Contents
Introduction
Research Terms You Should Know
Research Skills You Will Need
      Outlining
      Summarizing
      Paraphrasing
      Direct Quotes

Crediting Sources
      Citations
      Works Cited/Documentation

Sample Assignment 2
ASSIGNMENT 2 REQUIREMENTS
Guidelines for Submitting Your Assignment Files

Honesty

Plagiarism is the academic crime of theft. Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's words as your own. Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. When someone plagiarizes (intentionally or not), that person takes credit for another person's words, ideas, or work. Plagiarists present someone else's words and ideas as their own.

• The worst kind of plagiarism is copying an article from another source without using quotation marks or proper citing. I have had students turn in a complete essay copied from the Internet with only the name of the author changed. They pretended they had written the whole thing. That's blatant, intentional, and inexcusable plagiarism.
  
• Another kind of plagiarism is rooted in laziness. Instead of keeping accurate documentation notes, a student might attribute information to incorrect sources. The author of the borrowed material is not being credited properly, so the borrowed material is considered plagiarized.
  
• A third kind of plagiarism is rooted in forgetfulness or ignorance. A student might forget a citation or think that a citation is not needed. Because the lack of a citation does not give proper credit, the borrowed information is considered plagiarized. Sometimes a student fails to enclose a direct quote in quotation marks. Then, a direct quote is presented as if the student wrote it. Without the quotation marks, the borrowed words are plagiarized.
  
• Poor paraphrasing is another source of plagiarism. Many times students copy words and sentences almost exactly from a source, changing a few words by using synonyms or omitting some of the words. That practice is still regarded as plagiarism. Good paraphrasing presents the source's ideas in YOUR OWN WORDS AND STYLE.
  
• To prevent such problems, be honest and careful in crediting the sources of your borrowed research information. (By the way, the penalties for plagiarism range from rejection of the plagiarized report to expulsion from school.)

You must also be accurate in reporting information and source locations. One wrong letter in a web address might make the source of the borrowed information unattainable. An incorrect page number could also make the information hard to locate. When you borrow information, you must treat that information in specific ways.

• A direct quote is copied exactly from a source and enclosed in quotation marks and cited.
  
• A paraphrase accurately captures the essence of the source material, is rewritten in the student's own words, and is cited.
  
• A summary provides a concise overview of a reading selection or its main idea; it touches generally on key points and is cited.

Paying attention to the small details will keep you out of big trouble. Be sure you know where every sentence in your report comes from. Very few of them will be your original contribution. You will have direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from a variety of sources. You must document every piece of borrowed information using citations and corresponding Works Cited entries. The content and punctuation of your citations and Works Cited entries are important, and you should follow the models exactly. If you don't pay attention to what you are doing as you prepare your research project, you will surely be revising.

Research Terms You Should Know

Borrowed material: You will find information in various sources--books, magazines, TV, videos, interviews, Internet--to develop your research paper. You will borrow the information in one of three ways: direct quote, paraphrase, or summary. Regardless of how you borrow the information, you must give credit to the source. You must document the source.

To repeat: All borrowed information of any kind--direct quote, paraphrase, or summary--that is used in your report must be documented. Information that you "just kinda read" and then include in your report must also be documented.

Documentation: To document a source, you have to do two things.

• First, when you are gathering the information for your report, you write the location of the information in the source--its page number or paragraph number--as well as pertinent facts about the source, its publisher, and (in the case of Internet sources) its web address. Check the various Works Cited model entries in the Research Paper Guide to see what information to include.
• Second, you use this information to construct your citations and Works Cited entries. These entries give publication information about the source; these entries are placed at the end of your research paper.

• A citation is a parenthetical insertion in your text, for example (Jones 77); it is a kind of documentation shorthand.
• The citation has two main parts.
  • The first word in the citation is the same as the first word of the corresponding Works Cited entry. For the example citation above, the first word in the entry is the author's last name.
  • The second part tells a specific location of the borrowed information used in a sentence or part of a paragraph. For example, the citation above says the borrowed information is by Jones and comes from page 77 in a book or other printed source.
  • If the source is the Internet, a paragraph number and the abbreviation par. would be used instead: (Jones par. 6).
  • If no author is given, the title of the article is included in the citation instead of the author's last name: ("Science of Good Looks" 67-69) or ("All About Muskrats" par. 13). The first word in the Works Cited entry would be the first important word in the title. Enclose article titles in quotation marks in the citation and the Works Cited entry.

On Assignment 5, you will have at least four entries in your Works Cited section. You will have at least one citation in your report for each of those sources. You will probably have more than one citation for each source. Each body paragraph must have at least one citation, and it will probably have more than one citation.

By the way, MLA stands for the Modern Language Association. MLA documentation is a particular style of documenting sources. There are several different ways to document sources, but in this course, you must use the MLA documentation style.

