LibGuides: ENG 112AAY: Information has Value

Why should you cite a source?

To give proper credit to those whose work was used to produce new work.
To lead readers of your work to the source of information for the benefit of bridging & furthering research.
Because committing plagiarism would compromise your grades & taint your academic reputation.

When & where should you cite a source?

When in doubt, cite!

Outside of common knowledge information.
- Common Knowledge is information that the average, educated reader would accept as reliable without having to confirm elsewhere. For example, the Presidents featured on Mt. Rushmore
Whenever using copyrighted information in the form of direct quotations, paraphrase, or summary.
- Copyright refers to the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.

Be sure to use parenthetical (in-text) citations, along with your references/works cited page!

Give it a try!

Complete the following citation worksheets:

Signal Verbs

Signal Verbs
Use signal verbs to introduce sources. Remember that the signal verb must be appropriate to the idea you are expressing.

* acknowledges * concludes * emphasizes * replies * advises * concurs * expresses * reports * agrees * confirms * interprets * responds * allows * criticizes * lists * reveals * answers * declares * objects * says * asserts * describes * observes * states * believes * disagrees * offers * suggests * charges * discusses * opposes * thinks * claims * disputes * remarks * writes * denies * rejects * addresses * shows *

Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarizing

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

A good balance of the three would be 75% paraphrasing & summarizing, and 25% direct quotes.

Direct Quotes

Consequences of Plagiarism

Give it a Try!

In a few paragraphs, summarize what one of the following people did regarding plagiarism & how it affected their lives:

George Harrison
Kaavya Viswanathan
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Mike Barnicle
James Frey

ENG 112AAY

Citation Checklist

APA Citation Guides

MLA Citation Guides

Formatting Your APA Paper in MS Word - 7th ed.

Formatting Your MLA Paper in MS Word-8th ed.