How to Be a Good Researcher

This presentation will outline aspects of what it means to be a good researcher -- as well as how to be a good writer of research papers.

What is a citation? A citation is a writer’s way of letting the reader know that given information came from another source. Using the citation, the reader is able to look up that specific source and read more information from it.

Citing Sources What does it mean to “cite my sources?” Citing your sources means that you show, within the body of your text, that you took the words or ideas from another place. Failure to acknowledge these sources can be considered plagiarism.  

When Do I Need to Cite? whenever you use quotes Whenever you borrow words or ideas, you need to acknowledge their source. The following situations almost always require citation: whenever you use quotes whenever you paraphrase whenever you use an idea that someone else has already expressed whenever you make specific reference to the work of another whenever someone else's work has been critical in developing your own ideas (Taken from plagiarism.org)

What is Plagiarism? ACCORDING TO THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY, TO "PLAGIARIZE" MEANS to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own to use (another's production) without crediting the source to commit literary theft to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

Plagiarism Plagiarism occurs when you borrow another's words or ideas and do not acknowledge that you have done so. In other words … Any information that you learn while researching must be appropriately cited, or else it could be considered as plagiarism.

Examples of Plagiarism: turning in someone else's work but calling it your own copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit failing to put a quotation in quotation marks giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (taken from plagiarism.org)

What’s a Direct Quotation? A direct quote is when you copy the author’s words directly from the text and use that exact wording in your writing. Direct quotes are put in “quotation marks” in the paper – this shows that it is direct information and not paraphrased information.

What Does it Mean to Paraphrase? Paraphrasing means putting what you have read into your own words. All paraphrased material needs to be cited in your paper. Why? Because although you have put it into your own words, it was not your original idea. You are borrowing the idea, and since the idea did not originally come from you, it must be cited.

Example of a Direct Quote: “William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a bustling market town 100 miles northwest of London, and baptized there on April 26, 1564. His birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23, which was the date of his death in 1616 and is the feast day of St. George, the patron saint of England” (“William Shakespeare”). Example of a Paraphrase: In April of 1564, William Shakespeare was born. People celebrate his birthday on April 23rd --which also happens to be the same day he died on fifty two years in 1616. Shakespeare’s hometown is Stratford- upon-Avon (“William Shakespeare”).

What Does it Mean for a Source to be “Credible?” A credible source is one that is factual and accurate. Questions to ask yourself when assessing a source’s credibility: Is the author an expert? Does he or she have credentials listed? Has the article been published by a noteworthy institution or organization? Has the author published other pieces of writing? Does the author provide a works cited page for their writing?

MLA What is MLA? MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.  Sample In-Text Citations: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).  Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki and James D. Houston.

Japanese Internment Research-Based Detailed Paragraph In class, we are learning what it means to be good researchers. In this project, we are combining this skill with our developing ability to write argumentatively. Your Task: Take a stance on Japanese American internment. Your job is to argue your response to this question: Was America justified in our internment of Japanese Americans during World War II? Requirements to be at least proficient: You must present your argument in the format of a detailed paragraph. (Like we have practiced in class) You must include at least TWO direct quotes in your detailed paragraph that are correctly cited according to MLA formatting. You must consult at least TWO different sources. Your detailed paragraph will have an accompanying bibliography. The final product will be assessed on these three learning targets: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. The final draft for this is due Wednesday, November 6th. How could you go above proficient? Consider using THREE supports and examples instead of two Make your argument strong Your final draft will reflect careful editing and a strong presentation of your ideas