Crafting the Research Paper: Accessing Key Library Resources

Abstract

English 102 Steps in Crafting the Research Paper 1. Accessing Research Materials For English 102, you will be using mainly library-based source materials. This means you must be able to access the CCP Library in person OR via the internet. Luckily, you can access our library 24/7 from home! You do not need a password as long as you first log in to MyCCP. PLEASE VIEW THE LIBRARY VIDEOS AND SEARCH INFORMATION DOCUMENTS IN MODULE 2 OF CANVAS FOR SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS ON LOGGING INTO AND ACCESSING THE LIBRARY COLLECTIONS! However, here is a quick overview: the Library Homepage can be found by logging in to MyCCP and clicking on the STUDENT QUICK LINKS. Here, on a tab in the middle of the page, you will see a link to the library databases from which you will download the majority of your research materials (newspaper, magazine, and scholarly journal articles), and on which you can locate books, both hard copy and e-books. As you explore the databases, please employ search techniques that will ensure you find FULL-TEXT articles – not abstracts or summaries – on your particular topic. I like to have students begin with Academic Search Ultimate, which is found by clicking on the list of library databases and then selecting it from the list (it is the second down on the left hand side). Here is how to access Academic Search Ultimate and begin your research: Log in to MyCCP, click on the STUDENT QUICK LINKS, scroll down to LIBRARY, and click on that link. On the Library Home Page, click on DATABASES (the tab in the middle of the screen). Click on A-Z DATABASE LIST, and then select ACADEMIC SEARCH ULTIMATE (second down on the left hand side).  Once you have reached the Search page, FIRST scroll down on the left side and click on the "Full Text" box, or you may only get summaries instead of full articles! To search the databases for articles In each search box, type one or two key words you want to search for. For instance, if you want to search for articles about black women on television, type African American in the first box, women in the second box, and television in the third box. Another option is to use parentheses to search: (African American OR black) in the first box, women in the second box, and (television OR media) in the third box. Using the connector "AND" between the boxes will narrow your search. For instance, "Cats AND Dogs" will give you only articles that mention both cats and dogs. Using "OR" will widen your search. "Cats OR Dogs" will give you articles that mention either cats or dogs. Using "NOT" will exclude information. "Cats NOT Dogs" will give you articles that mention cats but not dogs.   Select ONLY articles that support or provide information on your subject. Email any source materials you find to yourself, or save them to a flash drive. Do not print them unless you are certain they are useful. Some articles are 50 or more pages long. Use the CITE icon on the right side of the article to see how to format the source on your Works Cited using MLA style. To search for books and anthologies (anthologies are book-length texts on a specific topic, but each chapter or section is written by a different author): Log in to the Library Home Page. Click on BOOKS, AFTICLES, AND MORE (the tab in the middle of the page). Click on EBOOK CENTRAL (below the search box). Browse by subject or do a search. OR you can go to other databases like JSTOR and Project MUSE. OR you can visit the library itself for hard copies! Remember that you can also contact the library through ASK A LIBRARIAN in order to get assistance in your search from librarians on staff. They can direct you to information that is NOT accessible online, including books and microfilm. If you foresee problems accessing the databases or getting to the library, please contact me immediately. Which source materials are approved for use? Approved materials include articles or information from the following sources. These sources must have credible (believable, knowledgeable) authors, and must be AT LEAST THREE PAGES in length: Scholarly (Academic) Journals – These are periodicals written for professionals by other professionals. The articles are usually quite long, include a lot of information, facts, and statistics, and end with a works cited or reference page, so they’re very useful. These are marked in the databases by an icon that says “Academic Journal.” Anthologies – These are book-length texts compiled of short articles about one specific subject, such as capital punishment or addiction. The anthology is edited by one or more individuals, but each article is written by a different author or authors. They are generally not available online. Weekly News Magazines – These are magazines which are published each week, and which cover a variety of current events and topics. The articles are written by journalists and tend to be rather short. They are marked in the databases by an icon that says “Periodical.” Subject-Specific Magazines – These are magazines which are published monthly or bi-monthly, and which focus on a specific topic or issue of interest (i.e. Psychology Today or Scientific American). The articles are generally written by journalists, but may also be written by authorities in the field. They are marked in the databases by an icon that says, “Periodical.” Monthly Magazines – These are general-interest magazines which are published monthly and which cover a wide range of topics (i.e. Women’s Day or Field and Stream). The articles are written by journalists. They are marked in the databases by an icon that says, “Periodical.” Newspapers – These appear daily or weekly, and cover a wide range of current topics. However, many newspaper articles lack authors and are shorter than three pages in length, which means they might not meet approval for use your paper. Books – These are full-length texts written by one or more authors. They are generally very detailed and include a lot of information and statistics, but the information may be slightly out of date. They are generally not available online; however, you might find an ebook on the library website. Webpages – These are informational texts which appear on websites on the internet and which run the gamut from current to out-of-date and from credible to biased and useless. They can be written by authorities in the field, or by dimwits and people out to take your money. For this reason, you will only use the internet to find source material that is unavailable on the databases. If you want to use a webpage, please send me a link so I can examine and approve its use. Some sources which you might find helpful can be found on government and educational websites, or on organizational websites written by what we call “corporate authors,” for instance, the Red Cross, or the American Civil Liberties Union. Media Broadcasts/ Documentaries – These are hour-long to movie-length videos or films about particular subjects, produced by reputable agencies or news outlets, and meant to educate the public about specific issues. Materials which ARE NOT approved include Non-credible or non-authoritative articles from the Web (Yahoo, Google, Wikipedia, etc.) Articles that have no author Articles shorter than three pages in length Book Reviews Reference Books (Dictionaries, Encyclopedias) Juvenile Literature (young adult books) Fiction, Novels, Plays, Poetry Fictional Films, Sitcoms, Sound Bites, Mockumentaries, Personal YouTube Videos Important information about the pagination (page number organization) of materials available in print, on the databases, and on the Internet: Print materials are those which you access in person, such as books and anthologies. Print materials generally have visible page numbers which you can use when documenting information from them in your paper. Electronic materials are those which you access through a computer or other electronic device, such as articles on databases or on the internet. Electronic materials may or may not have visible page numbers to use when documenting information. Here is how to tell the difference: When you find an article on the databases, DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY CLICK ON THE TITLE. First, look below the posted information to see whether a PDF version is available (there should be a small red icon which says “PDF”). Click that on to view a PHOTOGRAPHIC version of the article. Page numbers should be visible. You can use these page numbers when it is time to document information from the article. If there is no PDF icon below the article information in the databases, click on the HTML icon instead. This will give you a non-photographic version of the text – one which has been re-typed from the original, and which will lack page numbers. When it is time to document information from the article, you will have to count each paragraph and number it, and then document the paragraph number from which you are taking information. Obviously, it is easier to use PDF files than HTML files. Webpages do not have page numbers, either! You may have to count paragraphs for webpage material, like you do for HTML files. One final note: please do not be confused by the page numbers your printer assigns to articles, if you choose to print them out. Printer page numbers ARE NOT the page numbers of the articles. 