MA THESIS SEMINAR 1 Department of Design Autumn 2011 Cindy Kohtala (MA) cindy.kohtala@aalto.fi

Academic Writing: Finding and Using Sources

Conducting ethical research: (Glatthorn & Joyner p. 8)

EQUITY. The study does not reflect or support discrimination based on age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class or disability.

HONESTY. The study is characterized by honesty and openness.

HUMANE CONSIDERATION. The study does not require or result in emotional or physical pain for participants.

plagiarism!

Finding sources:

what keywords should you use?

who is the author? who is the publisher?

how old is ‘too old’?

what do you find in bibliographies?

our library databases: www.aralis.fi/taik/tietokannat.html www.aralis.fi/en/taik/databases.html electronic resources: www.aralis.fi/taik/tietokannat/viitetietokannat_hakuteokset_ja_muut_elektroniset_aineistot.html www.aralis.fi/en/taik/tietokannat/viitetietokannat_hakuteokset_ja_muut_elektroniset_aineistot.html ⇒ ARTbibliographies Modern (CSA) ⇒ DAAI - Design and Applied Arts Index (CSA) ⇒ Material Connexion ⇒ Science Direct (Elsevier)

Journals: Design Issues The Design Journal International Journal of Design (online) Design Philosophy Papers (online) …

organize your sources (all publishing information), according to author, topic

use software to organize (e.g. RefWorks)

choose a style format (e.g. APA)

keep track of keywords

critically evaluate your sources

authentic? identifiable? peer-reviewed? reliable? up-to-date? “Wikipedia.org should never be cited as support or authority in any academic or scholarly writing. There is always a more appropriate source that can be found and utilized.” Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_writing

IN-CLASS TASK: In groups, partners and with me, discuss what are the key books / “bibles” for your topic. Ask your friends and fellow students about the books they know. e.g. sustainability: Design for the Real World, Victor Papanek craft skill: The Craftsman, Richard Sennett 10 mins

Review the literature in phases: (Glatthorn & Joyner p. 23)

Phase Chief Sources Purpose Broad scan Reviews of the

literature To assist the researcher in identifying a research problem

Focused review Library databases To develop a prospectus and research proposal

Comprehensive critique

All sources To provide a scholarly foundation for the study

www.freefoto.com Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License

view other sources through YOUR frame/window: don’t get distracted by fantastic writing

“Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to . . . •  provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing •  refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing •  give examples of several points of view on a subject …”

Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

“… •  call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with •  highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original •  distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own •  expand the breadth or depth of your writing.”

Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

“Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.”

Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

EXAMPLES Song’s conclusion on interdisciplinary research is that it is “already prevalent in Korea,” and that both the frequency and degree of interdisciplinarity vary across disciplines. ⇒ another researcher’s conclusion/interpretation in exact words As Michael Gibbons (in Klein, Grossenbacher-Mansuy et al. 2001, 68) has argued, knowledge is not easily contained, because “it seeps through institutional structures like water through pores of a membrane.” ⇒  another writer’s words are so apt, we want to quote them Source: Bruun et al. (2005) Promoting Interdisciplinary Research: The Case of the Academy of Finland, Academy of Finland

publication, Helsinki: Edita: 42, 51.

“There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text. Often, a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone. Remember that quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure that you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so.” Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

“Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.” Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

“There are only three good reasons for paraphrasing: -Translating technical material into simpler language for a lay audience -Paraphrasing because a professor has explicitly requested that you do so -’Translating’ a poem into simpler language so that we can understand where the ambiguities lie (and this type of paraphrase rarely makes it into our papers)” Source: http://writing.mit.edu/wcc/avoidingplagiarism

“Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.”

Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

EXAMPLE Becher (1989) identified differences between disciplines along many cultural dimensions. He made a basic distinction between “urban” and “rural” areas of research…. Source: Bruun et al. (2005) Promoting Interdisciplinary Research: The Case of the Academy of Finland, Academy of

Finland publication, Helsinki: Edita: 65

check style formats to see how to organize in-text citations (Bruun et al., 2005: 78) (Bruun et al., 2005, p. 78) and how concepts are dealt with …sociologists were seen as very “left”… …we define a knowledge domain as … …the concept of ‘field’ refers to …

“Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with quotations of striking or suggestive phrases as in the following example:”

In his famous and influential work On the Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud argues that dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious" (page), expressing in coded imagery the dreamer's unfulfilled wishes through a process known as the "dream work" (page). According to Freud, actual but unacceptable desires are censored internally and subjected to coding through layers of condensation and displacement before emerging in a kind of rebus puzzle in the dream itself (pages).

Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

“It might be helpful to follow these steps:

Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas.

Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is.

Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.

Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly.” Source: Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Footnotes or Endnotes?

Putting the bibliographic information in footnotes/endnotes will mean that you are repeating the source possibly many times, and the reader may find it difficult to find the source later.

Putting all the bibliographic information in alphabetical order at the back in the Bibliography or References section is easiest for the reader/evaluator.

à books, websites, films, journal articles…

Footnotes or Endnotes?

Footnotes are useful for extra information that would interrupt the flow of the main text.

Limit the in-text citation information to author, year and page number.

Choose a recognized style format and use it consistently. (e.g. copy the format of an academic book or journal).

APA, Harvard Style, MLA…

APA REFERENCE STYLE GUIDE www.apastyle.org/ (check e.g. FAQ) ibrary.nmu.edu/guides/userguides/style_apa.htm

Book, multiple authors: Larson, G. W., Ellis, D. C., & Rivers, P. C. (1984). Essentials of chemical dependency counseling. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Magazine Article: Bower, B. (2008, Feb. 9). Dawn of the city: Excavations prompt a revolution in thinking about the earliest cities. Science News, 173(6), 90-92. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenewsmagazine.org/ Individual webpage: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. (2010). Operation Uplink. Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://www.operationuplink.org/

APA STYLE

...This was seen in an Australian study (Conger, 1979). OR Conger (1979) has argued that… OR In 1979, Conger conducted a study which showed that... As one writer put it "the darkest days were still ahead" (Weston, 1988, p. 45). Weston (1988) argued that "the darkest days were still ahead" (p. 45). This theory was put forward by Smith (2005, chap. 7) ... (Burst, 1995; Turner & Hooch, 1982; Zane, 1976). Source: www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/apa.html

When do you need to quote/cite?

“There are five basic rules regarding the use of information in professional and in academic writing:

If you use the language of your source, you must quote it exactly, enclose it in quotation marks, and cite the source.

If you use ideas or information that are not common knowledge, you must cite the source.

If you didn’t invent it, cite the source.” Source: writing.mit.edu/wcc/avoidingplagiarism

Advantages to Citing Sources “You allow your readers to locate the sources of your information in case they want to pursue it in their own research. Your ethos (your credibility) is profoundly enhanced when you cite your sources. Doing so proves that you are well informed about the topic and that your work can be trusted to be accurate. Doing so also proves that you are honest.” Source: writing.mit.edu/wcc/avoidingplagiarism

Accidental plagiarism “Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s ideas or language without acknowledging that they were not created by you.” In most western countries, we have the idea that writers own their ideas and the words they use to express their ideas. Using these words without giving the author credit is stealing them, or misrepresenting your own accomplishments. In other cultures words and ideas belong to the culture and society and should be shared by all individuals. Source: writing.mit.edu/wcc/avoidingplagiarism

Research Using the Internet www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching/research-using-internet Reading and Researching www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching Using Sources www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources