Introducing Quotes &
Using Transitions
Signal Phrases, Author Tags, Signal Verbs
Bringing Research Bringing Research
Into Your Paper Into Your Paper
Points to Remember
What Are Sources?
What Are Citations?
Quoting
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Avoiding Plagiarism
What is a quote?
To quote, the verb means to speak or write (a passage) from another usually with credit
acknowledgment; to repeat a passage from
especially in substantiation or illustration; to cite in illustration <quote a similar case>; to give
exact information on; or to set off by quotation
marks
Essays are usually comprised of three components:
1. Your own thoughts about something you have read or an issue you are studying
2. Quotes from your textbook, reading, or assignment
3. Quotes from outside sources
Most of your essay is in your own words, but you use quotes to:
Back up your own thinking
Illustrate your own thinking
Prove that you are correct
Or reveal that an opposing point of view is
completely idiotic!
Rules to Quoting
#1 Quote sparingly:
Keep quotes to one sentence. If you have somethingthat is longer break it up with signal phrases and author tags so the reader knows why you’re quoting it.
#2 Quote just the good stuff:
Memorable statements
Especially clear explanations stated by authorities
Controversial arguments in the speaker’s/writer’s own wordsFollow this very simple pattern:
The intro generally will not have a quote in it it, it will be entirely your own words.
After that you’ll start every paragraph with your own words because you NEVER start a paragraph with a quote.
Then you integrate no more than 3 quotes into each paragraph to illustrate or prove the topic sentence of that paragraph.
And finally, you can close off each paragraph with a reflection of your own showing how those quotes
worked to support your point because you NEVER
end a paragraph with a quote.
A well-integrated quote is a lot like a sandwich:
On top you have a sentence that is your own thought and summary, setting the context for the quote that you intend to use to prove or illustrate your point.
Then you have the quote (with author tag and signal phrase ) to back up your thought
Then on the bottom you have a sentence of your
own that reflects back on the quote and how it
substantiates your argument
For example:
Midway into his famous “I have a Dream” speech before 100,000 rapt listeners on a scorching hot day on the Washington Mall, King answered critics who asked why he was not satisfied with the civil rights gains at the time, by detailing a litany of unjust public behavior towards Negroes, ranging from police brutality to disenfranchisement at the voting booth. “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a
mighty stream,” he sang out in his preacher’s voice (304). It was this stunning metaphor of
running water and others like it that catapulted
King into national respect and prominence.
Writing a research paper is like writing any other academic paper, with the difference that you are
bringing into your essay the words, ideas, and theories of others, often experts in that field of study.
In the process of writing your research paper, you will learn a new set of vocabulary words and concepts.
What follows is a list of these words/concepts and their definitions. Becoming familiar with them will help you in the research process.
Points to Remember
(About Writing a Research
Paper)
What Are Sources?
A source is what you turn to for information about your topic.
A source can include any of the following:
a book
a magazine or newspaper article
a scholarly journal article
a film, television show, or radio program
a web site
a personal interview They generally fall under print sources, non-print sources, and electronic
sources.
Print Sources
A print source can be a periodical or a non- periodical.
A periodical is a publication that is issued periodically, such as any of the following: a newspaper (The Boston Globe);
a magazine (Newsweek);
a journal (Journal of Naturopathic Medicine).
A non-periodical most often refers to a book.Non-Print Sources
A non-print source can include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
a television or radio program
a film
a personal interview
a class lecture
a recordingElectronic Sources
An electronic source can refer to a source found on the Internet, such as a personal or professional web site.
There are some electronic sources that originally appeared in print form. These include articles found on databases such as GALE and SIRS and articles in
newspapers and magazines that publish on
the web and in print.
What is a Citation?
When you bring research (quotations, paraphrases, facts, statistics, etc.) into your paper, you must give credit to the source and its author(s).
Giving credit to a source is also called citing a source.
You do this with in-text or parenthetical citations. They are called parenthetical citations because the bibliographic
information goes inside parentheses.
What to Cite
Quotations: Someone else’s exact words, enclosed in quotation marks.
The ideas, opinions, and theories of
someone else—even if you restate them in your own words in a paraphrase or
summary.
Facts and statistics—unless they are
common knowledge and are accessible in
many sources.
Common Knowledge is information that can be found in many sources and that no one can claim owning. It is
information that “belongs” to everyone.
