Using Sources Effectively

Robert A. Harris (PhD, University of California, Riverside) taught English at college and university level for more than 25 years. He has also worked in the area of instructional design. Dr. Harris' other books include The Plagiarism Handbook and Writing with Clarity and Style: A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for Contemporary Writers.Christie J. Curtis (PhD, Interim Dean, Graduate Studies Chair, Professor, Biola University, La Mirada, California) has been teaching writing and grammar skills for more than 25 years. She currently chairs the committees of many graduate students as they seek to complete their theses. Dr. Curtis is the coauthor of the Grammar and Writing Series (Grades 3–8), which includes student texts (writing and grammar), student workbooks (writing and grammar), teacher’s guides, and online resources.

• Preface to the Sixth EditionChapter 1: The Importance of Using Sources Effectively1.1 Why Learn to Write Well?Writing Is a Thinking ProcessWriting Is a Learning ProcessWriting Develops Lifelong Skills1.2 Why Learn Research-Based WritingResearch Makes Writing EasierResearch Writing Allows You to Contribute to the Great Conversation1.3 Why Use Sources in Papers?Research Sources Provide ContextSources Strengthen ArgumentSources Add Interest to Your paperSources Provide You With New IdeasSources Keep You Up-to-DateSources Reveal ControversiesSources Help You Understand How Reasoned Argument Works1.4 Why Use Sources Effectively?Effective Use Instills TrustEffective Use Aids PersuasionEffective Use Shows Engagement1.5 Why Cite Them All?Cite to Help Your ReaderCite to Show Respect for Fellow Knowledge Workers Cite to Avoid Plagiarism1.6 Are Sources the Whole Idea?Your tTinking Is the StarSources Need Something to SupportSources Need InterpretingIt's the Great Conversation AgainReview QuestionsA Little Rhetoric: How Much Emphasis?Now You TryChapter 2: Finding, Choosing, and Evaluating Sources2.1 Start by Understanding the Assignment What Is the Purpose of the Paper? What Are the Specific Requirements for the Paper? Who Is Your Audience? 2.2 Select the Kinds of Sources You Need Choose the Kind of Information You NeedTake a Shortcut to SelectionChoose Sources of Appropriate Scholarship Choose Appropriate Primary and Secondary Sources Avoid Choosing a Source Only Because You Agree With ItAvoid Quoting Standard Dictionaries2.3 Search StrategiesConsider the Variety of Sources Keep Track of Your Searches Looking Online Phrase the Search Terms Effectively Go Beyond the Internet 2.4 Using and Abusing Internet Sources Search for Reliable Sites Looking Deeply into the Results Understand the Context of Individual Pages Use the Invisible Web 2.5 Evaluating SourcesExpertise Accuracy ReliabilityReview Questions A Little Rhetoric: Anaphora Now You Try Chapter 3: Preparing Your Sources3.1 Collecting SourcesSave Your Sources Get the Full, Exact Bibliographic Information the First Time Save the Way Back 3.2 Keep Sources Organized Start a Bibliography 3.3 Use Close Reading to Understand Your Sources What Is the Purpose of the Information? What Is the Level of Objectivity? Analyze the Argument Notice the Images and Analogies Check Word Meanings for Accuracy So What? What Is Each Source Saying? 3.4 Take Careful Notes Use a Labeling System Quote Exactly Keep a Quotation File Keep Copies of Each Source With Your Notes 3.5 Positioning Your Sources Purpose Indicators Relationships of Sources Create an Outline of Possible Source Uses 3.6 Protect Yourself Against a False Charge of Plagiarism Protect Your Data and Passwords Do Not Lend Your Paper to Someone Else Report Any Theft Immediately Save All Drafts and Notes Save All Sources Be Proactive Review Questions Mini-Research Project Controversies A Little Rhetoric: Conduplicatio Chapter 4: Quoting Effectively4.1 Quoting Use and Abuse When to Choose Quotation Cautions About Quoting Avoid the Fallacy of Vicious Abstraction 4.2 Introductory Strategies Introduce Your Sources Choose Introductory Verbs to Create Guiding Lead-In or Signal Phrases Use Introductory Sentences With a Colon Use an Introductory Phrase Use the Appropriate Tense in Your Introductory Phrases for APA Style Use Both Set-Off and Built-In Quotations Use the Historical Present Tense for MLA-Style Papers 4.3 Quoting Strategies Interrupt Quotations Leave Out Some Words Quote Phrases 4.4 Punctuating QuotationsGeneral Conventions Ellipsis Square Brackets Review Questions Mini-Research Project: Misattributed Quotations A Little Rhetoric Analogy Now You Try Chapter 5: Paraphrasing and Summarizing5.1 Paraphrasing What Is a Paraphrase? Why and When to Paraphrase Paraphrasing Ground Rules How to Paraphrase Cautions About Paraphrasing 5.2 Summarizing What Is a Summary? Why and When to Summarize How to Summarize Cautions About Summarizing Source Limitations on Summarizing 5.3 Deciding Whether to Quote, Paraphrase, or Summarize 5.4 Beware of Thesaurusitis Review Questions Mini-Research Project: Comparing Summaries A Little Rhetoric: Metabasis Now You Try Paraphrasing and Summarizing Activity Chapter 5 Review: Acceptable Use or Plagiarism? Potential Use 1 Potential Use 2 Potential Use 3 Potential Use 4 Potential Use 5 Potential Use 6 Chapter 6: Avoiding Plagiarism6.1 What Is Plagiarism? A Working Definition of Plagiarism Intentional Plagiarism Unintentional Plagiarism The Fine Print Self-Recycling 6.2 Why You Should Avoid Intentional Plagiarism Intentional Plagiarism Harms Your Character Follow the Golden Rule Intentional Plagiarizers Cheat Themselves Intentional Plagiarizers Never Know When They Will Be Caught 6.3 Guidelines for Citation What Needs to Be Cited? Do You Ever Have to Cite Yourself?What About Common Knowledge? Will My Paper Be Nothing but Citations? 6.4 Myths and Facts About Citing The Public Domain Myth The World Wide Web Myth The Fair Use Myth The Encyclopedia Myth The Paraphrased Paper Myth The Friend’s Permission MythThe Named Source Myth The Converted Words Myth The Tiny Theft Myth The Background Information Myth Review Questions Mini-Research Project: Famous Plagiarism Cases Bonus Search A Little Rhetoric: Rhetorical Question Now You Try Chapter 7: Putting It Together7.1 The Simple Rule: Mark the Boundaries Marking the Boundaries of Short Quotations Marking the Boundaries of Long Quotations Marking the Boundaries of an Unquoted Source 7.2 Marking the Boundaries in Problem Cases How to Create a Second Boundary Marker Marking the Boundaries for Non-Text Information Review Questions A Little Rhetoric: Hypophora Now You Try Chapter 7 Review: Boundary Markers Source Text Potential Use 1, APA Style Potential Use 2, APA Style Potential Use 3, MLA StylePotential Use 4, MLA StylePotential Use 5, APA Style Chapter 8: Effective Use8.1 Introduce the Source Thoroughly Establish the Credibility of the SourceProvide Needed Background or Context Recommend the Source 8.2 Discuss or Apply the Source The Purpose of a Source Is Not Always Self-Evident Explain the Source Beginning With an Interpretive Lead-In Be Reasonable About the Effect of the Source Provide an Example to Clarify the Source’s Point 8.3 Blend in Your Sources Work Your Sources Into the Discussion Combine Quoting With Summarizing Use One Long, Many Short for Powerful Persuasion 8.4 Avoid Ineffective Use Beware of Long QuotationsAvoid Overusing One Source Begin and End Each Paragraph With Your Own Words Be Sure Citations Match the References 8.5 Working With Sources That Disagree or Conflict Identify the Source of Disagree Criticizing Opposing Sources Avoid Criticizing a Source Unfairly Review Questions Matching Exercise Mini-Research Project: Logical Fallacies A Little Rhetoric: Procatalepsis Now You Try Chapter 8 Review: Effectiveness Chapter 9: Editing for Accuracy9.1 Why Cleanup Is Crucial9.2 Check Your SpellingCheck for Ordinary Misspellings Check for Autocorrect Errors Check for Confused Words Use American Spelling 9.3 Watch Your Grammar Comma Splice Fused SentenceSentence Fragment 9.4 Watch Your Pronouns Pronoun Agreement Pronoun Reference Indefinite Pronouns Avoid the Ambiguous You 9.5 Check for Common Errors Possessives Subject-Verb Agreement Dangling Modifier Misplaced Modifier Affect and Effect Informality Review Questions A Little Rhetoric: Distinctio Chapter 9 Review: Error CheckChapter 10: Jump-Starting Your Writing10.1 Synthesis WritingA Definition of Synthesis Writing Tapestry Versus Quilt Writing Tapestry Weaving and Your Reader 10.2 Steering Wheels Parataxis and Hypotaxis Transitions Transitions of Logic Transitions of FocusTransitions of Thought Keyword Repetition Synonyms Pronouns and Possessive Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives 10.3 Using Flow Patterns Patterns With Because Conditional (If-Then) Patterns Concession Patterns 10.4 Using Patterns with Sources Use Scholarly Phrasing The Source Supports Your Position You Agree With the Source The Source Disagrees With Your Position You Rebut a Source That Opposes Your View You Respond to a Source That Presents an Incontrovertible Objection The Source Implies Something Without Stating It The Source Makes an Unstated Assumption Introducing Common Knowledge Introducing Conflicting Views Review Questions Chapter 10 Activity: Synthesis Exercise Chapter 10 Activity: True or False Chapter 10 Activity: More Flow Patterns A Little Logic: Conditional Syllogisms

