Transition
to
Graduate School
Session 2
Session 2
Transition to Graduate School
Topics for Today
Academic honesty & plagiarism
APA Documentation Style
What is plagiarism?
Turn to a neighbor and discuss.
Try to come up with a definition.
“Plagiarism is the act of taking
someone else’s ideas, words,
research, or other intellectual or
artistic work and presenting it as if
they were your own (Trinity, 2005).”
Trinity University (2005).
Academic honesty, plagiarism, and the
honor system: A handbook for students. p.
2.
Conventions of Academic
Writing
• For ANY and EVERY idea that you didn’t
make up yourself you have to give credit to
the originator of the idea
• There must be an attribution (that is, a
citation) showing where it came from
• … unless it is general knowledge
Example from a journal article
The example of academic writing on the
next slide was found in
Dix, S. (2006). I’ll do it my way: Three
writers and their revision practices. The
Reading Teacher 59, 566-573.
The ability to revise is significant
because it helps the writer reflect and
clarify his or her thinking with the goal of
improving the writing (Calkins, 1991;
Corden, 2001; Dix, 2003a; Fitzgerald,
1987, 1988; Graves, 1979, 1983; Murray,
1978).
These are citations
of articles and books
that originated the idea
Examples of Plagiarism
Turn to a neighbor and discuss.
Try to come up with three examples of
plagiarism.
What about these?
A student
includes part of a
book review
found at
Amazon.com in a
paper with no
attribution
YES
In a paper about the moral
development of children,
A student used the
exact words found
in a book by Robert
Coles. There were
quotation marks
around the quote,
and the book was
listed in the
reference list.
YES
Plagiarism can be
INADVERTENT
As well as deliberate
In a paper about current
education initiatives
A student says that
education in the
United States has
historically been a
matter of local
government
NO
The fact that
control of education in the U.S.
is local
is common knowledge
How do I know if something is
“common knowledge”?
Especially if I didn’t already
know it
Common Knowledge
• You find the same information without
documentation in 5 sources
• It is information that a reasonably
educated person will already know
• A person could easily find the
information in general reference
sources
(Trinity, 2005)
And
• Standard information such as historical
dates
• Folk literature
• Commonsense observations, Ex.
siblings will argue over little things
(Fowler, H.R, Aaron, J.E., & Limburg, K., 1992)
In a paper comparing two
theories of human development
The student cuts and
pastes into the paper
from sources found
on the internet --no
documentation or
original writing
YES
In a paper about management
styles
A student builds on
ideas obtained from
interviews with
principals, but does
not acknowledge the
individuals in the
paper.
YES
That’s a lot of ways to
plagiarize.
I’ll be fine as
long as I change
the words of my
source, right?
Paraphrasing
You must
provide documentation
for the source
of all paraphrases
Paraphrasing
• Must be done correctly
• Just changing a few words
DOES NOT
• turn a quotation into your own work
Examples of acceptable and
unacceptable paraphrases can be found
in the Academic Honesty . . . Handbook
http://www.trinitydc.edu/academics/acad
aff/policy.php
If the ideas OR CHOICE OF
WORDS did not originate with
you
You must give credit to the source
When in doubt . . .
DOCUMENT
Academic Honesty is
MORE
than avoiding plagiarism
Submitting the same paper or
project for two different classes-unless you have permission in
advance from both instructors-is contrary to the culture and
ethics of academia.
When an instructor requests
original work,
you cannot use a paper, lesson
plan, case study, etc.
•
•
•
•
Found on the internet
Created by a friend or family member
Provided by your school district
Found in a book or article
Original work means just
that, it is original,
created by you alone.
APA Documentation Style
What is APA?
A documentation style
I wonder what
that means.
?
?
Documentation Styles
• Every profession
has a particular way
of showing where
(documenting) ideas
come from.
• English, Languages MLA
(Modern Language Association)
• History, Philosophy
Chicago
(Chicago Manual of Style)
• Education, Psychology
APA
(American Psychological
Association)
Why?