2. Creating a Works Cited Page or Pages A works cited is simply a list of all the sources you have used to construct your research paper. However, it must follow a very specific format. In English courses, we use MLA (Modern Language Association) style to construct our works cited. Below are various works cited source entries from the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) website and from actual student papers. Note that these source entries are written in Times New Roman 12 point font (as is this whole handbook), and that each entry uses hanging indents (the first line of each entry is flush with the left margin, while the second and third lines are indented). Here are a few details to look for as you scan the entries: Titles of articles are enclosed in quotation marks. Titles of magazines, academic journals, newspapers, and books are italicized. Page numbers (for print or PDF files), paragraph numbers (for HTML files), or web addresses (URLs for web pages) are included after the publication date. Some databases provide what are called Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) instead of URLs. Use DOIs, if available, instead of URLs. “Accessed” indicates the specific day, month, and year you accessed the source online. Below each source entry I have explained important details about the source. Works Cited Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." The New York Times, 22 May 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/earth/22ander.html?_r=0. Accessed 12 May 2016. Explanation: This is a newspaper article accessed through The New York Times website. Note that the author’s name is arranged “Last Name, First Name,” the title of the article is enclosed in quotation marks, the name of the newspaper is italicized, and the date the article was published is included. The URL for the website and the date the article was accessed complete the source entry. DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010. U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Reports: P60-239. Washington: GPO, 2011. Explanation: This is a book-length government report written by three authors. Note that all three authors are listed, with the name of the first author appearing “Last Name, First Name,” and the remainder of the authors appearing “First Name Last Name.” Also, note that the last name of the first author begins with the letters “DeN,” which means it would follow, alphabetically, the last name of the author of the previous source entry, “Dean.” Works Cited are arranged alphabetically by authors’ last names. The title of the report is italicized because it is a full-length source. The name of the government agency is listed, as are the pertinent page numbers of the report. The place of publication, publishing agency, and year of publication follow. This was a print, rather than an online, source. Gowdy, John. "Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of Sustainability." International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2007, pp. 27-36. Explanation: This is an academic [also called “scholarly”] journal article. After the title of the article and the name of the journal you will see the volume and issue numbers, the year of publication, and the page numbers on which the article appeared. If you were to access this through the library databases, you would also be provided with a DOI, which you would include after the page numbers. An Inconvenient Truth. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, performances by Al Gore and Billy West, Paramount, 2006. Explanation: This is a documentary movie. The entry is alphabetized by the movie’s title (“Inconvenient” rather than “An”). The title also is italicized because this is a full-length film. The stars, the film’s producer and the year of distribution are included. Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. Springer, 2005. Explanation: This is a book. Notice that the title is italicized, and the two-parts of the title are separated by a colon. The publisher and year of publication are also included, but no page numbers are listed. This is because we assume you have read the whole book. Milken, Michael, et al. "On Global Warming and Financial Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 4, 2006, p. 63. Explanation: This is an academic journal article written by more than three authors. Note the use of “et al” after the first author’s name to indicate that more than three authors wrote the article. Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global Warming." American Economic Review, vol. 96, no. 2, 2006, pp. 31-34. ---. "Global Warming Economics." Science, vol. 294, no. 5545, 9 Nov. 2001, pp. 1283-84, DOI: 10.1126/science.1065007. Explanation: These two articles were written by the same author. We use “---” when indicating that the same author wrote two or more articles or books included on a works cited. Also, note that the first source entry is for an academic journal article while the second source entry is for a magazine article accessed through the databases. A DOI is included. Regas, Diane. “Three Key Energy Policies That Can Help Us Turn the Corner on Climate.” Environmental Defense Fund, 1 June 2016, www.edf.org/blog/2016/06/01/3-key-energy- policies-can-help-us-turn-corner-climate. Accessed 19 July 2016. Explanation: This is an article from the Environmental Defense Fund web page. Note that the title of the web page is italicized, a URL is included, and the date of access is indicated. Revkin, Andrew C. “Clinton on Climate Change.” The New York Times, 17 May 2007, www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/[phone]38/clinton-on-climate- change.html. Accessed 29 July 2016. Explanation: This is an article with an embedded video posted on The New York Times