LESSON 11 CONTENTS:

Learning Objectives

I. The Role of Sources in Research

II. Citing Your Sources

III. Plagiarism

IV. Documentation Styles

V. Key Points to Remember

Lesson Eleven Quiz

Lesson Eleven Exercise

II. Citing your sources

A research paper, by definition, includes ideas and facts gathered from other sources. As you write your paper, you will summarize, paraphrase, or quote directly from these sources. To let your reader know that you have taken information from someplace else, you must give credit to your sources through proper documentation, i.e. you must cite your sources. The process of acknowledging the sources you use is also known as documenting your sources.

Why do you have to cite your sources?

• To enable your reader to find a source you used and read it for themselves by giving them all the bibliographic information they need to find it. This information is known as a citation, and must include author, title, and publication information.
  
  
• To make it absolutely clear to your reader which words and ideas are your own, and which come from your sources.

If you incorporate information into your research paper and don’t carefully and fully cite your sources, you are guilty of plagiarism.