Provides Consistency
A documentation style has
rules for
• Showing the sources of ideas in a paper
• Compiling a reference list
• Capitalization, punctuation, and
selected aspects of usage
APA Style is
Exceptionally
comprehensive
and complex
. . . but required
Coming up next:
•
•
•
•
•
In-text citations
Reference list
Cover Page
Running Head
Style issues - just a few
In-text citations
• In-text citations are what you put into the
actual text of a paper to document the source
of your ideas
• You must indicate the source of ideas as well
as direct quotes and paraphrases
• APA uses an author/date format
• APA does NOT use footnotes for citations
Study the first complete paragraph on the
third page of the article on year round school,
2nd sentence:
For example, Ballinger (2000) and Barber
(1996) found that students’ attendance and
academic achievement at year-round schools
improved; some studies suggest that this
schedule may especially benefit at-risk
students (Kneese, 1996; Shields & Oberg,
1999).
What information needs to be
included?
The author or authors of your source
The publication date
Sometimes the page number
When do you need a page
number?
 ALWAYS when you have a direct quote
(that is you use the EXACT words of
your source)
 Highly recommended when you
paraphrase (p. 171)
You do NOT need a page
number
 When you are summarizing the
general idea or conclusions of a source
Citation information within the
text (your sentences) should
NOT be repeated in the
parenthesis
For example, Ballinger (2000) and Barber
(1996) found that students’ attendance and
academic achievement at year-round schools
improved; some studies suggest that this
schedule may especially benefit at-risk
students (Kneese, 1996; Shields & Oberg,
1999).
A semi-colon
is used to
separate
more than
one work
cited within
the same
parenthesis.
The names of these authors were NOT included
within the text of the sentence so authors names
and pub dates are put in the parenthetical citation.
Example: Direct quotation
In explaining their choice of
profession, aspiring teachers often
mention the long summer vacation as a
contributing factor, yet at a school in Quotation
for
Fairfax County, Virginia, “ teachers marks
direct quote
viewed the year-round schedule as an
improvement in their working
conditions” (Haser & Nasser, 2003. p.
67).
Longer quotations
• Direct quotations 40 words or longer are
placed in block form without quotation
marks around the words
• See pp. 170-171
Online Material
• Provide author, date, and page no.
• If there are no page numbers, but paragraph
numbers, provide the paragraph number in
the parentheses in place of page number
Example of in-text citation of online
material, no page number
In reviewing a new book on highstakes testing, Nichols (2009) states
that “the authors’ primary argument is
that the practice of high-stakes testing
presents an inherent paradox” (para. 2).
Period at end of
everything
Location
in source
More on on-line material
If there are no paragraph numbers, but
section headings, provide the section
heading and the number of the
paragraph following the heading.
Shorten long heading titles and enclose
short title in quotation marks.
See pp. 171-172
By now you must be
wondering:
 When do I use single vs. double quotation marks?
 Where do I put periods and commas?
 What do I do if there is a misspelled word in the
source I am quoting?
 Where does the parenthetical citation go within a
sentence or paragraph?
 What do I do if I use a quote but want to leave out a
few words that won’t change the meaning?
For the answer to those and
other fascinating questions
READ THE BOOK!
(pp. 171-173)
All you need to know about in-text
citations can be found on pp. 169-173.
If your source contains a direct quote from
another source that you want to use, you
must indicate the original source of the quote
in your writing, and also state the source you
found it in. Do not omit in-text citations from
material you are quoting.
BUT only sources you have read yourself go
into your reference list.
See example 6.09 on p. 173.
How many authors belong in a
a citation?
Discuss with a neighbor
It all depends on
1) How many people wrote the source
being cited
AND
2) Whether it is the first or subsequent
mention of that source
The first mention:
ALL authors last names
UNLESS
There are 6 or more authors
If there are 6 or more authors,
Use first author’s name followed by
et al. every time
Like this:
(Smith, et al.)
comma
Note: A period follows
the al, but NOT the et
For a work with just 1 author
Use the author’s last name every
time
Like this:
(Jones, 2006)
For a work with 2 authors
• Use both last names every time
• Use the word and in the text
• Use an ampersand (&) in parentheses
Two authors
Hans and Blitz (2004) demonstrated that a
border collie can understand at least 200 words.
OR
The German dog can understand at least 200
words (Hans & Blitz, 2004).
ampersand
3-5 Authors
First Mention: Use all of the last names
Subsequent mentions: Use the first author only
followed by et al.