website. Zuckerman, Mortimer. “Why We Cannot Live With a Nuclear Iran.” U.S. News Digital Weekly 20 March 2009: 14 paragraphs. www.usnews.com. Accessed 18 October 2012. Explanation: This is a magazine article from a weekly publication. The date is followed by the total number of paragraphs, since this article was in HTML form and didn’t include page numbers. The works cited represents the last page or pages of your research paper. You will be practicing this format in several of your smaller papers. Please use MLA style in creating it. You will find exhaustive information about its structure on the Purdue OWL (online writing lab) website, to which I have provided links. Also, remember the library databases provide icon links and tabs to assist you in translating information from a source to the proper works cited format. 3. Taking a Position The paper you will be writing is considered both argumentative AND persuasive in nature. This means that the essay's purpose is, first, to argue for or against a specific idea, proposal, situation, or issue.  However, it is not enough that you simply state your opinion; you must also analyze the topic's complexities and offer supporting materials that will persuade your reader that your viewpoint is valid and well-researched. This is the persuasive part of the assignment. It is therefore important that you select a controversial and complex subject for your paper. You must be able to take a position on the topic, and support that position with quoted, paraphrased, and summarized source material. Here are some pointers on taking a position:  If your topic offers no authoritative research material, it is not a good subject for an essay.  If your topic is focused on beliefs or emotions to the exclusion of objective information, it is not a good subject to pursue. You cannot "prove" feelings. Do not select an issue with which everyone already agrees. For instance, we know smoking is bad for your health. That is not controversial; there is no opposing viewpoint. Finally, do not base your essay on deeply held religious or moral convictions. You will not be able to convince an audience that you are "right" unless its members already share your convictions.  You can also visit either of the two library databases which list possible persuasive research topics, CQ Researcher and Issues and Controversies. While these databases don’t, generally, provide source material that meets approval for the research paper, they are a good place to begin generating ideas. I would suggest you take some time to create a list of topics that interest you, and then see what is available in terms of source material. 4. Constructing a Thesis Statement: As you construct a thesis statement, think in terms of WHO, WHY, and HOW:  Who would benefit by reading about this issue? Why did the issue take place? How can we keep it from happening again in the future?  OR Who is responsible for making a particular change? Why is it important that the change occur? How can it be implemented or put into practice?  OR Who believes in a specific idea or mindset? Why do they believe what they do? How can we alter that specific idea or mindset? There are many options, but you must create a thesis that is both arguable AND fairly complex. For example, here is an INARGUABLE THESIS: Smoking is dangerous. (It is a statement of fact, obvious, and something we already agree is true.) Here is a BETTER THESIS: Many teenagers take up smoking because their peers convince them that it has social, emotional, and physical benefits, but parents can prevent teens from taking up the practice by talking to them about its dangers. (The WHO is teenagers who take up smoking, the WHY is because their peers convince them it has benefits, and the HOW is parents preventing this by talking about smoking’s dangers.) INARGUABLE THESIS: Abortion is morally wrong. (You cannot prove a conviction.) BETTER THESIS: Pregnant women who are considering abortion because of fetal abnormalities should be aware that recent advances in pre- and post-natal care mean that babies who, a few years ago, would not have survived long after birth can now successfully exist outside the womb. (The WHO is pregnant women considering abortion due to fetal is abnormality, the WHY is because there have been advances which increase the chances of a baby surviving, and the HOW is by being made aware of these advances.) As you construct your thesis statement, think about a prospective audience, what you want that audience to understand or know about this controversial subject, and why. Do not worry that a thesis statement is too long; it can always be cut back. BE SURE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT IS ONE, OR AT THE MOST, TWO SENTENCES IN LENGTH. Once you have crafted a clear thesis statement, you are ready to begin writing your research paper. We will be dividing the process into clear steps. DO NOT sit down tonight and begin writing the paper. I will guide you through the sections in a methodical way during the next few weeks. You CANNOT begin your paper until you have a well-structured thesis statement.  