Why cite?

A bit rusty on why you even need to list citations in your research paper? Emory University’s Emory Libraries Oxford College Library website advises students in “Citing Your Sources” that the only time you don’t need to cite a source is when “you are writing your own words, ideas, or original research. You also do not need to cite information that is considered common knowledge.” They provide the following verbatim examples of information that falls into the common knowledge category:

• Facts that are found in many sources (example: Marie Antoinette was guillotined in 1793.)
• Things that are easily observed (example: Many people talk on cell phones while driving.)
• Common sayings (example: Every man has his price.)

The site adds that research paper citations are a great way to:

1. Avoid plagiarism by properly crediting the person whose words or ideas you used as a source.
2. Make sure your professor knows which ideas presented are yours and which are not.
3. Create a more powerful argument in your paper.
4. Let your professor double check the ideas you are offering and make sure they are accurate.
5. Give people who are interested access to more information about the topic you are writing on.

Unusual citations

Not sure how to properly cite a personal interview or an oral presentation? What about citing a sculpture or a digital file, such as a MP3 or JPEG? There are rules about all of these types of sources when it comes to writing a research paper, regardless if you are writing in APA, Chicago or MLA style.

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab offers assistance to properly cite these kinds of unusual sources. Their MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications),  MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources and Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources (for APA style) detail how to handle unique citations for research papers.

You may also be called upon to list your research paper citations using The Chicago Manual of Style. Their website details the rules for formatting bibliographic information according to their terms on the Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide page. Here you can find out about unusual citations, too, including how to credit a chapter of an edited volume originally published somewhere else, email, and text messages.

Utilizing sources other than traditional books can be a bonus for your research paper in many ways. For some topics, these unusual citations may be your best source of information and show your professors a willingness to be creative in your work and thought processes. So don’t shy away from using a different source, so long as it is valid.

The ultimate research tool

So where do you go when you need to find that essential information for your upcoming research paper? Questia, of course! Our search engine contains more than 70,000 online books and more than 6 million quality, citable journal, newspaper and magazine articles. Questia can even help by creating and formatting your research paper citations for you. Simply highlight the text you want to cite and a drop down menu appears asking you if you are using MLA, APA or Chicago style. Should you need any help, Questia also offers experienced, on-staff librarians who are available to answer your questions. Now get going. Questia can help, but it can’t type that paper for you!

Do some research

Maybe you’ve written what feels like hundreds of research papers. Maybe this is your first. Either way, everyone can benefit from a little bit of research first on how to write a great paper. Questia.com is a great source for books that can guide you through the research paper writing process. One book that can help is Schaum’s Writing Great Research Papers by Laurie Rozakis. It details the qualities of a good research paper and offers a top ten list of criteria every paper should include. Paramount among these points are Nos. 7 through 9:

7. The work is original, not plagiarized. Every outside source is carefully documented.
8. All supporting material used in preparation of the paper can be verified.
9. The paper follows a specific format, including the use of correct documentation and a Works Cited page.

Also, be sure you understand thoroughly the assignment and what your professor is looking for in the research paper. Do you have to write an essay or an argumentative work? Do you have to have a specific number of sources? What citation style are you supposed to use? Not paying attention to the professor’s stipulations is a sure-fire way to get the wrong kind of attention for your efforts.

Give credit where it is due

One thing no professor will ever overlook is plagiarism. Quality research papers need sources and supporting materials, but you must always acknowledge their use properly to avoid any issues of copying. The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism by Colin Neville is available through Questia.com and provides the Golden Rule of referencing: “to give the reader enough information to help them easily and quickly find the source you have cited. If they wanted to look at your source and check it for themselves, could they find it easily with the information you have supplied?”

Questia makes it easy to include the books you have cited within your research paper with no more than a click of your mouse. Simply save the book to your active project. You can also highlight specific text you wish to cite in your paper using one of three citation styles: APA, Chicago or MLA. Questia automatically generates your bibliography, from your selected citations, in the style you pick.

The website plagiarism.org, in a post “Preventing plagiarism when writing,” urges students writing research papers to “When in doubt, cite sources.” The article also stresses the importance of knowing how to paraphrase, saying “Changing a few words of the original sentences does NOT make your writing a legitimate paraphrase.” The post adds that even rephrased content will need to be cited because the original idea contained in the sentence came from someone other than yourself.

Stay focused

Hopefully you understand the importance of avoiding citation errors and plagiarism, but there are still other ways you can derail your research papers. Writing Center Underground, the blog for the Metropolitan Community College Writing Center, shares the “Top Ten Tips for Writing Research Papers” by E. Mack. Some common issues discussed include:

• Lack of organization and focus. Keep the points you want to make together; avoid jumping back and forth between reasons.
• Lack of conclusion. Often students concentrate so intensely on the body of a research paper that they overlook the importance of a strong conclusion.
• Lack of careful proofreading. Relying on spell-check is not going to help you find word usage errors, one of the most common errors in academic papers. It’s also difficult to find everything in one read-through.

If you properly understand the assignment, thoroughly plan your paper, clearly reference all your sources and absolutely avoid plagiarism, you are sure to construct research papers both you, and your professors, will be proud of.