Exception: If more than one citation shortens to the
same last name, include as many of the authors as
necessary to distinguish the sources.
With 3 or more authors
Place a comma before the and
Example:
Greer, Riccio, and Brereton (2006)
Dorr, Greer, Riccio, and Williams (2005)
Review
Talk to your neighbor and come up with 3 things
to remember about
In-text citations
In APA style the list of
references is titled
References NOT
Bibliography or Works Cited.
References
The List of References
 MUST match up exactly with sources
mentioned in the text of a paper
In other words, EVERY source mentioned
in the paper must have an entry in the
reference list
BUT nothing should be put in the reference
list that was NOT mentioned in the text of
the paper
In addition, sometimes a work
is mentioned in one of the
sources you read,
 If you did not read the source yourself,
DO NOT include that source in your
reference list!
So, what do I do if I want to
use the same quote I find
quoted in an article?
 You can track down the original source
and read it yourself
 Then you are entitled to list it in your
reference list
 Otherwise, list the secondary source in
the reference list and include reference
to the original source in your in-text
citation in the body of the paper
following example 6.17 on p. 178
Study the example in the next
slide
Do you see anything that perplexes you?
Do you see anything that looks different from what you
have done in other reference lists or bibliographies?
Talk to a neighbor. Point out important features to each
other.
Reference list example
References
Allington, R.L. (1994). The schools we have. The schools we
need. The Reading Teacher, 48, 14–29.
Allington, R.L. (2004, October). What really matters for
struggling readers. Keynote paper for the Lower Mainland
Council of the International Reading Association
Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Anderson, R.C., Wilson, P., & Fielding, L. (1988). Growth in
reading and how children spend their time outside of
school. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, 285–303.
doi:10.1598/RRQ.23.3.2
Capitalization
Did you notice that most of the
words in the book and article
titles were NOT capitalized?
 The titles of the periodicals and
the books are capitalized, but
not the article titles.
Can you find the word volume or
the abbrev vol. or the word
page or the abbreviation pp. in
journal references?
Reference list example
References
Allington, R.L. (1994). The schools we have. The schools we need. The
Reading Teacher, 48, 14–29.
Anderson, R.C., Wilson, P., & Fielding, L. (1988). Growth in reading and
how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research
Quarterly, 23, 285–303. doi:10.1598/RRQ.23.3.2
Applebee, A.N., Langer, J.A., & Mullis, I.V.S. (1988). Who reads best?
Factors related to reading achievement in grades 3, 7, and 11.
Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Features of APA references
• In APA reference lists, journal citations
do NOT use the abbrev. vol. at all
• The periodical title and the volume
number are italicized, but the page
numbers are not.
• An issue number is ONLY used if
pagination begins with one for each
issue. (see p. 186 & p.198)
More features
• For periodicals use month or season of
publication ONLY if there is no volume
number.
Reference list example
References
Allington, R.L. (1994). The schools we have. The schools we need. The
Journal Reading Teacher, 48, 14–29.
title Allington, R.L. (2004, October). What really matters for struggling
readers. Keynote paper for the Lower Mainland Council of the
International Reading Association Conference, Vancouver, BC,
Canada.
Anderson, R.C., Wilson, P., & Fielding, L. (1988). Growth in reading and
how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research
Quarterly, 23, 285–303. doi:10.1598/RRQ.23.3.2
Applebee, A.N., Langer, J.A., & Mullis, I.V.S. (1988). Who reads best?
Factors related to reading achievement in grades 3, 7, and 11.
Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
On-line materials
General Principles
See pp. 191-192
All of the forms are because . . .
The reader of your paper needs to
be able to locate the material
General Principles
DOI- Digital Object Identifier
Always include this number when
provided even if you read a hard copy
Copy and paste if possible to avoid
mistakes
Learn ALL about DOIs on pp. 188-191
More on on-line sources
If there is no DOI provide a URL
– Don’t add a period at the end of the URL
• Check URLs just prior to submission to
ensure they are still accurate
• Do NOT include retrieval dates unless
the material is likely to change over time
Even more on on-line
materials
• Reference form for many types of
electronic materials begin with
“Retrieved from”
• Determine the type of source and follow
examples in the APA Manual- Ch. 7
• Section 7.11, pp. 214-215 for discussion
groups, blog posts and the like
Journal article without a DOI
• If you read a hard copy, everything
stays the same except there is no DOI
number at the end of the reference
entry.