I will let you know when I think your thesis is complete. A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF POTENTIAL TOPICS AND THESIS STATEMENTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FIRST MODULE OF THIS COURSE! PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! 5. Crafting Topic Sentences A topic sentences tells your audience what a particular body paragraph in your essay is going to be about. Its main purpose is to show how the material in the paragraph will support the thesis. In your research paper, you will make the topic sentences the FIRST SENTENCE in each body paragraph. You will be constructing topic sentences for each of your 5-7 body paragraphs; thus, you must decide in advance what each body paragraph is going to be about. In order to do this, you should divide your thesis into parts and analyze what needs to be discussed in the paper so that each part of the thesis is clear and well supported.    Let's look at an example. Let's say our thesis statement is one of those I constructed in the previous handout: Pregnant women who are considering abortion because of fetal abnormalities should be aware that recent advances in pre- and post-natal care mean that babies who, a few years ago, would not have survived long after birth can now successfully exist outside the womb. If we take this thesis apart, we can see that we have a number of topics to discuss so that the thesis is clear and well supported: First, we have to discuss why pregnant women whose fetuses are abnormal might consider abortion. Second, we have to explain the recent advances in pre- and post-natal care. Third, we should consider the past mortality rates of these babies. Fourth, we must show that mortality rates are now better. Fifth, we have to contrast the decision to abort with the decision to let the pregnancies go to term. Here, then, we have five possible topics for body paragraphs in the essay. Each of these can be reworked into a topic sentence which will focus that particular paragraph. For example: Pregnant women whose fetuses show abnormalities may decide, for a number of reasons, to select abortion. (I could then detail what those reasons are.) Recently, there have been many striking advances in pre- and post-natal care. (I will discuss what those advances are.) In the past, mortality rates for abnormal infants has been very high. (I will show the history of these mortality rates.) Today, mortality rates have improved. (I will show today’s mortality rates.) Thus, women might choose to let pregnancies go to term instead of choosing abortion. (I will demonstrate that the women have a choice, if they wish to select it.) You can see that a well-crafted thesis statement will offer many opportunities for clearly focused topic sentences.  If you find that your thesis needs to be revised to adapt to potential topic sentences, go ahead and revise it! Likewise, if, as you begin your research, you find you cannot support some of your topic sentences, you can change both the thesis and the topic sentence to better reflect the information you’re finding. 6. Selecting Support Material The next step in developing body paragraphs (we will be getting to introductions and conclusions, but not yet ... please be patient!) is to find support material in the form of direct quotations, paraphrases or summaries. Remember that every piece of source material you select should explain and support your topic sentence AND your thesis. If it is irrelevant to either of these, it doesn't belong in the paper! You should know WHY you are using each quotation, paraphrase, or summary, and HOW it will assist you in constructing the paper! NO quotation should be more than four typed lines in length. If it is longer than this, it requires a different format; plus, it demonstrates laziness on your part because you are relying too heavily on "filler." In these cases, you must cut the quotation down, paraphrase or summarize part of it, or use ellipses (more on those later). Your source material for EACH PARAGRAPH should be drawn from a wide variety of sources. Find an assortment of research information so you are not relying on just one article or book in each body paragraph. In order to be convincing, you must demonstrate that you have explored a lot of different kinds of evidence and consulted several authorities on the subject. Once you have constructed your body paragraph topic sentences, you can begin to support those sentences with quotations, paraphrases, and summaries from your sources. In your final research paper, you will include between 4 and 7 quotations, paraphrases, or summaries for EACH topic sentence.  