Source Incorporation & Academic Integrity

Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:

• Textbook: Chapter 1 Seyler, D. U., & Brizee, A. (2019). Read, reason, write: An argument text and reader. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Lesson: Week 3, 4, 5
• Link (website): Student Handbook (Chamberlain University) (Links to an external site.)
• Link (website): Turnitin: The Plagiarism Spectrum (Links to an external site.)
• Minimum of 1 scholarly source (apply a previously collected source for your Week 7 Pro-Con Position Paper)

Apply the following writing resources to your posts:

• Link (multimedia presentation): Citing References in Text (Links to an external site.)
• Link (website): APA Citation and Writing (Links to an external site.)

Initial Post Instructions

Part 1: Research & Review

Pay particular attention to the following as you review the Required Resources for this activity:

• Week 3 Lesson: Building Body Paragraphs section 

  Building Body Paragraphs

  

  Body paragraphs can be broken down into a formula, containing three distinct sections:

  1. Topic sentence (1 sentence)
  2. Evidence (3+ sentences)
  3. Connection/Conclusion (1+ sentence)

  The topic sentence is a mini-summary of the paragraph. It should include the topic and main idea of the paragraph. If taken out of the context of the paper, the topic sentence should still make sense. The topic sentence is always written in your own words; never a quote.

  The evidence is the largest section of a body paragraph. Here we would include the reasoning to back our assertion/claim. Paraphrases, summaries, and quotes would be appropriate here, although you are not limited to just facts. You might also consider testimonies, comparisons, causes/effects, or process analysis (step-by-step guides).

  The connection/conclusion ends the body paragraph. Here the evidence is evaluated and applied. We cannot leave evidence unattended. Seyler and Brizee note,

  Readers need to be told how to respond to the sources used. They need to know which sources you accept as reliable and which you disagree with, and they need you to distinguish clearly between fact and opinion. Ideas and opinions from sources need signal phrases and then some discussion from you. (2018, p. 300).

  Consider applying transitional words and phrases as you conclude the paragraph and connect to the next topic in the next body paragraph.

• Week 4 Lesson: Signal Phrases section 

  Signal Phrases

  

  Last week we discussed how to construct body paragraphs. As responsible researchers and writers, it is our job to incorporate the evidence, rather than just dropping it into the paper or project. Incorporating sources means introducing and explaining the references material to our audience. We cannot assume that the audience will understand the connection between quoted or paraphrased material and our key points and thesis. To avoid any confusion, we have to make that connection for them.

  One approach to source incorporation is through signal phrases. According to Seyler and Brizee, signal phrases "give readers a context for the borrowed material, as well as serving as part of the required documentation of sources" (2018, p. 289). Let's practice brainstorming a few.

  Practice

  The following includes 3 rows with different information – try to combine 1 selection from each of the 3 rows to create a signal phrase:

  Introducing the author: Oprah Winfrey, Professor Bunch, Captain Kirk, Grandpa Simpson, American Cancer Society, Mayo Clinic, Jim Henson, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Seuss, Maya Angelou, Benjamin Franklin

  Establishing credibility: generalize what makes the person credible in a short phrase. Examples: professional background, academic titles, titles of books, praise or accomplishments, etc.

  Interesting verb choice: acknowledges, observes, suggests, reports, illustrates, emphasizes, contends, comments, asserts, adds, denies, disputes, claims, admits, acknowledges, rejects, points out, writes, implies

  Example: Dr. Seuss (year of publication), renown author of numerous and beloved children’s books, suggests…(the paraphrased or quoted info would begin here).

  Now you audience will accept the quoted or paraphrased material more readily because they know before they even read the text that the author is a credible one. We will give it a shot in our discussion board peer responses this week – this should be fun!

• Website links

Then, choose one of the sources you have collected so far this term.

Part 2: Application
Draft a body paragraph for the upcoming pro/con position paper, incorporating one paraphrase and one quote.

• The paragraph should contain a topic sentence, evidence, and conclusion/connection. Strive for a minimum of 5 complete sentences.
• The paraphrase should be introduced with a signal phrase.
• The quote should be introduced and explained.
• Both the paraphrase and quote should be cited in-text and on a reference page.

Then, answer the following prompts:

• Explain your approach to paraphrasing vs quoting.
• What made the quote stand out?
• Based on the information from the Turnitin plagiarism link, how did you ensure both the paraphrase and quote were not plagiarized?
• How did reviewing the Turnitin plagiarism link impact how you incorporated your resources?
• Do you prefer to paraphrase or quote? Why is that the case?

Click on the following Writing Tip link for a review of citations: