Anisah Omar

Dr. Katheryn Crowther

English 1102

4 February 2020

 

What are sources in writing?

        When writing in college, you’ll write lots of articles, thesis papers, research papers, and blog posts, and you will have to use sources through it all. “A source is the place where you gained information used in your writing”(How to Use Sources to Write Essays and Evaluate Evidence).  See what I did there. Somewhere along your time in school, you have written a paper and used either; a quote, statistic, a picture from the internet, or some piece of research that you used to back up the topic or argument you were presenting. A source can be a number of things but ultimately its something you didn’t write or come up with yourself.

Why we use sources?

        Citing your sources is essential because you’re letting your audience or reader know that you’ve done the necessary research to be knowledgable in what you’re writing about. You could have been given the assignment to write something based off of an article read in class. We use sources because we were ultimately taking part in a larger conversation, a scholarly one. By using sources were telling the reader that we’ve done our research and we are now a part of that conversation. Building off other’s research and creating your own. Souces are also crucial because they’re a form of evidence.  

How to use sources?

        Knowing how to use sources properly can be tricky, especially since it can quickly be done wrong. First, you’ll have to make sure you have the writer’s permission to use said work. However, most of the time, you won’t have to ask for permission as long as its for school. Next, you’ll have to cite your sources. In most writing, you’ll use the MLA format. MLA format is defined as “a style of writing used for college-level writing.”

        In some cases, you might be asked to write in APA format, but that is rare. Lastly, you’ll need to place your sources at the end of your paper. Explaining why you’re work relates to your sources is vital. If you’ve used a quote or a statistic, reiterate its meaning to the reader to better help them understand what is being said. Explain why the piece supports your work as evidence. Remember to describe the original author’s job a bit and how it correlates with your own.

The three E’s?

        To be a writer proficient in source citing, understanding the three E’s is crucial. Citing your sources effectively is making sure you’ve paraphrased the correlation between the source you’ve used and your work. Youll also need to make sure it makes sense in your writing, ensuring you haven’t just put a bunch of the other person’s work without explaining why it plays as evidence t your own.

Citing your sources ethically is making sure you’ve given the writer credit, correctly citing them both at the end of your papers and in your work. Lastly, efficient sourcing, no one is all-knowing on every topic, and sources are essential in writing but not so crucial that your paper should be overflowing with them. It’s still your paper, and it should be your voice. Efficient sourcing is using the principal sources for your work, and there shouldn’t be more quotes and statistics than your own words.

 

        Sources are essential in writing, and being proficient in citing your sources correctly in college is something you must master. With the tools above, you now know the steps to ensure you’ve sited your sources in an ethical, effective, and efficient way, all while using MLA format. 

 

 

Work Cited

• Jennings, Doresa. “How to Use Sources to Write Essays and Evaluate Evidence.” Study.com, 17 Jan. 2013, https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-to-use-sources-to-write-essays-and-evaluate-evidence.html

 

• “File:Citing.jpg.” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. 29 Nov 2016, 16:31 UTC.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Citing.jpg&oldid=224494308

 

• Student, Type, Write, Author, Journal, Work. Creative Commons Zero – CC0, https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-xtcym

 

• “Books on MLA Format.” Citing Your Sources, Humboldt State University Library, 19 Dec. 2019, https://libguides.humboldt.edu/cite

 

• “File:Webcomic xkcd – Wikipedian protester.png.” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. 4 Jan 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Webcomic_xkcd_-_Wikipedian_protester.png&oldid=385312954

 

• Bost, Lynne, et al. “Chapter 1 Section 3 Guidelines for Source use.” Writing for Success, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2015  

 

• Bost, Lynne, et al. “Chapter 1 Section 3 Source Bricks: How To Begin Using Source Material” Writing for Success, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2015

  

• Bost, Lynne, et al. “Chapter 1 Section 3 Why Paraphrasing Tools Are Garbage” Writing for Success, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2015  

 

• Bost, Lynne, et al. “Chapter 1 Section 3 Using Sources.” Writing for Success, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2015