Let's begin with quotations. Quoting Quotations are sections from a source which you choose to include in your research paper. These sections are copied word-for-word, exactly as they appeared in the original source. Here are the rules: Quotations should be ACCURATE. Be sure the spelling, punctuation, and all words are reproduced exactly. Quotations should begin and end with DOUBLE QUOTATION MARKS: “like this.” Quotations should take up NO MORE THAN FOUR TYPED LINES of your paper. Quotations should be INTEGRATED into your sentences (more about that later). Quotations should be DOCUMENTED or CITED (see below). Here is an example of a quotation from an article about school attendance found on the Purdue University OWL website: According to Dr. Roger Sipher, a long-time educational advisor to the New York State public schools, the solution to the perceived crisis of American education is to “abolish compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are committed to getting an education to attend” (para. 3). Explanation: I have introduced the author and his credentials, and have incorporated the quotation into my sentence using double quotation marks. At the end of the quotation, I have included a parenthetical citation with the paragraph number in which that quotation is found. The period goes after the citation. Here is a quotation within a quotation (something that is already in quotation marks). This example is from a book about health and weight: Professor Paul Campos, who wrote the book The Obesity Myth: Why America’s Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to your Health, says that many experts agree with him: “Gaesser points out in his book Big Fat Lies, ‘there has not been a single study that has truly evaluated the effects of weight alone on health’” (19). Explanation: I have introduced the author of the article, mentioned his credentials, and enclosed what he says in double quotation marks. Campos’s quotation mentions the author of the book, whom he is quoting. The single quotation marks indicate what Gaesser says in his book. There are three quotation marks at the end to indicate the end of the interior quote, by Gaesser, and the exterior quote, by Campos. After those comes the parenthetical citation, which tells us the page number of the Campos book on which these quotations appear. Here is a quotation from the OWL website that spans two paragraphs: “Abolition of archaic attendance laws would produce enormous dividends,” says Sipher. “First, it would alert everyone that school is a serious place where one goes to learn” (paras. 9-10). Explanation: I have incorporated the quotations into two sentences, with the name of the author between. The parenthetical citation shows that the first quotation appeared in paragraph 9 and the second in paragraph 10. Here is an example of a topic sentence and two quotations from a sample paper: Topic Sentence: The U.S. government should abandon Body Mass Index recommendations because focusing on weight loss and dieting does not adequately address the health concerns traditionally associated with obesity. Explanation: This topic sentence indicates that the paragraph will discuss abandoning BMI recommendations because they don’t address the health concerns we associate with obesity. Quotation #1: Greg Crister, author of Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, notes that “Body weight guidelines – and the entire infrastructure of promoting weight loss – lay in long, deep, and convincing science that body weight is inversely related to health. Over and over, studies show: The fatter you are, the more likely you are to be sick, feel sick, and die young” (105). Explanation: This quotation by a respected author sets up the traditional idea that BMI is linked to health; it says that in the past, we’ve always assumed that if you’re fat, you’re unhealthy. The citation at the end shows the page number from the book on which this quotation appeared. Quotation #2: "Patients are deceived when they are given the notion that they are not normal or cannot be healthy unless they reach some narrowly defined body size,” says W. C. Miller of the Exercise Science Programs at George Washington University Medical Center. “The discrimination and prejudice directed at overweight people encourage unhealthful behaviors, such as eating disorders and excessive exercise, while discouraging eating and exercising for health" (S91). Explanation: This quotation supports the idea mentioned in the topic sentence that health is not linked to body mass, but instead might be linked to eating and exercising disorders. The author and his credentials are mentioned. The citation is a page number preceded by a letter, which is the way it appears in the article. Thus, you will see that each of these quotations explains and/or supports the topic sentence. You will also note that they are fairly long, but not over four printed lines in length, and are followed immediately by parenthetical citations that tell us the page number on which that particular quotation was found. Paraphrasing Paraphrasing can be very difficult. When you paraphrase, you are taking someone else’s idea and putting THE WHOLE THING into your own words. Unless you are careful, you could end up plagiarizing the material. Here are the rules: When you paraphrase, ALWAYS BEGIN with the name of the person whose idea you are paraphrasing. This is because, unlike with