Research Skills You Will Need

Below, read about the kind of research skills you will use in Assignments 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Then, scroll toward the end of this lecture for samples of each part of Assignment 2. Use these samples as models to complete Assignment 2.

Outlines can be used in two ways.

• You can read an article and write an outline of it. Your outline should show the sequential and logical framework of the article. You note the main ideas and supporting details presented in the article.
• You can also use an outline as a framework for an essay that you will write. Again, you would note the main ideas and supporting details you plan to use. In either case, the outline would use the same conventional structure.
  
  
• If you are outlining an article, each important topic in the article will probably be a Roman numeral entry in your outline. The A., B., C. entries in your outline will provide key details about that topic.
  
• If you are outlining your own work, a well-written topic outline serves as a blueprint for the body of the essay. In a short essay, each Roman numeral entry becomes a paragraph, and the A., B., C. entries serve as details. In a longer essay, each A., B., C. entry could serve as a complete paragraph.

• Topics are indicated by Roman numerals in sequence: I., II., etc. The numerals go by the left margin; the periods following the numerals should be aligned, so some of the Roman numerals will be indented slightly. The topic entry begins two spaces after the period.
  
• Subtopics are indicated by capital letters in sequence: A., B., etc. The capital letter lines up under the first letter of the topic entry above it. The topic entry begins two spaces after the period. Every A. entry must have a B. entry, and every 1. entry must have a 2. entry.

The Assignment 4 lecture deals more specifically with the preliminary topic outline you must write for your research project.

When gathering information, you can record it for later use in at least three different forms.

• You can summarize a longer piece of information, such as an essay.
  
• You can paraphrase a shorter piece of information, such as a paragraph or two.
  
• You can use a short direct quotation from a source.

If you are borrowing information from a long passage such as a book, essay, or a lengthy article or report, you should use the summarizing method of note taking.

• Summarizing is more general than specific. However, a summary should include key details from the source. A summary should give your reader a clear understanding of the source material.
• Summarize when you need to present the main points from a relatively long passage or to condense information that is essential to your writing.
• A summary should provide your reader with a logical and chronological overview of the source.
• When writing a summary, do not use whole sentences or the same phrases or the style of the original source. That is, do not copy directly from the source.
• A summary is written in YOUR OWN WORDS AND YOUR OWN STYLE.

• To summarize effectively, first read the text, and then put it aside.
• Think a while about what you have read.
• Then, write your summary without looking at the text.
• Identify and include the writer's thesis.
• Select and restate the main ideas only.
• Omit minor details, explanations, examples, and clarifications.
• Don't use direct quotes. Be sure to use your own words.
• Expect to rework your summary several times before you submit it.

(*Book titles are italicized. Article titles are enclosed in quotation marks.)

Paraphrasing is a way to reword, restate, or rephrase information you have gathered.

• This method is used for shorter passages or paragraphs.
• Paraphrasing is more specific than summarizing.
• Paraphrase when you need to clarify complex ideas or difficult language in a short passage.
• Be sure to include pertinent facts and supporting details in your notes.
• Most of your borrowed information in your report will be paraphrases.
• A paraphrase is written in YOUR OWN WORDS AND YOUR OWN STYLE.

• First read the text, and then put it aside.
• Think a while about what you have read.
• Then, write your paraphrase without looking at the text.
• Do not attempt to paraphrase the source material sentence by sentence.
• Do not use whole sentences or the same phrases or the style of the original source. That is, do not copy directly from the source.
• Do not copy a sentence from the source and change a few words--that is bad paraphrasing.
• Finally, check your paraphrase against the source for factual accuracy.

A direct quote is the use of exact language from a source. Quoting should be the most concise form of note taking.

• The information must be quoted exactly--including internal punctuation and type styles (such as italics)--and enclosed in quotation marks.
• Use direct quotes sparingly. Direct quotes should not make up more than 10% of your paper.
• Direct quotes are excellent as supporting details.
• Use direct quotations when the language of the source is especially effective or important. In other words, quote a very short passage if you cannot say it better yourself.
• Use a direct quotation when you want to enhance your credibility by using the exact words of an authority on the subject.

• Direct quotations should be concise and exact.
• In most cases, you should quote words or phrases, not sentences or paragraphs.
• Do not change the wording of the quotation or leave out parts without the use of ellipses.
• Preserve spelling, punctuation, type styles, and capitalization within the quote.
• Again, a direct quotation is an exact transcription of the material in the source.

• If you use three or more consecutive words from a source, treat them as a direct quote.
• If you use two or more consecutive unusual words from a source, such as "vile delusion" or "renewed splendor," treat them as a direct quote.

• If you did not know the information before you began the research, you should cite it.
• If you did know the information before you began the research, you should probably still cite it just to cover your rear end.
• If you include facts in your report, they should be cited; if they are not facts, they should not be included.
• Do not include personal experience or personal opinions in a referential report unless you can cite them.

