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Is a dictionary an academic source?

I

imported_Champ

Golden Member
well would it be usable as a definition

my friend said because it is not peer reviewed it cannot be used because it is then not an academic source...this is my first real collage paper and I don't want to screw up

is that right?
 
are you writing this essay for a 3rd grade class?

If you open any sort of paper with "Webster's dictionary defines _____ as '________...,'" then you should be shot.
 
1. I echo what zinfamous said.
2. Are you required to cite only peer-reviewed (journal) sources? If you're allowed to cite books in general, the dictionary should be fine.
3. Whatever you do, don't cite wikipedia.
 
Originally posted by: mugs
1. I echo what zinfamous said.
2. Are you required to cite only peer-reviewed (journal) sources? If you're allowed to cite books in general, the dictionary should be fine.
3. Whatever you do, don't cite wikipedia.
Click to expand...

the wiki was 1st day news in 4 of my classes...if i was going to drop a class i would do it for giggles but yeah im not that stupid...i think i have to look up and see it if is only peer-reviewed (dam powerpoints :|) but thanks for the answer
 
Usually the requirement is you need a certain number of peer reviewed sources, but you can use others. Check for the specifics with your assignment requirements/the prof. I've never needed to cite the dictionary in a paper before though..
 
What is the subject of this essay? It would be extremely rare for a dictionary to be useful in any way in an essay. You would need to be discussing an actual word's meaning vs how people use it or something. But then again, I never wrote a collage essay so I have no idea how they work. Usually I just paste a bunch of pictures on some construction paper for a collage.
 
is conservatism a ideology...so to look at that we have to define both conservatism and ideology

i guess i can leave it out but i need to find what it cited for its definition and see if that is usable
 
Originally posted by: Champ
is conservatism a ideology...so to look at that we have to define both conservatism and ideology

i guess i can leave it out but i need to find what it cited for its definition and see if that is usable
Click to expand...

Just cite it. Don't worry, you're referring to a real source. Like others said though, unless you're talking about true meaning versus usage, I can't think of a single example of where you would need to cite the dictionary.
 
Originally posted by: Champ
is conservatism a ideology...so to look at that we have to define both conservatism and ideology

i guess i can leave it out but i need to find what it cited for its definition and see if that is usable
Click to expand...

Well, you would know best, but it doesn't sound like you should be basing your answer on dictionary definitions. If the paper was assigned, there is probably an assumed definition for both ideology and conservatism. The important one being conservatism. Typically that would include "the beliefs of conservatives" or similar which includes very specific ideas and as such would obviously be an ideology; but more likely they are talking about just the generalized notion of retaining existing practices and disfavoring radical change. Unless the class is just an introduction to using the dictionary, most likely they are asking about the generalized notion.

If that is the case you should be writing a paper as if the question/subject is: Can "A general preference for the existing order of society, and an opposition to efforts to bring about sharp change" be considered an ideology? You do not need the dictionary to answer that question. The content of your essay would be based on whether you think, basically, that a resistance to change can be considered a political doctrine.
 
Originally posted by: torpid
Originally posted by: Champ
is conservatism a ideology...so to look at that we have to define both conservatism and ideology

i guess i can leave it out but i need to find what it cited for its definition and see if that is usable
Click to expand...

Well, you would know best, but it doesn't sound like you should be basing your answer on dictionary definitions. If the paper was assigned, there is probably an assumed definition for both ideology and conservatism. The important one being conservatism. Typically that would include "the beliefs of conservatives" or similar which includes very specific ideas and as such would obviously be an ideology; but more likely they are talking about just the generalized notion of retaining existing practices and disfavoring radical change. Unless the class is just an introduction to using the dictionary, most likely they are asking about the generalized notion.

If that is the case you should be writing a paper as if the question/subject is: Can "A general preference for the existing order of society, and an opposition to efforts to bring about sharp change" be considered an ideology? You do not need the dictionary to answer that question. The content of your essay would be based on whether you think, basically, that a resistance to change can be considered a political doctrine.
Click to expand...

This is where research comes in. The OP seems like he's trying to write this directly out of his ass. If he had actually done the research he would most likely already have his own working definition. A dictionary definition is inadequate to encompass the history of conservatism and its international incarnations.
 
Originally posted by: dennilfloss
Merriam-Webster is not a dictionary. THAT is a dictionary. 😉
Click to expand...

very true. In Literary criticism, it's nearly impossible to write a worthwhile analysis without consulting the OED.

So in a way, a dictionary is necessary for certain papers, but only one type of dictionary...


about wikipedia....I still wouldn't accept it as a source, even though it's statistically more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica. (published in Nature). Then again, you only use Encyclopedias in grade school anyway, so maybe it's OK at an earlier age?
 
ahhh one last question for help...I used reflections on the revolution in france by burke but it was on the internet as expried copyright so how do i cite the publisher and date?...please help!!!!
 
I can think of several instances where you might want to cite a dictionary in a paper. It makes for a really simple, if not over-done, introduction.. i.e. "Webster defines xxxxxxx as xxxxxxxxx. However, in practice, such a simple definition does not suffice, nor does it fully encompass..."
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
I can think of several instances where you might want to cite a dictionary in a paper. It makes for a really simple, if not over-done, introduction.. i.e. "Webster defines xxxxxxx as xxxxxxxxx. However, in practice, such a simple definition does not suffice, nor does it fully encompass..."
Click to expand...

Worst paper ever. If I were grading this, my eyes would already be strained from rolling them so hard and scribbling madly with my red pen. Use real sources, and provide your own definitions, if you really feel that spelling it out that blatantly is absolutely necessary. Unless this paper is like 20 pages long, you should be using every bit of space to build and prove your argument, not BSing filler like dictionary definitions.
 
Originally posted by: Champ
ahhh one last question for help...I used reflections on the revolution in france by burke but it was on the internet as expried copyright so how do i cite the publisher and date?...please help!!!!
Click to expand...

You know that books have that information in the first few pages, right?

The internet isn't the beginning and the end of all research.
 
Originally posted by: LtPage1
Originally posted by: DrPizza
I can think of several instances where you might want to cite a dictionary in a paper. It makes for a really simple, if not over-done, introduction.. i.e. "Webster defines xxxxxxx as xxxxxxxxx. However, in practice, such a simple definition does not suffice, nor does it fully encompass..."
Click to expand...

Worst paper ever. If I were grading this, my eyes would already be strained from rolling them so hard and scribbling madly with my red pen. Use real sources, and provide your own definitions, if you really feel that spelling it out that blatantly is absolutely necessary. Unless this paper is like 20 pages long, you should be using every bit of space to build and prove your argument, not BSing filler like dictionary definitions.
Click to expand...

This. The "Webster defines...." approach screams both a lack of creativity and sets up a poor argument.
 
A dictionary is valid as a secondary source. Professors typically will not count these if they are looking for a specified number of sources, but they are good to backstop your primary (academic) sources.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
I can think of several instances where you might want to cite a dictionary in a paper. It makes for a really simple, if not over-done, introduction.. i.e. "Webster defines xxxxxxx as xxxxxxxxx. However, in practice, such a simple definition does not suffice, nor does it fully encompass..."
Click to expand...

This is college. Crap like that deserves an F no matter the content of the rest of the paper. I wouldn't even have tried that in high school...
 
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