Note: The material below is an edited excerpt from A Writer's Reference, 4th Edition by Diana Hacker and is reprinted with the author's permission. 1 This book and others by Ms. Hacker are available from the University Bookstore.
Use a consistent system for citing sources.
In a research paper, you will be drawing
on the work of other writers, and you must document their contributions by
citing your sources. You must include a citation when you quote from a source,
when you summarize or paraphrase a source, and when you borrow facts and ideas
from a source that are not common knowledge. (See also R5-b.
2 )
The various academic disciplines use their own editorial styles for citing sources. Most English professors prefer the Modern Language Association's system of in-text citations, the system used in examples throughout sections R5 and R6. Here, very briefly, is how MLA in-text citation usually works:
- The source is introduced by a signal phrase
that names its author.
- The material being cited is followed by a page
number in parentheses.
- At the end of the paper, a list of works cited
(arranged alphabetically according to the authors' last names) gives complete
publication information about the source.
IN-TEXT CITATION
As lion authority John Seidensticker remarks, "The boldness displayed by mountain lions just doesn't square with the shy, retiring behavior familiar to those of us who have studied these animals"(177).ENTRY IN THE LIST OF WORKS CITED
Seidensticker, John. "Mountain Lions Don't Stalk People: True or False?" Audubon Feb. 1992: 113-22.
If your instructor has asked you to use the American Psychological Association (APA) style of in-text citation, consult A1. If your instructor prefers Chicago-style footnotes or endnotes, consult A2. For a list of style manuals used in a variety of disciplines, see A3.
Avoid plagiarism.
Your research paper is a collaboration between you and your sources. To be fair and ethical,
you must acknowledge your debt to the writers of these sources. If you don't, you are guilty
of plagiarism, a serious academic offense.
Three different acts are considered plagiarism: (1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words.
Citing quotations and borrowed ideas
You must of course document all direct quotations. You must also cite any ideas borrowed
from a source: paraphrases of sentences, summaries of paragraphs or chapters, statistics and
little-known facts, and tables, graphs, or diagrams.
The only exception is common knowledge-information that your readers could find in any number of general sources because it is commonly known. For example, the current population of the United States is common knowledge in such fields as sociology and economics; Freud's theory of the unconscious is common knowledge in the field of psychology.
As a rule, when you have seen certain information repeatedly in your reading, you don't need to cite it. However, when information has appeared in only one or two sources or when it is controversial, you should cite it. If a topic is new to you and you are not sure what is considered common knowledge or what is controversial, ask someone with expertise. When in doubt, cite the source.
Enclosing borrowed language in quotation marks
To indicate that you are using a source's exact phrases or sentences, you must enclose them
in quotation marks unless they have been set off from the text by indenting. (See pp. 89-90)
To omit the quotation marks is to claim-falsely-that the language is your own. Such an omission is plagiarism even if you have cited the source.
-
ORIGINAL SOURCE
Early colonists viewed the lion as a threat to livestock, as a competitor for the New World's abundant game, and most importantly, as the personification of the savage and godless wilderness they meant to cleanse and civilize. -
PLAGIARISM
Early colonists took a dim view of the lion. According to Kevin Hansen, they saw it as a threat to livestock, as a competitor for the New World's abundant game, and most importantly, as the personification of the savage and godless wilderness they meant to cleanse and civilize (1). -
BORROWED LANGUAGE IN QUOTATION MARKS
Early colonists took a dim view of the lion. According to Kevin Hansen, they saw it "as a threat to livestock, as a competitor for the New World's abundant game, and most importantly, as the personification of the savage and godless wilderness they meant to cleanse and civilize" (1).
Putting summaries and paraphrases in your own words When you summarize or paraphrase, you must restate the source's meaning using your own language. (See also R3-c) In the [following] example, the paraphrase is plagiarized-even though the source is cited-because too much of its language is borrowed from the source. The underlined strings of words have been copied word-for-word (without quotation marks). In addition, the writer has closely followed the sentence structure of the original source, merely plugging in some synonyms (children for minors, brutally for severely, and assault for attack).
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ORIGINAL SOURCE
The park [Caspers Wilderness Park] was closed to minors in 1992 after the family of a girl severely mauled there in 1986 won a suit against the county. The award of $2.1 million for the mountain lion attack on Laura Small, who was 5 at the time, was later reduced to $1.5 million.
- Reyes and Messina, "More Warning Signs," p. B1 -
PLAGIARISM: UNACCEPTABLE BORROWING
Reyes and Messina report that Caspers Wilderness Park Was closed to children in 1992 after the family of a Girl brutally mauled there in 1986 sued the county. The family was ultimately awarded $1.5 million for the Mountain lion assault on Laura Small, who was 5 at the Time (B1)
To avoid plagiarizing an author's language, set the source aside, write from memory, and consult the source later to check for accuracy. This strategy prevents you from being captivated by the words on the page.
-
TWO ACCEPTABLE PARAPHRASES
Reyes and Messina report that in 1992 Caspers Wilderness Park was placed off-limits to minors because of an incident that had occurred there some years earlier. In 1986, a five-year-old, Laura Small, was mauled by a mountain lion and seriously injured. Her family sued the county and eventually won a settlement of $1.5 million (B1). - In 1992, officials banned minors from Caspers Wilderness Park. Reyes and Messina explain that park officials took this measure after a mountain lion attack on a child led to a lawsuit. The child, five-year-old Laura Small, had been severely mauled by a lion in 1986, and her parents sued the county. Eventually they received an award of $1.5 million(B1).
1 D. Hacker, A Writer's Reference, 4 th Edition (Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 1999), pps. 82-85.
2 Note: Alphanumeric references in this excerpt, "R5-b" for example, refer to other numbered sections in this book.
3 Note: The MLA citation style is but one of several commonly used styles. Consult with the instructor in each course to determine which style the professor prefers or requires.
