Difference between revisions of "Help:How to Use AquaPedia for Research"

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{{Help
 
{{Help
|Help Topic=Reading and Researching
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|Help Topic=Using AquaPedia, Reading and Researching
 
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AquaPedia is not intended for use as a sole resource for individuals or organizations researching case studies about water or facts about water resources, projects, or agreements .However, much of the content on AquaPedia is referenced/cited, so an alternative is to cite the reliable source rather than the article itself.
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AquaPedia cases can often be seen as a hub-like source for learning about a specific water case study or learning about related types of water problems. Because AquaPedia is collaboratively edited and community built, you may find it useful to seek out the material referenced within cases for further research.
  
All cases and pages include reference sections that detail any citations from the page. You can use these references to find primary and secondary sources suitable for citing in academic or other work.
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All cases and articles include reference sections that detail any citations from the page. You can use these references to find additional sources suitable for citing in academic or other work.  
  
Cases and Pages can also be appended with annotated links to other resources. Please follow those links to find resources that may be more appropriate for citation.
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ASI articles, within case studies, however, do have specific contributing authors and the material is protected -- it may represent a specific point of view or the research of one or a few people. Those articles may provide materials you wish to directly cite.
  
Normal academic usage of encylopedias and web-based resources such as Wikipedia is for getting the general facts of a problem and to gather keywords, references and bibliographical pointers, but not as a source in itself. We suggest that AquaPedia is viewed in a similar manner.
 
  
=For Students=
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=Citing AquaPedia Articles=
AquaPedia is a collaboratively edited resource with multiple authors and is not stringently peer-reviewed. Most professors and teachers would not want this type of resource to be cited in an assignment.
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* You need to use an electronic-citation format. Our Citation Tool makes it easy (read below).  
=If you really want to cite an article...=
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* Most articles are collaboratively written and the authors are "AquaPedia Case Study Database contributors"
 
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However, if you do need to find the list of authors of a particular article, you can check the page history.
* A wiki is not paper, so you will need to use an electronic-citation format instead.  
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* The exception is for ASI articles, which have contributing author(s) listed in the article.
* The exact format will depend upon the citation guide that you are following, but here are a few general principles to consider:
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* You should use the citation tool, described below to ensure that you have accurate information for the version of the page you are citing. A page can be updated and changed, which means the information you are citing could be removed or appended. The citation tool references the exact version (date and timestamp) of the article, and links to the archived page.
* You should not cite any particular author or authors for an article, in general AquaPedia is collaboratively written. However, if you do need to find the list of authors of a particular article, you can check the page history.  
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* You should use the citation tool, to ensure that you have accurate information for the version of the page you are citing. A page can be updated and changed, which means the information you are citing could be removed or appended.
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=Citation Tool=
 
=Citation Tool=
It may not always be appropriate to cite AquaPedia. It may be more appropriate to visit the references and links to primary and secondary sources cited within an AquaPedia page. Please use judgeent. However, the software will generate a citation for you. This information can then be reformatted into the appropriate citation style for your use.
 
  
Simply copy and paste the title of the AquaPedia page into the form at {{Special:Cite}}
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The easiest way: From any case or article, click the link under the"Advanced" menu (left side of page) that says: "Cite this page."
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Or, you can visit {{Special:Cite}} and copy and paste a page title into the form.
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Caveat: If you are citing an ASI, you can manually add the authors name(s) listed in the article to the citation. Unfortunately, the citation tool cannot extract author names from ASI articles.

Latest revision as of 13:50, 28 July 2014

AquaPedia cases can often be seen as a hub-like source for learning about a specific water case study or learning about related types of water problems. Because AquaPedia is collaboratively edited and community built, you may find it useful to seek out the material referenced within cases for further research.

All cases and articles include reference sections that detail any citations from the page. You can use these references to find additional sources suitable for citing in academic or other work.

ASI articles, within case studies, however, do have specific contributing authors and the material is protected -- it may represent a specific point of view or the research of one or a few people. Those articles may provide materials you wish to directly cite.


Citing AquaPedia Articles

  • You need to use an electronic-citation format. Our Citation Tool makes it easy (read below).
  • Most articles are collaboratively written and the authors are "AquaPedia Case Study Database contributors"

However, if you do need to find the list of authors of a particular article, you can check the page history.

  • The exception is for ASI articles, which have contributing author(s) listed in the article.
  • You should use the citation tool, described below to ensure that you have accurate information for the version of the page you are citing. A page can be updated and changed, which means the information you are citing could be removed or appended. The citation tool references the exact version (date and timestamp) of the article, and links to the archived page.

Citation Tool

The easiest way: From any case or article, click the link under the"Advanced" menu (left side of page) that says: "Cite this page."

Or, you can visit Special:Cite and copy and paste a page title into the form.

Caveat: If you are citing an ASI, you can manually add the authors name(s) listed in the article to the citation. Unfortunately, the citation tool cannot extract author names from ASI articles.