Ethical Research
Jillian Skyrme
What is Plagiarism? How Do I Avoid it?
Plagiarism is the act of claiming ownership over a piece of work that was created by someone else without giving them any credit.
Ways to avoid plagiarism include
- Paraphrasing: putting information in your own words
- Quoting: Taking a piece of information and putting " " marks around it as well as stating the rightful owner's/s' name(s) afterwards
- Summarizing: Condensing all of the information you've read into a few sentences or a paragraph, generally short
How do You Cite a Website?
The format for citing a website is the author, title/page, copyright or publishing date, and finally the web address (don't forget to put the address in brackets). If the website doesn't have a visible date, use "n.d" for "No date". Don't forget to italicize the title.
What About Images?
A good website for getting free-use images is morguefile.com or pics.tech4learning.com, which also has free-use images I believe. The format for citing an image is the image name (file) or the owner's name, n.d., and the day you viewed the image.
How do I know if a Resource is Credible?
Generally, you can tell from the type of domain (if it's a website). If it has .gov for government, .edu for education, and occasionally .org for organization. It's also good to account for the amount of ads there are on the website. The more ads a website has, the more the chances of the site being credible decrease (though don't entirely base whether or not a site is credible on solely the amount of ads).
How do You Use Search Terms Effectively?
When searching online, you don't want to enter your entire question into the search bar, but you do need to be specific (Example Question: What are some good cake recipes? Don't just enter "recipes", this could lead to any food recipe). Picking out and entering key words or subjects is a good idea (*from the last example* Cake recipes, good cake recipes, quality cake recipes, etc.)
How do I Formulate an Efficient Research Question?
Think about the main topic of what you'll be writing about. From there, you may branch off and narrow it down. The more specific you are, the better (generally). Example: "I'd like to write about cake." What are good cakes? What's the best cake? What are the best cakes in the United States? What are the top twelve cakes in the United States?
What are some Resources that are Available to Me?
One of the main resources that you can use to find articles is Explora. To get to Explora, go to the Lakeview Home Page, then to the Media Center located in the About Our School tab, and click research. Next, click General/Primary Resources and the Ebsco Host. This will lead you to a page where you will need to click Explora Middle School, bringing you to your final destination. Other resources readily available include the CIA Factbook (follow the same steps that led you to the Ebsco Host) and the Mid-Continent Library database (though you will need the following card number: 20005001149413). I will also link these below.
What is an MLA Citation?
An MLA citation, short for a Modern Language Association citation, is a format used in formal writing. An in-text citation is used to help your audience find that particular quote or information's corresponding citation/owner in the bibliography, which is usually placed in the end of your work. A bibliography is merely a page that compiles all of your citations. Addressing formatting your bibliography, you want to indent your second line whilst leaving your first line un-indented, use double spaces to separate each citation, and use the Times New Roman font if possible.