The Research Process: Locating,

Evaluating, Integrating and Citing Sources

How to evaluate the sources you find, use information to “prove your point,” balance the voices of other authors in your

paper, and correctly cite information from other sources

Getting Started: Locating Sources

• Familiarize yourself with different types of sources available (books, newspapers, academic journals, websites, etc.)

Evaluating Sources: A Checklist

Ask yourself questions about 5 key areas:

– Accuracy– Authority– Objectivity– Currency (how current is it?)– Coverage

Evaluating Your Own Sources

Apply the checklist questions to evaluate potential sources for your research paper.

Integrating Useful InformationAfter you’ve constructed your argument,

you must:• Decide how to present information within your

research paper• Make your voice heard • Give proper credit to the original source

QuotingParaphrasing + Your AnalysisSummarizing

What is Paraphrasing?

• Paraphrasing is stating an idea in your own words

– To properly paraphrase, you must significantly change the wording, phrasing, and sentence structure of the source (not just a few words)

– Follow your paraphrase with an in-text citation and cite the source in your “Works Cited page” (MLA format) or “References” page (APA format)

What is Summarizing?• Summaries are significantly shorter than the original

and take a broad overview of the source material. • Again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas

to their original sources.

Summarize when:

• You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic

• You want to describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic

• You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

What is Quoting?• Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly

from a source, word for word. • Quotations must be cited in your text and in your “Works

Cited” page (MLA format).

Use quotations when:• You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your

argument• You want to disagree with an author’s argument• You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or

passages• You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view• You want to note the important research that precedes your own

(Rohrbach and Valenza cited in “What is Plagiarism?”)

Introducing QuotesUse signal phrases: The author…

argues observes insistswrites counters revealspoints out implies explainsconcludes states suggestscomments claims maintainsnotes demonstrates says

According to… (author, character,narrator)

For a complete list of signal phrases, visit the following website: http://mooreschool.sc.edu/export/sites/default/moore/cbc/pdf/Research_x_Document

ation_Handout.pdf

Integrating Quotes

• Combine your analysis with a full or partial quotation

• In “The Magnolia Tree,” Jake’s failure to find his purpose in life is symbolized by the deterioration of the family tree: “Its trunk leaned against Dad’s tool shed, and the branches bore no flowers despite the early spring” (Walker 32).

• In Walker’s essay “The Magnolia Tree,” the ailing branches that “bore no flowers despite the early spring” symbolize the narrator’s failure to find purpose in life (32).

Don’t Drop, Integrate!

• A dropped quote is a quote that isn’t integrated into the paper. Often, the quote is incorrectly presented in a sentence by itself:

In How to Write a Research Paper, Johnson reports that a common form of plagiarism is copying and pasting text from the Internet without giving credit to the source. “Students don’t realize that computer programs, such as Turnitin, help teachers catch plagiarism” (32). “That’s why it’s so important that students know how to properly summarize, paraphrase, and quote material”(Smythe 12).

What are some strategies to improve this paragraph?

Formatting Longer Quotations– In MLA format, quotes over four lines should be flush indented one

inch (10 spaces) from the left margin, double spaced, without quotation marks:

Nelly Dean belittles Heathcliff throughout her narration:

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

Shortening Lengthy Quotations• Consider shortening your quote with an ellipse (three

spaced periods), if you can do so without changing the source’s original meaning

– Quote: “Felix, my love, my all, my sweet, if you find it in your heart to forgive me, and to do so would make my heart pound with ferocity, I will guarantee that my father, the noblest of all kings, will give you a large reward” (Graw 53).

– Shortened: “Felix, my love,…if you find it in your heart to forgive me,…I guarantee that my father, the noblest of all kings, will give you a large reward” (Graw 53).

– Do not use an ellipse if you begin using the quote mid-sentence: When Genevieve states, “if you find it in your heart to forgive me”

Why Paraphrase Instead of Quoting?

Think of quotation marks as double scissors, “---” literally cutting out and lifting information into your paper. If the exact words of the author are not important, think about paraphrasing

Quoting vs. Paraphrasing cont’d.

Look at the differences in the following examples:

“Aliens have been found to inhabit the craggy surface of the moon” (Smith 2000).

vs.

Aliens were discovered on the moon (Smith 2000).

Does exact wording make a difference?

Quoting vs. Paraphrasing cont’d.

“The reference to mythology in the garden calls to mind the clash of Paganism with Christianity where Medusa may rear her ugly head over Adam and Eve” (Doe 65).

vs.References to garden imagery symbolize the Garden of Eden and

Christianity, whereas mythology may refer to Paganism (Doe 65).

Although the author may have a reason for paraphrasing, the paraphrase does “lose something in the translation.”

In Review: When to Paraphrase

– To clarify a short passage from a text– To avoid overusing quotations – For use when exact wording isn’t important – To explain the main points of a passage– For use when reporting numerical data or

specific facts (preferred in APA papers)

Tips For Note-Taking

• Identify the speaker’s/writer’s name.• Mark direct quotes or unique phrases taken from

your original sources with a big Q• Note a paraphrase with a big P• Include page numbers and source references so

you can go back and check for accuracy as you write.

Why Should You Document Carefully?

Failure to correctly cite, summarize, paraphrase, or use quotations could result in

PLAGIARISM!

• Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another source’s words, ideas, or images as your own

• Plagiarism could result in an “F” grade for the paper and/or the class, as well as expulsion from the university

• Students who plagiarize at George Mason violate the Honor Code and must attend a hearing to determine the consequences

Does that mean EVERYTHING in my paper needs to be quoted?

The Following do NOT have to be documented

• Facts that are widely known to the general public • Information or judgments considered “common

knowledge” • Facts widely known to your particular discipline

Examples of Common Knowledge

• John Adams was the second president

• The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

If you see a fact in three or more sources, and you are fairly certain your readers already know this information, it is likely to be “common knowledge”

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE IT!

Citation: Giving Credit to the Source

After you’ve decided how to use the information, it’s time to give proper credit to the outside source.

You must cite sources within your paper and at the end of your paper whenever

– You summarize, paraphrase or quote an original idea from a source, even if you use only one distinctive word

– You use factual information that is not common knowledge to the general public or to your particular discipline (not sure? cite it)

– You use charts, graphs, photos, or any artwork from a source – You are citing statistics, evidence, or data from other than your

own experiments

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE IT!

Evaluate, Document, Integrate, and Cite!

• Use the Evaluation Checklist to identify proper sources

• Make decisions about how best to use outside source information in your papers

• Refer to your MLA resources on how to properly create internal citations and a reference list (or Works Cited) for a variety of different sources