Argument is…
Making a claim (taking a stance) about a
controversial issue
Providing reasons and evidence (facts and
details) in support of your position
Aiming to convince or persuade an audience
Argument is NOT…
• Ranting, shouting, being loudly insistent
• Just expressing your opinion
• Just listing the facts
• Pay attention to whether or not the authors
of your sources are doing this or not.
• Also, look out for logical fallacies. This may
help you explain the weaknesses of an
argument.
So, effective argument begins with…
• Knowing your subject; understanding the
issue; being “well read” and “well informed”
• Knowing your audience and why/how they
might disagree with you (and respecting
that)
• Understanding the difference between
facts, values, and claims
• In your essays, be intellectually sound,
emotionally reasonable, and respectful
Plagiarism, Copyright
Infringement, and Academic
Dishonesty are NOT the same
thing
Internet
• Why won’t some instructors let you use
Wikipedia as a source in your writing?
Information changes; content is selfpublished and self-edited; hard to confirm
credibility
• How can you use Wikipedia effectively?
Learn the basics of a topic; explore the links
to websites for more information; identify key
terms that you can use to search for journal
articles online and browse through book
chapters (can use index at back of book)
Academic (Dis)honesty
• Academic dishonesty includes more than just plagiarism (ex.
receiving inappropriate help on a project)
• Academic Honesty is adherence to a system of ethics, which
respects the ownership of ideas, and acknowledges
indebtedness. Ideas must be treated as intellectual property
that can be referenced but not owned. University and
classroom policies on academic honesty protect student work in
addition to source material, and acknowledge the sovereignty of
student thought and participation in academia. As such, it is
important that students return this favor by acknowledging the
intellectual sovereignty of other people’s ideas. By doing this,
we create an academic environment in which individual
expression is respected, and indebtedness is acknowledged.
(this paragraph drawn from a handout from instructor Amir Hassan)
Plagiarism
• Damages the integrity of the academic
enterprise and of professional work
• You do not need to cite: your own opinion or
idea (which can be a response to someone
else’s idea), a personal anecdote or
narrative, or something that is considered
“common knowledge.”
• When in doubt…cite it!
How do you determine if it is
“common knowledge”…?
• Emerging venues of intellectual exchange
make more and more information accessible
• Vast internet means fact, fiction, and
opinions overlap, co-exist, and merge
• Audience has a large impact on what you
consider “common” or “uncommon.” For
example, academics may assume
information as common that a popular
audience may not.
Copyright Infringement
• You should credit others’ contributions to
your work. You should not claim others’ work
as your own.
• Ask permission if possible
• Make sure to at least type in a caption
underneath any image not your own personal
photograph or self-created graphic.
So, what is “acceptable” and
“unacceptable”…?
• A graduating senior pastes an MU logo on a
resume that is sent to potential employers
• You submit your essay from another class in
nearly its original form with only minor revisions
• You have your roommate proofread your essay.
He/she provides extensive corrections and
some stylistic suggestions.
• A student includes a direct quotation without
quotation marks or in-text citation, but the
source is listed in the Works Cited
Primary Sources
• Provide firsthand knowledge
• Involve “raw information” (Everyday Writer 154)
• Ex. Interview scripts, literary works
Secondary Sources
• “report on or analyze the research of others”
(Everyday Writer 154)
• “descriptions or interpretations of primary
sources” (Everyday Writer 155)
• Ex. Articles, Critic Reviews
The pdf posted at www.mauhau.wordpress.com under
the “MLA Citation” link provides the current and correct
way of typing MLA-style Works Cited page entries.
If you need other information on MLA citation (such as
citing sources in-text), refer to the following slides
and/or The Purdue University Online Writing Lab at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
MLA Citation
• In Article Title, Bob Smith claims that “quotation
exactly as appears in article” (37).
• The main issue at stake is “quotation exactly as
appears in article” (Smith 37).
• Longer than four lines means block quote.
10 spaces indentation for each line
no quotation marks!
ending: blah blah blah. (37)
blah blah blah. (Smith 37)
MLA Citation
• If no page number is given (usually with
websites), write np where the number would go
• Use brackets for changed or added words
“Blah blah blah [but] blah blah” (22).
• Use ellipse for any words taken out
“Writing is hard. … But some people like it”
(Smith 22).
