LIR 30: Week 3
Thesis Questions,
Citing & Using Sources
Class Announcements
Change in lecture notes
Lab rules re: food
Class quiz/question deadline!
From “Topic” to Thesis
Statement
Research Topics
Topic selection:
Specific topic = ease of research
More focused
Eliminate off-topic sources
Fewer sources to review
Even topics selected by instructors can be
“tweaked” for easier research
Good Research Topics
Two (or more) elements
Thesis = Topic + Specific Assertion
Good Research Topics
Thesis = Topic + Specific Assertion
Clash + influence on music
Google + privacy & China policy
Steroids + Congressional hearings
Struggling readers + effect of
reading dog program
Creeks + urban restoration
Good Research Topics
Reggae
Too broad
Reggae influence on “Police and Thieves”
Too narrow
 Influence of reggae music on the Clash
Just right!
Is a thesis statement or
research question required?
Ask your instructor!
(Can be helpful even if not required.)
Creating Thesis and Topic Statements or
Research Questions
Thesis statement:
 One or two sentence
statement articulating
purpose
 Defines, topic and
may indicate point of
view
Research Question:
 All of the above,
plus…
 Articulates research
topic in question form
Strong thesis/topic questions
Justifies discussion
One idea, direction for research
Specific
Roadmap for research and writing
Strong thesis statements?
Needs Improvement
New and Improved!
 “Hansel and Gretel” by  The Brothers Grimm
the Brothers Grimm is
sought to improve
one of the greatest
health education for
classic fairy tales.
their public through
fairy tales. “Hansel
and Gretel” reflects
their growing concern
over the highcarbohydrate diets
common in late 19th
century Germany.
Strong research questions?
Needs Improvement
New and Improved!
 Does “Hansel and
Gretel” reflect the
health concerns of the
Brothers Grimm?
 Given the Brothers
Grimm commitment
to health education
through fairy tales,
how does “Hansel
and Gretel”
demonstrate their
concern with the
high carbohydrate
diet of Germans in
the late 19th
century?
If your Thesis Question Can be
answered by a simple “yes or
“no”…
Keep working!
An effective thesis statement
or research question…
creates keywords for searching
Be sure to read Reader material for
next week
(Plus excellent site for more
information)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/thesis.html
Thesis Statement/Research
Question… Homework for
Next Week
Citations: Path to Sources
Citation styles: what the heck?
MLA vs. APA
MLA: humanities, arts
APA: sciences, social sciences
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/apa.pdf
 http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/apa-databases.pdf
MLA Format Handouts
online versions
General sources:
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/mla.pdf
Electronic sources
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/mladatabases.pdf
Citing Sources
Correctly!
What is a source?
Any book, periodical, website, interview,
lecture, film, show, etc. etc. you gather
information from
If not from your own head (common
knowledge), cite it!
Cite vs. Site
 Cite (citation)
“To make reference to”
Bibliographic record of
your source
 Site
Place where something
is located
c. Mad Magazine
Keeping track of sources: notecards
 Author(s)
 Title of article (periodicals)
 Title of book, periodical or website
 Date of publication
 Place of publication (books)
 URL (websites)
Citation Elements: Basic Bibliographic
Information (refer to this chart in Reader while we continue)
Books
Periodical
Internet
Author(s)
Author(s)
Author(s)
“Article title” (if
needed)
“Article title”
“Page title”
Book title
Periodical title
Website title
Place of Publication:
Publisher
Publisher/
Organization
Date
Date of periodical Date created or updated
Page numbers (if
needed)
Vol.issue:page
number
Date accessed
<URL>
Author’s Name
Person/persons responsible for source
Last name first (except for additional
authors)
No author? Leave blank
More than 3? Use et al. (not on notes)
Don’t include credentials (not on notes)
Author Examples
Nope:
Filkins, Jean, M.S.L.I.S.
Yep:
Filkins, Jean.
Filkins, Jean and Kitty,
Hello.
Filkins, Jean and Hello
Kitty.
“Article Title” (in quotes)
Name of:
Encyclopedia article
Essay
Book chapter, section
Newspaper, magazine article
Web page, part of a web site
 If using the whole book or website or
alphabetical entry, article title is unnecessary
Article Title Examples
Nope:
"This Is Where I
Belong"-Identity,
Social Class, and
the Nostalgic
Englishness of Ray
Davies and the
Kinks
Yep:
"This Is Where I Belong:
Identity, Social Class,
and the Nostalgic
Englishness of Ray
Davies and the
Kinks.”
Title of Resource (underlined)
 Title of:
Book, Anthology, Encyclopedia
Journal
Newspaper
Website
 Edition (if needed)
 Number of volumes (if needed)
Title of Resource Examples
Nope:
“The Journal of Popular
Culture”
Yep:
Journal of Popular
Culture
Publication Information
Place of Publication (books)
City, sometimes state
“Major” cities don’t need state added
If adding state, use postal code
Publisher’s name (simply!)
Publisher Examples
Nope:
Hello Kitty Publishers,
Inc. Santa Rosa.
Yep:
Santa Rosa, CA: Hello
Kitty.
Date of Publication
 Book
Year
If many, use most
recent
 Magazine
Date: day month year
 Journal
Volume.Issue (year)
 Newspaper
Include edition
 Website
Last date updated
 Online source
Date accessed
Where do you find all that
stuff?
The book’s cover?
Nope!
Where do you find this stuff?
Book title page:
Author
Publisher
Place of publication
Title page verso (back of title page)
Date of publication
The title page!
Title of the book
Subtitle of the book
Authors of the book
Publisher of the book
Place of publication
The verso (back of the title page)…
Date of publication
CIP data, ignore!
For Periodicals
Publication
Information
Title
Authors
For Online Periodicals
Publication
Information
Title
Authors
Works Cited Format Notes
Alphabetize by first item
Usually Author’s last name
Double space
Hanging Indent
Indent 5 spaces after first line
Can be set on ruler in Word
Works Cited Format Notes
Item not available? Leave blank
Sentence punctuation
Period after each section!
Dates = day Month, year
Remove hyperlinks! (See example)
When you understand the
pattern…
It’s not such a mystery!
The pattern:
Author
Title
Publication information
Basic Book Citation Model (see Reader)
Author’s name (Last name, First name). “Article Title (if
needed).” Book Title. Ed. Editor’s name (first name
first, if needed). Place of publication: Publisher, Date.
first-last (page numbers, if needed).
Reference Resource Model (See Reader)
Author (last name first). “Article Title.”
Encyclopedia or Resource Title,
Ed. First name, last name if needed.
Place of publication: Publisher,
date. First-last (page numbers not
needed if alphabetical).
Using the Information You’ve Found
Notecards, Ethics, Techniques
Notes on notetaking
Read Hunter college section in Reader
At the very least, for bibliographic info
Consider “notebook style”
On to ethics…
What is Plagiarism?
Using someone else's ideas without credit
Phrasing, representing someone else’s
ideas as your own
Either on purpose or
through carelessness
Avoid Plagiarism:
Own thoughts and ideas, wording
If paraphrasing sources, always
acknowledge
Credit source of quotes, distinctive
information, adapted material
What Content Should Be Credited?
Information, ideas from sources
Paragraphs or sentences
Distinct phrases (be careful!)
Statistics, research, lab results, art, etc.
Who Should Be Credited?
Published writers of books, articles
Internet sources
Another student at SRJC or elsewhere
When to Quote
“Quotable” language (dangerous)
Support for analysis
Historical witness
Controversial statement
Expert testimony/declaration
Guidelines for Quotations
Use exact wording
Ellipses… for words removed
Brackets[] for words or letters added
Don’t overuse quotations
Don’t quote the same source again and again
Paraphrasing
To clarify
To simplify
To emphasize
To unify the language of your paper
(dangerous)
Parenthetical References
See examples from MLA handout
How to paraphrase
Someone Else’s Ideas in Your Own Words:
First Example
Research paper: History of fashion in
1920s
Read several sources that skirt lengths
rose in conjunction w/ “emancipated”
women, no more corsets
Also read in one source that women’s
clothes resembled little girls
In Alison Lurie's book The Language of Clothes
(New York: 1981)
Skirts rose from top of the ankle after
WW1 to mid-knee
Curves out, boyish figure in
Waists disappeared, silhouette strait
Your Paper Will Note
Women’s clothes changed
dramatically, note details (stated in
your words)
Reported in several sources
List sources in bibliography
Your Paper Will Also Note
Women’s fashion took on a childish look
Need to cite as follows:
As skirt lengths shortened, the fashionable
silhouette for women looked more childish than
womanly (Lurie 75).
Alison Lurie notes that, at the same time hem
lengths rose, the fashionable silhouette for
women looked more childish than womanly (75).
Homework for Next Week
 Read Purdue OWL Thesis Statement if you
haven’t already
 Thesis statement/Research question
 Read through entire Weeks 3 & 4 section