Referring to the work of others: revised and expanded – Why should you cite? Blending information from source materials (i.e., ideas and/or the published work of others) into your own writing is an unavoidable necessity of good academic writing. Doing this well typically enhances any credit you receive for your work as it not only shows your effort at avoiding plagiarism but also your sense of academic integrity. “…To cite or not to cite, that is the question.”

You don’t need to cite a source if: Would any intelligent person know this information? Russia is the largest country in the world. Did you know it before you discovered it in the source? Prague has three metro lines. A checklist for common knowledge exceptions – where it is acceptable to include no citation.

A checklist for common knowledge exceptions – where it is acceptable to include no citation. In all other cases, or when you are in any doubt whatsoever, …cite. Is it encyclopedia-type information? Replacement cost: What it would cost today to replace a firm's existing assets. Has this information become general knowledge by being reported repeatedly in many different sources? Barack Obama is the current President of the United States.

Synthesis: A written discussion which draws on multiple sources. Guidelines: Keep in mind that you are using sources to support your ideas and claims, not the other way around. Keep in mind that original thought and insightful analysis are required for a good position paper. A strong paper will create a ‘dialogue’ between the author’s ideas and his/her sources. A weak paper often summarizes the ideas of others one point at a time, with the author’s ideas stated only at the end.

Synthesizing information from sources into your text Here’s some original text: Despite the growth of these new technologies and the importance of the mass media in our lives, our schools have failed to do anything in the way of developing a systematic curriculum aimed at helping students to understand the form, content, ownership, and organization of the mass media. While schools continue to operate as though print were the main means of communication in our culture, an increasingly high-tech society requires a new definition of literacy that encompasses visual, computer, and media literacy.

SAMPLE 1 Modern communication technology is here to stay and cannot be ignored. We live in the information age, bombarded by television and radio in our homes and automobiles, annoyed by ringing telephones, and infatuated by computers and their modems for networking across the nation. Considine sees the conflict as chalk boards and talking by teachers versus an environment of electronic marvels (2006:635). He argues, “While schools continue to operate as though print were the main means of communication in our culture, an increasingly high-tech society requires a new definition of literacy that encompasses visual, computer, and media literacy” (2006:639).

SAMPLE 2 Modern communication technology is here to stay and cannot be ignored. We live in the information age, bombarded by television and radio in our homes and automobiles, annoyed by ringing telephones, and infatuated by computers and their modems for networking across the nation. Considine sees the conflict as chalk boards and talking by teachers versus an environment of electronic marvels (2006:635). He argues that our public schools function with print media almost exclusively, while the children are actually developing a complex feel and understanding of modern electronics in their use of computers, television, and other media forms (2006:639).