Often, it is the stuff of encyclopedias.
Examples:
6 million Jews perished in the Holocaust.
The Empire State Building is 1,454 feet tall.
The Civil War ended in 1865. You may not have known this before you started your research, but it is still
common knowledge. Often, you will
encounter knowledge that is common in
your field of study, even if the general
population may not know it.
Quoting
When you quote, you borrow an author’s exact words.
Use a quotation when…
the wording is so memorable or expresses apoint so well that you cannot improve or shorten it without weakening it;
when the author is a respected authority whose opinion supports your own ideas;
when an author challenges or disagrees profoundly with others in the field.Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is putting material (including major and minor points) into your own
words and sentence structure.
You can paraphrase a theory, an idea, the results of a study, or a passage in an
original source, as long as you use your own words to describe it.
A paraphrase is often the same length as
the original, but it is in your own words.
Example of a Paraphrase
Original Text
(from James C. Stalker, “Official English or English Only”)“ We cannot legislate the language of the home, the street, the bar, the club, unless we are willing to set up a cadre of language police who will
ticket and arrest us if we speak something other than English” (21).
Paraphrase
Stalker points out that in a democracy like the United States, it is not feasible to have laws against the use of a language and it certainly would not be possible to make police enforce such laws in homes and public places (21).
Example taken from Pocket Keys for Writers by Ann Raimes
Summarizing
Summaries are often less detailed than paraphrases.
In a summary, you provide your reader with the gist of the most important sources you find in your own words.
Summaries give readers basic information and are always in your own words.
When you include a summary in your paper, introduce the author’s name and/or the work.What is Plagiarism?
It is fine to bring the words and ideas of other writers into your paper.
However, when you do so, you must
acknowledge your debt to the writers of these sources.
If not, you are guilty of plagiarism, a serious
academic offense.
The Most Egregious Form
The most blatant and egregious form of plagiarism is putting your name as the author of a paper you did not write.
The Internet has certainly made it easier for students to find papers on any number of
topics.
However, professors also know how to use the Internet and are quite adept at
searching the same sites that students use.
The Subtle Forms
Other types of plagiarism are more subtle and include any of the following: failure to cite quotations and borrowed ideas;
failure to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks;
failure to put summaries and paraphrases into your own words.
Most students who plagiarize are simply unaware of the proper way to document sources in academic writing.MLA Style MLA Style
Documentation Documentation
What is MLA?
How To Integrate Research Into the Body of Your Paper
How to Create a “Works Cited” Page
What is MLA?
If you are writing a research paper in English, foreign languages, or other humanities
classes, use MLA-style documentation.
MLA stands for the Modern Language Association.
The MLA publishes the MLA Handbook for
Writing Research Papers. This book contains all of the rules that govern MLA-style
documentation.
Points to Remember
(About MLA-Style Documentation)
All written material (the body of your paper and the “ Works Cited” page) is double-spaced.
MLA-style has two main elements:
In-text Citations
“Works Cited” Page
Use in-text citations in the body of your paper when you quote, paraphrase,
summarize, or use other borrowed
material. Citations should be as concise as possible, while still giving readers
enough information to find the full bibliographic information on the
“ Works Cited” page.
The ” Works Cited” page is a separate
page and carries the heading “ Works
Cited” (or “ Work Cited” if you are
using only one source). This is where
you list all of your sources, giving the
reader full bibliographic information.
On the “ Works Cited” page, sources are always listed alphabetically by the author’ s last name.
If your source has no author, go by the first word of the title to alphabetize. (Use the first word in the title that is not an article, e.g. “a”, “an”, or “the”
When listing sources, indent every line after the first line five spaces or one-half inch. (Hint: push the tab button and it does it for you)
Italicize book titles and web sites.
Use quotation marks around articles, stories, poems, and essays.
Integrating Research
There are only two pieces of information that need to go inside the parentheses of an in-text citation:
the author’s last name
the page number This information refers readers to the full
bibliographic information on the “Works
Cited” page.
An in-text citation looks like this:
(Smith 165)
If there are two authors, give both last names:
(Jones and Nichols 18)
If there is no author, give the first word of the title:
(“Recent” 23)
If there is no page number, give the paragraph number:
(McKnight par. 10)
Examples
Many young women, from all races and classes, have taken on the idea of the American Dream, however difficult it
might be for them to achieve it (Sidel 19- 20).
