1. COMMUNICATIONS
LL041
Research
Evaluating online sources
Introduction to citation and attribution
Plagiarism & paraphrasing
See also: the SEI Opinion Piece assignment
03/19/14Foss&FergusonDepartmentofLanguageStudies
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Evaluating your sources
Recall our Critical Thinking lessons about
considering credibility, bias, etc. All of those
come in to play when considering research
sources.
Online sources pose unique challenges.

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EVALUATING WEB SOURCES
- timeliness?
- author or affiliation?
- author qualification?
- fact-checking & editing?
- citation and attribution?
- bias?
Always ask yourself: what do I know about this site’s…

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THE CHALLENGES OF
WIKIPEDIA
• neutral, unbiased point of view
• attribution
• balanced argument
• unity (sticking to the facts)
• quality of information
• flux and change of information
Wikipedia’s come a long way in terms of credibility.
However, we can (and should!) question a wiki-article’s…

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WHAT’S THE
DIFFERENCE?
.gov
.ca
.com
.org
.net
.edu
Why does the ending of an internet address matter?
Government
Educational
Non-profit
News/information
Entertainment
Persuasive
Personal
Because frequently these endings indicate purpose or author.
Can you guess which is which?

6. WHEN RESEARCHING…
 Keep careful notes about your sources. In the case of
websites, note the full URL, author/organization where
possible, the last updated date as well as the date you
found it, because material may change and disappear.
For print sources, list the page, article or book title,
author’s name, publication date and location.
Take notes as you read your sources, putting quotation
marks around any exact words you want to use. Note
pages and paragraphs to easily find material again.
 Don’t ignore a fact just because it goes against your
thesis.
 Be as certain as possible of your sources’ reliability.

7. CITATION
Citation is a method of giving credit to an
original author. In academic writing it
means following a few steps:
- keeping track of who said what as you research;
- using “in-text” citation within the paragraph to show,
right away, where other people’s ideas are used;
- providing a full reference listing elsewhere, which
could lead an interested reader directly to the source
you used.
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8. I CITE MY SOURCES WHEN I:
-use someone else’s original words
-summarize someone else’s ideas
-paraphrase someone else’s ideas
-use someone else’s way of organizing a sequence of ideas
-use an isolated fact
-borrow an interesting term or phrase
-use someone else’s diagram or illustration
-borrow ideas from a speech or lecture, scientific experiment,
interview or conversation, video , film or television program that is
not your own
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

9. I DON’T NEED TO CITE
MY SOURCES WHEN I:
- employ an easy verifiable fact
i.e. the boiling point of water; Picasso was an artist
- employ common knowledge
i.e. Windows Vista has a lot of glitches; drunk driving costs lives
- employ an idea that is easily observable
i.e. patients respond better when nurses are friendly
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

10. HOW DO I USE CITATION?
There are several different acceptable methods of citation. Your
school may require one way, but a later workplace may require
another. It’s up to you to discover the method expected of you.
For example, some use footnotes1
, others do not. Others provide
some detail within the in-text citation (such as APA’s author,
date, page pattern), but then also provide a References page at
the end of the document, with full source listing.
For our online class,
we’ll use the APA Format.
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1. Like this. The small number works in-text to refer the reader to more info below.

11. APA Citation
- developed and updated by the
American Psychological Association http://apastyle.apa.org/
APA is a TWO-COMPONENT citation system: it uses
IN-TEXT and REFERENCE PAGE CITATION
in-text uses brackets to show the author, year & page of
your source.
 the References page provides a full listing of EACH
source used: author(s), year of publication, publishing
company or URL, etc., etc.

