ALYSOUN TAYLOR-HALL

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Citing Sources in Research Writing

About Me

BA in English w/Concentration in Professional Writing

Certificate in Technical WritingMBAProgram Coordinator for Ph.D. in Engineering

ProgramTechnical Writer/Editor for CEPRO research

groupAdjunct Instructor for EGR 3350: Technical

Communication for Engineers and Computer Scientists

Citing Sources in Research Writing

Why to citeWhen to cite

When citations are not needed To cite or not to cite?

Types of material to cite Notes on web-based content Common sense tests

How to cite Types of citations Style guides Tips

Resources

Why to Cite

Gives credit to those whose work you are using

Allows your readers to verify your workPoints your readers toward more informationProtects 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 writingvs.

Experimental condition in which ambient temperature is an important factor

If you took the measurement yourself, you should say so

If you used someone else’s environmental data, you need to provide a citation

To cite or not to cite?

ImportantQuoted material must ALWAYS be cited, regardless of

content Dictionary definitionsEven 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

SummariesParaphrasesQuotationsCharts, figures, graphs, picturesWorks consulted

Summarizing

The most common type of citation in engineering papers

You refer to another writer’s work, but you do not reproduce it

Summary must be in your own wordsReader must be able to tell where the

summarized material starts and stops

Summarizing

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

More specific and/or detailed than a summary

Reproduces specific points (example: conclusions)

Original writer’s 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:Both words and sentence structure must be

substantially different from the original sourceIf 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

Reproduces the original writer’s exact wordsShould be briefUse quoted material sparinglyRewrite 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

You must give credit unless you created the content yourself If you did create it yourself, let the reader know

Credit can be given within the graphic or in the accompanying caption Disclose any significant alterations you made to the

graphicExample: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

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 textIn 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 don’t 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

Always be careful when using content obtained from a website

The value of web content depends entirely on the credibility of the sourceExamples 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

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

A hyperlink alone is not sufficient to document web-based content

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 . . .How did I obtain this information?Can a person with my background in my field

of study reasonably be expected to know this material without referring to a source?

Am I using my own words or someone else’s?Does this work extend someone else’s work?

Common Sense Tests

Sample case: Should I include references for this presentation? I created the content in my own words without consulting sources I include hyperlinks to resources, but I don’t quote any content from

those sources The hyperlinks point the reader to additional resources but do not reproduce

any web-based content I have the necessary expertise to write this content myself, as

demonstrated by the credentials listed in my opening slide 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

Students generally find the mechanics of citing to be difficult at first, but . . .

Knowing when to cite is far more important than the specific format of the citation

Failing to cite is plagiarism!A citation that includes the correct material but is

formatted incorrectly is just a formatting error You may lose points, but you won’t be disciplined for plagiarism

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

Types of Citations

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

Numbered 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)

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:Examples: MLA, APA, Chicago/TurabianProvide specific guidance on many style

issues, including citationsMany disciplines have a standard style

Examples: Psychology uses APA; English uses MLAUnfortunately, Engineering does not have a

standard style guide

Engineering Styles

What style should you use?Check the University Libraries website to

find style guides for your discipline:http://guides.libraries.wright.edu/content.php?pid=59883&sid=0

Check publications in your discipline and follow their format

Ask your professor or advisorAsk the University LibrarianUse a software resource, such as RefWorks

Tips for Citations

Place citations as unobtrusively as possible, so long as the citation is clear:

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

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

For extensive summaries or paraphrases, you can bracket the cited text by using the author’s 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).

With practice, you can learn to include appropriate citations without interrupting the flow of your writing

Tips for Citations

Remember, the intent is to clearly identify all content that was created by other authors

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

Resources

Useful web resources for research writing:The School of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Handbook:

http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.htmlUniversity 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/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center:http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/Rensellaer Center for Communication Practices:http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/resources/

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