• If you retrieved from the internet,
provide a retrieval statement that
includes the URL.
Example- Journal reference,
no DOI
Bustle, L.S. (2004, February). The role
of visual representation in the
assessment of learning [Media
Literacy department]. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47(5).
Available:
http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies
/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/jaal/204_column/index.html
No period
Look at
the pp. abbreviations on
following slide
Discuss with neighbors
when/where it is used
Brozo, W.G. (2000). Hiding out in secondary classrooms:
Coping strategies. In D.W. Moore, D.E. Alvermann, &
K.A. Hinchman (Eds.), Struggling adolescent readers: A
collection of teaching strategies (pp. 51–56). Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.
Elkins, J., & Luke, A. (1999). Redefining adolescent
literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 43,
212–215.
How do I know what form to
use?
1. Determine the type of work you are citing
2. Find the example in the list on pp.193-198
(The numerals following the type of work
refer to the number of the example, not a
page)
3. Follow the format provided in the example
and
4. READ EVERY WORD OF THE
EXPLANATION (Probably several times)
Most common types of works
used in student papers
• Periodical article
• Book
• Book chapter or
section
• Article in an edited
book
• SO-O-O-O- Mark
those pages and get
familiar with the
formats
Common error with electronic
sources
• Many students mistake the database
through which they found an article for
the source
• Proquest, PsychInfo, ERIC, Questia,
etc. are NOT the sources. They are not
periodicals or books. They are merely a
service providing you access to an
article, abstract, or whatever.
Typing instructions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Double-space (2.11, p. 37)
Hanging indent
Alphabetize by last name of first author
Multiple sources by the same author appear
in chronological order
Extensive instructions on order, p. 181
Located after the text of the paper;
appendices follow references
Starts on a clean sheet of paper
Heading of “References” (centered)
Details to Notice
•
•
•
•
•
•
Capitalization
Parentheses
Periods
Italics
Spacing
Commas
APA is
picky
Review
Talk to your neighbor and come up with 5 things
to remember about
APA reference lists
Websites for assistance
• http://apastyle.apa.org/
• http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/ind
ex.htm
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resour
ce/560/01/
• http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials/citati
on/html/
APA documentation style is
VERY COMPLEX
There’s WAY too much to
remember
Use the book!!!
According to the Trinity
Academic Success and
Writing Guide
Cover Page
• Title of paper
(assignment)
• Your name
• Course name and
number
• Instructor’s name
• Date submitted
Example
Running Head: SHORT TITLE
Article Review 1
Pat McGuire
EDCC 580
Dr. Elmore Leonard
October 16, 2006
What’s all this about running
heads?
Don’t worry, they’re not very
fast.
APA Running Heads, p. 229
• A “running head” is just a short title
– 50 characters or less including spaces and
punctuation
• Use a running head if requested by your
instructor
• For a short assignment it may not be needed
• If using a running head, use the header
function of your word processing program to
make it appear on every page.
Running Head Location
At the top of the title page
Flush left
ALL CAPS
A few pointers
• Avoid colloquial usage in academic writing
• Only one space after a period
• Know when to write out the word for a numeral and
when to use the numeral, i.e., one vs. 1; thirty vs. 30.
See pp. 111-112
• Always use a comma prior to the and in a series
And more tips
• Hyphens
– In APA style hyphens are NOT used in
many instances where we are used to
using them
– Pages 97-100
• Guidelines on unbiased language,
pp. 71-77
Avoid common confusions
• An activity that took place in the past is
something you used to do NOT use to
do
• Could have NOT could of
• Pique her interest Mountain peak
• Affect vs. effect
• www.confusingwords.com
• When speaking of ages:
• A seven-year-old or the three-year-olds
(note hyphens) but He is seven years old.
• Do NOT use they or their (plural) in place of
he/she or his/her (singular).
– Each teacher finished his or her lesson
plan.
– The teachers finished their lesson plans.
Many good tips on writing
Chapter 3, Writing
Clearly and Concisely
READ IT!!!