Writing W8.3

Evaluating a source

Critiquing a source

Research deserves quality How do you know if the article you found in your Google search is reliable? Check the author Date of publication Consider where it is published Publisher Objectivity

Consider these questions to critique a source Whether it is a journal, book, or website

The author Who is the author? Has your teacher https://www.sophia.org/ccss-ela-standard-w82-pathwayor instructor mentioned the author? Have you heard about or read the author? What are the author’s credentials? College attended Employment

Publication date When was the source published? Is a date provided? 2011 30 years ago Perhaps it’s a primary source which is okay Is there a revised, up-to-date edition available? Is a date provided? Look to the title page If not, the information may not be reliable

How is it published Where did you find the source? in a book journal Facts have been checked. Has been edited for mistakes journal Academic/scholarly journals provide excellent info on a website Websites do not always give complete information. Check with your teacher about appropriate sources to use.

Publisher Is the publisher well-known? University press Popular press Johns Hopkins University Press Princeton University Press University of Chicago Press Popular press Pearson Scott Foresman Random House Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich

Objective or bias? Does the author write with a slant? Is the author a member of a controversial organization? Has the source been produced with funds from a political cause, charity, organization? Source could be propaganda. Be careful.

What if my source doesn’t check out? Don’t abandon the source altogether See if it checks out by finding other sources that can back it up Find another source that has more reliable information Check with your librarian

Quoting a source

Avoiding plagiarism

Be sure that you are clear on the definition of plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you claim someone else’s words, phrasing, or ideas as your own, and do not give credit to the original source. Keep carefully organized notes that document the source of the information, along with all of its publication information. When you take notes, make sure that about 75-80% of what you write down is a summary of the source’s information that is made up of your own words. It is okay to collect quotes and paraphrase in your notes, but it is best to rely on summary to avoid plagiarism.

When you take notes, make sure that you label whether the information is summarized, paraphrased, or quoted. Next to summarized material, note the source. Next to quoted and paraphrased material, note the source as well as the page number, and a few words on the context, where the noted information appears in the progression of ideas within the source. Some students take the necessary precautions during the research process, but fail to give credit for sources cited in footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations. To avoid these mistakes, reserve some time during the revision and editing process to specifically look over your quotes, footnotes, and endnotes. Double check that each piece of quoted information has quotation marks around it and a citation. Double check that each piece of noted information has a citation. (For specific citation formatting, check APA, MLA, and CMS style guides). Most in-text or noted citations will require that author’s last name and either the title of the work, the date of publication, or a page number.

To AVOID resorting to plagiarism: Plan the writing process ahead of time. Estimate the time it will take you to research your topic, digest the information, plan your paper, write the draft, and complete the revision process before the assignment’s deadline. When you have enough time to give the assignment your best efforts, you’ll be less likely to rely on the ideas of others or purchase a paper from someone else and claim it as your own. When you are researching your topic, try to be as thorough as time allows. Although you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too much information, you will want to be knowledgeable on your topic. The more you know and understand about your topic, the easier it will be to synthesize (or digest) the information and the less tempting it will be to rely on someone else’s words or ideas.