Researching in the Humanities: Step 5: Writing your Paper

Now that you have completed your research and have all of the information you need, it is time to start putting it all together.  To be successful it is important to keep the following tips in mind.

Why is it important to cite your sources?

• Accurate and complete citations are imporant because they:
  • provide proper credit to the authors of the materials used
  • give your reader the information they will need to go back to the original source of the idea, information and/or quoted phrase.
  • help you find your own sources later to create a bibliography

See  the Library Guide: Citing your Sources for more information about citations and styles.

Why is plagiarism wrong?

• According to the ACPHS Academic Integrity Policy, plagiarism is:
• "Work that gives the reader the impression that the work, words or ideas of others are the author’s own, without appropriate reference to the original source".

• When writing, follow these guidelines to ensure the academic integrity of your paper:

• Use your own words and sentence structure as much as you can.

• When you feel that another author's words say it best, place quotation marks around their original words.

• Cite every quote, paraphrase, summary, and any information you obtained from another source.

• Make sure all the references at the end of your paper are complete and accurate.