Citation and Reference Methods
Check out these tools to help you present your lab reports and research papers properly. Be sure to contact MsChien if you have any questions - do this ahead of time!
This is a real easy online tool to help you receate good bibliographies and citations . All you have to do is select the format of citation (in science, we use APA), then fill in your reference information, then the web program will make the format FOR you! This website is great in that it helps you make Bibliography and in-text citations.
Other Options:
Citation Styles Handbook: APA (from the Writers Workshop at the University of Illonois at Urbana-Champaign) has a website that tells you how to site in APA style. You would have to dig and search for what applies to what you want to cite, but this is useful, in case the Citation Machine website is not functional.
The Owl at Purdue: MLA Formatting and Style Guide. Again, this is not as easy as the Citation Machine, but it offers another option in case you need to cite in MLA format.
Ways to make sure that my work is of my own...
DURING YOUR RESEARCH
Always start off with an outline of your research. Try to do your outline as you understand it.
- An outline can consist of SIMPLIFIED NUGGETS of info or statement of fact that when grouped together by their relevance, they can help you merge into an idea of your own.
- A “simplified nugget” can be anywhere from 5 words to a sentence.
- Remember: People who start off a research project with a lack of understanding of the content have a higher chance of plagiarizing from resources. While using certain vocabulary is essential to the paper, HOW you use the vocabulary is most important. The English language has millions of vocab and combinations - you are bound to form your own that represents your understanding.
Your outline should remind you of what you read.
- If you don’t understand anything you read in your research, ask someone about it or go to a 2 nd resource for clarification. Don’t let it go.
- Make a vocabulary list on the side of words you don’t understand. You can totally repeat MAJOR vocabulary words that express an IMPORTANT CONCEPT. If you find yourself copying anything else other than this, you are plagiarizing.
WHEN WRITING YOUR PAPER/REPORT
- You can assure that your work is your own when you MESH ideas you got from multiple resources in one section of your report, as long as they make sense. THIS MEANS THAT YOU MADE SENSE OF AN IDEA ALL ON YOUR OWN.
- Be sure to use proper APA format for proper citation credit.
- If you have to cite something, it should not be more than 5 sentences long. NEVER allow the reader to interpret the citation - YOU have to introduce the citation to give it context, and interpret the citation to add on meaning to your report.
AFTER YOU WRITE YOUR PAPER/REPORT
- Have two or more people proofread it for grammatical, spelling and idea confusion issues.
- You must evaluate yourself on the standards of the teacher. Ask for a rubric and grade yourself. Ask a classmate to grade you. THIS STEP CAN DETERMINE WHETHER YOUR WORK IS A “F” or an “A”.
