{"id":228,"date":"2019-05-08T13:41:32","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T17:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=228"},"modified":"2019-05-22T00:58:21","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T04:58:21","slug":"2-4-citing-sources","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/chapter\/2-4-citing-sources\/","title":{"raw":"2.4 Citing sources","rendered":"2.4 Citing sources"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Questions for reflection<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What kind of sources have you used in the workplace? How has this differed from the kind of sources you\u2019ve used in school?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Why do you think the rules that we have around source use exist? Why do we cite sources?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How does your culture handle using other people\u2019s ideas and words? Who \u201cowns\u201d an idea? How do you respectfully use someone\u2019s words?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What questions do you have about citation?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What\u2019s your definition of \u201cacademic integrity?\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do you think that the rules of \u201cacademic integrity\u201d apply to the workplace?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>When you use researched sources, do you typically paraphrase, summarize, or quote other ideas\/words?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What do you think about when deciding whether to quote or paraphrase?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Are you comfortable writing someone else\u2019s idea in your own words?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Karan's story<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nWhen Karan studied in India, he wasn\u2019t expected to cite. When he started studying in Canada, he was surprised by the length of the writing assignments. He didn\u2019t know how to use sources, so he copied and pasted a few paragraphs into his assignment and hoped he\u2019d done it right.\r\nHe was worried when his teacher asked to meet with him. She said that he\u2019d plagiarized, and that he could get into a lot of trouble. Luckily, Karan\u2019s teacher decided to help him and not report him. She explained that in North American schools, you must distinguish between what\u00a0words\u00a0are yours and what come from the source, and what\u00a0ideas\u00a0are yours and what come from the source. Karan learned to use quotation marks to show what words came from the source, and to paraphrase by never looking directly at the source.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">In this section, we\u2019ll tackle how to use sources ethically, analyze them, and combine them into an effective argument.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBut first: a note about the difference between workplace citation and academic citation.\r\n\r\nIn the workplace, you may often find yourself using your colleague\u2019s words without crediting them. For example, your boss might ask you to write a grant application using text from previous grant applications. Many people might work on the same document or you might update a document written by someone else.\r\n\r\nIn the workplace, your employer usually owns the writing you produce, so workplace writing often doesn\u2019t cite individual authors (though contributors are usually named in an acknowledgements section if it\u2019s a large project\/report). That doesn\u2019t mean that you should take credit for someone else\u2019s work, but in general a lot of sharing and remixing goes on within an organization.\r\n\r\nFor example, say that you work in HR and have been asked to launch a search for a new IT manager. You might use a template to design the job posting or update copy of the ad you posted the last time you hired someone for this role. No one would expect you to come up with an entirely new job posting just because it was originally written by someone who\u2019s left the company.\r\n\r\nThat said, writers in the workplace often use a wide range of sources to build their credibility. Citation is not only an ethical practice, but it is also a great persuasive strategy. The citation practices you learn in school will therefore serve you well in the workplace.\r\n\r\nIn school in North America, the context is different. Unless your instructor specifically tells you otherwise, they will assume that you wrote everything in your assignment, unless you use quotation marks.\r\n<h2>What is academic integrity?<\/h2>\r\nDifferent universities have different definitions. Here is the definition we use at Kwantlen Polytechnic University:\r\n<div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\nThe University ascribes to the highest standards of academic integrity. Adhering to these standards of academic integrity means observing the values on which good academic work must be founded: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.\u00a0\u00a0Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with these values. These standards of academic integrity require Students to not engage in or tolerate Integrity Violations, including falsification, misrepresentation or deception, as such acts violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.\r\n\r\nYou can read the full policy\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kpu.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/Policies\/ST2%20Student%20Academic%20Integrity%20Policy.pdf\">here<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">In other words, you must take full responsibility for your work, acknowledge your own efforts, and acknowledge the contributions of others\u2019 efforts. Working\/ writing with integrity requires accurately representing what you contributed as well as acknowledging how others have influenced your work. When you are a student, an accurate representation of your knowledge is important because it will allow both you and your professors to know the extent to which you have developed as a scholar.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nIt\u2019s worth noting that other cultures have different \u2013 equally valid \u2013 definitions of academic integrity. By making you aware of what we mean by academic integrity in this context, you can be aware of the expectations that are being placed on you.\r\n<h2>What is plagiarism?