading section. While the section at the end is helpful for in depth study, a quick jump to a source at the point at which you are reading something unfamiliar would have been helpful.
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Post by Sjtoy »

B00kN1nja wrote:
> Catie139 wrote:
> > I agree that a few citations would have been helpful and lend credibility
> > to what the authors were referencing. It would have also been helpful to
> > see a bibliography since it is obvious that all of the information did not
> > come just from them and their professional work. The "Suggested
> > Further Reading" does seem quite comprehensive, though.
>
> There are a lot of references in the recommended reading that was appear to be both
> reference materials they used and other literature for interested reading. I think it
> would make it more accessible for the reader if they appended each of these
> “suggested readings” to a footnote to an appropriate location in the book, and it
> would not be too difficult of an addition.


I agree with you. It would be nice to have those footnotes at the bottom of the page so one could easily do more reading on a specific topic they are interested in. Nice idea.
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Post by Joseph_ngaruiya »

djr6090 wrote:
> Post by espo » 10 Aug 2020, 15:50
>
> I also come from an academic background and I would have also liked some
> citations and sources. The book does have a further reading section at the
> end, but there were passages where I definitely thought “hmmm, I wish I
> could read a paper/book to learn more about that.” I trust the authors’
> credentials, but it’s just for the sake of readers, so they’re able to fact
> check and do further reading on that specific topic if they want to.
>
> I'm the same. With a little more work, the authors could have turned some
> of their 'studies show' comments into links to their further reading
> section. While the section at the end is helpful for in depth study, a
> quick jump to a source at the point at which you are reading something
> unfamiliar would have been helpful.

Your sentiments are all valid. Especially for those wanting to do deeper studies, a citation would come in handy. Nevertheless, I'd say not having included the citations is inconsequential.
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Post by Howlan »

Sjtoy wrote:
> B00kN1nja wrote:
> > Catie139 wrote:
> > > I agree that a few citations would have been helpful and lend credibility
> > > to what the authors were referencing. It would have also been helpful to
> > > see a bibliography since it is obvious that all of the information did not
> > > come just from them and their professional work. The "Suggested
> > > Further Reading" does seem quite comprehensive, though.
> >
> > There are a lot of references in the recommended reading that was appear to be
> both
> > reference materials they used and other literature for interested reading. I
> think it
> > would make it more accessible for the reader if they appended each of these
> > “suggested readings” to a footnote to an appropriate location in the book, and
> it
> > would not be too difficult of an addition.
>
>
> I agree with you. It would be nice to have those footnotes at the bottom of the page
> so one could easily do more reading on a specific topic they are interested in. Nice
> idea.

Yeah but that may be the difference that sets this book apart from other books of this nature as there are lots of books in the market dealing with stress. If the choice arises to buy this book or a one with say more citations involves I will choose the later.
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