Citation Archives - Page 2 of 2

How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes

Some professors require that students avoid direct quotations within their writing. One reason for this is that students may have a tendency to rely too much on what others have written. They may take large amounts of directed quoted material and copy and paste it into their writing in order to meet page or word requirements. This is not acceptable.

Students must still cite to explain where they obtained their research. To cite correctly, students should get into the habit of paraphrasing. In this way, students give the original author credit for their work by citing the source of the information without quoting it word for word. Citing means acknowledging where they obtained the information. A student must be careful not to paraphrase everything they write. The student should not neglect to include their own analysis. Duke University provides useful information about avoiding patchworking and paraphrasing in APA style.

Paraphrasing occurs when the writer take someone else’s thoughts and information and restates it into his or her own words. Think of it as more of a restatement than a summary. Owl Purdue explained that it is better than quoting word for word because it eliminates the temptation to cite too heavily. Owl Purdue’s Paraphrase: Write in Your Own Words is an excellent learning tool and it includes 6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing.

To learn how to cite correctly, check out a helpful link from plagiarism.com that explains how to paraphrase properly. For more examples of how to paraphrase, check out: Examples of how to paraphrase without plagiarizing. The Writer’s Handbook also gives some helpful tips about methods of paraphrasing and how to paraphrase difficult texts.

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How to Respond Effectively in Online Discussions

Online college students often find that they are required to answer discussion questions in class. With the popularity of texting and the lack of formality used when writing an email, many students are lacking the necessary skills to write an appropriate posting.

Online schools often require that postings are substantive. In other words, the postings should be substantial and have sufficient content to answer questions in depth. Students may be given guidelines or a minimum word count to guide them. However, when responding to fellow students’ postings, there are usually not specific word count requirements. Therefore, it is important for students to respond in a way that is not merely showing their agreement or disagreement with what is being discussed.

A good rule of thumb is to support what the student has said with at least one sentence. That doesn’t mean the student has to agree with the statement; they just have to support the fact that the student has made their point.

Then after supporting them, the student can disagree or agree with the topic at hand. They should include several more sentences explaining their position on the topic. They could give examples and cite sources.

A good way to end the discussion would be with a question that is either addressed to the original student or one that could be addressed to the class in order to bring more participants into the discussion.

It is extremely important that students write in complete sentences, use correct grammar, check spelling and punctuate correctly. For additional help with writing skills, please check out the following links:

Can Spell Check Make Things Worse?

Top 15 Writing and Grammar Mistakes

15 Ways to Improve Writing Skills

10 Common Writing Mistakes

Can Texting Damage Writing Skills?

What is the Difference Between a Citation and a Reference?

Today’s Ask Dr. Diane: What do professors mean when they say to include citations and references?

Students are often required to have both citations and references when creating their college assignments. There can be confusion as to what the difference is between a citation and a reference. Cornell explains, “a citation occurs when you use a specific source in your work and then follow up with the proper bibliographic information; plagiarism issues arise when you use a specific source, but fail to indicate what you have borrowed, and/or fail to provide proper bibliographic information a reference is the bibliographic information that guides readers to your source.”

It may seem easier to understand when given examples of each. Here is an example of a citation:

“Canadians can celebrate that smoking rates have dropped dramatically in Canada in the past three decades” (Reutter, 2001, p. 13).

You may also paraphrase what others have written. Here is an example of how to do this correctly:

According to the Canadian Lung Association (2008), most people who quit smoking use a combination of methods.

These should be included within the body of the document. They should not be confused with references. References should be included on the separate Reference Page.

An example of how to list references on a Reference Page is listed below. Keep in mind that formatting will not show up correctly on a blog. The first line of each reference should be at the left margin and each following line should be indented 1/2 inch. Here is an example without the indentations showing up:

References

Canadian Lung Association. (2008). How to quit. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/tobacco-tabagisme/quitting-cesser/how-comment_e.php

Reutter, L. (2001). Health and wellness. In P. A. Potter, A. G. Perry, J. C. Ross-Kerr, & M. J. Wood (Eds.), Canadian fundamentals of nursing (2nd ed.) (pp. 2-30). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Harcourt Canada.

It is important to note that many students think they should just include references to show the sites they visited or read to complete the assignment. This is not correct. References should be listed to explain where the citation information was obtained. If a citation was not listed within the document, it doesn’t make sense to list a reference.

The Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)

The Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes

Ask Dr. Diane: What are the most common writing mistakes that your students make?

While it is not unusual to see spelling and grammar issues, I’ll assume that readers realize that they should check for such things and just list the top 10 most common other issues I see here. I hope this posting will give some insight into how to set up your papers so that you can avoid making these common mistakes.

Papers not set up with double-spacing – To set your paper to be double-spaced, be sure you are on the home tab in Word and go to the paragraph section of the tool bar. There is an up and down arrow icon that you can click on. When you do this, it will give you choices of how to set up your spacing. Pick 2.0 to set double-spacing.
Papers should not have an extra space between paragraphs – Remember that papers must be double-spaced throughout in APA. Word sometimes defaults with an extra space between paragraphs. To change this, click here.
Papers must have headers/numbers set up correctly through the header/number function in Word – To learn how to do this, click here.
Papers must be set up with an introduction/body/conclusion – Your introduction and conclusion need to be strong summaries of what the paper will or has included. For more about how to write an essay, click here.
Papers should not be written in first person – Remove the “I” or “Me” from your writing. For an explanation of the meaning of first person, click here.
Citing and References confusion – Citing is the act of quoting a source. For example: “Citing is the act of quoting a source.” (Hamilton, 2010) This is not to be confused with references. References are included on a separate page with the title References at the top. You must include references whenever you cite. The reference explains who deserves credit for the citation. Many students list references but no citations. That is not correct. You need both.
Paragraph length confusion – Students often either write in overly short or overly long paragraphs. A good size paragraph is at least 3-4 sentences but should not be so long that it takes up an entire page or more.
Papers should be left justified and not blocked – Students sometimes write in blocked format. That is not correct. Papers need to be left justified. The setting for this is on the home tab under the paragraph part of the toolbar.
Over citing – I see a lot of students who tend to write entire paragraphs of citing and forget to include their own writing in their work. Although citing is important, it is also important to have your own points and statements. Remember to make your point and then follow that up with citations to back up what you have written. As a professor, I am looking to see that you have learned the subject and are not simply restating what others have said.
Forgetting title page – Students often forget to include a title page. It is very important that all papers include a title page that is correctly formatted in APA format. For helpful examples of APA formatting, click here.