<\/h2>\r\nLet\u2019s take a look at a common definition of plagiarism. This one comes from Ohio State University\u2019s First Year Experience Office:\r\n<div>At any stage of the writing process, all academic work submitted to the teacher must be a result of a student\u2019s own thought, research or self-expression. When a student submits work purporting to be [their] own, but which in any way borrows organization, ideas, wording or anything else from a source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, [they are] engaging in plagiarism.<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">Plagiarism can be intentional (knowingly using someone else\u2019s work and presenting it as your own) or unintentional (inaccurately or inadequately citing ideas and words from a source). It may be impossible for your professor to determine whether plagiarized work was intentional or unintentional.<\/div>\r\nWhile academic integrity calls for work resulting from your own effort, scholarship requires that you learn from others. In the world of \u201cacademic scholarship\u201d you are actually expected to learn new things from others AND come to new insights on your own. There is an implicit understanding that as a student you will be both using other\u2019s knowledge as well as your own insights to create new scholarship. To do this in a way that meets academic integrity standards you must acknowledge the part of your work that develops from others\u2019 efforts. You do this by citing the work of others. You plagiarize when you fail to acknowledge the work of others and do not follow appropriate citation guidelines.\r\n<h2>What is citing?<\/h2>\r\nCiting is basically giving credit. If your source is well-cited, you\u2019ve told the audience whose ideas\/words belong to whom and you\u2019ve told the audience exactly where to go to find those words.\r\n<h2>Why cite sources?<\/h2>\r\nThere are many good reasons to cite sources.\r\n<h3>To avoid plagiarism &amp; maintain academic integrity<\/h3>\r\nMisrepresenting your academic achievements by not giving credit to others indicates a lack of academic integrity. This is not only looked down upon by the scholarly community, but it is also punished. When you are a student this could mean a failing grade or even expulsion from the university.\r\n<h3>To acknowledge the work of others<\/h3>\r\nOne major purpose of citations is to simply provide credit where it is due. When you provide accurate citations, you are acknowledging both the hard work that has gone into producing research and the person(s) who performed that research.\r\n<h3>To provide credibility to your work &amp; to place your work in\u00a0context<\/h3>\r\nProviding accurate citations puts your work and ideas into an academic context. They tell your reader that you\u2019ve done your research and know what others have said about your topic. Not only do citations provide context for your work but they also lend credibility and authority to your claims.\r\n\r\nFor example, if you\u2019re researching and writing about sustainability and construction, you should cite experts in sustainability, construction, and sustainable construction in order to demonstrate that you are well-versed in the most common ideas in the fields. Although you can make a claim about sustainable construction after doing research only in that particular field, your claim will carry more weight if you can demonstrate that your claim can be supported by the research of experts in closely related fields as well.\r\n\r\nCiting sources about sustainability and construction as well as sustainable construction demonstrates the diversity of views and approaches to the topic. Further, proper citation also demonstrates the ways in which research is social: no one researches in a vacuum\u2014we all rely on the work of others to help us during the research process.\r\n<h3>To help your future researching self &amp; other researchers\u00a0easily locate sources<\/h3>\r\nHaving accurate citations will help you as a researcher and writer keep track of the sources and information you find so that you can easily find the source again. Accurate citations may take some effort to produce, but they will save you time in the long run. Think of proper citation as a gift to your future researching self!\r\n<h3>Other challenges in citing sources<\/h3>\r\nBesides the clarifications and difficulties around citing that we have already considered, there are additional challenges that might make knowing when and how to cite difficult for you.\r\n<h4>You learned how to write in a different school system<\/h4>\r\nCitation practices are not universal. Different countries and cultures approach using sources in different ways. If you\u2019re new to the Canadian school system, you might have learned a different way of citing. For example, some countries have a more communal approach to sources. Others see school as \u201cnot real life,\u201d so you don\u2019t need to cite sources in the same way that you would on the job.\r\n<h4>Not really understanding the material you\u2019re using<\/h4>\r\nIf you are working in a new field or subject area, you might have difficulty understanding the information from other scholars, thus making it difficult to know how to paraphrase or summarize that work properly. It can be tempting to change just one or two words in a sentence, but this is still plagiarism.\r\n<h4>Running out of time<\/h4>\r\nWhen you are a student taking many classes, working and\/or taking care of family members, it may be hard to devote the time needed to doing good scholarship and accurately representing the sources you have used. Research takes time. The sooner you can start and the more time you can devote to it, the better your work will be.\r\n<h4>Shifting cultural expectations of citation<\/h4>\r\nBecause of new technologies that make finding, using, and sharing information easier, many of our cultural expectations around how to do that are changing as well. For example, blog posts often \u201creference\u201d other articles or works by simply linking to them. It makes it easy for the reader to see where the author\u2019s ideas have come from and to view the source very quickly. In these more informal writings, blog authors do not have a list of citations (bibliographic entries). The\u00a0links do the work for them. This is a great strategy for online digital mediums, but this method fails over time when links break and there are no hints (like an\u00a0author, title and date) to know how else to find the reference, which might have moved.