LIBR. 100

LESSON 6: ETHICAL ISSUES IN ONLINE RESEARCH

If you ever need advice on citing sources or other topics involved in avoiding plagiarism, don't hesitate to ask me or any librarian. Librarians are usually happy to help with these types of questions (And some of us really weird librarians actually enjoy creating citations!)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

*   To understand the proper role of sources in the research process.
*  To understand the necessity and importance of citing your sources in academic writing.
*  To know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
*  To know what a documentation style is.


TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.  The Role of Sources in Research
2.  Citing Your Sources
3.  Plagiarism
4.  Documentation Styles
5.  Key Points to Remember



1.  THE ROLE OF SOURCES IN RESEARCH

You have nearly completed Library 100 and have learned how to locate and evaluate the 3 main types of information sources: books, periodicals, websites. But before beginning our discussion of ethical issues in research, let us review the proper role of sources in research. Why must sources be used in the first place?
Many students believe that sources have to be used simply because the teacher requires them. So they collect facts and quotes from different books, magazines, and websites and then write a paper that ends up being a sort of collage.  But this would be merely superficial research.
Teachers require you to use sources because they know the crucial role they play in genuine research--i.e. research in which you present your own informed opinion on a unique research question. But in order to have an informed opinion, you must have sources to support --and even challenge or contradict--your view.
Sources, therefore, are used in research because:
Sources provide context.
You are not the first person to research your topic. In fact, it is very likely that many others before you have written about your topic. In order to fully understand your topic, therefore, you must be aware of the historical, theoretical, and/or technical context in which your topic has evolved. Who are the major thinkers in this area? What experiments have been done? What are the major theories? How have issues, events, etc. been interpreted in the past, and how are they interpreted today? How has research in this area evolved and changed over time?
Sources offer you ideas, perspectives, and interpretations that you may have never thought of before.
Genuine research is a deliberate attempt to gather and compare different views on an issue or problem. These fresh insights enrich and expand your own thinking and help you reach your own informed conclusion.
Sources help you avoid black and white thinking.
It is a mistake to believe that there are only two sides to every issue–the right side and the wrong side. Good research helps you see that there are many ways of looking at an issue, and finding the “truth” may be not be as straightforward as one first thought.
Sources strengthen and reinforce your writing.
Your writing becomes much more credible if you are able to support your position with facts, evidence, and arguments from experts. Show your reader that you have done your homework!


2.  CITING YOUR SOURCES

A research paper, by definition, includes ideas and facts gathered from other sources. As you write your paper, you will summarize, paraphrase, or quote directly from these sources. To let your reader know that you have taken information from someplace else, you must give credit to your sources through proper documentation. The process of acknowledging the sources you use is also known as documenting your sources.
Why do you have to document or cite your sources?
* To enable your readers to find a source you used and read it for themselves by giving them the bibliographic information they need to find it. This information is known as a citation and must include author, title, and publication information.
* To make it absolutely clear to your readers which words and ideas are your own, and which come from your sources.

If you incorporate information into your research paper and don’t carefully and fully cite your sources, you are guilty of plagiarism.


3.  PLAGIARISM

To borrow words or ideas from others without proper acknowledgement is called plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs anytime you pretend that someone else’s words or ideas are your own. The following are all examples of plagiarism:
* Copying text word for word without using quotation marks and citing the source.
* Paraphrasing or summarizing information without citing the source.
* Paraphrasing that merely rearranges the author’s words or sentence structure is plagiarism, even if you’ve cited the source.
* Copying and pasting a sentence or paragraph from a website (or article from a database) into your research paper, without citing the source.
* Buying a paper online, or from a fellow student, and pretending it is your work.
The consequences of being found guilty of plagiarism are usually severe, ranging from failing the course to expulsion from school. Many students, however, plagiarize simply because they do not understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Often they lack confidence in their own research and writing skills. But the worst reason many students have for allowing themselves to plagiarize is the belief that everyone does it.
So it is worth asking: why is plagiarism considered such a crime?
* It shows complete disrespect for a major standard of conduct in the academic and professional world.
* Stated bluntly, plagiarism is stealing and lying. A person who plagiarizes shows himself/herself to be a person who lacks integrity and cannot be trusted to tell the truth.
* Plagiarism robs you of the opportunity to develop your own research, writing, and thinking skills. Such skills are highly valued in all professions and occupations.
* A college education is an opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge. Plagiarism casts doubt on your willingness and ability to learn and master information on your own. Think of it this way: would you want to be operated on by a surgeon who cheated his way thorough medical school?
The best way to avoid plagiarism is to simply remember to cite the source of every idea or piece of information that is not your own. Every time you quote, paraphrase, or summarize someone else’s words or ideas, give them credit. The only exception to this rule is when you are using information thought to be common knowledge, i.e. information most educated people already know or information widely available in reference sources. For example, you would not cite your source for the dates of the American Civil War or the names of the first men on the moon.

