Re:Thinking Citation.

(Digital Humanist, Katherine D. Harris tweeting on Hema's and my citation method)

Since my collaborator, Hema Surendrenathan and I have already presented this (at Re:Humanities), I'm posting this up on Serendip with hopes that it helps solve some of the questions surrounding digital citation and citation of discourse. We have produced the barebones of a citation that allows for more freedom with citation yet still gives credit to an individual scholar. As we have discussed the problems with citation in class, I wanted to put this up as a solution to perhaps, some of our problems.

Creating an Archive of Digital Discourse on Social Media:
To cite an existing post on a social networking site, “retweet” or “share” (depending on the social network) and then add a relevant hashtag. (E.g. #literarykinds)

Citing born out of discourse through various forms of media:
When citing ideas born out of casual or scholarly discourse, include the individual’s first name and the first letter of their surname. Next, add the conference name and year, the mode in which the conversation takes place and finally when the conversation began. For example:

Hema S. Re:Humanities, 2012. HASTAC thread. 1 April 2012.

-- The reason behind using just the intial of a person's last name is to ensure that there is more emphasis on the collaborative nature of the "thing" that is being cited. Additionally, we have been more specific about the "type" (as we all know, these types are problematic) so the citation is more specific towards the actual discourse that happened.

We know that there are many things that we have not considered but we really urge for you to problematize this method. We want to work as a collective to come up with a citation methods that meets needs yet does not come off as restrictive. Please post any comments you have below!