12. Note that the in-text citation follows
a definite pattern in APA:
(author’s last name, year, p.#)
- You may choose to include some of
this information within your
sentence, which means the
parentheses will contain the rest.
- If you don’t know the author, use a
key word from the title as a label.
Your in-text
citation must
match the by-
author entry on
your References
page.
A reader should
be able to read
your paragraph,
flip to the
References, find
the exact source
you mention,
and look it up
him/herself if
they wanted to.
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APA
CITATION

13. EXAMPLE OF APA IN-TEXT CITATION
AD(H)D is not a single condition; instead, there are three subtypes.
People with the predominantly inattentive type have trouble paying
attention. Those with the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type are
hyperactive and impulsive. The combined type includes all three major
symptoms (DSM-IV, p. 80). Perhaps the most well known symptom of
AD(H)D is hyperactivity, but Hallowell and Ratey (1994) emphasize that
not all people with AD(H)D are hyperactive. Indeed, they say that many
people with ADD - mostly girls and women - are quiet daydreamers (p.
153). Robertson (2000, p.17) notes that children with AD(H)D are
"consistently inconsistent." That means the same student could do very
well in school one month then very poorly the next (Hallowell & Ratey,
1994, p. 65). Hallowell and Ratey also point out that people with
AD(H)D are sometimes able to hyper focus. That means they may focus
very well on one thing for a long time and will have trouble stopping
when it is time to finish.
 On the References page, there should be full entries for the Hallowell &
Ratey study, DSM-IV and Robertson: all the sources mentioned here.
Shettle, Andrea. APA Sample Term Paper. (2001) Retrieved June 25, 2009 from http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/apa_sample.html

14. CITATION OR NO CITATION?
 You clearly identify the source at the beginning of
a paragraph that summarizes the author’s ideas
about teenage drinking. Since readers should
naturally assume all of the ideas in the paragraph
are from the source, you don’t put additional
citation.
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006
Citation must be clear: a paragraph that blends your
ideas and another’s must show whose are whose. An
outside source may be cited more than once, as needed.

15.  You skim a 325-page book entitled Using the Internet.
A major theme throughout the book is that the
Internet is an important technological achievement.
You include this in your paper.
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006
CITATION OR NO CITATION?
The notion of the internet being ‘an important technological
achievement’ seems common knowledge, and wouldn’t require
citation. However, any other information from this book, such as
history, instructions, unique ideas or exact quotations must be cited.

16.  In your paper, you decide to include the saying “A
penny saved is a penny earned” which you find
by scrolling through Bartlett’s Quotations on the
Internet .
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006
CITATION OR NO CITATION?
If you had used this well-known saying after thinking of it yourself, you
wouldn’t need citation (unless of course, you knew the original author).
Since you found it using Bartlett’s online, you must cite that source.

17.  You find an article that takes the same position
you have taken on the subject of gun control. To
save time, you summarize in your paper a portion
of the argument from the article since the
author’s ideas are identical to your own.
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006
CITATION OR NO CITATION?
Finding a source that matches your own ideas is great, but it makes citation
tricky. If this article provided a new example or new approach you’d never
considered, you must cite the source. Additionally, consider using exact
quotes: sometimes an author expresses something perfectly, and you should
give credit for that.

18. PARAPHRASING
 It’s more detailed than a summary, which focuses on
one idea.
 It’s your own rendition of essential information and
ideas expressed by someone else, but presented in new
form.
 The original sense remains, but the level of formality
may change to suit your purpose.
Source: (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/)

19. WHY PARAPHRASE?
 It’s better than quoting if the quote isn’t concise or
interesting
 It controls the temptation to quote too much
 It forces you to understand the material
Source: http://www.owl.purdue.edu

20. PLAGIARISM
= ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
= ZERO
To prevent plagiarism,
understand what we mean
by the term, and do what
you can to avoid it.

21. RECOGNIZING PLAGIARISM
 The following is an excerpt from an article by William
Ellis, entitled “Culture in Transition.”
World problems such as poverty, pollution,
war, and hunger are inherent in the current
system of world order based on nation states
and economic competition. They can be solved if
people know and understand one another on a
global, grass roots basis. By developing people-
to-people linkages irrespective of national
borders, we can start to ameliorate global
tensions and inequities.
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

22. YOU COPY A PARAGRAPH DIRECTLY
FROM AN ARTICLE YOU FOUND.
YOU CITE THE SOURCE, BUT YOU
FORGET TO PUT QUOTATION MARKS.
IS THIS PLAGIARISM?
SOURCE:
HTTP://WWW.LIB.SFU.CA/RESEARCHHELP/TUTORIALS/INTERACTIVE/PLAGIARISM/TUTORIAL/PLAGIARISM-
PRETEST-QUIZ.HTM
YES.

