Doing research presents a real organizational challenge:
1. You have to keep track of all the sources from which you have borrowed ideas, facts, opinions, or quotations, and...
2. You have to create a formal list, called a "Works Cited" page, of all of the sources you used in your paper for your reader.
IF YOU KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING AS YOU USE IT, IT WILL SAVE YOU LOADS OF TIME LATER!
Tips for keeping track of sources:
1. Add links and titles to a Googledoc
2. Use bookmarklets like Diigo or iCyte (linked to NoodleTools) to keep track of websites
3. Keep a running list of sources in a folder in Ebscohost or Destiny (sign in)
4. Make citations as you go using NoodleTools
5. All of the above
DO:
-keep track of your sources as you go along
-use NoodleTools to create citations and SAVE YOUR WORK!
-use MLA consistently (make all your citations looks the same)
-export a Bibliography to Googledocs (let NoodleTools do the formatting for you!)
DON'T:
-list a URL as a citation. URLs change all the time. Your reader might not be able to find it.
-create citations on your own. There is too much room for error.
-copy and paste citations one-at-a-time. You will lose consistency!
We cite sources for several reasons:
-to impress our teachers by showing the awesome research we've done
-to prove that we haven't just made stuff up (like facts or statistics)
-to prove our opinions or ideas are awesome (who will disagree with you if your information is published by NASA?)
-to give credit to the authors you may have borrowed ideas or words from
-to PROTECT yourself!
-to help readers who want to know more find your sources
It's also just what people in schools and universities do to show they are using information ethically. When you get your driver's license, you will follow the rules, right? You will agree not to run a red light. Well, when you are a student, this is just what you do. It's part of the rules.