\r\n\r\nThis example of a cultural change of expectations in the non-academic world might make it seem that there has been a change in academic scholarship as well, or might make people new to academic scholarship even less familiar with citation. But in fact, the expectations around citing sources in academic research remain formal.\r\n<h2>How to cite sources<\/h2>\r\nNow that we know why we cite, so let\u2019s learn <em>how<\/em> to cite. Citation and source use are all about balance. If you don\u2019t use enough sources, you might struggle to make a thorough argument. If you cite too much, you won\u2019t leave room for your own voice in your piece.\r\n\r\nTo illustrate this point, think of a lawyer arguing a case in a trial. If the lawyer just talks to the jury and doesn\u2019t call any witnesses, they probably won\u2019t win the case. After all, a lawyer isn\u2019t an expert in forensics or accident reconstruction or Internet fraud. The lawyer also wasn\u2019t there when the incident occurred. That\u2019s where witnesses come in. The witnesses have knowledge that the lawyer doesn\u2019t.\r\n\r\nBut if the lawyer just lets the witnesses talk and sits there quietly, they\u2019ll likely also lose the case. That\u2019s because the lawyer is the one who\u2019s making the overall argument. The lawyer asks the witnesses questions and shows how the testimony of different witnesses piece together to prove the case.\r\n\r\nTo cite sources, you should make two things clear:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The difference between your words and the source\u2019s words.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The difference between your ideas and the source\u2019s ideas.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThis diagram illustrates the difference:\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis.png\" alt=\"A graphic illustrating when to cite words and ideas\" width=\"834\" height=\"834\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-323 size-full\" \/>\r\n<h3>Attributing a source\u2019s words<\/h3>\r\nWhen you quote someone in your document, you\u2019re basically passing the microphone to them. Inviting another voice into your piece means that the\u00a0<strong>way<\/strong>\u00a0that person said something is important. Maybe that person is an expert and their words are a persuasive piece of evidence. Maybe you\u2019re using the words as an example. Either way, you\u2019ll likely do some sort of analysis on the quote.\r\n\r\nWhen you use the source\u2019s words, put quotation marks around them. This creates a visual separation between what you say and what your source says. You also don\u2019t just want to drop the quote into the document with no explanation. Instead, you should build a \u201cframe\u201d around the quote by explaining who said it and why it\u2019s important. In short, you surround the other person\u2019s voice with your own voice.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tip:<\/strong> The longer the source, the more analysis you\u2019re likely going to do.\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s an example of a way to integrate a quote within a paragraph.\r\n\r\n<strong>According to\u00a0Haudenosaunee writer Alicia Elliot (2019, p. 18),<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cWe know our cultures have meaning and worth, and that culture lives and breathes inside our languages.\u201d\u00a0<strong>Here, Elliot shows that when Indigenous people have the opportunity to learn Indigenous languages, which for generations were intentionally suppressed by the Canadian government, they can connect with their culture in a new way.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nAs you can see, Elliot\u2019s words are important. If you tried to paraphrase them, you\u2019d lose the meaning. Elliot is also a well-known writer, so adding her voice into the document adds credibility. If you\u2019re writing about Indigenous people, it\u2019s also important to include the voices of Indigenous people in your work.\r\n\r\nYou can see that in this example, the author doesn\u2019t just pass the microphone to Alicia Elliot. Instead, they surround the quote with their own words, explaining who said the quote and why it\u2019s important.\r\n<h3>Attributing the source\u2019s ideas<\/h3>\r\nWhen the source\u2019s ideas are important, you\u2019ll want to paraphrase. For example, Elliot goes on to say that when over half of Indigenous people in a community speak an Indigenous language, the suicide rate goes down (2019). Here, it\u2019s the idea that\u2019s important, not the words, so you should\u00a0<strong>paraphrase\u00a0<\/strong>it.\r\n\r\nWhat is paraphrasing? Paraphrasing is when you restate an idea in your own words. It\u2019s this last bit \u2014 the \u201cown words\u201d part \u2013 that is confusing. What counts as your own words?\r\n\r\nWhen you\u2019re paraphrasing, you should ask yourself, \u201cHave I restated this in a way that shows that I understand it?\u201d If you simply swap out a few words for synonyms, you haven\u2019t shown that you understand the idea. For example, let\u2019s go back to that Alicia Elliot quote: \u201cWe know our cultures have meaning and worth, and that culture lives and breathes inside our languages.\u201d What if I swapped out a few words so it said \u201cWe know our cultures have\u00a0<strong>value<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>importance<\/strong>, and that culture lives and\u00a0<strong>exhale<\/strong>s\u00a0inside our languages.\u201d?\r\n\r\nDoes this show that I understand the quote? No. Elliot composed that line with a lot of precision and thoughtfulness. Switching a few words around actually shows disrespect for the care she took with her language.\r\n\r\nInstead, paraphrase by not looking at the source material. Put down the book or turn off your computer monitor, then describe the idea back as if you were speaking to a friend.\r\n<h2>What information do I cite?<\/h2>\r\nCiting sources is often depicted as a straightforward, rule-based practice. In fact, there are many grey areas around citation, and learning how to apply\u00a0citation guidelines takes practice and education. If you are confused by it, you are not alone \u2013 in fact you might be doing some good thinking. Here are some guidelines to help you navigate citation practices.\r\n\r\n<strong>Cite when you are directly quoting.