Launching and Citing Source Material
In addition to capturing source information effectively, you need to identify and credit all source material clearly.
Launching Evidence from Sources
For more on the format for source citations in the text, see Ch. 36 for MLA and Ch. 37 for APA.
Use a launch statement to identify the source of each detail and each idea—whether a quotation, summary, or paraphrase. Whenever possible, help readers see why you have selected particular sources, why you find their evidence pertinent, or how they support your conclusions. Select the verb that conveys to readers each source’s contribution. Here is a list of common launch verbs:
| agrees | denies | expresses | reports |
| argues | describes | interprets | says |
| asserts | discusses | notes | states |
| challenges | emphasizes | observes | suggests |
| claims | explains | points out | writes |
Launch statements show not only that you have read your sources but also that you have absorbed and applied what they say about your research question. Try the following strategies to strengthen launch statements.
Name the author in the sentence that introduces the source:
As Wood explains, the goal of American education continues to fluctuate between gaining knowledge and applying it (58).
Add the author’s name in the middle of the source material:
In Romeo and Juliet, “That which we call a rose,” Shakespeare claims, “By any other name would smell as sweet” (2.2.43–44).
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Note the professional title or affiliation of someone you’ve interviewed to add authority and increase the credibility of your source:
According to Jan Lewis, a tax attorney at Sands and Gonzales, . . .
Briefly noting relevant background or experience can do the same:
Recalling her tour of duty in Iraq, Sergeant Nelson noted . . .
Identify information from your own field research:
When interviewed about the campus disaster plan, Natalie Chan, director of Campus Services, confirmed . . .
Name the author only in the source citation in parentheses if you want to keep your focus on the topic:
A second march on Washington followed the first (Whitlock 83).
Explain for the reader why you have selected and included the material:
As Serrano’s three-year investigation of tragic border incidents shows, the current policies carry high financial and human costs.
Interpret what you see as the point or relevance of the material:
Stein focuses on stem-cell research, but his discussion of potential ethical implications (18) also applies to other medical research.
Relate the source clearly to thesis or point it supports:
Although Robinson analyzes workplace interactions, her conclusions (289–92) suggest the need to look at the issues in schools as well.
Compare or contrast the point of view or evidence of two sources:
While Desmond emphasizes the European economic disputes, Lewis turns to the social stresses that also set the stage for World War II.
Adding transitional expressions to guide readers can strengthen your launch statements by relating one source to another (in addition, in contrast, more recently, in a more favorable view) or particular evidence to your line of reasoning (next, furthermore, in addition, despite, on the other hand). However, transitions alone are not enough. Your analysis and your original thought need to introduce and follow from source information.
For more on connections and transitions, see Adding Cues and Connections in Ch. 21.
Learning by Doing Talking to the Sources
Learning by Doing
Talking to the Sources
Refer back to the dialogic notebook you created for the Learning by Doing activity Reflecting on Sources in a Dialogic Notebook in Ch. 32. Examine how the sources talk to, support, or question one another. How are they discussing the subject, questioning each other’s findings, or supporting one another? How do these sources support your thesis? Write a short reflection about how your sources connect with one another or come together.
Citing Each Source Clearly
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Often your launch statement does double duty: naming a source as well as introducing the quotation, paraphrase, or summary from it. Naming, or citing, each source both credits it and helps locate it at the end of your paper in the list of sources, called “Works Cited” (MLA) or “References” (APA). There you provide full publication information so that readers could find your original sources if they wish.
To make this connection clear, identify each source by mentioning the author (or the title if no author is identified) as you add information from the source to your paper. (In APA style, also add the date.) You can emphasize this identification by including it in your launch statement, or you can tuck it into parentheses after the information. Then supply the specific location of any quotation or paraphrase (usually the page number in the original) so that a reader could easily locate the exact material you have used. Check your text citations against your concluding list of sources to be sure that the two correspond.
For examples of citations, see Ch. 36 for MLA or Ch. 37 for APA.
RESEARCH CHECKLIST
Capture
Quote
Paraphrase
Summarize
Synthesize
Launch
Identify authority
Provide credentials for credibility
Usher in the source
Connect support to your points
Cite
Credit the source in your draft
Link the citation to your final list of sources
Specify the location of the material used
Learning by Doing Launching and Citing Your Sources
Learning by Doing
Launching and Citing Your Sources
Work on a section of your draft that mentions several sources. In your file or on a printout, highlight each launch statement. First, check each highlighted passage to be sure that you have named the author or source and stated the page number for a quotation or paraphrase. (Also add the date in APA style.) Next, check each passage to be sure that you have clearly conveyed to a reader the value or contribution of each source—what it adds to your understanding, how it supports your conclusion, or why you have included it. Exchange drafts with a classmate to benefit from a second opinion.