Citing Your Sources

What is Inclusive Scholarship?

Inclusive scholarship is the intentional practice of recognizing and citing a diverse range of voices, perspectives, and sources in academic and creative work. Through it, we seek to address systemic inequities in knowledge creation by ensuring that scholars and ideas from historically underrepresented communities are acknowledged and valued.

Inclusive scholarship does not mean that we make a practice of citing work from scholars simply because of their background. Rather, it is an opportunity to think critically about where traditional academia has sought information, and to recognize that we have the opportunity to expand and enrich our well of knowledge by including new and diverse scholarly voices in our research and conversations.

Why is Inclusive Scholarship Important?

Consider the following quote from the Conference on College Composition & Communication (2022):

"Citation is not only a way we build ethos and credibility for making arguments, but, perhaps more importantly, a decision to amplify some voices over others, and an argument about whose voices and perspectives are valid, credible, and worth drawing from as we build knowledge in the discipline."

Traditionally in academia, we have ascribed authority to authors that possess credentials and perspectives that historically have been accessible only to privileged groups. In doing so, we have overlooked voices outside this norm as "untrustworthy." Similarly, when we evaluate information on the basis of objectivity and impartiality, we have traditionally done so in ways that only serve to reinforce the dominant perspectives, leading to a masking of inherent biases and excluding diverse viewpoints.

Inclusive scholarship is crucial because it challenges systemic biases in academic and intellectual traditions by amplifying voices that have been excluded or overlooked. By diversifying citations, we seek to do the following:

• Promote a richer and more inclusive knowledge base
• Guide learners and researchers in engaging with a broader range of ideas
• Ensure that credit is fairly distributed, fostering ethical academic practices and supporting a culture of accountability and equity in scholarly work

Present and Absent Voices in Research

The following video discusses how to identify present and absent voices in research, including examples of collections that spotlight underrepresented voices.

Strategies for Practicing Inclusive Scholarship

Inclusive scholarship is an intentional practice that calls for you to be open to changing your patterns of research in order to practice citation equity. The following strategies can help you frame your thinking and research approach around inclusive scholarship:

1. Diversify Your Sources: Actively seek out research and perspectives from underrepresented scholars, including works by women, scholars of color, Indigenous researchers, and scholars from the LGBTQIA+ community. Use tools like citation databases and institutional repositories to uncover diverse voices. Do not make assumptions about race, gender, or the author's background. Do your research!
2. Critically Examine Existing Citation Patterns: Reflect on the sources you frequently cite and identify patterns of exclusion or overrepresentation. Aim to balance your references to include perspectives from different identities disciplines.
3. Read Beyond Your Comfort Zone: Commit to reading outside your usual academic circles or preferred journals. Explore works published in journals or by publishers focused on equity and inclusion, or engage with scholarship written in other languages.
4. Acknowledge Power Dynamics: Be mindful of how power dynamics in academia influence what is considered "legitimate" knowledge. By citing scholars and sources that challenge dominant paradigms, you contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable academic landscape.

Resources for Identifying Absent Voices

Shapiro Library Databases

The following library databases have collections of resources focuses on specific populations.

Web Resources

The following web resources can help you source content from diverse perspectives as well as check your reference lists for hidden biases

References and Further Readings

SNHU Shapiro Library acknowledges the use of ChatGPT 4o, a large language model developed by OpenAI, in the preparation of the content of this guide.