Chapter 19: Using Sources Effectively

How can I use sources to accomplish my purposes as a writer?

How can I integrate sources into my draft?

How can I ensure I’ve avoided plagiarism?

How should I document my sources?

  • Introduce a point

  • Contrast ideas

  • Provide evidence

  • Align yourself with an authority

  • Define a concept, illustrate a process, or clarify a statement

  • Set a mood

  • Provide an example

  • Amplify or qualify a point

  • Identify your sources

  • Quote strategically

  • Paraphrase information, ideas, and arguments

  • Summarize sources

  • Present numerical information

  • Use images, audio, and video

  • Quote, paraphrase, and summarize accurately and appropriately

  • Distinguish between your ideas and ideas in your sources

  • Check for unattributed sources in your document

  • Choose a documentation system

  • Provide in-text references and publication information

image Using evidence from sources can strengthen your document and show how knowledgeable you’ve become about the conversation you’re joining. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to integrate sources into your document and how to work with numerical information, images, audio, and video.

Much of the information in this chapter is based on MLA style, which is commonly used in the humanities. See Chapter 22 for guidelines on APA style, which is used in many social sciences.