\u00a0<\/strong>This is the easiest rule to understand. If you are stating word for word what someone else has already written, you must put quotes around those words and you must give credit to the original author. Not doing so would mean that you are letting your reader believe these words are your own and represent your own effort.\r\n\r\n<strong>Cite when you are summarizing and paraphrasing.\u00a0<\/strong>This is a trickier area to understand. First of all, summarizing and paraphrasing are two related practices but they are not the same. Summarizing is when you read a text, consider the main points, and provide a shorter version of what you learned. Paraphrasing is when you restate what the original author said in your own words and in your own tone. Both summarizing and paraphrasing require good writing skills and an accurate understanding of the material you are trying to convey. Summarizing and paraphrasing are not easy to do when you are a beginning academic researcher, but these skills become easier to perform over time with practice.\r\n\r\n<strong>Cite when you are citing something that is highly debatable.<\/strong>\u00a0For example, if you want to claim that an oil pipeline is necessary for economic development, you will have to contend with those who say that it produces few jobs and has a high risk of causing an oil spill that would be devastating to wildlife and tourism. To do so, you\u2019ll need experts on your side.\r\n<h2>When don\u2019t you cite?<\/h2>\r\nDon\u2019t cite when what you are saying is your own insight.\u00a0Research\u00a0involves forming opinions and insights around\u00a0what you learn. You may be citing several sources that have helped you learn, but at some point you are integrating your own opinion, conclusion, or insight into the work. The fact that you are NOT citing it helps the reader understand that this\u00a0portion of the work is your unique contribution developed through your own research efforts.\r\n\r\nDon\u2019t cite when you are stating common knowledge.\u00a0What is common knowledge is sometimes difficult to discern. Generally quick facts like historical dates or events are not cited because they are common knowledge.\r\n\r\nExamples of information that would not need to be cited include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Partition in India happened on August 15, 1947.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Vancouver is the 8th biggest city in Canada.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSome quick facts, such as statistics, are trickier. A guideline that can help with determining whether or not to cite facts is to determine whether the same data is repeated in multiple sources. If it is not, it is best to cite.\r\n\r\nThe other thing that makes this determination difficult might be that what seems new and insightful to you might be common knowledge to an expert in the field. You have to use your best judgment, and probably err on the side of over-citing, as you are learning to do academic research. You can seek the advice of your instructor, a writing tutor, or a librarian. Knowing what is and is not common knowledge is a practiced skill that gets easier with time and with your own increased knowledge.\r\n<h2>Creating in-text citations and references<\/h2>\r\nNow that we know what to cite and how to quote and paraphrase, we need to decide what format to create our in-text citations and references. Your instructor will tell you whether they prefer MLA, APA, Chicago or another style format. Luckily, the Kwantlen Library librarians have come up with handy citation guides, which you can access on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.kpu.ca\/citations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citation Styles<\/a>\u00a0section of the KPU website.\r\n<h3>When to quote, paraphrase, or summarize<\/h3>\r\nTo build everything but the research question, you will need to summarize, paraphrase, and\/or directly quote your sources. But how should you choose what technique to use when?\r\n\r\n<strong>Choose a direct quote<\/strong>\u00a0when it is more likely to be accurate than would summarizing or paraphrasing; when what you\u2019re quoting is the text you\u2019re analyzing; when a direct quote is more concise that a summary or paraphrase would be and conciseness matters; when the author is a particular authority whose exact words would lend credence to your argument; and when the author has used particularly effective language that is just too good to pass up.\r\n\r\n<strong>Choose to paraphrase or summarize<\/strong>\u00a0rather than to quote directly when the meaning is more important than the particular language the author used and you don\u2019t need to use the author\u2019s preeminent authority to bolster your argument at the moment.\r\n\r\n<strong>Choose to paraphrase instead of summarizing\u00a0<\/strong>when you need details and specificity. Paraphrasing lets you emphasize the ideas in resource materials that are most related to your term paper or essay instead of the exact language the\u00a0author used. It also lets you simplify complex material, sometimes rewording to use language that is more understandable to your reader.\r\n\r\n<strong>Choose to summarize instead of paraphrasing\u00a0<\/strong>when you need to provide a brief overview of a larger text. Summaries let you condense the resource material to draw out particular points, omit unrelated or unimportant points, and simplify how the author conveyed his or her message.\r\n<h2>Attributions<\/h2>\r\nThis chapter contains material taken from <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/arley\/chapter\/ch-10-building-an-argument\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chapter 10a - Citing Sources<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/arley\/chapter\/chapter-10b-making-an-argument-using-sources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chapter 10b - Making An Argument Using Sources<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/arley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business Writing for Everyone<\/a> (used under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license<\/a>).","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Questions for reflection<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li>What kind of sources have you used in the workplace? How has this differed from the kind of sources you\u2019ve used in school?<\/li>\n<li>Why do you think the rules that we have around source use exist? Why do we cite sources?