The adult mountain lion population in
California is now estimated at four to six
thousand (Reyes and Messina B1).
More Examples
In California, fish and game officials
estimate that since 1972 lion numbers have increased from 2,400 to at least 6,000 (“Lion” A21).
An article that appeared in Research Quarterly states that, “Their recovery process parallels the steps taken by
those recovering from other afflictions”
(Russo par. 3).
Signal Phrases
Signal phrases help you to transition from your words and ideas to the words and ideas ofothers.
With practice, you will learn how to integrate research smoothly into your paper.
In most cases, it is preferable to include theauthor’ s name in a signal phrase that precedes the quote, fact, statistic, etc. Because the
author is already named, you need only list the page or paragraph number in the parentheses.
Examples
The sociologist Ruth Sidel’s interviews with young woman provide examples of what Sidel sees as the “impossible dream”
(19).
Michelle Russo’s article from Research Quarterly states that “Their recovery
process parallels the steps taken by those
recovering from other afflictions” (par. 3).
The following signal phrases are good examples of ways you can introduce the findings of your research in your paper:
According to…
In the words of…
In a recent study by…
Current research proves that… Avoid overusing the verb “said” in your
paper. Here is a list of strong, active verbs that you can use in your signal phrases.
You can write that someone…
acknowledges, adds, admits, or agrees
argues, asserts, claims, or comments
confirms, believes, declares, or implies
insists, notes, observes, or points out,
reports, states, theorizes, or writes
Often in your research you will encounterquotes, facts, statistics, etc. that are written by someone other than the author of the piece you are reading. Use the following format:
We generate words unconsciously, without thinking about them; they appear, as James Britton says, “at the point of utterance” (qtd. in Smith 108).
“We only used seven signs in his presence,” says Fouts. “All of his signs were learned from the other chimps at the laboratory” (qtd. in Toner).
NOTE: On the “Works Cited” page give the
bibliographic information for the source you read, not the source quoted from—since you haven’t read that.
Transition Words
Words to Add, Compare, Contrast,
Exemplify, Summarize, and Sequence.
The Functions of Transition Words
Transitions function to connect words, phrases, and clauses.
Apples and oranges are types of fruit.
Not only fast cars but also slow trucks make up highway traffic.
Henri stopped writing so that he could listen to
his friend.
Transitions Add, Compare, and Contrast
1. Addition
We also visited Miami Beach.
2. Comparison
We, like them, have to study.
3. Contrast
Instead of riding, they walked.
Transitions for Example, Summary, and Sequence
4. Example:
To illustrate, I will tell a story.
5. Summary:
In sum, you must try hard.
6. Time Sequence:
At last, she said yes.
Transitions of Addition
Common Words
1. And 2. Also 3. Besides
4. Too 5. First 6. Next
7. Last
Power Terms 1. Moreover
2. Furthermore
3. In Addition
Transitions of Comparison
Simple Ones
1. Also 2. Too
Complex Ones
1. In the same way
2. Likewise
3. Similarly
Transitions of Contrast
Simple Contrast
1. But 2. Yet 3. Still
4. Even so
5. Instead 6. Otherwise 7. Regardless
Complex Contrast
1. Although
2. At the same time
3. Despite that
4. In contrast
5. In spite of
6. Nevertheless
7. Notwithstanding
8. On the other hand
Transitions of Example
Simple Example
1. For example
2. For instance
3. Indeed
4. In fact 5. Of course
Complex Example
1. As an illustration
2. In other words
3. In short
4. That is
5. To illustrate
Transitions of Summary
Simple Ones1. Altogether 2. Finally
3. In conclusion
Complex Ones1. In brief
2. In other words
3. In particular
4. In short
5. In summary 6. On the whole
7. That is
Sequence Transitions
Simple Ones
1. Afterward
2. again 3. before
4. finally 5. last
6. lately
7. meanwhile
8. Next 9. soon
10. then
Complex Ones
1. as long as
2. at last 3. at length 4. at that time
5. in addition
6. in the past
7. So far
8. Until now
Creating a “Works Cited” Page
A “Works Cited” page contains the fullbibliographic information to which you have been referring in the body of your paper.
