WORKING WITH SOURCES: INTEGRATION AND DOCUMENTATION
You may wish to use informat
WORKING WITH SOURCES: INTEGRATION AND DOCUMENTATION
You may wish to use information from secondary sources in one of these ways:
1. provide a full quotation, integrated into your paragraph
In his recent article on hedgehogs, John White says, “These interesting creatures have made fine household pets. They are easy to care for and lots of fun” (par. 9).
2. provide a full, lengthy quotation, indented and introduced by a colon
[NOTE: this block quotation would be double-spaced in MLA style]
Noted ghost-buster Frank Danforth explains it this way:
Most phantoms and other supernatural beings are simply trying to getback to their own dimension. Because our world is both strange and terrifying to them, they often react to interactions with humans in ways that appear to be hostile and violent. Yet many ghosts are rather shy creatures and become friendly once they realize that some humans are accepting of them. (197-8)
3. provide a partial quotation, woven into your own sentence
It is suspected that “clearly aggressive behaviors, including name calling and physical contact, contributed to this situation” (Wilson, par. 8).
4. paraphrase the quote; then document the source
Oil reserves will likely be depleted within two decades (Blake 2).
Here is the original from which the paraphrase was taken:
“Given our current rate of consumption, particularly in the developed nations, it is estimated that we will run out of oil by 2040.”
5. present information; then document the source
There have been nearly 600 confirmed sightings of Elvis in Memphis this year alone (Stern, par. 6).
The original might have been in chart or paragraph form.
HOMEWORK—Learning to incorporate researched information.
Below are four fictional quotations with sources.
Decide on the best way to use each quote. There is no one right way, but you should be prepared to defend your choice. Refer to the examples on page 1 for your options. No works cited list will be required for this assignment.
Create a paragraph in which you incorporate these quotes, or the information provided in the quotes, using the ways you’ve chosen (above).
1. Martians account for nearly 17% of our population.
Lester Williams
Aliens Among Us (quote is found on page 44 of this book)
2. Despite the fact that people are considerably more tolerant of “strangers” than they were just twenty years ago, the recent influx of extra-terrestrials is proving to be a source of anxiety to many, especially in cities, where such aliens tend to congregate.
Vincent Vail
“Who’s Next?” (this is an article from Time magazine; the quote is found on pages 17-18)
3. Martians carry no communicable diseases to the human population.
Rachael Wallace
scientist with the Centers for Disease Control, in Atlanta
(stated in paragraph 16 in an article called “A Study of the Impact of Alien Populations on Human Disease and Immunity” in a journal called Science Today)
4. The Martian population rose from three million in 2010 to nearly 50 million by 2024. Today it is estimated at nearly 200 million.
Susan Cleary
“A Growing Crisis” (this is an article from page 2 of the New York Times)
GRADING FOR PARAGRAPH HOMEWORK:
CRITERIA SCORE
USED ALL 4 SOURCES (2 PTS. EACH) 8 PTS.
CORRECTLY USED MLA FORMAT
IN PRESENTING INFO AND CITING
SOURCES OF THE INFO 6 PTS.
DID NOT SIMPLY QUOTE ALL SOURCES 3 PTS.
(USED PARAPHRASE OR SUMMARY
AT LEAST ONCE)
PARAGRAPH MAKES SENSE; 3 PTS.
SENTENCES READ WELL AND QUOTES
AND/OR INFORMATION ARE INTEGRATED
BOTH GRAMMATICALLY AND GRACEFULLY
PARAGRAPH UTILIZES INFORMATION 5 PTS.
TO PRESENT AN IDEA; PARAGRAPH HAS
AN OVERARCHING POINT SUPPORTED
BY THE RESEARCHED INFORMATION
X 4 = Score
(out of 100 possible points)