<\/li>\n<li>How does your culture handle using other people\u2019s ideas and words? Who \u201cowns\u201d an idea? How do you respectfully use someone\u2019s words?<\/li>\n<li>What questions do you have about citation?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s your definition of \u201cacademic integrity?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Do you think that the rules of \u201cacademic integrity\u201d apply to the workplace?<\/li>\n<li>When you use researched sources, do you typically paraphrase, summarize, or quote other ideas\/words?<\/li>\n<li>What do you think about when deciding whether to quote or paraphrase?<\/li>\n<li>Are you comfortable writing someone else\u2019s idea in your own words?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Karan&#8217;s story<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>When Karan studied in India, he wasn\u2019t expected to cite. When he started studying in Canada, he was surprised by the length of the writing assignments. He didn\u2019t know how to use sources, so he copied and pasted a few paragraphs into his assignment and hoped he\u2019d done it right.<br \/>\nHe was worried when his teacher asked to meet with him. She said that he\u2019d plagiarized, and that he could get into a lot of trouble. Luckily, Karan\u2019s teacher decided to help him and not report him. She explained that in North American schools, you must distinguish between what\u00a0words\u00a0are yours and what come from the source, and what\u00a0ideas\u00a0are yours and what come from the source. Karan learned to use quotation marks to show what words came from the source, and to paraphrase by never looking directly at the source.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">In this section, we\u2019ll tackle how to use sources ethically, analyze them, and combine them into an effective argument.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But first: a note about the difference between workplace citation and academic citation.<\/p>\n<p>In the workplace, you may often find yourself using your colleague\u2019s words without crediting them. For example, your boss might ask you to write a grant application using text from previous grant applications. Many people might work on the same document or you might update a document written by someone else.<\/p>\n<p>In the workplace, your employer usually owns the writing you produce, so workplace writing often doesn\u2019t cite individual authors (though contributors are usually named in an acknowledgements section if it\u2019s a large project\/report). That doesn\u2019t mean that you should take credit for someone else\u2019s work, but in general a lot of sharing and remixing goes on within an organization.<\/p>\n<p>For example, say that you work in HR and have been asked to launch a search for a new IT manager. You might use a template to design the job posting or update copy of the ad you posted the last time you hired someone for this role. No one would expect you to come up with an entirely new job posting just because it was originally written by someone who\u2019s left the company.<\/p>\n<p>That said, writers in the workplace often use a wide range of sources to build their credibility. Citation is not only an ethical practice, but it is also a great persuasive strategy. The citation practices you learn in school will therefore serve you well in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>In school in North America, the context is different. Unless your instructor specifically tells you otherwise, they will assume that you wrote everything in your assignment, unless you use quotation marks.<\/p>\n<h2>What is academic integrity?<\/h2>\n<p>Different universities have different definitions. Here is the definition we use at Kwantlen Polytechnic University:<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p>The University ascribes to the highest standards of academic integrity. Adhering to these standards of academic integrity means observing the values on which good academic work must be founded: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.\u00a0\u00a0Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with these values. These standards of academic integrity require Students to not engage in or tolerate Integrity Violations, including falsification, misrepresentation or deception, as such acts violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.<\/p>\n<p>You can read the full policy\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kpu.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/Policies\/ST2%20Student%20Academic%20Integrity%20Policy.pdf\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">In other words, you must take full responsibility for your work, acknowledge your own efforts, and acknowledge the contributions of others\u2019 efforts. Working\/ writing with integrity requires accurately representing what you contributed as well as acknowledging how others have influenced your work. When you are a student, an accurate representation of your knowledge is important because it will allow both you and your professors to know the extent to which you have developed as a scholar.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s worth noting that other cultures have different \u2013 equally valid \u2013 definitions of academic integrity. By making you aware of what we mean by academic integrity in this context, you can be aware of the expectations that are being placed on you.<\/p>\n<h2>What is plagiarism?<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at a common definition of plagiarism. This one comes from Ohio State University\u2019s First Year Experience Office:<\/p>\n<div>At any stage of the writing process, all academic work submitted to the teacher must be a result of a student\u2019s own thought, research or self-expression. When a student submits work purporting to be [their] own, but which in any way borrows organization, ideas, wording or anything else from a source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, [they are] engaging in plagiarism.<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">Plagiarism can be intentional (knowingly using someone else\u2019s work and presenting it as your own) or unintentional (inaccurately or inadequately citing ideas and words from a source). It may be impossible for your professor to determine whether plagiarized work was intentional or unintentional.