Things to Know When Researching Research Tips and Vocabulary

Plagiarism Plagiarism is taking someone else’s words and/or ideas without giving that person credit. It is essential that all work handed in is your own writing, and that ideas, facts, or language which you “borrowed” from a source be properly identified. Failure to give credit to any source other than you is plagiarism, and plagiarism is an Honor Code violation.

Example of Plagiarism This paragraph is copied exactly from another source. News of the fighting at Lexington and Concord had already reached the city of Philadelphia when delegates gathered for the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. Soon after the meeting began, John Adams urged other delegates to quickly create an American army. He said that the members of the Massachusetts militia camped outside of Boston were ready to be the first soldiers in that army. This paragraph is restated in the writer’s own words; it is not plagiarized. Delegates to the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May 1775. The American colonists and the British had already fought in Lexington and Concord, and it seemed likely that there would be more battles between the two. The delegates were strongly encouraged to form an American army as soon as possible.

Paraphrasing So what do you do when you find the answers to your questions? You PARAPHRASE! That means that you write the information you find in your own words. If you do need to write word for word, make sure to quote by using quotation marks and marking who said it. “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours. Yee-Haa!” – Dr. Hasson

Location of Source Materials The next step in the research process is the location of source materials. Magazine articles, encyclopedias, reference books, nonfiction works, visual materials, newspaper articles, e-mail, interviews, and items found on the World Wide Web are examples of common source materials. If you do not find at least three good references, it would be wise (with your teacher’s permission) to change your topic.

Evaluating Internet Resources When choosing internet sources, keep in mind that anyone may publish a web page. This means not all information on the internet is true or correct. As a researcher, it is your responsibility to evaluate the web site to determine whether the information is useful, accurate, current, and objective. Using the checklist below will help you evaluate internet resources.

Internet Check List 1. Is the information relevant to my paper? 2. Who created the page? 3. What organization is the person affiliated with? 4. Has the site been reviewed online by an online reviewing agency? 5. Does the domain (i.e. edu, com, gov) of the page influence your evaluation of the site? 6. Are you positive that the information is true? 7. What can you do to prove that it is true? 8. When was the site created? 9. Is there a date for the last update of the site?

Primary Sources A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types of primary sources include: ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records  CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art  RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing,

Secondary Sources A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Some types of secondary sources include: PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms, commentaries, encyclopedias 

Researching Your Question After you find a GOOD source to answer your question, you now have to record (write down) the information in your folder.

Your going to fill it in here… Write the source type here.(book website) Write your question here. Question:____________________________________________________________ Source:______________________________________________________________ Title:___________________ Author:___________________ Date Created:________ Publisher:_______________________ Todays Date:_______________________ Where is park view located? www.pasadena.org/parkviewintermediate/ PVI! info Jennifer Dacy 8-1-11 5-3-2012 Title of page or book Pasadena ISD Information (paraphrased): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Author of book or website The day the site/book was created This is only for books and is located at he front of the book The day you saw the site

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TO WRITE YOUR RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN WORDS!!!! And Don’t Forget…. Question:____________________________________________________________ Source:______________________________________________________________ Title:___________________ Author:___________________ Date Created:________ Publisher:_______________________ Todays Date:_______________________ Information (paraphrased): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TO WRITE YOUR RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN WORDS!!!!