citing sources in research writing
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Citing Sources in Research Writing. Alysoun Taylor-Hall October 16, 2013. About Me. BA in English w/Concentration in Professional Writing Certificate in Technical Writing MBA Program Coordinator for Ph.D. in Engineering Program Technical Writer/Editor for CEPRO research group - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
ALYSOUN TAYLOR-HALL
OCTOBER 1, 2014
Citing Sources in Research Writing
About Me
BA in English w/Concentration in Professional Writing
Certificate in Technical WritingMBAProgram Coordinator for Ph.D. in Engineering
ProgramTechnical Writer/Editor for CEPRO research
groupAdjunct Instructor for EGR 3350: Technical
Communication for Engineers and Computer Scientists
Citing Sources in Research Writing
Why to citeWhen to cite
When citations are not needed To cite or not to cite?
Types of material to cite Notes on web-based content Common sense tests
How to cite Types of citations Style guides Tips
Resources
Why to Cite
Gives credit to those whose work you are using
Allows your readers to verify your workPoints your readers toward more informationProtects you from charges of plagiarism
When to Cite
Always provide citations for original material that is not your own:
Wording Concepts Data Figures, Pictures, Charts you did not create
When Citations Are Not Needed
Information that is readily available: Chicago is a city in Illinois Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit It snowed yesterday
Information that is considered general knowledge within your field:
Example: The 10-bar truss problem for ME students
To cite or not to cite?
Depends on Context: Who is your audience?
Example:“Chicago is a city in Illinois”
Writing in U.S. for adult readers vs.
School child in India writing a report for a teacher
To cite or not to cite?
Depends on Context: Is it important, relevant, or precise?Example:
“It was 32 degrees in Dayton”
Creative writingvs.
Experimental condition in which ambient temperature is an important factor
If you took the measurement yourself, you should say so
If you used someone else’s environmental data, you need to provide a citation
To cite or not to cite?
ImportantQuoted material must ALWAYS be cited, regardless of
content Dictionary definitionsEven if the concept is general knowledge, you must still
credit the wording
Figures from textbooks (example: 10-bar truss)Even if the concept is general knowledge, you must still
credit the figure
Types of Material to Cite
SummariesParaphrasesQuotationsCharts, figures, graphs, picturesWorks consulted
Summarizing
The most common type of citation in engineering papers
You refer to another writer’s work, but you do not reproduce it
Summary must be in your own wordsReader must be able to tell where the
summarized material starts and stops
Summarizing
Can be comprehensive or brief:Brief: “Jones investigated using Latin Hypercube
Sampling” Frequently occurs in literature reviews
Comprehensive: An actual summary of some portion of the content of a previous work
Frequently occurs in introductions May recap previous work or introduce necessary
concepts
Paraphrasing
More specific and/or detailed than a summary
Reproduces specific points (example: conclusions)
Original writer’s comments are restated in your own words
Example:“Jones found that Latin Hypercube Sampling could be used effectively”
Paraphrasing
Important:A paraphrase MUST be in your own words:Both words and sentence structure must be
substantially different from the original sourceIf a paraphrase closely resembles wording from
the original document, use a quotation instead
For examples of good, bad, and plagiarized paraphrases, please visit this Purdue University website:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/02/
Quoting
Reproduces the original writer’s exact wordsShould be briefUse quoted material sparinglyRewrite long passages in your own words
(paraphrase or summary instead of quote)
More on summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
Charts, Figures, Graphs, Pictures
You must give credit unless you created the content yourself If you did create it yourself, let the reader know
Credit can be given within the graphic or in the accompanying caption Disclose any significant alterations you made to the
graphicExample:Figure 1: Geographic Distribution of Automotive Plants in Ohio (Ohio Department of Development; legend items added)
In academic writing, avoid phrases like “used by permission,” which are more appropriate for commercial use
Charts, Figures, Graphs, Pictures
In Engineering, credit for graphics is usually separate from in-text citations: In some cases, such as a map or a picture, credit for
the graphic is all that is needed If you refer to the graphic or its contents in your text,
you must also include a citation within the textIn other disciplines, you may be required to
include the source of your graphic material in the same manner as any other reference
Works Consulted
Used when your paper draws on an important source, but you don’t explicitly refer to that source in your paper.
Example:You started from one paper, but then you went back to find a primary document. You end up citing the primary document but not the first paper. List the first paper as a work consulted.
