: Re: Do memoirs need to cite sources? memoir writers often recount events or present information (such as statistical data). Does a memoir have to provide proof for the claims and sources for their

Do memoirs need to cite sources? You don't have to.

If you want people to take you seriously, then you should provide some kind of reference when you make certain assertions that can or will be disputed by someone else.

For example, if you say Colonel Thompson told you to shoot the president's dog, Colonel Thompson may dispute it. If you do not have an evidence, it's just your words against his. It's not exactly bad, but if you're trying to sway public opinions, you're not going to get far without evidence.

Similarly, if you were to assert that you have received bad advice that ended in disaster, you may want to inform the readers on who gave you the bad advice. Without the scapegoat, your readers may just think you're trying to push the blame on a nonexistent person. Then again, after you've pushed the blame on a certain John Smith, you may also want to have an evidence to show that you're not making things up.

However, in the most basic sense, you don't have to provide the source for your memoir. It's only really necessary if you're anticipating legal actions taken against you following the publishing of your memoir.

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: One could provide two completely different possible explanations of the mystery at the end. That reminds me of the novel K-PAX by Gene Brewer (which has also been turned into a motion picture),

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: Re: Do memoirs need to cite sources? memoir writers often recount events or present information (such as statistical data). Does a memoir have to provide proof for the claims and sources for their

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: One could provide two completely different possible explanations of the mystery at the end. That reminds me of the novel K-PAX by Gene Brewer (which has also been turned into a motion picture),

: How important is an LCCN ? (self publishing) I know having an ISBN number is important for libraries and retailers to identify your book, but I am not as familiar with LCCN's (Library of Congress

: Where can I find good writers in a specific field for a particular English dialect? On which website can I find good authors in a specific field? For example I want to know good British authors

: Is there a definition for formatting plain text documents like they are on TLDP.org? Is there a formal specification for authoring plain text documents like they (mostly) are on http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/text/?

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