23. ARTICLE, SO YOU USE IT IN YOUR
PAPER.
YOU DON’T BOTHER TO CITE THE
SOURCE OF THE IDEA BECAUSE
YOU’VE EXPRESSED IT IN YOUR
OWN WORDS.
IS THIS PLAGIARISM?
SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.LIB.SFU.CA/RESEARCHHELP/TUTORIALS/INTERACTIVE/PLAGIARISM/TUTORIAL/PLAGIARISM-PRETEST-QUIZ.HTM
YES.

24. YOU COPY A SHORT PASSAGE FROM
AN ARTICLE YOU FOUND.
YOU CHANGE A COUPLE OF WORDS, SO
THAT IT’S DIFFERENT THAN THE
ORIGINAL – THIS WAY YOU DON’T NEED
QUOTATION MARKS.
YOU CAREFULLY CITE THE SOURCE. IS
THIS PLAGIARISM?
SOURCE:
HTTP://WWW.LIB.SFU.CA/RESEARCHHELP/TUTORIALS/INTERACTIVE/PLAGIARISM/TUTORIAL/PLAGIA
RISM-PRETEST-QUIZ.HTM
YES.

25. ASSISTANCE, AND HE
DRASTICALLY RE-WRITES YOUR
ORIGINAL PAPER.
YOU HAND IN THIS NEW EDITED
VERSION TO YOUR PROFESSOR.
IS THIS PLAGIARISM?
YES.
Want more explanation? Do the full quiz here.

26. RECOGNIZING PLAGIARISM CONT’D
Problem #1
Word-for-Word Plagiarism Without Quotation Marks:
William Ellis asserts that world problems
such as poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are
inherent in the current system of world order
based on nation states and economic
competition. (2009, p.23)
How could this have been avoided?
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

27. RECOGNIZING PLAGIARISM CONT’D
Problem #2
Failure to acknowledge the context of all quoted
material:
Ellis (2009) asserts that world problems such as
poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent
in “the current system of world order based on
nation states and economic competition.” (p.23)
How could this have been avoided?
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

28. RECOGNIZING PLAGIARISM CONT’D
Problem #3
Patchwork plagiarism -- the information is re-ordered
but much of the exact wording is used
Global tensions and inequities can be solved
if people begin to help one another on a grass-
roots basis, moving beyond the current world
order of economic competition. (Ellis, 2009, p.23)
How could this have been avoided?
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

29. ACCEPTABLE IN-TEXT USAGE
William Ellis argues that global problems are often a
result of exploitation inherent to economic
competition. He contends that “grass roots …
people to people linkages irrespective of national
borders” can do much to ease global tensions.
(2009, p.23)
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

30. ACCEPTABLE IN-TEXT VERSION 2
 According to William Ellis’ 2009 article “Culture
in Transition”, global problems are often a
result of exploitation that comes with economic
competition. He contends that “ grass roots …
people to people linkages irrespective of
national borders” can do much to ease global
tensions (p.23).
Source: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006

31. SIGNAL PHRASES
Use these words or ones like them to clearly signal
your reader that outside material is about to appear,
and name the author if possible.
 According to Jess Smith…
 Smith says … (note: “says” is more casual in tone, particularly when
referring to written – not spoken – work)
 Smith writes …
 Robin Lee demonstrates …
 Lee illustrates …
 Lee shows …
 Michel Auclair thinks …
 Auclair contends. ..
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Use your author’s full name the
first time you mention him/her.
After that, refer to him/her by
LAST NAME ONLY.