The “Work Cited” page is… the last page of your paper
double-spaced
alphabetized
There are many different ways to cite sources on your “Works Cited” page, depending on whether your source is a book, an article, a web page, etc.
You are not expected to memorize each way; you are expected to know how to find the format you need for your particular source.
Once you find the format, follow it to the letter.Do not add information not in the example.
The following is an example of a “Works Cited”page. (On the left is the name of the kind of source; this is only to help you in the
presentation and does not appear on your “Works Cited” page.)
Works Cited
Allende, Isabel. “An Act of Vengeance.” Trans. E.D. Carter, Jr.
Literature and Its Writers. Eds. Ann Charters and Samuel
Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 66-71.
Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies. Ed. Laura E. Hunt
and William Barek. May 1998. U of Toronto. 11 May 1999
<http://citd.scar/index.html>.
on-line profession
al site
work from an
antholo gy
with a translator
Works Cited
“The Decade of the Spy.” Newsweek 7 Mar. 1994: 26-27.
Hallin, Daniel C. “Sound Bite News: Television Coverage of Elections,
1968-1988.” Journal of Communication 49.2 (1992): 5-24.
Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago:
U of Chicago P, 1980.
Anonymous article in a magazine
article in a journal that pages
issues separately
book two authors
Works Cited
Navarro, Mireya. “Bricks, Mortar, and Coalition Building.” New
York Times 13 July 2001: A1+.
Russo, Michelle Cash. “Recovering from Bibliographic Instruction
Blahs.” RQ: Research Quarterly 32 (1992): 178-83.
Infotrac:
Magazine Index Plus. CD-Rom. Information Access. Dec.
1993.
Sidel, Ruth. On Her Own: Growing Up in the Shadow of the
American Dream. New York: Penguin, 1990.
book one author
journal article with
continuou s
pagination (from a database)
article in a newspaper
Works Cited
Spanoudis, Steve. Poet’s Corner. 2 Feb.
1998. 4 Feb. 1998 <http://www.
geocities.com/~spanoudi/poems>.
Zacharias, Peter. Personal Interview. 23 Nov.
2001.
on-line
professional site with
author
interview
While this presentation attempts to give a brief introduction to MLA, it cannot cover all aspects of it.
If you still have questions, it is best to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers,
You can also visit MLA’ s web site athttp://www.mla.org/. Click on MLA-Style.
Or try the Owl at Purdue website athttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Proofreading Strategies
How to Make Your Paper Perfect (or at least your best work)
Time
Patience
Will Time
Patience
Will
Time
Patience
Will
Time
Proofreading takes time.
There is no way around it. Once you have begun to finalize your paper, you need to give yourself ample time to read it over (and over) again.
Proofreading is another kind of writing. It is not as creative, perhaps, as brainstorming or
developing your ideas, but it is still a part of the writing process.
Reading your paper one time through is not adequate proofreading.
Here are some tips.
Don’t wait until the night before a paper is due to proofread it; you won’t be allowing yourself enough time to correct it.
Always correct a hard (paper) copy of youressay; you will catch things on paper that you can’t on screen.
Read through your paper—not for meaning but for clarity and presentation. You’ve already developed meaning in earlier drafts—proofreading is about making sure that your meaning is clear.
Decide on the areas that you should pay attention to. For instance…
Punctuation
Spelling
In-text citations For each of these areas, read through your paper at least once, paying
attention to only one area at a time.
Go back to the computer after severalreadings and make corrections on the screen.
Print out another clean copy.
Ask a friend, parent, or tutor, to be a second set of eyes. This is not cheating; it is common sense.
Even great writers get help.
Read the paper backwards, sentence by sentence.
Sounds crazy?
It works.
Out of context, sentences with problems stand out in ways they don’t when you are reading along for meaning.
Patience
Does this method sound like a lot of work?
It is.
Have patience with yourself. The more you write the better writer you will become. You will make less mistakes and get better atcatching the inevitable ones.
Hey, we’re human; we all make mistakesoccasionally. However, skillful proofreading
eliminates many of the most common mistakes.
Will
Writing (even a research paper) is a craft.
Mastering the craft requires practice and hard work.
Most of the mistakes that students make are made out of carelessness. Once the mistake is pointed out, they know how to fix it and why it’s wrong.
Those students who take the time are able to produce polished final drafts that reflectintelligence, thoughtfulness, care, and hard work
—qualities professors and future employers value.