Citing Sources in Research Writing

ALYSOUN TAYLOR-HALL
OCTOBER 19, 2011

About Me
y BA in English w/Concentration in Professional y y y y

Writing Certificate in Technical Writing MBA Program Coordinator for Ph.D. in Engineering Program Technical Writer/Editor for CEPRO research group

Citing Sources in Research Writing

y Why to cite y When to cite
 

When citations are not needed To cite or not to cite? Notes on web-based content Common sense tests Types of citations Style guides Tips

y Types of material to cite

 

y How to cite
  

y Resources

Why to Cite
y Gives credit to those whose work you are using y Allows your readers to verify your work y Points your readers toward more information y Protects you from charges of plagiarism

When to Cite
Always provide citations for original material that is not your own:
   

Wording Concepts Data Figures, Pictures, Charts you did not create

When Citations Are Not Needed

Information that is readily available:
  

Chicago is a city in Illinois Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit It snowed yesterday

Information that is considered general knowledge within your field: Example: The 10-bar truss problem for ME students

To cite or not to cite?

Depends on Context:


Who is your audience?

Example:
Chicago is a city in Illinois Writing in U.S. for adult readers vs. School child in India writing a report for a teacher

To cite or not to cite?

Depends on Context:


Is it important, relevant, or precise? Example:

It was 32 degrees in Dayton Creative writing vs. Experimental condition in which ambient temperature is an important factor If you took the measurement yourself, you should say so If you used someone elses environmental data, you need to provide a citation

To cite or not to cite?

Important
Quoted material must ALWAYS be cited, regardless of content  Dictionary definitions Even if the concept is general knowledge, you must still credit the wording Figures from textbooks (example: 10-bar truss) Even if the concept is general knowledge, you must still credit the figure


Types of Material to Cite

y Summaries y Paraphrases y Quotations y Charts, figures, graphs, pictures y Works consulted

Summarizing
y The most common type of citation in engineering

papers y You refer to another writers work, but you do not reproduce it y Summary must be in your own words y Reader must be able to tell where the summarized material starts and stops

Summarizing
y Can be comprehensive or brief: Brief: Jones investigated using Latin Hypercube Sampling  Frequently occurs in literature reviews
Comprehensive: An actual summary of some portion of the content of a previous work  Frequently occurs in introductions  May recap previous work or introduce necessary concepts

Paraphrasing
y More specific and/or detailed than a summary y Reproduces specific points (example: conclusions) y Original writers comments are restated in your own

words Example: Jones found that Latin Hypercube Sampling could be used effectively

Paraphrasing

Important:
A paraphrase MUST be in your own words: y Both words and sentence structure must be substantially different from the original source y If a paraphrase closely resembles wording from the original document, use a quotation instead
For examples of good, bad, and plagiarized paraphrases, please visit this Purdue University website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/02/

Quoting
y Reproduces the original writers exact words y Should be brief y Use quoted material sparingly y Rewrite long passages in your own words

(paraphrase or summary instead of quote) More on summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/

Charts, Figures, Graphs, Pictures

y You must give credit unless you created the content

yourself


If you did create it yourself, let the reader know

y Credit can be given within the graphic or in the

accompanying caption


Disclose any significant alterations you made to the graphic

Example: Figure 1: Geographic Distribution of Automotive Plants in Ohio (Ohio Department of Development; legend items added) In academic writing, avoid phrases like used by permission, which are more appropriate for commercial use

Charts, Figures, Graphs, Pictures

y In Engineering, credit for graphics is usually

separate from in-text citations:



In some cases, such as a map or a picture, credit for the graphic is all that is needed If you refer to the graphic or its contents in your text, you must also include a citation within the text

y In other disciplines, you may be required to include

the source of your graphic material in the same manner as any other reference

Works Consulted
Used when your paper draws on an important source, but you dont explicitly refer to that source in your paper. Example: You started from one paper, but then you went back to find a primary document. You end up citing the primary document but not the first paper. List the first paper as a work consulted.

