Writing papers can be difficult! Give your self plenty of time and seek assistance and feedback from friends and professionals.

Personal Assistance

Center for Student Learning Writing Lab (1st floor of the Addlestone Library) -- no apointment necessary, just walk in for peer feedback at any stage of the writing process.

General Writing Guides: Internet Resources

• Guide to Grammar and Writing - Capital Community College
• LEO: Literacy Education Online - St. Cloud University
• MIT Writing Center - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Nuts and Bolts of College Writing - Michael Harvey
• Paradigm Online Writing Assignment - Chuck Guilford
• Writer's Handbook - University of Wisconsin, Madison Writing Center
• Writer's Web - University of Richmond Writing Center
• Writers' Workshop - Writer's Workshop, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Writing Argumentative Essays - Bill Daly, Victoria University of Technology, Australia
• Writing Guides - Colorado State University
• Garbl's Writing Center - Gary B Larson

Writing Resources in the Library

• The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers
  REF PE1408. H2968
• Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage
  REF PE1460. M45
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
  REF LB2369 . G53
• Doing Philosophy: A Guide to the writing of philosophy papers
  B52.7 .F45 2005
• A Guide for the Young Economist
  H62 .T465 2001
• How to Write a BA Thesis: a practical guide from your first ideas to your finished paper
  LB2369 .L54 2005
• A Rhetoric for the Social Sciences: a guide to academic and professional communication
  H91 .H36 1998
• A Short Guide to Writing About History
  REF D13 .M294 1999
• Irvine's Writing About Music
  e-book
• Writing Your Thesis
  LB2369 .O55 2004

Many disciplines have unique writing styles. Ask a librarian for assistance in locating a subject specific writing guide.

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what does it mean to "cite" a source?

It means that you show, within the body of your text, that you took the words or ideas from another place. Failure to acknowledge these sources is considered plagiarism.

how do I cite?

your professors may prefer you to use a particular citation style. Common style guides such as CBE (hard science) APA (social science), MLA (humanities), Chicago, Turabian, and others are linked from the library's "documenting sources" page. Library reference librarians as well as the CofC writing lab (part of the center for student learning) are available to provide personal citation assistance. You can also get personal help 24/7 by using the "ask a librarian" service.

regardless of the style that you use, be sure to pay attention to details -- form and punctuation count

what must be cited?

although different disciplines have different conventions for what should be cited, you should always cite:

• verbatum quotations
  example -- direct quote, including page number, in APA style
  "Research indicates that exposure to thin ideal images in women's magazines is associated with heightened concerns for body shape and size in a number of young women" (Thomsen, 2002, p. 988).
• paraphrase or summary
  example
  Studies show that reading women's magazines is correlated with concerns about thinness (Thomsen, 2002).
• ideas or facts that are not commmon knowledge
  example
  Approximately 10% of patients with eating disorders are men (Anderson and Holman, 1997)
  The best policy is: when in doubt cite your source.

What does not need to be cited?

you do not need to cite anything that is common knowledge
example
The firing on Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor started the civil war.
Again, if you are not sure, provide a citation.

references or list of works cited

you must also include a complete list of sources at the end of your paper. This shows the reader what sources you have consulted and allows him or her to locate the same material in necessary.

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What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism occurs when you borrow another's words or ideas and do not acknowledge that you have done so. In this culture, we consider our words and ideas intellectual property: like a car or any other possession, we believe our words belong to us and cannot be used without giving credit.

Therefore, whenever you write a paper that requires research, you must tell your reader where you obtained any ideas or assertions that are not originally your own. Whether you quote directly or summarize the information, you must acknowledge your sources by citing them. In this way, you give that person credit for the work s/he has done.

forms of plagiarism

• unacknowledged verbatim quotation (direct plagiarism)
• mixing paraphrase and unacknowledged quotation (mosaic)
• unacknowledged paraphrase and/or use of ideas
• unacknowledged use of graphics, tables, charts, or web pages

Resouces:

A Guide to Freshman English
College of Charleston Department of English--scroll down for plagairism and paraphrasing sections

Plagiarism: what it is and how to recognize it and avoid it
Indiana University

"Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA [Council of Writing Program Coordinators] Statement on Best Practices."

College of Charleston Student Handbook (pdf)

 

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