ABAC Writing Center Writing Workshop

1
ABAC Writing CenterWriting Workshop

• Research and Documentation

2
Using Outside Sources

• Why do we do it?
• Where do we find sources?
• How do we work them into our writing?
• How do we document them?

3
Incorporating Sources

• Why do we do it?
• Using someone elses ideas or words can lend
  support to our points. It can add information to,
  clarify, or give credibility to our own ideas and
  words.

4
Where Do We Find Sources

• Library
• Internet
• Field Research

5
Library

• Books
• Periodicals (magazines, newspapers, journals)
• Databases

6
Library (cont.)

• Books use the library catalog use search
  terms for title and subject (GIL)
• Periodicals newspapers and magazines find in
  the library catalog or general database (GIL
  and/or GALILEO)
• Databases can be general or targeted to a
  specific type of material (GALILEO) usually
  much more effective than general search engines

7
Internet

• Vast quantity of material
• Lacks quality control and standardization
• Often search results are of questionable
  credibility
• Access to online sources is not always free

8
Internet Searches

• Search engines (Google, Yahoo, AltaVista, HotBot,
  etc.) look at a large portion of the net, but
  NOT all of it
• Focus your search use detailed search terms
• Example war is too general make it focused
  by adding details, like Iraq war, or specific
  elements, civilian casualties, Europe, World War
  II
• Discussion lists, blogs, wikis, personal websites
  very rarely expert
• NOTE Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source!

9
Field Research

• First hand research go and find out for
  yourself
• Interviews ask specific preplanned questions
  and take notes
• Surveys sample opinion of a target audience

10
II. Choosing Which Sources to Use

• The choice of resources needs to be guided by
  careful consideration of the writers subject,
  purpose, and audience.
• Here are some considerations to keep in mind

11
Evaluating Sources

• Key Considerations
• Accuracy
• Authority
• Objectivity
• Currency
• Coverage

12
Accuracy

• This is a reliability concern.
• Is the material going to be perceived by your
  reader to be truthful and verifiable?
• Is this a primary resource or a secondary
  resource?
• Primary direct research, raw data, the actual
  text
• Secondary commentary on or about primary
  material
• Is the source sufficiently reliable, or do you
  need to dig deeper for primary sources?

13
Authority

• This is another reliability issue.
• Is your reader going to be familiar with and
  trust the author of your resource material?
• What is the credibility of the author?

14
Objectivity

• This is a point that deals with how the resource
  handles bias.
• Is the bias apparent? If so, does it match the
  reader and the subjects bias?
• Does the bias prejudice the information?
• What is the sources intended audience and the
  intended effect on that audience? Does that match
  your audience and intent?

15
Currency

• This is a timeliness issue.
• How recent is the information that you intend to
  use?
• How important is timeliness to the subject and
  your argument?
• Rule of thumb
• Current events maximum 1-2 weeks old (except
  for historical perspective)
• Ongoing issues maximum 6 mos. 1 ½ years
• Other subjects 2-3 years for statistics, 3-5
  years for expert opinion

16
Coverage

• This is a scope issue.
• How much of the picture does the source take
  into consideration?
• Does the source consider opposition viewpoints?
  (This overlaps with bias issues.)
• Is the source material applicable to the same
  part of the issue that you are covering, if you
  have narrowed the focus?
• Is the source material cover the subject
  superficially or in-depth?

17
III. Adding Material From Sources

• Adding someone elses ideas or words can be
  very useful, BUT it must be done clearly. The
  reader needs to be able to see what information
  comes from an outside source.

18
Using Sources

• Summarize
• Paraphrase
• Quote

19
What is a summary?

• Condenses information
• Whole article in a paragraph or a paragraph in a
  sentence
• Maintains sense and intent of the original
• Written in your own words
• Phrases or words used from the original MUST be
  placed in quotation marks.

20
What is a paraphrase?

• Written in your own words
• About the same length as the original
• Essentially a restatement of an idea in language
  your audience will understand more readily than
  the original
• Translations are considered paraphrases for
  documenting purposes

21
What is a direct quote?

• Using the original words exactly as they appear
  in the original source
• Placed inside quotation marks (unless a long
  quote)
• More than 4 lines of typed prose text
• More than 3 lines of poetry
• Indent entire passage 2 tabs
• No quotation marks around passage
• Use a signal phrase to introduce the author
  and/or source (and relevance)
• Tie it in to the context dont assume your
  reader will get it

22
IV. Documenting Sources

• In English Composition classes we use MLA
  Documentation style
• MLA Modern Language Association
• Other academic disciplines use a variety of other
  documentation styles
• Serve the same purpose
• Usually only vary in format not information

23
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

• To give proper credit to your source, you need
  to identify the author and where you found the
  ideas/words in the first place.
• Note that I said ideas AND words. Most of us
  know that quoting without credit is bad, but
  using someone elses ideas without credit is also
  bad.

