1. Evaluate SOURCES

2. There are Three Steps to Using Sources:
Find sources and choose the best ones for your purpose.
Read the sources carefully, keeping track of your own reactions to the author’s ideas and using your sources as a springboard for your own contribution to the discussion.
Use the sources in your essay, giving proper credit in the body of the essay and at the end, using MLA format.

3. More Advice on Sources
Just because you find a source and read it doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you read a source and don’t like it, keep looking.
Keep researching throughout the writing process. If you find a wonderful source with all kinds of good ideas you want to respond to after you wrote a draft, that’s fine. Include that source and your response when you revise.
Keep track of every source you use ideas or quotes from in your paper. You will need to be able to find the source again when you give it credit.

4. Criteria for Evaluating Sources
Know your CRAAP!
Currency
Relevance
Authority
Accuracy
Purpose
The CRAAP test is adapted from the Meriam Library at California State University Chico.

5. Is the Source Current? When was the information published or posted?
Has the information been revised or updated?
Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
Web sites: are the links functional?
If there is a reference list, does it include up-to-date sources?

6. Relevance: The Importance of the Info to Your Needs
Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?

7. Authority: Who is the Source of the Info?
Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? If yes, what are they?
What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
Is there contact information, such as an address, publisher or institution?
Web sites: does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net (See for an explanation.)

8. Accuracy: How Reliable, Truthful, or Correct is this Info?
Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
Does the language or tone seem biased or free of emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

9. Purpose: Why does the information exist?
What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

10. Incorporate Your Sources

11. Integrating Your Sources
Use the Quote Sandwich Method I discussed last time!
Remember these 4 Steps:
Introduce
Before each quote, you should introduce the information.
Quote
Correctly cited!
Explain/Respond
After each quote, you need to explain the material to the reader and provide a response.
Connect
After your explain and response, CONNECT your point to what you will say next.

12. Using Sources and Giving Credit
Once you’ve found your sources, read them, took notes, and you’re ready to use your sources in your essay.
So… which quotes should you use?
Quotes that contain ideas you want to respond to.
Quotes that show something you are making a point about.
Quotes where the original source’s wording is especially good or important to your response.
Quotes that contain ideas that would make most people want proof.
Any quote you use should have an explanation/response that is TWICE AS LONG as the original quote. If a quote takes up two full lines of your paper, the explanation/response to that quote should take up FOUR.

13. What Is MLA Format? MLA Stands for “Modern Language Association”
The MLA makes rules for the writers of research papers in English and the Humanities so that everyone who is doing research is following the same set of rules and we can all understand each other.

14. What kinds of things do I need to do to have correct MLA Format?
Part of MLA style is format.
Margins
Heading
Font, etc.
Please see the formatting example that is on the class blog for my expectations on formatting.
Part of MLA style is citation.
This means giving credit to your sources and avoiding plagiarism.
Citation is also meant to make is easy for your reader find your sources if he or she wishes to read them.

15. MLA Citation has two main parts:
Parenthetical citations. Ex: (Anderson 3)
Are in the body (main text) of your essay.
Come after each paraphrase or quote that you did not write or think of yourself, you must indicate which source you are using in order to avoid plagiarism. Consult your textbook, a handbook, or the handout on Moodle for more detail.
A Works Cited page:
On its own page at the end of your essay
Lists every source you used in alphabetical order by the last name of the author.
Each works cited entry must contain specific information in a specific order. Consult a handbook or the handout on the blog for more details.

16. Four Basic Rules for Avoiding Plagiarism
Make sure all word-for-word quotes have quote marks showing where they begin and end.
Make sure to make the difference between your ideas and your sources’ ideas clear when paraphrasing.
Identify where each quote OR paraphrased idea came from in the body of your paper using in-text citations.
Make sure that each source you quote OR paraphrase in your paper is correctly listed on your Works Cited page.

17. Some Myths about Plagiarism:
Myth 1: As long as I have a source on my works cited page, I don’t have to mention it in the body of my paper.
WRONG! Any time you use ideas or words from a source, you must include an in-text citation.
Myth 2: As long as I change one or two words in a quote, I don’t have to put quote marks around it or do a citation.
WRONG! Changing one or two words in a quote and replacing them with synonyms is STILL PLAGIARISM if you keep the original ideas and/or sentence structure.
Myth 3: As long as I paraphrase correctly, using my own words and sentence structure to express an idea or give information, I don’t need an in-text citation.
WRONG! Even if you use your own words, if the specific idea/information originally came from somewhere else, you must cite it.

