Basics of Philological Research Lecture No 1 Introduction into the Course. Aims and Objectives of the Course
Download 70.9 Kb.
|
ФТА= маърузалар матни
|
Basics of Philological Research Lecture No 1 Introduction into the Course. Aims and Objectives of the Course 1. Introduction This course is intended to guide students through the stages of writing research papers in their content area course by providing assistance in writing effective research papers using process approach. 2. Objectives By the end of the course students will be able: to construct and follow a well structured and achievable research paper plan to compile a literature review reflecting studies that are relevant to the student’s research paper theme to write and revise drafts to achieve a clear and direct prose style through self- and peer-reviewing. to incorporate data in different presentation modes (e.g. tables, graphs and etc.) to interpret data results, charts and tables in writing. to develop a well structured abstract for a research paper to understand the importance and implications of ethical issues such as plagiarism and intellectual property. to use proper citation and referencing style. 3. Indicative Content Analysis of a successful research papers Statement of intent Introduction Literature review Dealing with ethical issues (plagiarism, copyright, asking for permission, etc.) Presentation of data findings and analysis Referencing and citation Research conclusions 4. Approaches to teaching and learning Task-based practical work Analyzing concerning their research topic 5. Learning outcomes By the end of the course students should have demonstrate acquisition of well developed research paper structure ability of critical analysis and reflection on source materials 6. Indicative bibliography Markmen, R., Markmen, P., Waddel, M. (2001)10 Steps in Writing a Research Paper NY: Barrons Shuttleworth, M. (2005) To Write A Research Paper Cambridge: Cambridge University Press http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Research-Paper 7. Types of academic writing The four main types of academic writing are descriptive, analytical, persuasive and critical. Each of these types of writing has specific language features and purposes. In many academic texts you will need to use more than one type. For example, in an empirical thesis: you will use critical writing in the literature review to show where there is a gap or opportunity in the existing research the methods section will be mostly descriptive to summarise the methods used to collect and analyse information the results section will be mostly descriptive and analytical as you report on the data you collected the discussion section is more analytical, as you relate your findings back to your research questions, and also persuasive, as you propose your interpretations of the findings. 8. Descriptive The simplest type of academic writing is descriptive. Its purpose is to provide facts or information. An example would be a summary of an article or a report of the results of an experiment. The kinds of instructions for a purely descriptive assignment include: identify, report, record, summarise and define. 9. Analytical It’s rare for a university-level text to be purely descriptive. Most academic writing is also analytical. Analytical writing includes descriptive writing, but you also re-organise the facts and information you describe into categories, groups, parts, types or relationships. Sometimes, these categories or relationships are already part of the discipline, sometimes you will create them specifically for your text. For example, if you’re comparing two theories, you might break your comparison into several parts, for example: how each theory deals with social context, how each theory deals with language learning, and how each theory can be used in practice. The kinds of instructions for an analytical assignment include: analyse, compare, contrast, relate, examine. 10. Analytical To make your writing more analytical: spend plenty of time planning. Brainstorm the facts and ideas, and try different ways of grouping them, according to patterns, parts, similarities and differences. You could use colour-coding, flow charts, tree diagrams or tables. create a name for the relationships and categories you find. For example, advantages and disadvantages. build each section and paragraph around one of the analytical categories. make the structure of your paper clear to your reader, by using topic sentences and a clear introduction. 11. Persuasive In most academic writing, you are required to go at least one step further than analytical writing, to persuasive writing. Persuasive writing has all the features of analytical writing (that is, information plus re-organising the information), with the addition of your own point of view. Most essays are persuasive, and there is a persuasive element in at least the discussion and conclusion of a research article. Points of view in academic writing can include an argument, a recommendation, interpretation of findings or evaluation of the work of others. In persuasive writing, each claim you make needs to be supported by some evidence, for example a reference to research findings or published sources. The kinds of instructions for a persuasive assignment include: argue, evaluate, discuss, take a position. 