Why My Articles Lack References: Lessons on Academic Writing Basics

In my memory, professional formal papers always include references, yet my public account articles have never contained any, and I never felt the need for them. I wonder why my articles lack references—whether it’s because published papers are too formal or my writing process has a gap.

Recalling how I write for my public account, an idea sparks in my mind, I think about it, and then I organize the thoughts into an article. In short, the process is: discover idea — think — write.

Writing a paper, especially in science and engineering, involves presenting a solution to a problem. This requires a problem statement, thinking, and often searching literature or other materials for helpful information. If the problem remains unsolved, the search continues. Finally, the useful sources are listed as “references.” This process can be summarized as: pose problem — think — gather references — think — … — write.

Comparing the two, my public account writing only covers three of those steps and lacks the crucial step of seeking references based on thinking. My main goal is to record ideas without rigorously verifying them, whereas academic papers need public trust, sufficient evidence, and rigorous argumentation, making references essential.

For example, I once wondered why my article lacked references, thought through an answer, and accepted it without checking if others had addressed the same question.

I view references from two perspectives: “heuristic” references that inspire the problem, and “problem‑oriented” references that are deliberately sought after identifying a specific issue. Both can be listed in the references section.

Additional thoughts: each small doubt resolved or insight gained lays the groundwork for tackling larger problems, and writing a good paper requires scrutinizing one’s own thinking process and understanding the standards and models for rigorous answers.