writing center projects-interpreting sources-online vers-sum12
TRANSCRIPT
The Writing Center Student Success Center
Interpreting Sources
Table of Contents
Three Types of Sources
Tertiary Sources
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Direct Quotes
Hanging Quotes
Successful Quoting
Integration Tips
Block Quotes
Plagiarism
Paraphrasing
The University of Texas at Dallas
This presentation was created for the Writing Center at the University of Texas at Dallas. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0.
CREDITS
Presenter: Shelby Vincent
Content Author: Justine White and Thomasina Hickmann
Revisions: Thomasina Hickmann and Cheri Mullins
Design: Cheri Mullins, Enrique Dryere, Justine White, Kaley McGill
Writing Center Coordinator: Thomasina Hickmann
Three Types of Sources
Primary sources offer first-hand information
about the subject under discussion.
Secondary sources are analyses of primary
source material.
Tertiary sources provide summaries of or
commentaries on secondary sources.
Table of Contents
Tertiary Sources
Use tertiary sources
to gain a general overview and better
understanding of your topic
to weed through large amounts of information
quickly and efficiently
Use tertiary sources for research only and not
as evidence to support your analysis.
Table of Contents
Examples of Tertiary Sources
Textbooks
Magazines
Reference books
written for the
general public
The World Almanac
Psychology Today
World Fact Books
Encyclopedia
Britannica
Primary Sources
Use primary sources
to explore your subject
to gather direct evidence for your claim
to serve as a basis for the formulation of your
argument
Table of Contents
Examples of Primary Sources
Diaries
Letters
Interviews
Artifacts
Scientific Reports
Legal Documents
Film
Visual Art
Musical Compositions
Literary works
Plays
Poems
Fiction/Nonfiction
Secondary Sources
Use secondary sources
to situate your research within a larger context
to support your interpretation or refute those
with whom you disagree
to keep up with current theory, find models for
your research, or discover other viewpoints and
alternative theories
Table of Contents
Examples of Secondary Sources
Scholarly Journal
Articles
Book-Length Critical
Commentaries
Biographies
Scientific reviews
Specialized
Reference Works
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary Sources
Shakespeare’s “Sonnet
18”
Three Essays on the
Theory of Sexuality by
Sigmund Freud
Letter written by Marilyn
Monroe to Joe DiMaggio
Secondary Sources
Michael Pacholski’s
analysis of “Sonnet 18”
Anti-Oedipus by Gilles
Deleuze and Félix
Guattari
Norma Jean: The Life of
Marilyn Monroe by Fred
Guiles
Source as Both Primary and Secondary
Ex: 1850 review of a book published in 1849
The review is a secondary source because it
presents an analysis of a primary source (the
book).
Yet the review is also a primary source because
it expresses the cultural perspective of someone
living during the same historical period in which
the book first appeared.
Secondary Sources - Indirect
An indirect source is a concept, analysis, or
conclusion expressed by one source but located
in another. It is secondhand information.
Use indirect sources only when the original
source is unobtainable.
Use indirect sources sparingly.
Direct Quotes
Use a direct quote
when you find the wording particularly
memorable
when you need to present the original wording
as evidence
when you want to refute specific words or
phrases taken from the source
Table of Contents
Paraphrase and Summary
Paraphrase when you want to pay close
attention to the author’s reasoning but don’t
think the section warrants a direct quote.
Summarize when you want to give a general
overview or highlight major points of a
discussion.
Hanging Quotes
The source material must be connected to what
you say because
without the proper framework, the source’s
relation to your argument is unclear
it is better to risk overanalyzing the source’s
relevance than to leave your reader in doubt
Table of Contents
Successful Quoting
Elements of Integration
Introduction
Quote
Interpretation
Commentary
The challenge, as college professor Ned Laff has
put it, “is not simply to exploit students’
nonacademic interests, but to get them to see
those interests through academic eyes.”
To say that students need to see their
interests “through academic eyes” is to say that
street smarts are not enough. Making students’
nonacademic interests an object of academic
study is useful, then, for getting students’ attention
and overcoming their boredom and alienation, but
this tactic won’t in itself necessarily move them
closer to an academically rigorous treatment of
those interests. On the other hand, inviting
students to write about cars, sports, or clothing
fashions does not have to be a pedagogical cop-
out as long as students are required to see these
interests “through academic eyes,” that is, to think
and write about cars, sports, and fashion in a
reflective, analytical way, one that sees them as
microcosms of what is going on in the wider
culture (Graff 204).
Table of Contents
Successful Quoting: Introduction
The introduction
Introduce the
speaker.
Blend your words
with the speaker’s.
Build credibility.
The challenge, as college
professor Ned Laff has put it, “is
not simply to exploit students’
nonacademic interests, but to get
them to see those interests through
academic eyes.” To say that students need to see their
interests “through academic eyes” is to say that street
smarts are not enough. Making students’ nonacademic
interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for
getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom
and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily
move them closer to an academically rigorous treatment of
those interests. On the other hand, inviting students to
write about cars, sports, or clothing fashions does not have
to be a pedagogical cop-out as long as students are
required to see these interests “through academic eyes,”
that is, to think and write about cars, sports, and fashion in
a reflective, analytical way, one that sees them as
microcosms of what is going on in the wider culture (Graff
204).
Successful Quoting: Interpretation
The interpretation
If necessary,
explain what the
author means in
relation to the topic
that you are
discussing.
The challenge, as college professor Ned Laff has put it, “is
not simply to exploit students’ nonacademic interests, but
to get them to see those interests through academic eyes.”
To say that students need
to see their interests “through
academic eyes” is to say that street
smarts are not enough. Making
students’ nonacademic interests an
object of academic study is useful,
then, for getting students’ attention
and overcoming their boredom and
alienation, but this tactic won’t in
itself necessarily move them closer
to an academically rigorous
treatment of those interests. On the
other hand, inviting students to write about cars, sports, or
clothing fashions does not have to be a pedagogical cop-
out as long as students are required to see these …
Successful Quoting: Commentary
The commentary
Analyze your
reference to the
source in relation
to your central
argument.
…interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for
getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom
and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily
move them closer to an academically rigorous treatment of
those interests. On the other hand,
inviting students to write about
cars, sports, or clothing fashions
does not have to be a pedagogical
cop-out as long as students are
required to see these interests
“through academic eyes,” that is, to
think and write about cars, sports,
and fashion in a reflective,
analytical way, one that sees them
as microcosms of what is going on
in the wider culture (Graff 204).
Tips for Successful Integration
Blend your words with the source’s, using a tone
and language that carefully reflect the original
material.
Professor Smith criticizes…
Critic Robert Black predicts that…
Dr. Jones questions the usefulness of…
Researcher James Reed complains that…
Integration Tips
Mix things up.
Begin by interpreting.
In Zen everything has an innate
Buddha nature; it only needs to be
awakened. Buddha nature is another
word for the divine connection we all
have to the Godhead or Spirit. The
only way to awaken one's true nature
is to look within. Buddha nature
cannot be found outside the body nor
can it be discovered through
intellectual study. Huineng the Sixth
Patriarch reflected that "Deluded, a
Buddha is a sentient being /
Awakened, a sentient being is a
Buddha" (Yampolsky 180). The
Buddha nature is awakened through
enlightenment (White 3).
Table of Contents
Block Quotes
Integration calls for
the same elements
but a different format.
introduce with a
sentence followed by a
colon
begin on a new line,
indent only on the left,
and use no quotation
marks except when
including material
quoted by your source
Grammarian and author Joseph Williams
argues that there are specific guidelines for
sentence length and variation:
Those who can write individually clear
and concise sentences have achieved a
good deal, and much more if they can
assemble them into coherent passages.
But a writer who can’t write clear
sentences longer than twenty words or
so is like a composer who can write
only short jingles. No one can
communicate complex ideas in short
sentences alone, so you have to know
how to assemble a sentence long and
complex enough to express complex
ideas, but still clear enough to be read
easily. You can do that, if you know
some principles of sentence
construction that go beyond SUBJECTS
and VERBS, CHARACTERS and
ACTIONS. (166)
Table of Contents
Revised Quote
Ask yourself
questions about
clarity and relevance.
Reduce long block
quotes to the most
useful and concise
information.
Consider
paraphrasing or
summarizing instead.
When discussing sentence
length and variation,
grammarian and author
Joseph Williams argues that
“no one can communicate
complex ideas in short
sentences alone, so you
have to know how to
assemble a sentence long
and complex enough to
express complex ideas, but
still clear enough to be read
easily” (166).
Paraphrase and Summary
Focus on the concepts relevant to your research,
synthesizing the material.
Reword the source’s language.
Refashion the source’s sentence structure.
Express the source’s meaning.
Enclose any language belonging to the source within
quotation marks.
Provide a source citation.
Plagiarism
Original Text
Once civilizations had emerged in
various parts of the world, food
helped to connect them together.
Food-trade routes acted as
international communications
networks that fostered not just
commercial exchange, but cultural
and religious exchange too. The
spice routes that spanned the Old
World led to cross-cultural
fertilization in fields as diverse as
architecture, science, and religion.
Plagiarism
As Tom Standage explains, after
civilizations developed in different
regions of the world, food helped
to link them together. Food-trade
routes served as international
networks, facilitating not only
commercial exchange but also
cultural and religious exchange.
The Old World spice trade
influenced such diverse fields as
theology, science, and the fine
arts (x).
Table of Contents
Plagiarism
Although the plagiarized version expresses the
source’s meaning and includes a suitable
citation, it violates the other conventions of
paraphrasing.
It retains the source’s sentence structure and
appropriates language that belongs to the
source (signified by the underlined words)
without enclosing it within quotation marks.
Paraphrasing
Original Text
Once civilizations had emerged in
various parts of the world, food
helped to connect them together.
Food-trade routes acted as
international communications
networks that fostered not just
commercial exchange, but cultural
and religious exchange too. The
spice routes that spanned the Old
World led to cross-cultural
fertilization in fields as diverse as
architecture, science, and religion.
Legitimate Paraphrase
As Tom Standage explains, food
served as a link among nascent
civilizations. In the Old World, the
trade in food meant expanding
commercial opportunities, yet it
also meant the intercultural
transmission of ideas. Because
transporting food over long
distances relied on extensive
“communications networks,” it
promoted changes in belief
systems as well as developments
in the fine arts and scientific
thought (x).
Table of Contents
Paraphrasing
By contrast, the legitimate paraphrase
represents an acceptable version of the source.
The new version not only credits the source but
also conveys its meaning without unfairly
appropriating its language or relying on its
sentence structure.
WORKS CITED
Graff, Gerald. “Hidden Intellectualism.” They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.
Standage, Tom. An Edible History of Humanity. New York: Walker, 2009. Print.
White, Justine. "An Evolutionary Analogy for Enlightenment." MA Thesis. University of Texas at Dallas, 2009. Print.
Williams, Joseph M. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2000. Print.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2008. Print.
Bullock, Richard, Maureen Daly Goggin, and Francine Weinberg. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Print.
Fowler, Ramsey F., and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Workbook. 11th ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. Print.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. 7th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2007. Print.