The author advises readers reading a source to think about what the purpose of their essay is going to be. “Is someone going to convince their audience to believe or do something, or is the paper supposed to be informative on a certain topic such as gravity.” If it is persuasion about a topic, try to find sources representing a particular stance on the issue that you’re looking at. Informative topics require more facts and research when it comes to a particular topic such as climate change. Try to also consider what your audience finds persuasive when finding a source that is on a topic that you are researching. The author also advises readers to look at some questions that will help them determine which sources to use when writing an essay. Questions such as thinking if the source is related to your purpose are good questions to consider when selecting a source to use in an essay. There are many other questions that can be used to help determine if a source is beneficial to your audience or not. These questions will help readers on the writer’s path through the writing process.
Word Count If the text has details worth reading or makes its point known so well that rewording won’t do it justice; then quote it directly from the source, although using things like ellipses to eliminate unnecessary details is recommended. Quoting also works when you need to emphasize a source that has information on the topic. One should paraphrase if the source material is important but the original wording is useless. Paraphrasing a source should include all the main points of it usually being around the same length as the original wording. “A summary is taking something such as an entire book, and restating the main ideas concisely in your own language.” Summaries do not present all the details like paraphrasing would, so they are much shorter than the original wording. Paraphrasing restates information from a source in your own words and thoughts.
One should only paraphrase when information found in the source is important but the original wording is not. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing must be introduced clearly to the reader when citing information, so someone does not get accused of plagiarism. Word Count The text says when one uses things like words, ideas, or visual images of others, they must acknowledge who and where the material came from. If someone does not credit the source that they are using the information from, they are automatically guilty of plagiarism. “People seem to commit plagiarism unintentionally very often because they paraphrase someone else’s ideas in language that is too close to the original.” The text says how to avoid plagiarizing by doing the following things to help readers cite information correctly.
Take notes as you do your research, clearly labeling quotations as any words you quote directly, and being careful to use your own words and sentence structures. Readers should also know what source material they must cite along with giving credit to them. The text also mentions that one must be careful with content found online, as copying material right into a document is all too easy to do. “One must acknowledge information found on the Web just as you do all other source materials.” Avoid plagiarism at all costs as it is a serious academic offense, and the offenders will be punished according to the rules of their academic institution. Word Count Trip Gabriel definitely hit the nail on the head when it comes to students’ attitudes toward intellectual property and plagiarism changing.
He gave several examples of students who tried to cheat using internet sources. One student, in particular, was caught plagiarising because he copied and pasted from a FAQ page online about homelessness. Trip then moves on to discuss a potential cause of the problem college students have with intellectual property, by citing several experts who believe that it is caused by a generational shift. “As people grow up in a world where they have ready access to information through a bunch of digital sources, they are much less likely to see that information as inappropriate.” He goes on to say “The author explains that most examples happen because students are unprepared for the intellectual rigors of college writing.” If they aren’t taught how to cite sources, then they will use sources without citing and be accused of plagiarism. I didn’t really learn anything new because I know most of the information already.
Word Count
- Total Word Count (768) The Norton Mix: Composition; a Custom Publication. W.W. Norton, 2010.
- Using Sources: in Your Writing p.381, 386, 388, 389. Trip Gabriel Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age p.390, 394.
- From the New York Times Copyright 2010.