12. Persuasive To help reach your own point of view on the facts or ideas: read some other researchers' points of view on the topic. Who do you feel is the most convincing? look for patterns in the data or references. Where is the evidence strongest? list several different interpretations. What are the real-life implications of each one? Which ones are likely to be most useful or beneficial? Which ones have some problems? discuss the facts and ideas with someone else. Do you agree with their point of view? 13. Persuasive To develop your argument: list the different reasons for your point of view think about the different types and sources of evidence which you can use to support your point of view consider different ways that your point of view is similar to, and different from, the points of view of other researchers look for various ways to break your point of view into parts. For example, cost effectiveness, environmental sustainability, scope of real-world application. 14. Persuasive To present your argument, make sure: your text develops a coherent argument where all the individual claims work together to support your overall point of view your reasoning for each claim is clear to the reader your assumptions are valid you have evidence for every claim you make you use evidence that is convincing and directly relevant. 15. Critical Critical writing is common for research, postgraduate and advanced undergraduate writing. It has all the features of persuasive writing, with the added feature of at least one other point of view. While persuasive writing requires you to have your own point of view on an issue or topic, critical writing requires you to consider at least two points of view, including your own. For example, you may explain a researcher's interpretation or argument and then evaluate the merits of the argument, or give your own alternative interpretation. Examples of critical writing assignments include a critique of a journal article, or a literature review that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of existing research. The kinds of instructions for critical writing include: critique, debate, disagree, evaluate. 16. Critical You need to: accurately summarise all or part of the work. This could include identifying the main interpretations, assumptions or methodology. have an opinion about the work. Appropriate types of opinion could include pointing out some problems with it, proposing an alternative approach that would be better, and/or defending the work against the critiques of others provide evidence for your point of view. Depending on the specific assignment and the discipline, different types of evidence may be appropriate, such as logical reasoning, reference to authoritative sources and/or research data 17. Critical Critical writing requires strong writing skills. You need to thoroughly understand the topic and the issues. You need to develop an essay structure and paragraph structure that allows you to analyse different interpretations and develop your own argument, supported by evidence. Lecture 2 General REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFICATION graduation PAPER Plan of the lecture 1. General requirements to graduation qualification paper 2. Choosing the theme of qualification graduation paper. 3. Planning the research paper. Stages in planning the research
General requirements to graduation qualification paper The research consists of Introduction, main body, conclusion, summary, and the list of used literature or reference. If research needs it may also has an Appendix. The structure of the research includes Title page Contents Introduction Main body Conclusion Summary References Appendix Title page 1. Full information about institution, faculty and department 2. The theme of the research 3. Full name of the researcher 4. Name and initials of the supervisor, information about his degree Contents page CONTENTS Introduction…………………..……..…………4 CHAPTER 1. TITLE…..………..……..............8