Again, all borrowed material must be documented.

• Even if you just read an article and think about its content and use some of those ideas in your research paper, then you have borrowed information and you must give credit.
• If you summarize, paraphrase, or quote specific source information, you have borrowed information and you must give credit.

• In the MLA documentation style, you cite a source using parentheses in your report. You provide complete bibliographical documentation only once--in the list of Works Cited at the end of the report.

To cite is to give a short note in parentheses about the source of information you have included in your report. The parenthetical note, which is included in the body of your report, is called a citation. Citing used to be done in footnotes, but the style has changed.

• The citation is just a pointer to the complete information in the Works Cited entry. The first word in the citation must be the same as the first word in the corresponding Works Cited entry.

• In almost all cases, the citation will point to an author's last name or a title, so the citation will almost always contain an author's last name or a title (if the author's name is not given).

• The citation should give enough information so that the reader can find the Works Cited entry easily and efficiently.

(Green 88)         or        ("Quick Guide to Southwestern Plants" par. 9)

The corresponding Works Cited entry would begin with the last name of the author (first citation) or the title (second citation).

Green, Harry. A Guide to Southwestern Plants. Santa Fe: Botany Books, 1999. Print.

"Quick Guide to Southwestern Plants, A." n.d. New Mexico Desert Research Institute.
        3 February 2006 <http://www.newmexdesres.org/guide.html>.

Whatever you have as the first word in your Works Cited entry is generally all you need as a name in your citation, unless you have more than one Works Cited entry for an author or more than one author for a source or two or more entries that begin with similar words. Then you need to give a few more details. The main idea is to build a clear link between the citation in the report and the Works Cited entry at the end of the report.

• A citation for a summary gives the span of pages (or paragraph numbers for Internet sources) in which the information appears.
• A citation for a paraphrase or quotation gives the exact page number (or paragraph number for Internet sources) in which the information appears.
• If the author's name (or title) appears in your text, you do not need to repeat the name in the citation, though it doesn't hurt to do so.
• If the author's name (or title) is not mentioned in your text, you must include the name (or title) in your citation.
• Do not use an earlier citation to give meaning to a following citation. For example, you have one citation for (Murphey 123). The next citation is also from Murphey and you just cite a page number: (126). The second citation needs an author or title name in the citation, or a mention in the text after the preceding citation: (Murphey 126).

On Assignment 5, you will likely use a variety of citation formats, so review the use of citations in the Research Paper Guide.

You include bibliographical (publication) data about a source in a Works Cited section at the end of the report. The publication data allows your reader to find your source material easily.

• The Works Cited section uses specific formats that you are expected to use.
• Each kind of source requires the inclusion of certain publication data, so study the formats to find the one that fits your source.
• The entries are arranged in alphabetical order based on the last name of the author. If an author is not given, the first important word in a title is used in place of the last name of the author.
• The second and following lines of an entry are indented.

For Assignment 2, model your Works Cited entry after the sample entry given below. For Assignment 5, find a variety of Works Cited entries in the Research Paper Guide or on the ACC Library's MLA Documentation page.

MLA Sample Citations

Sample Assignment 2

Summary

        In his article "The Horror of the Perpetual Holiday," George Bernard Shaw suggests that a life of leisure without meaningful work is a totally disagreeable concept. Shaw contends that the independently wealthy do foolish things to occupy their time, and he blames flawed school and industrial systems for the common belief that an idle lifestyle is wonderful. Shaw describes school as a prison, with schoolwork as punishment. He stresses that children should not be taught that food falls from heaven or is magically created by parents. Children should be taught that they have an honorable duty to the community that can best be fulfilled with beneficial work or community service (Shaw 45-46).

NOTES ON THE SUMMARY:

• Include the title and author of the article in the summary.
• The article author's name is mentioned in the text, so you don't really need to include it again in the citation; it never hurts to include it, though, as above.
• Notice that the citation goes inside the end period.
• The citation indicates the span of pages on which the summarized information appears. Indent for paragraphs.
• The assignment says not to use direct quotes in your summary.
• The assignment says not to use first-person or second-person pronouns in your writing of the assignment.
• Your summary must be double-spaced.

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Direct Quote

        "The sole and obvious cause of the notion that idleness is delightful and that heaven is a place where there is nothing to be done, is our school system and our industrial system. The school is a prison in which work is a punishment and a curse" (Shaw 45).

NOTES ON THE DIRECT QUOTE:

• The article author's name is not mentioned in the text, so it must be included in the citation.
• Notice that the citation goes inside the end period but outside the quotation marks.
• The citation indicates the specific page on which the quotation is found.
• The citation does not contain pg. or p. or any other word or abbreviation for page. You don't need these abbreviations or the word page.
• Your direct quote may contain first-person and second-person pronouns.
• The assignment calls for a consecutive two-sentence direct quote.
• Your direct quote must be double-spaced.