• If quoting the same source multiple times, make
sure the author’s name is in the first in-text
citation. After that, just the page number will
suffice…until you change sources.
MLA Checklist
Formatting
1. In the upper left hand corner, does the paper include the following components in
the following order?
Name
Instructor’s name
Course number
Date
2. Is there an original title that is centered?
3. Does the author’s last name and page number appear on every page?
In Text Citation
1. Are all quotations cited?
2. Is paraphrased/summarized information by others cited?
3. Is uncommon knowledge cited?
4. Does the end punctuation appear after the citation (unless a block quote is used)?
Block Quotations
1. If a quote is longer than 4 lines, is the block quote format used?
2. Does the block quote end with a citation? Does the end punctuation appear after the
last word of the quote—not the end of the citation?
Works Cited
1. Is the Works Cited page done on a separate page?
2. Is the title “Works Cited” in the center?
3. Are the entries alphabetized?
4. If the entry runs longer than one line, is the following line indented?
5. Are new entries left justified?
The single most important factor
impacting the research-paper
writing process is the amount of
TIME you spend!
Writing is not easy, and research papers can be
frustrating and difficult. But, breaking it down into steps
and spending enough time per step can make the
process less overwhelming.
Writing a Research Paper…Mary-Style
1.
2.
3.
4.
Collect sources. (Brainstorm while doing so.)
Read, highlight, write in margins. (Keep brainstorming.)
Annotated Bibliography. (if required)
Type up important quotes and any of your own related thoughts. Do not
worry about order yet.
5. Print out. Underline key topics. Color code according to topic.
6. Copy/paste information underneath corresponding headings. This will help
you see the overall organization and connections between points.
7. Add own insights. Explain significance of quotes. Eliminate quotes that no
longer quite fit in.
8. Just keep writing, just keep writing…
9. Write Introduction paragraph last. Based off of content in body paragraphs,
create a thesis statement (multiple sentences).
10.Proofread carefully.
11.Print off. Turn in.
12.CELEBRATE!
www.lib.muohio.edu
If you don’t yet want to narrow in on books or journal
articles, the library website has an option to browse
all materials. Click on “Browse” under More Options.
You can refine your search however you want. Make
sure to utilize the facets on the left side of the screen.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/selected_video?videoId=9940917
Books
• Click on “Books and More,” put in search terms,
and select the appropriate drop down menu
option.
• Try not to start researching last minute since
you’ll be restricted to electronic items and
books at Miami. If you start a bit earlier, you can
take advantage of OhioLINK .
• Once you find a book that is closely related and
says interesting things, look at its bibliography
for other possible sources.
• Everyday Writer entries #6-26 for citation
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/selected_video?videoId=10527577
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/selected_video?videoId=8963822
Articles
• If you are looking for articles on your subject,
select and search in an electronic database. I
recommend starting with JSTOR or Academic
Search Complete http://www.lib.muohio.edu/selected_video?videoId=8537661
• If you have a specific database in mind, click on
“Databases A-Z” under Find Information.
• Otherwise, click on the “Articles” tab. Before
putting in your search terms, I recommend
looking through the pull down menu of
commonly used databases to jot down
databases that you plan on searching.
Articles
• Try narrow, specific searches first…you might
get lucky. If not, start trudging through the
numerous results that broader searches will
create.
• If keep hitting a dead end, try something else:
maybe different search terms or a different
database.
• Once you have a good article, look at its
bibliography for other possible sources.
• Everyday Writer entries #27-39 for citation
Articles
• If you find an article that looks promising, but do
not see a full-text version, check to see if a hard
copy is available in King, a full-text copy in a
different database, or a hard copy in another
Ohio library by clicking on “Find It.”
• If you know the name of the article and name of
the journal it appears in, check to see if it is in
an electronic database or in the periodicals
section of the library.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/selected_video?videoId=10637884
Websites
• For information on your topic, you should rely
on academic journal databases and books over
general websites. But when using a website as
a source, verify its credibility.
• If the information on the website is potentially false,
inaccurate, or not credible, make sure that you
acknowledge this in your essay when using the
website as a source or example.
• For example, you may need to specifically highlight
the fact that an inserted quote from a given source is
someone’s opinion rather than factual information.
• Everyday Writer entries #45-52 for citation