1.1 Title…………..……..............................8 1.2 Title …………..……..................................15 1.3 Title …………..……..................................19 CHAPTER 2. TITLE …..………..……...........23 2.1 Title…………..……..................................23 2.2 Title…………..……................................ 29 2.3 Title…………..……........................... ….37 Summary Conclusion The list of used literature Appendix INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION is on the 3rd page of the research and should be about three pages in length. Introduction conveys the following: 1. Reasons for selection of the theme of the research, its topicality and novelty 2. Define aims and objectives of the research, and methods for their solution 3. Indicate subject and object of the research, reasons for selection of material for the research 4. Analyze the level of the progress of the research in the literature 5. Describe methods used in the research 6. Show the theoretical and practical value of the research MAIN BODY Main part should contain chapters with paragraphs, with 2 to 4 chapters, the number of paragraphs in the chapters should be min 2. The research should have coherence and cohesion and contain short conclusion at the end of each paragraph and a general conclusion at the end of each chapter. The work should be grammatically and stylistically correct. A big amount of mistakes in the text may cause the failure and refuse in acceptance of the work. The research length is suggested to be 60-70 pages. The summary should reflect the value of the research and further recommendations to using its results. References show what literature was used in the research. The number of references should be more than 30 and not more than 100. Appendix organization is free and depends on the research and the researcher. The research contains information about theoretical-methodological aspects of the issue, analytical part and organizational and managing recommendations in its solution. Chapter 1 Chapter 1 is a theoretical chapter (with 2-4 paragraphs, 15-18 pages). Here it is recommended to depict basic theoretical concepts revealing the issue of the theme. The researcher should investigate the object and the subject of the research, analyze approaches to solving the issues, define the terms of the research. Special attention should be paid to exploring notions and terms given in the topic of the research, in its chapters, paragraphs, subject, aims and objectives. There is a need to analyze different points of view about the main concepts of the research. It is strongly recommended not to use only one author especially with the contradicting ideas. Analyze different authors with more traditional opinions. All in all the first chapter shows the theoretical concept of the whole research. The end of each paragraph should include findings, the end of chapter should have conclusion. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 is analytical chapter should consist of 3 paragraphs (15-18 pages). Paragraph 2.1 gives characteristics of the object of the research on the topic. It can include main trends in this field, history of the development, brief analysis of the topic of the last 5 years. Paragraph 2.2 includes empirical research of the subject of the research defined by the topic of the qualification paper. Indicate influence of the subject of the research on the results of the object described in the first chapter. Paragraph 2.3 shows the details of the subject of the research, defines problems and possibilities revealed in the process of the investigation of the subject, reasons of the issue, finds the ways of solution of the problems, formulates why it is impossible to solve them. The end of each paragraph should include findings, the end of chapter should have conclusion. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 is recommendation, organizational, practical (3 paragraphs 12-15 pages). This chapter discloses the reasons of the results, makes main conclusions, proves the theory, gives recommendations how to use it in teaching English lessons. The recommendations should be detailed and possible to use in practice. They should be connected with the results of the issue analysis, given in the second chapter. The end of each paragraph should include findings, the end of chapter should have conclusion. Conclusion and summary Conclusion assesses the perspectives of the development of the issues on the investigated topic, gives recommendations on their use. It should be critical and analytical about the process of the research, what you managed and did not manage to do, what difficulties you faced, what problems were revealed. The conclusion should be 2-3 pages in length. Summary gives brief description of the main points of the research References or literature list Composing the literature list in the qualification paper one can use two approaches: according to alphabetical order or according to the sources used Appendix Appendix may include supporting materials, described in the main body of the research and should have order of references in the main text of the research. Each appendix starts from new page. Stages in planning the research work Step 1: Selecting the subject of the research A. Think about what interests you and decide on an idea to investigate. B. Clarify the requirements of your assignment. C. Understand the limits of your resources Step 2: Narrowing the Subject into a Topic (theme) A. Read background articles and/or other sources on your subject. B. Ask questions: Who? What? Where? Why? When? How? C. Restrict your topic to a specific area. D. Write out your topic in question form.