4.  DOCUMENTATION STYLES
When citing your sources, you must follow a prescribed format known as a documentation style (sometimes called a citation style). Many documentation styles exist, varying according to academic discipline. The two most common documentation styles are:
• MLA style (Modern Language Association)
• APA style (American Psychological Association)
MLA style is commonly used for research papers in English and humanities courses, while APA style is often used in psychology and the social sciences. Some instructors specify which style to follow, while other teachers leave it up to the student to decide.
The precise format (i.e. punctuation rules) for citing sources (along with other information about the mechanics of writing and presenting your research paper) is described in books called style manuals. For example, the Modern Language Association style manual is entitled the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers while the American Psychological Association style manual is entitled the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Every style manual will tell you how to cite a source within the body of your paper (either through a parenthetical reference or a footnote) and how to cite them in a bibliography at the end of your paper. Style manuals are available as separately published books, and summaries of documentation styles are available at the Cañada College website under Library Guides.

5.  KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

* Sources are used in research not because your teacher requires them but because they provide context, offer ideas you may have never thought of before, help you avoid back-and-white thinking, and strengthen your writing.
* The process of acknowledging the sources you use is known as citing (or documenting) your sources. This is done to make it clear to your reader which words and ideas are your own and which come from your sources.
* To borrow words or ideas from others without proper acknowledgement is plagiarism.
* Many students plagiarize because they do not understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. The worst reason many students have for allowing themselves to plagiarize is the belief that everyone does it.
* Plagiarism is a serious offense because it not only shows disrespect for a major standard of conduct in the academic and professional world but also reveals the plagiarizer as one who cannot be counted on to tell the truth.
* Plagiarism robs you of the opportunity to develop your own research, writing, and thinking skills. It also casts doubt on your willingness and ability to learn material through your own efforts.
* The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite the source of every idea or piece of information that is not your own. The only exception to this rule is when you are using information thought to be common knowledge.
* When citing your sources, you must follow a prescribed format known as a documentation style (sometimes called a citation style).
* The precise punctuation, capitalization, and formatting rules that a documentation style requires you to follow are described in books called style manuals.
Lesson 6 Assignment
DUE:
NAME:

The point value for each question is noted. Total points for this assignment:   19 points

Please answer all of the questions below and then email your completed assignment to your instructor, Dave Patterson, at pattersond@smccd.net .

1. List the 4 reasons the reading gives to justify the use of sources in research. (4 points) 

2)  Define “common knowledge” and give an example. (2 points)


3) Name the 2 most common documentation styles. (2 points)


4) According to the reading, what is the best way to avoid plagiarism?



 5)  Given below is a citation from the PLS catalog and how that same information would be presented in MLA style.

PLS citation: 

MLA citation:

Wood, Denis.  Five Billion Years of Global Change: A History of the Land.  New York: Guilford Press, 2004.




Translate the following citation from the PLS catalog into a citation written in MLA style:

YOUR ANSWER (MLA CITATION) (5 points):





6) Given below is a citation for a full-text article found on the Thompson Gale Expanded Academic ASAP database on April 15, 2006 and how that same information would be presented in MLA style:


INFOTRAC citation:

The problem with file sharing: after MGM v. Grokster, are we any closer to a solution?(music trading)(Column). Renay San Miguel. Technology Review (Cambridge, Mass.) 108.10 (Oct 2005): p39(1). (843 words) From Expanded Academic ASAP.



MLA citation:


San Miguel, Renay.  “The Problem with File Sharing: After MGM v. Grokster, Are We Any Closer to a Solution?” Technology Review  Oct. 2005: 39.  Expanded Academic ASAP.  Thompson Gale.  Skyline College Library. 15 Apr. 2006.  <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>.

Translate the following citation from the InfoTrac Expanded Academic ASAP database into a citation written in MLA style, assuming you accessed the article today:

Video iPod arrives: fifth-generation model adds video to its repertoire. (macbeat) Christopher Breen, Mathew Honan, Jonathan Seff.
 Macworld Dec 2005 v22 i12 p18(2) (916 words)

YOUR ANSWER (MLA CITATION) (5 points):

Revised for Cañada College Library by Lynne Vieth and Dave Patterson, July 2006.
These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author, Eric Brenner, and cite the source as “LSCI 100, Introduction to Information Research.”  All commercial rights are reserved.  To contact the author, send comments/suggestions to Brenner@smccd.net .