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Paraphrase

        Shaw suggests that schools and business cause people to believe that a life of idleness and leisure is desirable. Students are like prisoners who view their schoolwork as a despised punishment (Shaw 45).

NOTES ON THE PARAPHRASE:

• As the assignment requires, the paraphrase is of the two-sentence quote above.
• Obviously, then, the source location in the citation is the same.
• The paraphrase includes the author's name in the text, so that name does not need to be included in the citation. However, just for clarity, the author's name is included in the citation.
• The assignment says not to use first-person or second-person pronouns in your writing of the assignment.
• Your paraphrase must be double-spaced.

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Works Cited

Shaw, George Bernard. "The Horror of the Perpetual Holiday." Misalliance.

        Cambridge, Massachusetts: University Press, 1914. 45-46. Print.

NOTES ON THE WORKS CITED ENTRY:

• Notice all the information included in the Works Cited entry:
  • the author's name, last name first;
  • the title of the article, enclosed in quotation marks;
  • the title of the book in which the article appears, italicized;
  • the city in which the book was published;
  • the publisher's name;
  • the year of publication;
  • the span of pages on which the article appears;
  • specific punctuation as shown.
  • Include the publication medium (Print, Web, Video, etc.) at the end of the entry.

Your entry should contain similar information for your article, recorded in the same format.

• Indent the second and following lines of an entry.
• Notice the specific punctuation you should use. Be sure you use punctuation just as it is used here.
• All entries end with a period.
• Your Works Cited entry must be double-spaced.

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ASSIGNMENT 2 REQUIREMENTS

First, read one of these articles:

• "The Black Country" by James Nasmyth
  
• "Some Egyptian Gods" by Frank S. Dobbins
  
• "Fall of the Alamo," by Eugene C. Barker
  
• "The Dark and Bloody Ground," by Cole Younger
  
• "The Urge to Kill," by Sabine Baring-Gould
  
• "Drugs and Patent Medicines," by Bertha M. Clark
  
• "Sex Diseases," by Henry Stanton

All these articles are available in Assignment 2 Reading Selections.
See the Sample Assignment 2 above for a model of each part.

NOTE: For the purposes of this assignment, you will treat the article as if you are reading the pages in the original book. Treat the excerpt as an article in a book by one author. The title of the article is given in the heading above it. Page numbers in the original book are indicated at the top of each page. Use those page numbers for your citations.



Second, under the heading of Summary write a short referential-informative summary of the article (125 words minimum, 150 words maximum).

• Make the summary one paragraph long.
• The first sentence must include the title of your chosen article (in quotation marks), the author's name, and the main idea of the article.
• In summarizing the article, be general but mention the key points of the article.
• Do not use direct quotes in your summary.
• Do not use first-person or second-person pronouns in your summary.
• Avoid personal commentary or opinions. Simply summarize the content of the article. Do not summarize the information introducing the article.
• Be objectively informative.
• Your summary must be double-spaced.
• At the end of your summary, provide a proper MLA citation.

Third, under the heading of Direct Quote write a consecutive two-sentence direct quote from the article.

All you need for this part is the direct quote. You don't need an introductory comment, such as "The author writes . . . ."
• Your direct quote must be two consecutive complete sentences in the same paragraph.
• Use quotation marks to indicate that this excerpt is a direct quote.
• If your chosen quote is already enclosed in quotation marks in the article, be sure to use the special triple quotation marks format discussed in the Quotation Marks section in the Online Grammar Handbook.
• You may use first-person or second-person pronouns in your direct quote.
• Your direct quote must be double-spaced.
• At the end of your direct quote, provide a proper MLA citation.

Fourth, under the heading of Paraphrase write a paraphrase of the two-sentence direct quote from the third step just above.

• Do not use direct quotes in your paraphrase.
• Do not use first-person or second-person pronouns in your paraphrase.
• Your paraphrase must be double-spaced.
• At the end of your paraphrase, provide a proper MLA citation.

Fifth, under the heading of Work Cited write a proper MLA bibliographical entry for the source material (the article) from which you took this information.

• Consider the reading selection an article in a book by one author.
• The Sample Assignment 2 above shows the proper format and content for this entry.
• Adapt the sample entry to your article and its publication data.
• Your Works Cited entry must be double-spaced.

This assignment is to be written using referential-informative purpose, so do not use first-person and second-person pronouns. You may use such pronouns in your assignment if they appear in a direct quote, such as in the third step above. But you may not use such pronouns in your writing of the other parts of this assignment.

Submit this assignment using the Submissions button in Blackboard.

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Guidelines for Submitting Your Assignment Files