A. Decide what point are you trying to make: What is the answer to your question? B. State what you are trying to prove (your thesis). C. Avoid
1. indisputable facts 2. opinions not supported by research Step 4: Setting Up Your Preliminary Bibliography (This is list of materials you plan to use and cite in your paper.) A. Make certain that there are enough resources available for your topic. B. Use file cards for your bibliography (a separate card for each source). Step 5: Preparing a Preliminary Outline A. Write your thesis statement on the top of the page. B. Divide your thesis into subheadings. C. Develop categories: Ask who? What? Where? When? How? Step 6: Taking Notes A. Use file cards for important ideas and facts discovered in research. B. Use a separate card for each idea and each source. C. Make certain to include on your card: 1. the outline topic or category 2. the title of the source (or an identification code) 3. the page number D. Write a summary of the information. Use your own words. This is a key step to avoid plagiarism! E. Write direct quotations only if you think you may use the quotation in your paper. F. Create a symbol of your choice to account for facts that emerge multiple times in your research. Step 7: Outlining the Paper (The outline or table of contents helps you organize information and supporting data.) A. Spread out your note cards in a logical sequence. B. Write out your thesis on the top of the paper. C. Sort, group, and put cards in order of citation. D. Consider organizing your information in one of these ways: 1. comparison 2. chronological development 3. list of examples Step 8: Writing the Draft A. Write your first rough draft. 1. use your outline 2. develop concepts B. Rewrite your rough draft. 1. reread your outline, note cards, and first draft 2. cross check your work with the Research Paper Evaluation Rubric C. Follow this sequence: 1. introduction: present ideas to be discussed, create reader interest, state thesis 2. body of your paper: expand your outline; develop and support main ideas with specific details 3. conclusion: summarize findings; restate thesis in different words 4. check mechanics, spelling, and grammar D. Read your paper aloud. E. Revise your writing once again. 1. check thesis; revise if necessary 2. check content, organization, and paragraphs 3. make sure you supported your ideas with evidence 4. check transitions: Do ideas flow smoothly from one to the next? Lecture No 3. The topicality and the novelty of the research Plan: 1. Topicality of the research 2. Novelty of the research 3. Other principles going together with novelty The topicality The purpose of research must be clear and bounded. The topicality of the research should answer the following questions: - What is the benefit of a research? Is it of significance and for whom? - Does the research contribute to the development of existing knowledge? - Reference to real problems and topics - Orientation of a research towards nowadays topics The topicality means the usefulness of the research at present development of science. Though the students usually write that this problem was not developed well in general or in the framework of the new theory. Moreover students mention the fact of not having a unity about the problem among scientists. In this case, maybe the problem was not developed because it is of no interest to anyone. While writing about the topicality of the research it is important to mention that the problem attracts attention of many researchers, but it has some blank spots. It is crucial to formulate your understanding of existing uncertainty. In the process of stating the topicality of the research it is unacceptable to neglect the works of the predecessors. It is necessary to refer to the role of the other scientists who devised the issue. It is preferable to determine to what extent the issue is typical, frequent, and can help to describe the system of the language. This means that topicality is determined by the frequency of the phenomenon. The novelty Besides the topicality the research should have novelty or originality. To follow this requirement the research should: - Take the direction to finding out something that previously was unknown - does not mean writing only about absolutely new topics, but also finding a new angle for studying previously covered research questions e.g. using different methods. 1. To what extent does your research differ from previous ones? 2. Whether your findings and conclusions are novel? To what extent are they novel? 3. Whether the research explains something in a new way. The novelty of the research can have different aspects: to overcome the challenges, which were not resolved by other researchers; to specify main notions in the light of new data; to modify methods of the research. Obviously the question of the degree of novelty arises during choosing the topic or the object of the research. The topic and the issue should be new or topical, but not old. The problems and the theories get older and the theme may become older while writing.
