Smooth Integration of Sources: Citing Sources for Academic Contexts
Printed Page 141
Writers of concept explanation nearly always conduct research, incorporate information from sources (summaries, paraphrases, and quotations) into their writing, and identify their sources so that readers can identify them as experts. Toufexis, for example, identifies Michael Mills as “a psychology professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles” and quotes him as saying “Love is our ancestors whispering in our ears” (par. 2).
ANALYZE & WRITE
Write a paragraph or two analyzing the kinds of material Dan Hurley incorporates from sources, and how he identifies his sources so that his readers know that they can be trusted.
- Skim the essay, highlighting places where Hurley quotes, paraphrases, or summarizes information from sources, and consider the information Hurley provides to identify those sources. What information does he provide, and how does this information help readers know the source is trustworthy?
- Now skim the essay looking for places where Hurley quotes the researchers. Pay particular attention to the quotations in paragraphs 2, 7, 9, 11, 13–16, and 19–20. Why do you think Hurley decided to use their exact words in these places, rather than merely summarizing their ideas? Can you determine which of the quotations come from published sources and which come from interviews? Can you tell from the text itself or from the citations we added? Consider whether it is important to know if the quotations come from published sources or from the interviews the writer conducted himself.
- What do you think is the purpose of citing sources—including interviews—particularly for academic audiences? Why is simply identifying sources with a word or two in the text generally sufficient for nonacademic situations? Given your experience reading online, do you think hyperlinks serve a similar purpose to formal citations? Why or why not?