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What
a Research Paper Is A research paper is an essay of your own
that in appropriate places includes others’ words and ideas (your sources)
for support and readability. Most
research papers follow an 80/20 mix--about 80% of the words and ideas are yours which means that no more than 20% of the words and ideas belong
to others. Put another way, the vast majority of a
research paper’s words and ideas are derived from your own study and thought,
study and thought that has been done over a period of time. On occasion in the paper, words and
information from others are used to support a point you are making or when
those words or ideas are aptly stated. What
Plagiarism Is Plagiarism is the intentional or
unintentional representation of someone else’s words and ideas as your
own. Plagiarism is academic theft, a
serious crime that can result in failure of a paper, failure of a course, and/or
expulsion from a college or university.
I recall an incident in graduate school where a student inadvertently included
words he took from a book without giving credit to the author. He failed the course because of it and
nearly had to seek a degree at another school. The research paper you submit to me must be
original and conform to the above. In
addition, your paper must follow exactly either the MLA or APA format. Any deviation will result in loss of points. This may sound harsh, but there is
zero-tolerance for inexactness or for the mishandling of others’ words and
ideas in upper-division college and graduate research, so it’s best to
practice exactness now. Here is what I recommend you do: ]Read again the example paper for your format. Study its format and note carefully how the writer blends others' words with his or her own. ]Note how the writer leads into the words and ideas of others to make the transitions comfortable. ]Note how the writer marks and identifies the words and ideas of others. ]Follow the in-text citation information given in the body of the sample paper to the Works Cited Page (MLA) or the References Page (APA). ]Be sure you clearly understand how the system you have chosen works! ]Look carefully at the sources page of the sample paper to see how the page is organized. Below are the appropriate links from last week’s assignment: For
MLA—Please browse, read, study the following links and items: MLA Overview (Formatting and Style Guide) from the OWL at Purdue University MLA Sample Paper from the OWL at Purdue University MLA Sample Paper from the Bedford/St. Martins Press MLA Quick Reference Guidelines from our SCC Library For
APA—Please browse, read, study the following links and items: APA Overview (Formatting and Style Guide) from the OWL at Purdue University APA Sample Paper from the OWL at Purdue University APA Sample Paper from the Bedford/St. Martins Press APA Quick Reference Guidelines from our SCC Library |