<\/div>\n<p>While academic integrity calls for work resulting from your own effort, scholarship requires that you learn from others. In the world of \u201cacademic scholarship\u201d you are actually expected to learn new things from others AND come to new insights on your own. There is an implicit understanding that as a student you will be both using other\u2019s knowledge as well as your own insights to create new scholarship. To do this in a way that meets academic integrity standards you must acknowledge the part of your work that develops from others\u2019 efforts. You do this by citing the work of others. You plagiarize when you fail to acknowledge the work of others and do not follow appropriate citation guidelines.<\/p>\n<h2>What is citing?<\/h2>\n<p>Citing is basically giving credit. If your source is well-cited, you\u2019ve told the audience whose ideas\/words belong to whom and you\u2019ve told the audience exactly where to go to find those words.<\/p>\n<h2>Why cite sources?<\/h2>\n<p>There are many good reasons to cite sources.<\/p>\n<h3>To avoid plagiarism &amp; maintain academic integrity<\/h3>\n<p>Misrepresenting your academic achievements by not giving credit to others indicates a lack of academic integrity. This is not only looked down upon by the scholarly community, but it is also punished. When you are a student this could mean a failing grade or even expulsion from the university.<\/p>\n<h3>To acknowledge the work of others<\/h3>\n<p>One major purpose of citations is to simply provide credit where it is due. When you provide accurate citations, you are acknowledging both the hard work that has gone into producing research and the person(s) who performed that research.<\/p>\n<h3>To provide credibility to your work &amp; to place your work in\u00a0context<\/h3>\n<p>Providing accurate citations puts your work and ideas into an academic context. They tell your reader that you\u2019ve done your research and know what others have said about your topic. Not only do citations provide context for your work but they also lend credibility and authority to your claims.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you\u2019re researching and writing about sustainability and construction, you should cite experts in sustainability, construction, and sustainable construction in order to demonstrate that you are well-versed in the most common ideas in the fields. Although you can make a claim about sustainable construction after doing research only in that particular field, your claim will carry more weight if you can demonstrate that your claim can be supported by the research of experts in closely related fields as well.<\/p>\n<p>Citing sources about sustainability and construction as well as sustainable construction demonstrates the diversity of views and approaches to the topic. Further, proper citation also demonstrates the ways in which research is social: no one researches in a vacuum\u2014we all rely on the work of others to help us during the research process.<\/p>\n<h3>To help your future researching self &amp; other researchers\u00a0easily locate sources<\/h3>\n<p>Having accurate citations will help you as a researcher and writer keep track of the sources and information you find so that you can easily find the source again. Accurate citations may take some effort to produce, but they will save you time in the long run. Think of proper citation as a gift to your future researching self!<\/p>\n<h3>Other challenges in citing sources<\/h3>\n<p>Besides the clarifications and difficulties around citing that we have already considered, there are additional challenges that might make knowing when and how to cite difficult for you.<\/p>\n<h4>You learned how to write in a different school system<\/h4>\n<p>Citation practices are not universal. Different countries and cultures approach using sources in different ways. If you\u2019re new to the Canadian school system, you might have learned a different way of citing. For example, some countries have a more communal approach to sources. Others see school as \u201cnot real life,\u201d so you don\u2019t need to cite sources in the same way that you would on the job.<\/p>\n<h4>Not really understanding the material you\u2019re using<\/h4>\n<p>If you are working in a new field or subject area, you might have difficulty understanding the information from other scholars, thus making it difficult to know how to paraphrase or summarize that work properly. It can be tempting to change just one or two words in a sentence, but this is still plagiarism.<\/p>\n<h4>Running out of time<\/h4>\n<p>When you are a student taking many classes, working and\/or taking care of family members, it may be hard to devote the time needed to doing good scholarship and accurately representing the sources you have used. Research takes time. The sooner you can start and the more time you can devote to it, the better your work will be.<\/p>\n<h4>Shifting cultural expectations of citation<\/h4>\n<p>Because of new technologies that make finding, using, and sharing information easier, many of our cultural expectations around how to do that are changing as well. For example, blog posts often \u201creference\u201d other articles or works by simply linking to them. It makes it easy for the reader to see where the author\u2019s ideas have come from and to view the source very quickly. In these more informal writings, blog authors do not have a list of citations (bibliographic entries). The\u00a0links do the work for them. This is a great strategy for online digital mediums, but this method fails over time when links break and there are no hints (like an\u00a0author, title and date) to know how else to find the reference, which might have moved.<\/p>\n<p>This example of a cultural change of expectations in the non-academic world might make it seem that there has been a change in academic scholarship as well, or might make people new to academic scholarship even less familiar with citation. But in fact, the expectations around citing sources in academic research remain formal.<\/p>\n<h2>How to cite sources<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we know why we cite, so let\u2019s learn <em>how<\/em> to cite. Citation and source use are all about balance. If you don\u2019t use enough sources, you might struggle to make a thorough argument. If you cite too much, you won\u2019t leave room for your own voice in your piece.