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Re: sourcing and citation -- the rules have changed
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From: bookmarch_at_aol.com
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:45:01 -0400 (EDT)
Megan brought up the matter of sourcing and citations. I believe that what we authors are doing and need to do is changing -- and that reflects exactl y what is exciting about nonfiction. At one time NF for younger readers use d few citations -- perhaps only a general bibliography of sources consulted . In recent years, as K. T. Horning points out in From Cover to Cover, ther e have been two kinds of reassurance given to the reader about the informat ion in a NF book -- some acknowledgement upfront that shows the author has consulted with experts in the field, and some version of notes in the back that show where the author got his or her information. But I would propose a third kind of notation: knowledge is not settled, it is in flux. The most obvious example is the question of how many planets there are in our Solar System -- the answer is, it depends on how you count and which experts you consult. That is terrific -- because, in fact, there is dispute and argume nt about just about any area of knowledge
-- from history to science, from how to frame a biography to how to explain some aspects of the physical wor ld (and that is even without considering Big Picture debates on issues such as Intelligent Design or Global Warming). What is an author of books for younger readers to do? In our note s we can show that we are aware of conflict, aware of differing views, and can introduce both young people and the adults who work with them to those questions. We can invite young people into the conflicts, we can show them that they have the right and opportunity to look at the opposing schools an d begin to formulate their own thinking. Our notes then become an invitatio n to young people to see knowledge in formation, not just settled answers h anded down from above. Which views do we need to mention? That is where our expert readers help -- guiding us to the current state of debate and discu ssion, and away from older views and dead ends. Notes, then, are not just proof that the author did his or her ho mework, nor assurance that basic facts are recorded correctly, or that quot ations have been passed on accurately, Rather they open up the version as g iven by the author to greater inquiry by the reader, the librarian, the tea cher, the parent. Plus, they are a place for the author to put all the cool stuff he/she found that doesn't fit the main narrative.
Marc Aronson
Received on Sun 17 Oct 2010 01:45:01 PM CDT
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:45:01 -0400 (EDT)
Megan brought up the matter of sourcing and citations. I believe that what we authors are doing and need to do is changing -- and that reflects exactl y what is exciting about nonfiction. At one time NF for younger readers use d few citations -- perhaps only a general bibliography of sources consulted . In recent years, as K. T. Horning points out in From Cover to Cover, ther e have been two kinds of reassurance given to the reader about the informat ion in a NF book -- some acknowledgement upfront that shows the author has consulted with experts in the field, and some version of notes in the back that show where the author got his or her information. But I would propose a third kind of notation: knowledge is not settled, it is in flux. The most obvious example is the question of how many planets there are in our Solar System -- the answer is, it depends on how you count and which experts you consult. That is terrific -- because, in fact, there is dispute and argume nt about just about any area of knowledge
-- from history to science, from how to frame a biography to how to explain some aspects of the physical wor ld (and that is even without considering Big Picture debates on issues such as Intelligent Design or Global Warming). What is an author of books for younger readers to do? In our note s we can show that we are aware of conflict, aware of differing views, and can introduce both young people and the adults who work with them to those questions. We can invite young people into the conflicts, we can show them that they have the right and opportunity to look at the opposing schools an d begin to formulate their own thinking. Our notes then become an invitatio n to young people to see knowledge in formation, not just settled answers h anded down from above. Which views do we need to mention? That is where our expert readers help -- guiding us to the current state of debate and discu ssion, and away from older views and dead ends. Notes, then, are not just proof that the author did his or her ho mework, nor assurance that basic facts are recorded correctly, or that quot ations have been passed on accurately, Rather they open up the version as g iven by the author to greater inquiry by the reader, the librarian, the tea cher, the parent. Plus, they are a place for the author to put all the cool stuff he/she found that doesn't fit the main narrative.
Marc Aronson
Received on Sun 17 Oct 2010 01:45:01 PM CDT
