How to use theory for article?

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Hey folks, I can use theories to analyze various phenomena, and I can write pieces that are journalistic, but not academic. How do you explain a phenomenon using a theory in your paper? Do we have to state the theory and if so, how should we do the citations? Should we refer to the original book of the author or a general book on theories like Ritzer or Collins? Or should we just make a quick reference to the theory like Levi Strauss' structuralism for binary oppositions and move on without providing citations for the theory?

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@p-dorbeigi,

It's better to cite than not to cite.

Let's say it's the theory of relativity. You would list it as Einstein's theory of relativity (it might need to be capitalized; please check), but if you are relying on an interpretive work by someone else (say, Stephen Hawking), or quoting another work, then cite the secondary work as well.

E. g. Einstein's theory of relativity as interpreted by Stephen Hawking in Relativity: It's Not Just Your Cousins, page 67, June 2017 etc etc (all of the stuff you do for AP or MLA style).

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How to use theory for article?

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