<\/p>\n<p>To illustrate this point, think of a lawyer arguing a case in a trial. If the lawyer just talks to the jury and doesn\u2019t call any witnesses, they probably won\u2019t win the case. After all, a lawyer isn\u2019t an expert in forensics or accident reconstruction or Internet fraud. The lawyer also wasn\u2019t there when the incident occurred. That\u2019s where witnesses come in. The witnesses have knowledge that the lawyer doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>But if the lawyer just lets the witnesses talk and sits there quietly, they\u2019ll likely also lose the case. That\u2019s because the lawyer is the one who\u2019s making the overall argument. The lawyer asks the witnesses questions and shows how the testimony of different witnesses piece together to prove the case.<\/p>\n<p>To cite sources, you should make two things clear:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The difference between your words and the source\u2019s words.<\/li>\n<li>The difference between your ideas and the source\u2019s ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This diagram illustrates the difference:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis.png\" alt=\"A graphic illustrating when to cite words and ideas\" width=\"834\" height=\"834\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-323 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis.png 834w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis-65x65.png 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis-225x225.png 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/486\/2019\/05\/CitingSourcesGraphis-350x350.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 834px) 100vw, 834px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Attributing a source\u2019s words<\/h3>\n<p>When you quote someone in your document, you\u2019re basically passing the microphone to them. Inviting another voice into your piece means that the\u00a0<strong>way<\/strong>\u00a0that person said something is important. Maybe that person is an expert and their words are a persuasive piece of evidence. Maybe you\u2019re using the words as an example. Either way, you\u2019ll likely do some sort of analysis on the quote.<\/p>\n<p>When you use the source\u2019s words, put quotation marks around them. This creates a visual separation between what you say and what your source says. You also don\u2019t just want to drop the quote into the document with no explanation. Instead, you should build a \u201cframe\u201d around the quote by explaining who said it and why it\u2019s important. In short, you surround the other person\u2019s voice with your own voice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip:<\/strong> The longer the source, the more analysis you\u2019re likely going to do.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a way to integrate a quote within a paragraph.<\/p>\n<p><strong>According to\u00a0Haudenosaunee writer Alicia Elliot (2019, p. 18),<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cWe know our cultures have meaning and worth, and that culture lives and breathes inside our languages.\u201d\u00a0<strong>Here, Elliot shows that when Indigenous people have the opportunity to learn Indigenous languages, which for generations were intentionally suppressed by the Canadian government, they can connect with their culture in a new way.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As you can see, Elliot\u2019s words are important. If you tried to paraphrase them, you\u2019d lose the meaning. Elliot is also a well-known writer, so adding her voice into the document adds credibility. If you\u2019re writing about Indigenous people, it\u2019s also important to include the voices of Indigenous people in your work.<\/p>\n<p>You can see that in this example, the author doesn\u2019t just pass the microphone to Alicia Elliot. Instead, they surround the quote with their own words, explaining who said the quote and why it\u2019s important.<\/p>\n<h3>Attributing the source\u2019s ideas<\/h3>\n<p>When the source\u2019s ideas are important, you\u2019ll want to paraphrase. For example, Elliot goes on to say that when over half of Indigenous people in a community speak an Indigenous language, the suicide rate goes down (2019). Here, it\u2019s the idea that\u2019s important, not the words, so you should\u00a0<strong>paraphrase\u00a0<\/strong>it.<\/p>\n<p>What is paraphrasing? Paraphrasing is when you restate an idea in your own words. It\u2019s this last bit \u2014 the \u201cown words\u201d part \u2013 that is confusing. What counts as your own words?<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re paraphrasing, you should ask yourself, \u201cHave I restated this in a way that shows that I understand it?\u201d If you simply swap out a few words for synonyms, you haven\u2019t shown that you understand the idea. For example, let\u2019s go back to that Alicia Elliot quote: \u201cWe know our cultures have meaning and worth, and that culture lives and breathes inside our languages.\u201d What if I swapped out a few words so it said \u201cWe know our cultures have\u00a0<strong>value<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>importance<\/strong>, and that culture lives and\u00a0<strong>exhale<\/strong>s\u00a0inside our languages.\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>Does this show that I understand the quote? No. Elliot composed that line with a lot of precision and thoughtfulness. Switching a few words around actually shows disrespect for the care she took with her language.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, paraphrase by not looking at the source material. Put down the book or turn off your computer monitor, then describe the idea back as if you were speaking to a friend.<\/p>\n<h2>What information do I cite?<\/h2>\n<p>Citing sources is often depicted as a straightforward, rule-based practice. In fact, there are many grey areas around citation, and learning how to apply\u00a0citation guidelines takes practice and education. If you are confused by it, you are not alone \u2013 in fact you might be doing some good thinking. Here are some guidelines to help you navigate citation practices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cite when you are directly quoting.\u00a0<\/strong>This is the easiest rule to understand. If you are stating word for word what someone else has already written, you must put quotes around those words and you must give credit to the original author. Not doing so would mean that you are letting your reader believe these words are your own and represent your own effort.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cite when you are summarizing and paraphrasing.