18. More Myths about Plagiarism:
Myth 4: I don’t need to cite exact words, ideas or information I find on the internet.
WRONG! Treat your internet sources with the same respect you have for your print or online database sources.
Myth 5: It is appropriate to use an old essay from a friend, buy an essay, or have someone help me write an essay using his or her wording instead of mine.
WRONG! All of these are called collusion, and they are all plagiarism.
Myth 6: I won’t get caught if I plagiarize.
WRONG! Plagiarism is quite obvious to most professors, and many of them use plagiarism detecting software.

19. A Resource to Help you Avoid Plagiarism
Use turnitin.com ! Upload your essay several days before the due date, wait an hour or two, then “view” it. You should be able to see your own originality score and make sure all of your highlighted quotes are correctly cited.
As long as it is well before the due date, you will then be able to check this then delete your essay and upload a new revised version when you are ready to submit.
This is also why I have a link on turnitin.com called “Rough Draft of LitCrit Research Paper for Self-Check”
This will NOT BE GRADED. It is just a space for you to upload your rough draft and get an originality report AND a grammar report.

20. Writing a Thesis About Literature
Continuing Work on your Research Paper

21. Step One: Know Your Purpose
Read the Guidelines on “Writing About Literature” pg. 6—19
Step one is to know and understand your purpose in writing about your chosen piece of literature.
You are Option 2 in the textbook: Writing to Interpret
You are using a Literary (Critical) Theory to INTERPRET a piece of literature.
This means that you are using the insights your chosen theory gives you to argue and explain your work of literature's possible meanings and significance.

22. Refresher: Definition of Thesis
A thesis is the statement/claim about the topic of your essay. It is your central argument, and the point that your entire essay is focused on proving/explaining.
A thesis is not a question. It may be the answer to a question, but it is a statement.
A thesis is complex, specific, and arguable. This means that you should avoid thesis statements that are simplistic, vague, or obvious.

23. Thesis Statements about Literature
When you are writing about literature, your thesis statement is a claim about the text or texts you are analyzing.
Since this is the statement/claim that your entire essay will support, make sure it is a claim worth making/writing about.
Information on thesis statements about literature are on p. 11 and p. 28 of your book.

24. A Weak Thesis Statement
We can see that the short stories “Greasy Lake” and “To Build a Fire” are similar because they are both about nature.
This is certainly a true statement, but it is also obvious and simplistic.
Also, it does not tell your audience what you are going to be saying about how each author uses nature or what critical theory perspective you are using to analyze the work.
What suggestions might you give the author of this statement?

25. Revised Thesis: Weak: Stronger:
We can see that the short stories “Greasy Lake” and “To Build a Fire” are similar because they are both about nature. (no theory mentioned?)
Stronger:
Through the lens of formalist criticism, both T.C. Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” and Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” use formal choices to present nature as a harsh, unforgiving antagonist, while simultaneously their tone and implied theme emphasize the importance of a connection between humanity and nature.

26. A Weak Thesis Statement:
Katniss is not your typical girl and we can see in the books how she is more like a guy.

27. Revised Thesis:
Katniss is not your typical girl (trite phrase, overused, non- academic) and we can see in the books how she is more like a guy.
NOTE: If you are arguing against stereotypical gender roles and calling into question our society’s assumptions about what a girl/guy is “supposed to” act like, don’t fall into the guy vs girl dichotomy yourself!
Katniss Everdeen challenges stereotypical gender roles not only through her actions and attitudes within the world of the book, but also through her real-world reality as a young adult protagonist and action hero that appeals to girls and boys equally, proving that boys can identify with and even emulate female protagonists.

28. Research Paper Reminders
I recommended reading Chapters 1, 2, and 3
Ch. 1: Reading and Writing About Literature
Ch. 2: Writing Literary Arguments
Ch. 3: Documenting Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
If you haven’t already read them, read them ASAP.
It WILL help you finish writing the best research paper possible, which is your main focus now.