Notes on Web-based Content

y Always be careful when using content obtained from

a website y The value of web content depends entirely on the credibility of the source
Examples of credible web resources:  University Library Databases
Electronic access to journal articles Generally provide pre-formatted citations, including stable URLs

 

Informational/instructional sites maintained by Universities Government/scientific sites, such as NOAA and NIH

Notes on Web-based Content

y Articles found on websites must be traced back to

their original sources: Do not use content from websites that merely repackage content from other sources y A hyperlink alone is not sufficient to document webbased content y When quoting from a website, you must provide reference information that will persist even after the website itself is taken down

Common Sense Tests

Do I need to cite? Ask yourself . . . y How did I obtain this information? y Can a person with my background in my field of study reasonably be expected to know this material without referring to a source? y Am I using my own words or someone elses? y Does this work extend someone elses work?

Common Sense Tests

Sample case: Should I include references for this presentation? y I created the content in my own words without consulting sources y I include hyperlinks to resources, but I dont quote any content from those sources


The hyperlinks point the reader to additional resources but do not reproduce any web-based content

y I have the necessary expertise to write this content myself, as

demonstrated by the credentials listed in my opening slide y If I inadvertently duplicate phrasing, it would be reasonable, given my credentials, to assume that minor duplications are coincidental Conclusion: References are not required to avoid a charge of plagiarism Even so, providing references can strengthen a presentation, make it more authoritative, and point readers toward additional resources

How to Cite
y Students generally find the mechanics of citing to be

difficult at first, but . . . y Knowing when to cite is far more important than the specific format of the citation

Failing to cite is plagiarism!

y A citation that includes the correct material but is

formatted incorrectly is just a formatting error



You may lose points, but you wont be disciplined for plagiarism

y Do your best to meet the spirit and intent of citations y Formatting citations gets easier with practice

Types of Citations
y Parenthetical citations  In text: The name of the author cited appears within the text in close proximity to the content cited  Most common form of citation in research writing y Footnotes or Endnotes  Usually numeric  Only the number appears in the text: The name of the author appears at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes) y The type of citations used is determined by the style

in use for your discipline

Style Guides
How do you know what format to use for your citations? Style guides provide specific guidelines: y Examples: MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian y Provide specific guidance on many style issues, including citations y Many disciplines have a standard style


Examples: Psychology uses APA; English uses MLA

y Unfortunately, Engineering does not have a

standard style guide

Engineering Styles
What style should you use? y Check the University Libraries website to find style guides for your discipline:
http://guides.libraries.wright.edu/content.php?pid=59883&sid=0

y Check publications in your discipline and follow their

format y Ask your professor or advisor y Ask the University Librarian y Use a software resource, such as RefWorks

Tips for Citations

y Place citations as unobtrusively as possible, so long

as the citation is clear:

Jones used Latin Hypercube Sampling to obtain a random sample (11).

y If more than one author is cited, place the citations

such that credit is clear:

This optimization scheme was first proposed by Smith (11), and Jones (12) and Miller (13) added sampling methods.

Tips for Citations

y For extensive summaries or paraphrases, you can

bracket the cited text by using the authors name at the beginning and the rest of the citation at the end:
In 1998, Jones developed an algorithm incorporating Latin Hypercube Sampling. This allowed . . . . . . . . . However, Jones was unable to solve one aspect of the problem (11).

y With practice, you can learn to include appropriate

citations without interrupting the flow of your writing

Tips for Citations

y Remember, the intent is to clearly identify all

content that was created by other authors y Regardless of the format used, the reader must be able to:


Distinguish between your own original content and cited content Match cited content to the original author

y For hands-on help with your citations, visit the

University Writing Center:

http://www.wright.edu/uc/success/services/writing-center.html

Resources
Useful web resources for research writing:
The School of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Handbook:
http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.html University Libraries: http://www.libraries.wright.edu/ University Writing Center: http://www.wright.edu/uc/success/services/writing-center.html Other University-based Writing Websites: Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ The Writing Center @ Rennselear: http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/wc_web/school/index.htm

References
Works Consulted: Bullock, Richard H. 2006. The Norton field guide to writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Finkelstein, Leo. 2008. Pocket book of technical writing for engineers and scientists. McGraw-Hill's BEST--basic engineering series and tools. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Gibaldi, Joseph. 2009. MLA handbook for writers of research papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America.
Note: These references are formatted in the Chicago citation style