\u00a0<\/strong>This is a trickier area to understand. First of all, summarizing and paraphrasing are two related practices but they are not the same. Summarizing is when you read a text, consider the main points, and provide a shorter version of what you learned. Paraphrasing is when you restate what the original author said in your own words and in your own tone. Both summarizing and paraphrasing require good writing skills and an accurate understanding of the material you are trying to convey. Summarizing and paraphrasing are not easy to do when you are a beginning academic researcher, but these skills become easier to perform over time with practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cite when you are citing something that is highly debatable.<\/strong>\u00a0For example, if you want to claim that an oil pipeline is necessary for economic development, you will have to contend with those who say that it produces few jobs and has a high risk of causing an oil spill that would be devastating to wildlife and tourism. To do so, you\u2019ll need experts on your side.<\/p>\n<h2>When don\u2019t you cite?<\/h2>\n<p>Don\u2019t cite when what you are saying is your own insight.\u00a0Research\u00a0involves forming opinions and insights around\u00a0what you learn. You may be citing several sources that have helped you learn, but at some point you are integrating your own opinion, conclusion, or insight into the work. The fact that you are NOT citing it helps the reader understand that this\u00a0portion of the work is your unique contribution developed through your own research efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t cite when you are stating common knowledge.\u00a0What is common knowledge is sometimes difficult to discern. Generally quick facts like historical dates or events are not cited because they are common knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Examples of information that would not need to be cited include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Partition in India happened on August 15, 1947.<\/li>\n<li>Vancouver is the 8th biggest city in Canada.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some quick facts, such as statistics, are trickier. A guideline that can help with determining whether or not to cite facts is to determine whether the same data is repeated in multiple sources. If it is not, it is best to cite.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing that makes this determination difficult might be that what seems new and insightful to you might be common knowledge to an expert in the field. You have to use your best judgment, and probably err on the side of over-citing, as you are learning to do academic research. You can seek the advice of your instructor, a writing tutor, or a librarian. Knowing what is and is not common knowledge is a practiced skill that gets easier with time and with your own increased knowledge.<\/p>\n<h2>Creating in-text citations and references<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we know what to cite and how to quote and paraphrase, we need to decide what format to create our in-text citations and references. Your instructor will tell you whether they prefer MLA, APA, Chicago or another style format. Luckily, the Kwantlen Library librarians have come up with handy citation guides, which you can access on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.kpu.ca\/citations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citation Styles<\/a>\u00a0section of the KPU website.<\/p>\n<h3>When to quote, paraphrase, or summarize<\/h3>\n<p>To build everything but the research question, you will need to summarize, paraphrase, and\/or directly quote your sources. But how should you choose what technique to use when?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Choose a direct quote<\/strong>\u00a0when it is more likely to be accurate than would summarizing or paraphrasing; when what you\u2019re quoting is the text you\u2019re analyzing; when a direct quote is more concise that a summary or paraphrase would be and conciseness matters; when the author is a particular authority whose exact words would lend credence to your argument; and when the author has used particularly effective language that is just too good to pass up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Choose to paraphrase or summarize<\/strong>\u00a0rather than to quote directly when the meaning is more important than the particular language the author used and you don\u2019t need to use the author\u2019s preeminent authority to bolster your argument at the moment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Choose to paraphrase instead of summarizing\u00a0<\/strong>when you need details and specificity. Paraphrasing lets you emphasize the ideas in resource materials that are most related to your term paper or essay instead of the exact language the\u00a0author used. It also lets you simplify complex material, sometimes rewording to use language that is more understandable to your reader.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Choose to summarize instead of paraphrasing\u00a0<\/strong>when you need to provide a brief overview of a larger text. Summaries let you condense the resource material to draw out particular points, omit unrelated or unimportant points, and simplify how the author conveyed his or her message.<\/p>\n<h2>Attributions<\/h2>\n<p>This chapter contains material taken from <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/arley\/chapter\/ch-10-building-an-argument\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chapter 10a &#8211; Citing Sources<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/arley\/chapter\/chapter-10b-making-an-argument-using-sources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chapter 10b &#8211; Making An Argument Using Sources<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/arley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business Writing for Everyone<\/a> (used under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-228","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":247,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/320"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/228\/revisions\/355"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/247"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/228\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=228"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=228"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalcomms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}