USC Upstate Writing Center Guide to Documentation

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USC Upstate Writing CenterGuide to Documentation

• Avoiding Plagiarism and Using Sources Effectively

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• For a book, you need to know

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• For a work in an anthology, you need to know

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• For an article, you need to know

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• For a book or film review, you need to know

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• For a film, you need to know

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• For reference, see http//www.dianahacker.com/resd
  oc/humanities/english.html.

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Preparing to Document Sources

• As you research, write down all necessary
  information for every source you consult.
• Quiz yourself with Exercise MLA 4-3 at
  http//bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Playe
  r/Pages/Main.aspx.

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Documentation and Note-Taking

• Document sources as you take notes.

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Documentation and Note-Taking

• Document sources as you take notes.
• If you copy words directly from the source, put
  quotation marks around the words AS YOU TAKE NOTES

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Documentation and Note-Taking

• Document sources as you take notes.
• If you copy words directly from the source, put
  quotation marks around the words AS YOU TAKE
  NOTES.
• If you copy either direct quotes OR paraphrases
  or summaries, include a reference to the source
  and page number(s) AS YOU TAKE NOTES.

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Using Sources Effectively

• Test the value and credibility of your sources.
• Does your source meet the standards of academic
  research? Is it written by experts and published
  in a peer-reviewed format?

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Using Sources Effectively

• Test the value and credibility of your sources.
• Does your source meet the standards of academic
  research? Is it written by experts and published
  in a peer-reviewed format?
• If it is a primary source, can you verify its
  authenticity?

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Using Sources Effectively

• Test the value and credibility of your sources.
• Is the information from your source materially
  relevant and necessary to the claim or thesis you
  are arguing?

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Using Sources Effectively

• Test the value and credibility of your sources.
• Does the source help you show how original and
  important your argument is or does it just show
  that you read some sources?

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Using Sources Effectively

• Test the value and credibility of your sources.
• Is your source duplicating your argument or
  contributing to it?
• If a source makes the same point as your thesis
  or topic sentence, you must change your argument.

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Using Sources Effectively

• Test the value and credibility of your sources.
• Is your source duplicating your argument or
  contributing to it?
• Do you engage with your source and use it to
  build a foundation for your own ideas? Do your
  ideas go one step further than theirs?

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Integrate sources into your Paper

• Paraphrase, summarize, or quote what you need to
  support YOUR argument.
• If you do not need the exact words of the source,
  paraphrase or summarize the ideas instead.

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Integrate sources into your Paper

• Paraphrase, summarize, or quote what you need to
  support YOUR argument.
• If the exact words of the source are particularly
  effective or important, surround direct quotes
  with quotation marks, even for partial quotes.

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Integrate Sources into your Paper

• Indicate your source (whether quoted or
  paraphrased) with signal phrases and
  parenthetical citations.
• See Exercises MLA 3-1, 3-2, 4-1 at
  http//bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Playe
  r/Pages/Main.aspx.

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Integrate Sources into your Paper

• Indicate your source (whether quoted or
  paraphrased) with signal phrases and
  parenthetical citations.
• Enter the full information for each source in
  your Works Cited page.

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Tips for Citing

• Do not make the Works Cited a separate document
  use Insert-Page Break before the Works Cited to
  make it a new page at the end of your document.

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Tips for Citing

• Underlines and italics mean the same thing. Pick
  one and stick with it.
• Which is which? Underline v. Quotation Marks?

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Tips for Citing

• Do not use tabs to make block quotes or
  indentations in your Works Cited page.
• Use Format-Paragraph-Indentation-Special-HANGING
  for Works Cited lists.

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Tips for Citing

• Do not use tabs to make block quotes or
  indentations in your Works Cited page.
• For block quotes, use the Increase Indent button
  on the Formatting toolbar. Click twice for 1 inch.

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Integrate Sources into your Argument

• Your words should surround the words or ideas of
  your sources.

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Integrate Sources into your Argument

• Your words should surround the words or ideas of
  your sources.
• Use signal phrases (According to, XXX states,)

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Integrate Sources into your Argument

• Your words should surround the words or ideas of
  your sources.
• Avoid placing references to sources at the
  beginning or end of paragraphs.

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Integrate Sources into your Argument

• Your words should surround the words or ideas of
  your sources.
• Analyze or comment upon the source to tie it back
  to your argument.

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Integrate Sources into your Argument

• Disagree, agree, offer counter examples, argue,
  highlight, praise then expand upon the source to
  tie it back to your argument.
• See examples at http//bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/wr
  itersref6e/lmcontent/ch07/PDF/Hacker-Sanchez-MLA-A
  na-Txt.pdf.

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Document your Sources in the Works Cited

• Include a Works Cited entry for every source you
  cite.
• Do not include a Works Cited entry for sources
  you only consulted.
• See Exercise MLA 4-4 at http//bcs.bedfordstmartin
  s.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx.

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Guide to Documentation

• How do I?

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Guide to Documentation

• Any questions?

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Guide to Documentation

• Contact the Writing Center for tutoring
  appointments.
• 864-503-5883
• HPAC 136

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THANK YOU!

• USC Upstate Writing Center
• Guide to Documentation