quotations, your reader will not know where your idea ends and another person’s idea begins. Giving credit to an author by stating his or her name first is called ATTRIBUTION. When you finish your paraphrase, you must always include a citation, just as you would with a quotation. You won’t need to put the author’s last name in the parentheses if you have already mentioned it (Please see information on citations, below). When you paraphrase, you MUST change not only ALL THE WORDS, but also the SYNTAX AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE of the original text; otherwise, you will be plagiarizing. ALWAYS use your own style. When you paraphrase, it’s sometimes easier to MIX QUOTATIONS into the sentence. Below are some examples of paraphrasing from the Purdue OWL website and from Professor Amy Anu-Birge’s class materials. First, I am going to show you the original conclusion of Roger Sipher’s essay (this is a direct quotation): “Schools should be for education. At present, they are only tangentially so. They have attempted to serve an all-encompassing social function, trying to be all things to all people. In the process they have failed miserably at what they were originally formed to accomplish” (para. 17) Here is a paraphrase of that conclusion: Roger Sipher concludes his essay by insisting that schools have not fulfilled their primary duty of education because they overreach, trying to do too much, and in too many areas, for too many individuals (para. 17). Explanation: You will see that this paraphrase uses all new language to condense the original quotation into one sentence. Although it pulls together Sipher’s main ideas, it is composed using different diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence structure and order of words). You will also notice that the paraphrase begins with Sipher’s full name, so we know the original idea belongs to him, and that the paraphrase ends with a citation which tells us which paragraph is being paraphrased. Here is a rather cumbersome and complex direct quotation by Paul Campos: “The literature on the health effects of dieting and diet drugs suggests that, as Gaesser pointed out, what most studies that find a correlation between higher mortality and higher body mass really demonstrate is a correlation between higher mortality and higher rates of dieting and diet-drug use” (20). Here is a simpler paraphrase of that sentence: Campos notes that the very research that seems to indicate that being overweight can kill a person actually shows that it’s riskier to use various weight-loss methods than to be fat (20). Explanation: The paraphrase here simplifies and clarifies the original quotation, so readers know what Campos is trying to say. Although both the original quotation and the paraphrase are only one sentence long, the paraphrase is shorter and more direct, and therefore easier to understand. Again, the language is completely different, as is the syntax (the sentence structure and order of words). Also, the paraphrase begins with the author’s name and ends with a citation which indicates page number. Here is an alternate paraphrase that includes part of the original quotation: Campos notes that many studies which set out to prove that being overweight is lethal might, conversely, show “a correlation between higher mortality and higher rates of dieting and diet-drug use” (20). Explanation: This includes both paraphrase and direct quotation. You can choose to mix paraphrase and direct quotation in cases where you like some of the author’s original words, and want to use them, but where the original full quotation is too long or confusing to include in the paper. Summarizing Summary is taking a large amount of text and condensing it into a smaller package by focusing on its main points. Once again, as with paraphrase, it is important to put all the information and ideas into your own words. Summary is useful if you want to include, say, a number of main ideas from an article or book chapter, but you don’t need the original quotations. When summarizing, include ONLY the main points unless the material would not make sense without examples. When summarizing, be sure to ATTRIBUTE the ideas to the original source using the author’s last name. Remember that a summary is SHORTER than the original, and takes a BROAD OVERVIEW. It is possible to summarize a short article into one paragraph. BEGIN by putting the main idea into your own words, using your own sentence structure; THEN find the secondary points and paraphrase those. USE QUOTATIONS SPARINGLY. Here is a summary of the entire Sipher article from the Purdue OWL website: Roger Sipher makes his case for getting rid of compulsory-attendance laws in primary and secondary schools with six arguments. These fall into three groups – first that education is for those who want to learn and by including those that don’t want to learn, everyone suffers. Second, that grades would be reflective of effort and elementary school teachers wouldn’t feel compelled to pass failing students. Third, that schools would both save money and save face with the elimination of compulsory-attendance laws (paras. 