Rules for Writing and Citing your Research!
Rules for Writing and Citing your Research!
How to write and cite for a
research paper or project!!
Intellectual property
- property that results from original creative thought; inventions, scientific discoveries, music, writing and art. This property is protected under the law by patents, copyright material and trademarks.Music: When is “sampling” really stealing?
Many contemporary artists are influenced, or inspired by older music.
Copyright laws protect original music.
71/2 measures = sampling, which is legal.
8 measures = stealing, and is illegal.
Artists must have permission for and share the profits of a song that has 8 or more measures from another song.
Writing: When is paraphrasing really plagiarism?
Writing is also intellectual property.
You cannot copy someone else’s words and put your name on it! This is stealing… also known as plagiarism!
Plagiarism is illegal.
As a student doing research, you will be influenced by other peoples ideas and writing. This is legal as long as you give them credit for it. This is called citation.
Citing Sources:
As a student, all your research and intellectual influences must be cited in the paper as you write as well as in the bibliography at the end.
I. Citing sources in your paper:
A) Citation: the act of quoting or paraphrasing (a passage, book, author, etc.) when you write.
You must cite when you quote or paraphrase someone else’s words or ideas!
Direct quotes are put in quotation marks , “” , followed by a parenthetical citation.
Parenthetical citation in the body of a paragraph is always put at the end of a sentence and includes the author’s last name and date of the source. (Last name, date)
For example:
“ We hold these truths to be self-evident , that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson, 1776)
B.) Paraphrasing: the act or process of rewording, a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form.
You are paraphrasing when you reword someone else’s writing or ideas. Never copy more than 4 consecutive words of someone else’s writing!
Even when you paraphrase, you must cite the original source of the ideas.
Use parenthetical citation with the same format as above. (Last name and/or source, date)
For example:
It has long been obvious to Americans that all people are born equal. We hold dear the values of equality, liberty and the pursuit of individual happiness. American democracy is based on the belief that these are God-given rights that no government can take away. (Declaration of Independence, 1776)
Bibliography:
Bibliography
- a complete list of source materials that are used or consulted in the preparation of a work.All academic research papers and projects must have a bibliography.
Bibliographies are always at the end of the paper and cite all research, both used and unused sources.
A URL address is not proper format and is not an acceptable citation.
See separate handout for the official Sayville Middle School format requirements.
Authenticating Sources on the Web:
(Internet Smarts, 2004)
The internet can be a terrific source of information … and misinformation. Some sites are “spoof sites”. They are designed to give the impression that they are historically and/or scientifically accurate. Many of them are harmless fun, however, some of them are run by hate groups and other extremists. These sites can be dangerous propaganda.
Beware!Start all Web searches by going to respected sites that are known for the quality of their information. National Geographic is a good example. Seek out professional help; your teachers and librarians are excellent sources. If such appropriate help is not available, evaluate sites using investigative skills and common sense.
Questions to ask:
1. Who recommended this site?
2. Was it a link form a respected site like the Library of Congress?
3. What is the purpose of the site?
Advertisement?
Propaganda?
Joke?
4. Does the information sound right?
5. How old is the information?
6. Does it make sense based on what I already know?
7. Is the author or the sponsor qualified to write on this topic?