This latest edition of Using Sources Effectively assists us in the never-easy process of growing as writers, now in a world where reliance upon AI models threatens to thwart students’ intellectual development. The authors remind us frequently that people who read our writing rarely know us personally, so our character will be judged based upon which sources we use as well as how we use them. In the process of preparing us for such scrutiny, the authors demonstrate that accessing and evaluating sources does not have to be drudgery. They accomplish this through clear explanations as well as offering practical search advice, thoughtful criteria for evaluating sources, and sound guidelines to avoid the various categories of plagiarism. Helpful sidebars and rhetorical insights add spice to a book that takes what most students fear will be a bland topic and transforms it into something quite readable and even engaging.Nicholas Block, PhD, Biola University, La Mirada, California, USAUsing Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism, is, by far, one of my favorite writing textbooks. The clear explanations and writing examples support developing scholars with pertinent, practical, and up-to-date writing guidelines. Each chapter has clear objectives, outlines, questions, tips, tables, charts, sidebar highlights, mini research projects, and understandable examples that demystify some of the common challenges of writing English and using sources effectively. I am so grateful to the authors, Harris and Curtis, for their investment of time and talent to create such an enduring resource for university professors and their students.June Hetzel, PhD, Faculty Emerita and Founding Dean of the School of Education, Biola University, La Mirada, California, USA