Documenting Your Research: Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

One of the things that distinguishes scholarly writing from other forms is the use of notes and bibliographies to document the sources of information and ideas. There are several reasons for this practice:

• Documentation establishes the accuracy, authority, and reliability of the information presented.
• It gives proper credit to the originator of the information.
• A correct citation enables a reader to locate the source you used.

Your notes or references list will direct other researchers to sources of additional or more complete information than you included in your paper, speech, or presentation.

Using these reasons as guidelines, you can see that some types of information and ideas would not usually need to be documented. For example, "Sacramento is the capital of California," "American independence is celebrated on July 4th," or "Arcata is in Humboldt County," are all examples of well-known facts which can be verified easily. Their accuracy is not in doubt, and they would not normally need to be documented. Common or widely shared opinions do not usually need to be documented, either. For example, you could probably state that "electronic technology is changing society in many ways," or "the Vietnam War caused serious divisions in American society" without documentation. However, if you were quoting someone who said or wrote that statement, you would need to cite your source. What is considered common knowledge can vary, though. Especially at the beginning of your academic career, you should check with your instructor before assuming that a fact or an opinion is commonly enough known not to require documentation.

Plagiarism, taking credit for language or ideas not your own, is a form of theft. It carries severe penalties in the academic community. At UNLV, these may involve receiving an F in your course and suspension or expulsion from the University. Research and scholarship often build on or refer to the work of others. It is not wrong to use others’ ideas, or even their words. It is wrong to present them as your own.

To avoid unintended plagiarism:

• Keep careful notes as you are doing your research.
• Include full citations to all your sources in a complete bibliography (also called a list of references or works cited).
• Rephrase ideas into your own words as you take notes.
• Use the guidelines above in deciding what you need to cite and what you don't.
• It is sometimes difficult to tell how much of an idea is your own thinking and how much is from your source. Once again, if you are confused or uncertain about the need to document something, consult your instructor.

• Citing Images (Module 10)
  
• How to Cite Your Sources -- Citation Styles (Module 10)
  
• Plagiarism Examples
  
• Back to Module 13
  
• Check your understanding

If you have comments about the usefulness of this module and/or how it can be improved, please contact Jeanne Brown, Architecture Studies Librarian, at jeanne.brown@unlv.edu.

© 2000 Humboldt State University Library - Modified and used with permission

Friday, 06-Jul-2007 11:59:22 PDT