If the research is investigated unfaithfully and incompetently there can be a danger of disinformation. Hence, if the author claims that the issue is not developed by anyone, but he just do not know the predecessors. This is the fact of disinformation. Disinformation can be caused by terminological redundancy when familiar phenomena become unfamiliar under the new name. Not mentioning others works is not plagiarism and is not punished by law but anyway it is not better than plagiarism. That means that the researcher is unfaithful or has a lack of expertise. The results of the work should be justified by a great amount of facts, interconnection of the object and the method of the research and sequence in using them. feasibility Besides these principles the research follows the principles of feasibility – selectiveness such as temporal restrictions on conducting research and availability of data. Relevance and reliability Relevance and reliability means that researchers think of the questions have been asked from right persons, whether the data gathered are important in the context of scientific research and how the data has been gathered and analyzed: whether the used methods have been reasoned (understanding of boundaries) applicability Other important concept is applicability: - if and to what extent one can make generalization, based on research - Whether the sample has been sufficient and representative
And the objectivity always goes with novelty as - The author must be objective and not rely on his/her own personal experience, practice, prejudice, attitudes, evaluations etc. - The author must explore, describe and analyze all relevant and real causes, features and patterns that are related to observed object. Lecture No 4 Collecting materials for the research Plan of the lecture Collecting materials for the research. Criteria for choosing material of the research. Sources for theoretical and factic materials of the research Collecting material of the research Once you are confident you understand what you are being asked to do, take some time and think about how you are going to go about writing your research. Then gather and check through all of the items that you need. Remember to Keep your assignment with you so you can check you are staying on track. Read your research plan carefully Identify how long you will need (include time for planning and drafting and sending it in). Start to identify relevant material and make notes for the assignment as you study or review material. Keep a record of sources as you go for your reference section at the end. If your research requires you to search for sources of information outside of your module materials, the Internet is a great source of online journal articles, books and other sources. Gather together your notes and ideas and review them. Keeping the key words of the assignment in your mind, gather together your notes and ideas Selecting the evidence Think about the types of evidence required to support any arguments you make, such as quotes, tables, paraphrasing of other people's work. Select appropriate evidence and quotes - ask yourself how each of these will help you to answer the research questions. Make sure to note where they come from for your reference list. Collecting materials of the research Before collecting the research information you should review much literature to have general understanding of the problem. With small-scale writing projects, the literature review is likely to be done just once; probably before the writing begins. With longer projects such as a graduation qualification paper, dissertation for a Masters degree, and certainly with a PhD, the literature review process will be more extended. There are three stages at which in a reviewing the literature : an early review is needed to establish the context and rationale for your study and to confirm your choice of research focus/question; as the study period gets longer, you need to make sure that you keep in touch with current, relevant research in your field, which is published during the period of your research; as you prepare your final report or thesis, you need to relate your findings to the findings of others, and to identify their implications for theory, practice, and research. This can involve further review with perhaps a slightly different focus from that of your initial review. You need to be able to demonstrate that you are aware of current issues and research, and to show how your research is relevant within a changing context. Ways of finding relevant material Electronic sources Searching electronic databases is probably the quickest way to access a lot of material. Guidance will be available via your supervisor or librarian. There may also be key sources of publications for your subject that are accessible electronically, such as collections of documents, standards, archive material, videos, and audio-recordings. References of references If you can find a few really useful sources, it can be a good idea to check through their reference lists to see the range of sources that they referred to. This can be particularly useful if you find a review article that evaluates other literature in the field. This will then provide you with a long reference list, and some evaluation of the references it contains. Hand searching of journals No electronic literature search can be 100% comprehensive, as the match between search terms and the content of articles will never be perfect. So, despite having access to electronic databases and to electronic searching techniques, it can be surprisingly useful to have a pile of journals and books actually on your desk, and to look through the contents pages, and the individual articles. Often hand searching of journals and books will reveal ideas about focus, research questions, methods, techniques, or interpretations that had not occurred to you. Sometimes even a key idea can be discovered in this way. It is therefore probably worth allocating some time to sitting in the library, with issues from the last year or two of the most relevant journals and books for your research topic, and reviewing them for anything of relevance. To avoid printing out or photocopying a lot of material that you will not ultimately read, you can use the abstracts of articles to check their relevance before you obtain full copies. Using Primary Sources Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event, a person's life, original works of literature, historical facts, and more. They provide an immediate picture and reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of various times. Primary sources are in their original form and usually without any explanation or interpretation. They are biased, one-sided, and based on an individual’s personal, limited perspective. Some examples of primary sources: diaries & memoirs letters speech transcripts meeting minutes some newspaper articles* oral history government data official documents (birth/death certificates, treaties, etc.) autobiographies raw statistics interviews press conferences editorial or political cartoons school yearbooks maps and charts architectural plans posters musical scores live performances paintings and photographs artifacts wills grocery lists Using Secondary Sources Secondary sources are frequently written by people who were not present when the event occurred. They are often written by scholars who have themselves carefully studied primary source material and drawn their own conclusions from it. Secondary sources, as well as primary sources, may be biased, one-sided, and emotional. One type of source is not, by nature, more or less reliable than the other. Secondary sources are merely further removed from the action than primary sources. Again, any source you use must be analyzed and evaluated. Examples of secondary sources general histories biographies encyclopedia articles dictionaries editorials textbooks journal articles some government documents popular magazine articles some newspaper articles* most research sources used by students Newspaper articles Newspapers often offer the most immediate published accounts of—and reaction to—historical events. There may be some difficulty in determining whether a particular newspaper article is a primary or a secondary source. Primary sources tend to stand on their own, while secondary sources are based on other sources. The dividing line between the two can be unclear. In general, if a newspaper reporter was an eyewitness to an event and wrote a first-hand account, then that article would be considered a primary source. Yet, if a newspaper reporter relies on eyewitnesses to provide details of an event, then that article is a secondary source. However, any direct quotation from eyewitnesses interviewed in that article would be considered primary source material embedded within a secondary source Collecting factual materials of the research As you see an important stage of any research is collecting, analyzing and systematization of research material. Collecting of theoretical and factic materials is organized during pedagogical practice. Before collecting materials it is important to consult the supervisor and define what kind of work should be done and which technologies should be used; which data and documentation should be studied, how to manage time and analyze statistics. Collected material should be evaluated from the point of view of reliability and accuracy. Factic materials are systematized in the form of calculations, applications, tables, graphs, charts and diagrams. Collecting factual materials. Research data “Research data, unlike other types of information, is collected, observed, or created, for purposes of analysis to produce original research results.” Defining research data Research data, unlike other types of information, is collected, observed, or created, for purposes of analysis to produce original research results. Classification of research data Slides, artefacts, specimens, samples Collection of digital objects acquired and generated during the process of research Data files Database contents (video, audio, text, images) Models, algorithms, scripts Contents of an application (input, output, logfiles for analysis software, simulation software, schemas) Methodologies and workflows Standard operating procedures and protocols Research records The following research records may also be important to manage during and beyond the life of a project: Correspondence (electronic mail and paper-based correspondence) Project files Grant applications Ethics applications Technical reports Research reports Master lists Signed consent forms What Is Research Data? Research data can be generated for different purposes and through different processes, and can be divided into different categories. Each category may require a different type of data management plan. Simulation: data generated from test models where model and metadata are more important than output data. For example, climate models, economic models. Derived or compiled: data is reproducible but expensive. For example, text and data mining, compiled database, 3D models. Reference or canonical: a (static or organic) conglomeration or collection of smaller (peer-reviewed) datasets, most probably published and curated. Lecture No 5 Bibliography cards, note-cards and note taking Plan of the lecture: 1. Bibliography cards: why need them samples of cards 2. Note cards and note taking: why do note cards samples of cards 3. Plagiarism: avoiding plagiarism examples of paraphrasing 1. Bibliography cards You must give proper credit to all sources to avoid any hint of plagiarism. Write down all necessary documentation information before you start to take notes. Use one index card for each source, and use a special color or size for bibliography cards. Write neatly! The size is 3x5 cm Bibliography card: book: Author’name: Jones, Fred Title: The Gun Control Issue City of Publisher: Chicago Publisher: Random House Copyright: 1998. Jones, Fred. The Gun Control Issue. Chicago. Random House , 1998. Bibliography card: articles Magazine Author’name: Jones, Fred Title: The Gun Control Issue Magazine: Time Date: 15 Feb.1993 Pages: 42-51 Jones, Fred. The Gun Control Issue. Time 15 Feb. 1993: 42-51. Bibliography card: encyclopedia Author’name: Jones, Fred Title: The Gun Control Issue Title of Encyclopedia: World Book Edition/year: 1992 edition Jones, Fred. The Gun Control Issue. World Book. 1992 ed. 2. Taking Notes for Research Use index cards for taking notes. Write one idea on each card. Include: 1. Topic of notes in upper left hand corner 2. Author and title or bibliography card number in upper right corner 3. Page numbers on which information was found in lower right corner • Kinds of notes: 1. Summary: To record the general idea of a long paragraph, several paragraphs, or a chapter, summarize in your own words. 2. Paraphrase: Restate particular ideas or pieces of information from a small section in your own words. 3. Quotation: For a passage that is particularly significant or well-stated, you may quote it word for word. Be sure to use quotation marks.
Dr. Ballard had dreamed of finding the Titanic since 1973. In the summer of 1985, he found it by using a camera mounted on a small submarine. After weeks of searching, the camera spotted the wreckage field. pp. 202-203 Taking Notes Look for one central idea: Generally the topic sentence of each paragraph conveys a major idea to be discussed. The supporting evidence—or examples—usually follows. This evidence should be the main portion of your notes. Be selective; there is no need to include every example you have found. Limit yourself to ONE IDEA per note card. Write down the notes in your own words. - use your own words as a way to help you understand, summarize, and think for yourself – omit little words like “and,” “from,” and “to” – create abbreviations for yourself – make symbols like stars or arrows to label what is important Taking Notes Copy quotations accurately. use quotation marks identify the original source, in case your source is quoting another source cite exact page where the quotation appears in the source During the writing process, cite your sources carefully. (bibliography and note cards) 3. Plagiarism “Plagiarism is the deliberate act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrative material or statements of someone else, without full and proper acknowledgment, and presenting them as one's own.” (Boston College Academic Catalog, p. 34.) “Plagiarism is the failure to acknowledge the source of all information gathered in the preparation of class and written work. It includes direct quotation, paraphrase, and the borrowing of information or facts which are not common knowledge, without acknowledging the source through footnote, adequate means of citation, or proper quotation structure.” (http://www.umass.edu/umhome/policies/honesty.html) Avoiding Plagiarism “In keeping with the responsibility of the school to teach standards of scholarly work generally accepted in colleges and to promote the integrity of its students, plagiarism is regarded as a most serious matter and will be handled as a form of cheating.” (Wellesley High School Student Handbook) To avoid plagiarism, you must fully and clearly state the extent and nature of your borrowing from any source. If you do not understand what plagiarism is or how to properly cite material, check with your teacher. Whether intentional or not, plagiarism is unacceptable. Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to: • work not actually written by you. This includes if you cut and paste from any source, including an electronic source, without full and correct citation of that source. • work in which you have received more than incidental criticism. • ideas taken from books, magazines, television, films or any other sources and presented as original work. • scientific data that is not the result of the student's or assigned group's actual experimentation. • thoughts, information, interpretations or organization of ideas without proper citation. • sentences and paragraphs of borrowed material paraphrased by just changing a few words or rearranging sentences. 4. Paraphrasing Correctly One of the most difficult problems for students is learning how to correctly paraphrase. Paraphrasing involves a process by which you learn about a topic from a source, think about the main idea and how it fits into your thesis, and then write down the your ideas using your own words. Then you cite the source from which you got the idea in the first place. It is wrong to merely rephrase somebody else’s language. Paraphrasing involves a rethinking, reconsideration, and restructuring of new information as it adds to your evolving knowledge. Here is an original passage from Jung Chang's Wild Swans, a memoir that describes the chaos that resulted from the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Following the original are examples of both incorrect and correct paraphrasing. Original “...There were no principles governing either the behavior of the people or the conduct of the Party. Corruption began to come back in a big way. Officials looked after their families and friends first. For fear of being beaten up, teachers gave all pupils top marks irrespective of the quality of their work. ...Dedication to public good was openly sneered at. Mao's Cultural Revolution had destroyed both Party discipline and civic morality" (476). Version 1: Not Acceptable There were no rules guiding either the way the people behaved or the conduct of the Party. Corruption began to come back in a large way. Because they were afraid of being beaten up, teachers gave all pupils top marks regardless of the quality of their work. Dedication to public good was openly scorned. Mao's Cultural Revolution had ruined both Communist Party discipline and civic morality. Version 1 is an example of plagiarism and is not acceptable. The writer substitutes some words ( principles to