24
What to Document?

• You have to document direct quotations,
  paraphrases/translations, and summaries.
• If you synthesize your own ideas from the
  ideas of others, then that does not need to be
  documented.
• If in doubt, its safer to document possible
  sources.

25
What is a Parenthetical Citation?

• MLA style requires the writer to point to the
  source from within the text (rather than with a
  footnote or endnote). Specifically, the citation
  to the source appears in an abbreviated fashion
  inside parentheses.
• The parenthetical citation may appear at the end
  of a sentence, at the end of several sentences
  that all point to the same outside source, or at
  the end of a paragraph when all the sentences in
  that paragraph point to an outside source.

26
Parenthetical Citations

• Parenthetical citations must appear even when all
  the words are yours but the idea or data comes
  from your outside source.
• Read again! This is important! If you do not
  give proper credit, you are guilty of plagiarism.

27
Parenthetical Citation/Works Cited Connection

• The parenthetical citation leads the reader
  directly to the Works Cited entry for the source
  the Works Cited entry is where more information
  about the source is available.
• Parenthetical Citations/Works Cited Page they
  go together.

28
Example Parenthetical Citation

• Quotations are best used when the source's words
  are "especially vivid" (Moore 87).
•    Put the author's last name and the page
  number(s) in the parenthetical citation if you
  have that information.          

29
Signal Phrase

• When a signal phrase is used (that is, the author
  is named in your sentence), only the page number
  needs to appear in the parenthetical citation.
• signal phrase
• Grammar guru Tyler Moore tells us to use
  quotations only when they are "especially vivid"
  (46).

30
Dont . . .

• Don't use "p." or "pp." In MLA style, the number
  in the citation is understood to refer to the
  page number.
• Don't use a comma between the author's last name
  and the page number. Use one space.

31
Works Cited page

• This is the page where the bibliographic
  information is found that will allow your reader
  to locate your original source.
• It includes full identifying information of the
  source, referenced by the author, if known, and
  the title otherwise.

32
Works Cited

• The Works Cited page of your paper documents just
  the sources you actually use in your paper, the
  sources you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. (You
  may research many sources 20 or 30 but the
  Works Cited page includes only those sources you
  cite in your paper.)

33
Works Cited entry basic information

• The basic format for a Works Cited entry is the
  following
• Author (last name first). Title. Publisher
  information, date.
• There will be differences depending on the type
  of source.

34
Sample Works Cited Entry

• Works Cited
• Walker, Donald. Bicycles Should be Banned. New
  York Doubleday, 2003.
• If the source is an article or chapter in
  another book, then use this format
• Walker, Donald. Bicycles Should be Banned. Bike
  Issues in Medicine. Ed. Tony Green. Boston
  Bedford, 2004. 13-26.
• Other types of sources will use slightly
  different formats. However, the basic purpose and
  function of the entry will remain the same. Refer
  to your course handbook or instructor handouts
  for additional guidance.

35
Dos and Donts

• Double-space the Works Cited page, just like you
  do the rest of the paper.
• Begin the first line of each entry at the left
  margin.
• Indent all subsequent lines of the entry one tab
  (5 spaces).

36
Dos and Donts

• Alphabetize Works Cited entries by the first word
  in each entry (usually the author's last name. If
  the first word is a title beginning with an
  article (a, an, the), alphabetize by the second
  word.)
• Do not number the entries.

37
Many Kinds of Sources

• Use documentation for all kinds of sources -
  books, journals, newspaper articles, internet
  sources, and library subscription databases.
• NOTE Guidelines for entries on the Works Cited
  page are not exactly the same for all sources.

38
Follow Models

• Good places to look for models of the various
  types of Works Cited entries
• A Grammar Handbook like A Writers Resource (used
  in ABAC Composition courses)
• Library resources (database entries often show
  the information needed to cite each source but
  NOT in the correct format)
• A variety of online resources like this Online
  Writing Lab at Purdue University
  http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
  
• MLA web site www.mla.org