1-17). Explanation: The entire article, which is several pages long, has been summed up in four sentences. Only the main ideas in the article have been included in the summary, and the language is different from that in the original. The summary begins with the author’s full name and ends with a citation which notes the entire number of paragraphs in the essay. Citation (Also Called Parenthetical Documentation) When you use a quotation, a paraphrase, or a summary in your paper, or even in an outline, you must include information at the end of that quotation, paraphrase, or summary which tells where you got it. This is called a citation. You’ve seen some types of citations already, above. Citations usually includes page or paragraph numbers; however, they can also include author’s or authors’ names. In MLA style writing, we call citation “parenthetical documentation,” which simply means that you’re documenting the source’s origin by putting it in parentheses at the end of your quotation, paraphrase, or summary. There are a few rules. When citing BOOKS, use PAGE NUMBERS in your citation. Here is an example of a direct quotation from a book followed by a citation which indicates the page number (We’ve seen this before): Crister notes that “Body weight guidelines – and the entire infrastructure of promoting weight loss – lay in long, deep, and convincing science that body weight is inversely related to health. Over and over, studies show: The fatter you are, the more likely you are to be sick, feel sick, and die young” (105). Explanation: The quotation begins with name of the person who wrote the book and ends with the page number on which this particular quotation can be found. The quotation is exact, word for word as it appears in the book. And the period at the end of the sentence ENCLOSES the citation, so we know the citation belongs to the quotation. When citing ARTICLES WITH VISIBLE PAGE NUMBERS (such as PDF files found on the databases), use PAGE NUMBERS. Here is an example of a direct quotation from an article followed by a citation which indicates the page number (We’ve seen this before, too): Campos says, “The literature on the health effects of dieting and diet drugs suggests that, as Gaesser pointed out, what most studies that find a correlation between higher mortality and higher body mass really demonstrate is a correlation between higher mortality and higher rates of dieting and diet-drug use” (20). Explanation: The quotation begins with the name of the person who wrote the article and ends with the page number on which this particular quotation can be found. The quotation is exact, word for word as it appears in the article. And the period at the end of the sentence ENCLOSES the citation, so we know the citation belongs to the quotation. Here is an example of a paraphrase from an article followed by a citation which indicates the page number (This should also look familiar): Campos notes that the very research that seems to indicate that being overweight can kill a person actually shows that it’s riskier to use various weight-loss methods than to be fat (20). Explanation: The paraphrase begins with the name of the person who wrote the article and ends with the page number on which this particular idea can be found. The paraphrase uses DIFFERENT words than in the original quotation, but conveys the original quotation’s main point or points. The period at the end of the sentence encloses the citation, so we know the citation belongs to the paraphrase. When citing ARTICLES WITHOUT VISIBLE PAGE NUMBERS (such as HTML files found on the databases or articles on the Web), use PARAGRAPH NUMBERS. Here is an example of a direct quotation from an article WITHOUT VISIBLE PAGE NUMBERS followed by a citation which indicates the PARAGRAPH NUMBER from which this quotation was taken: Sipher says, “Schools should be for education. At present, they are only tangentially so. They have attempted to serve an all-encompassing social function, trying to be all things to all people. In the process they have failed miserably at what they were originally formed to accomplish” (para. 17). Explanation: Because this quotation was taken from an article on a website, there is no page number visible. This would also be true if it were taken from an article on the web. Here, I have counted the number of paragraphs in the article, and have cited by paragraph number. The period encloses the citation so we know the citation belongs to the quotation. When citing a QUOTE WITHIN A QUOTE, use the AUTHOR’S LAST NAME for the original source, the AUTHOR’S LAST NAME for the SOURCE YOU ARE READING, and the PAGE OR PARAGRAPH NUMBER of the SOURCE YOU ARE READING. Here is an example of a quote within a quote from an article with page numbers: Paul Campos notes that “Gaesser points out in his book Big Fat Lies, ‘there has not been a single study that has truly evaluated the effects of weight alone on health’” (Gaesser as qtd. by Campos 19). Explanation:...