Variations in the Citation Use and Perceptions in Writing the Literature Review by EFL Postgraduates

Abstract

Academically, citation is pivotal since it presents justifications for the arguments and a demonstration ofthe writer’s position. Despite the increasing number of studies on citations, little knowledge has beenreported regarding the citation use and practices of EFL students within the ESL context. Hence, thepresent study aimed at investigating the extent of variation in the citation practices in the literaturereview of PhD theses in Applied Linguistics and Information Technology. The study analysed thecitations qualitatively focusing mainly on several aspects, including using types of citations, the varietyof the citations based on the type of the clauses in each citation, and the perspectives of EFL Arabpostgraduates on using citations. A purposeful sampling was adopted in selecting the literature review of20 PhD theses and nine EFL Arab candidates of Applied Linguistics and Information Technology. Theresults show the dominance of the integral citation in the literature review of Applied Linguistics andInformation technology. The inter-disciplinary comparison also reported similarity in terms of the highfrequency of using citations with clauses complexes. The discourse-based interviews revealed that EFLArab postgraduates depended on the integral citation to highlight ideas, attract the reader’s attention,affirm the credibility of the cited information, and refer to the type of the information. The little availableinformation on using citations and the possible effect of their native language may lead EFL Arabpostgraduates to have their own strategies regarding citations use. Consequently, EFL postgraduatestudents probably need explicit instructions on the use of citations.