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This tutorial covers points about the writing process that all students need to know.
Use this module in conjunction with writing practice and feedback on the concepts of paraphrasing, quoting and citing sources.
Most fields of study use a particular style manual for publication and other academic writing.
This list shows three common style manuals.
Each describes how to prepare a manuscript from the ground up;
...from word usage, sentence structure, and formatting, to the use of graphics, documenting sources, and copyediting.
Having such guidelines helps writers communicate well with their readers.
Students should use the style manual specified by their course instructors, and be sure to use the latest edition.
Some databases, such as EbscoHost and Worldcat, will format citations for you.
The Knowledge Center web site links to several citation formatters.
If you use these services, be sure to check your citations against the examples in the appropriate style manual...
... as an author, you are responsible for their accuracy.
Almost all academic writing draws on information from outside sources.
Examples are books, articles, website postings, manuscripts, personal communications, and other media.
Here, we see three principles for documenting sources.
All writers should carefully avoid plagiarism.
For students, plagiarism can lead to a failing grade, expulsion from a course, or other academic sanctions.
Plagiarism has seriously damaged the reputations and careers of professional writers and scholars.
We know that buying a term paper is wrong, but that’s only one type of plagiarism.
Writers need to inform their readers of the sources they used and distinguish between others’ ideas and their own.
To fail to do, intentionally or not, is plagiarism.
Author Gordon Harvey identifies these types of plagiarism.
Mosaic plagiarism involves combining ideas, words, or data from multiple sources without proper citations.
Some consider this the most common type of plagiarism.
The other kinds of plagiarism listed here involve using ideas, words, or data from other sources, but not necessarily in the mosaic fashion.
Self- plagiarism is often misunderstood. Follow your instructors’ requirements regarding any use of the same work for more than one course.
Some scholarly publishers identify factors that justify reuse of one’s previous work.
The main concern is that words and ideas should be credited properly – even if they are your own.
These guidelines will help you avoid plagiarism.
Good paraphrasing takes practice and feedback from your instructor or editor, but it can help to look over some examples.
We’ll look at two original sources, ways to paraphrase them, and things to avoid.
To paraphrase, an author uses his or her own words to restate another author’s point.
Successful paraphrasing summarizes key concepts, cites or credits them properly, and does so in one’s own words...
...without copying phrases, sentence structure, or other aspects of the original source.
It’s usually acceptable to reproduce proper nouns and recognized professional or technical terminology, but not everyday language.
Writers often need guidance from instructors or editors in order to make these distinctions and paraphrase well.
This paraphrase is poor for three reasons:
1) It fails to cite the source; 2) it includes an idea not in the source; and 3) it mirrors a phrase from the original quote too closely.
This is a better paraphrase, because it accurately summarizes the original source without copying it and provides a citation.
Now, we’ll move on to a second example. Take a moment to read over this quote.
This quote is longer and expresses more complex ideas than those in the previous example.
Because of this, it may prove more difficult to paraphrase this kind of passage.
In this attempt we see two of the same flaws as those mentioned in the first paraphrase of President Clinton’s quote;
Some of the wording and sentence structure is too similar to the source, and the source is not cited.
Take a moment to read this paraphrase.
It may have been harder to write, but the effort is worth the result.
It will fit better into a narrative and it properly credits the original source.
The key is to tell your reading audience what you think about a topic and why.
Discuss and cite any necessary background information, but take care not to present others’ research and ideas as your own.
This is true when you write for any audience, whether an instructor, your peers, or a more general group of readers.
Here are some contacts for writing assistance at UNR.
If you want to review any of the previous slides, just reverse the presentation and then pause it at the desired points.
This concludes the tutorial on style manuals, documenting sources, and avoiding plagiarism.