Using and Integrating Sources in Your Writing
In university, your writing (including exams, essays, lab reports, etc.) demonstrates that you yourself have engaged in a process of learning. In the professional world, presentations of original work demonstrate your status as a scholar or expert. For that reason, in your writing you must always be clear about which words and ideas are yours, and which come from other sources.
What if I didn't mean to cheat?
Even if you do not intend to cheat, it is still possible to plagiarize accidentally if you use sources incorrectly.
It is perfectly fine to make use of the words and ideas of others (including friends, professors, written sources, etc.) as examples or evidence. However, you must make sure that any reader can distinguish your ideas and creations from the ideas and creations you have discovered in the source material of others.
How can I be sure?
The best way to learn how to integrate sources into your writing is to see how the experts do it: read works by scholars and notice how they manage to use the words and ideas of others clearly.
In your own writing, you must:
- In your document (paper, essay, speech, etc.), identify the presence of ideas/creations that you have taken from the source material of others, whether you directly quote, paraphrase, or summarize those ideas. Do this with words such as "according to…" or "as Dr. X said…" and in-text citations.
- In your reference list, provide a complete bibliographic reference for each source.
You must take both steps. Listing a source only in your reference list is not adequate. To help your reader distinguish your original ideas and content from those created by others, you must show the origin of any word or ideas not your own immediately after their use in your document with an in-text citation.
But, I did it that way before...
Expectations and standards for academic writing are not the same across the world, nor are they the same in all fields of study. Do not assume you can apply previously learned techniques. It is your responsibility to seek information and ask questions of your professors until you are sure you understand their expectations and the standards at Eastern Michigan University.
EMU Plagiarism Policy
The EMU Student Conduct Code treats plagiarism as an Academic Dishonesty violation. You may be charged and disciplined. See EMU's Code of Community Responsibility.
Learning to write with sources: Read!
Writing with sources is something is best learned by reading to get a feel for how experienced writers manage it. With attentive reading and practice, you will begin to recognize skilled use of sources. Reading in different classes and subjects will give you the opportunity to notice major disciplinary differences, such as how sources are handled in literary essays compared to scientific research papers. Some students like to go through some classic writing samples in their discipline with a marker to notice how the authors work with sources.
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practice reading for source usage: "Selling whiteness? - A critical review..."Open the PDF of this article. Highlight the text in which the author is paraphrasing or describing ideas or creations that are not her own. In a different color, highlight the text that is expressing the author's own views. Notice how she embeds examples and evidence from other sources into her own original argument. How can you tell when she is reporting existing knowledge and when she is making an original argument?
APA Style
These links offer advice for using APA Style and have enough information for most student papers.
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APA 7th ed. Quick Reference GuideCharts detail how to create a reference for a journal article, book, and a book chapter.
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APA Style Reference ExamplesThis page offers links to example references for common types of materials such as journal articles, magazine articles, books, chapters from edited books, dissertations, etc.
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APA Style 7th ed. @ Purdue OWLInformation on the format, in-text citations and the reference page for 7th ed. APA research papers. There are also links to archived pages for APA 6th information.
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APA Style Blog 7th ed.Official blog with posts on common questions about 7th ed APA style.
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Citation ToolsTools for creating citations and managing references.
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Microsoft Word / Google Docs: APA Formatting HelpTips for formatting documents in APA style in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
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APA Student Paper Setup GuideGuide from APA showing how to set up an APA Style student paper.
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How to cite ChatGPTHow to cite ChatGPT or other AI models in APA style.
Citing sources: the silly version
This video from Kimbel Library of Coastal Carolina University gives the wonderful and disturbing story of citations.
Improve Writing Skills
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University Writing CenterOne-to-one writing consultations by appointment, both in-person and online, and also by email.
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Purdue Online Writing LabUseful resources on writing process, mechanics, grammar, citation styles, writing in specific subject fields, job search writing, etc.