rules; irrespective to regardless), drops a sentence, and changes some sentence structure (“For fear of being beaten up” became “Because they were afraid of being beaten up”). Too much of the wording and sentence structure has been borrowed. There is no citation. Version 2: Not Acceptable As Jung Chang points out, during the Cultural Revolution there were no principles that regulated the conduct of the party or the behavior of the people. Teachers acted out of fear, giving in to their students' desires for high marks regardless of the quality of their work. Former values such as the dedication to public good were sneered at. "Mao's Cultural Revolution had destroyed both Party discipline and civic morality" (476). Version 2 is an example of plagiarism and is not acceptable. This writer cites the source and does acknowledge the indebtedness to the author, but this paraphrase also borrows too much of the original organization and wording. Version 3: Not Acceptable Mao's Cultural Revolution undermined the fabric of the Communist Party and Chinese society. There was no longer the idea of acting for the nation's good. Fear and self-interest were the driving forces behind people's behavior. Party officials placed personal selfinterest over the common good. For example, teachers, rejecting party values, succumbed to the intimidation of their students and ignored academic standards. Corruption infiltrated all levels of the Party. Version 3 is an example of plagiarism and is not acceptable. The paraphrasing of words and sentence structure is fine. Although the point that Mao is the leader of the Cultural Revolution is common knowledge, the original idea, that Mao was responsible for the destruction of civic morality, is not credited to the author. Even where there is no direct use of borrowed language, credit still must be given for the author's ideas. This information must be cited. Version 4: Correctly Paraphrased Chang claims that Mao's Cultural Revolution eroded political discipline and public morality. “There were no principles governing either the behavior of the people or the conduct of the Party" (476) despite Mao's goal of restoring the pure values of Chinese Communism. Political patronage was rampant, as was grade inflation at universities. People were out for themselves or were ridiculed for their naiveté. People's actions were based more on fear than on ethics (476). Version 4 contains no plagiarism and is acceptable. The student acknowledges the author's original ideas and properly cites information. The paraphrasing is appropriate. 5. Citing Sources Citation and documentation of sources are recognition of the writer's indebtedness to others in the creation of a research report. In general, citations (formerly called footnotes) are used: • when quoting any sources’s actual words. • when using a person or source's ideas, opinion, or theories — even if completely paraphrased in your own words. • whenever you use facts, statistics, or other illustrative material from somebody else’s work. Citations should NOT be used for: • quotations that are familiar to any educated reader. • ideas that are generally accepted. • facts that are well known and undisputed. 6. Documenting Sources Document sources as you write. Insert minimal reference information in parentheses ( ) wherever you incorporate another’s words, facts, or ideas. Each source you include in a parenthetical reference must appear on your Works Cited. The ( ) should be placed just before the concluding punctuation in the same clause in which you use the borrowed material. You must also number the cards that contain that information and stack these in order. (The numbers on the cards must correspond with the numbers in your parenthetical references.) Usually the author’s last name and a page number are sufficient. Example: The South influenced Wright’s childhood and fiction (1 Fabre 49). If the author’s name appears in the sentence in your text, you need only a page number. Fabre describes Morrison’s youth and later writing as “enriched by Southern culture” (2, 49). If you are citing the work in general and you name the source and the author in the text, no citation is needed. Fabre, in his World of Richard Wright, considers Wright to be a writer of strong yet variable commitments. If you are quoting more than three lines of poetry or four lines of prose, indent one inch from the left margin and single space. No quotation marks are needed. Citation follows in ( ) after final punctuation. And I’ll pull the car up on the driveway. . . and we’ll go up to your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogs of all the great schools in America around you (3 Hansberry 89). [Based on Trimmer, Joseph F. A Guide to MLA Documentation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989.] Download 70.9 Kb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: 
|