Notes on Web-based Content
Always be careful when using content obtained from a website
The value of web content depends entirely on the credibility of the sourceExamples of credible web resources: University Library Databases
Electronic access to journal articles Generally provide pre-formatted citations, including stable
URLs Informational/instructional sites maintained by
Universities Government/scientific sites, such as NOAA and NIH
Notes on Web-based Content
Articles found on websites must be traced back to their original sources: Do not use content from websites that merely repackage content from other sources
A hyperlink alone is not sufficient to document web-based content
When quoting from a website, you must provide reference information that will persist even after the website itself is taken down
Common Sense Tests
Do I need to cite? Ask yourself . . .How did I obtain this information?Can a person with my background in my field
of study reasonably be expected to know this material without referring to a source?
Am I using my own words or someone else’s?Does this work extend someone else’s work?
Common Sense Tests
Sample case: Should I include references for this presentation? I created the content in my own words without consulting sources I include hyperlinks to resources, but I don’t quote any content from
those sources The hyperlinks point the reader to additional resources but do not reproduce
any web-based content I have the necessary expertise to write this content myself, as
demonstrated by the credentials listed in my opening slide If I inadvertently duplicate phrasing, it would be reasonable, given my
credentials, to assume that minor duplications are coincidental
Conclusion: References are not required to avoid a charge of plagiarism
Even so, providing references can strengthen a presentation, make it more authoritative, and point readers toward additional resources
How to Cite
Students generally find the mechanics of citing to be difficult at first, but . . .
Knowing when to cite is far more important than the specific format of the citation
Failing to cite is plagiarism!A citation that includes the correct material but is
formatted incorrectly is just a formatting error You may lose points, but you won’t be disciplined for plagiarism
Do your best to meet the spirit and intent of citationsFormatting citations gets easier with practice
Types of Citations
Parenthetical citations In text: The name of the author cited appears within
the text in close proximity to the content cited Most common form of citation in research writing
Numbered Footnotes or Endnotes Usually numeric Only the number appears in the text: The name of the
author appears at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes)
The type of citations used is determined by the style in use for your discipline
Style Guides
How do you know what format to use for your citations?Style guides provide specific guidelines:Examples: MLA, APA, Chicago/TurabianProvide specific guidance on many style
issues, including citationsMany disciplines have a standard style
Examples: Psychology uses APA; English uses MLAUnfortunately, Engineering does not have a
standard style guide
Engineering Styles
What style should you use?Check the University Libraries website to
find style guides for your discipline:http://guides.libraries.wright.edu/content.php?pid=59883&sid=0
Check publications in your discipline and follow their format
Ask your professor or advisorAsk the University LibrarianUse a software resource, such as RefWorks
Tips for Citations
Place citations as unobtrusively as possible, so long as the citation is clear:
Jones used Latin Hypercube Sampling to obtain a random sample (11).
If more than one author is cited, place the citations such that credit is clear:
This optimization scheme was first proposed by Smith (11), and Jones (12) and Miller (13) added sampling methods.
Tips for Citations
For extensive summaries or paraphrases, you can bracket the cited text by using the author’s name at the beginning and the rest of the citation at the end:
In 1998, Jones developed an algorithm incorporating Latin Hypercube Sampling. This allowed . . . .
. . . . . However, Jones was unable to solve one aspect of the problem (11).
With practice, you can learn to include appropriate citations without interrupting the flow of your writing
Tips for Citations
Remember, the intent is to clearly identify all content that was created by other authors
Regardless of the format used, the reader must be able to: Distinguish between your own original content and
cited content Match cited content to the original author
Resources
Useful web resources for research writing:The School of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Handbook:
http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.htmlUniversity Libraries:
http://www.libraries.wright.edu/University Writing Center:
http://www.wright.edu/uc/success/services/writing-center.html
Other University-based Writing Websites:Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center:http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/Rensellaer Center for Communication Practices:http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/resources/
References
Works Consulted:
Bullock, Richard H. 2006. The Norton field guide to writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Finkelstein, Leo. 2008. Pocket book of technical writing for engineers and scientists. McGraw-Hill's BEST--basic engineering series and tools. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Gibaldi, Joseph. 2009. MLA handbook for writers of research papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America.
Note: These references are formatted in the Chicago citation style