Poor research and incorrect entry of sources are common blunders students commit while composing essays. These mistakes become the reason behind their hard efforts going down the drain and low marks. Learning to conduct credible research and incorporating sources in academic papers would greatly benefit students. Whether they write an essay, dissertation, or capstone project, these necessary educational skills will uplift their credibility.
We have this thorough guide in which we’ve discussed effective strategies to research and incorporate sources. Let’s dive into it without wasting any further time.
The Significance Of Effectively Incorporating Sources
Whether it is an essay, dissertation, or any other academic paper, incorporating sources effectively will highlight your honesty. It is a correct approach to give credit to original authors and provide necessary support to your argument in the paper. It also proves that you’ve used good quality sources and you’ve thoroughly researched. Thus, it exhibits your dedicated efforts and enhances your academic credibility in front of your professors.
Necessary Steps To Integrate Sources
First and foremost, you should always evaluate the source’s strengths and limitations through various steps. Carefully read your assignment’s requirements to understand what you present through your paper. Select appropriate sources for your argument and think about what role they will play in your assignment/argument. For instance, the site you may use may serve as an authoritative voice in support of your claim.
Once you have figured out the site you would use for your academic paper, next determine whether to summarize, quote, or paraphrase. You can also consider signal phrases or other strategies for sourcing. Ensure the source you use to shape your argument by raising a question, suggesting a line for thoughtfulness, or providing a provocative quotation. Otherwise, it is of no use.
Effective Strategies For Selecting A Source
Here are some effective strategies that we have gathered from a reputable MBA essay writing service for selecting a source:
- Keep in mind your objective is to compose a credible paper, not a collection of sources
- Don’t solely read the abstract to decide which sources you would use
- Never neglect a site only because it contradicts your argument
- Always pay attention to who wrote the data and look into their level of credibility
- Pick an accurate and credible source whose information can be verified by another site
- Avoid considering the one that contains even a hint of biased data
- Prefer the ones that come from academic researchers or organizations
Detailed Explanation Of 4 Methods To Integrate Sources Into Research Writing
Explore the following four prominent methods to integrate sources into your research writing. Understanding the detailed explanation would let you determine which one to use for your essay.
Quotation
The quoting method requires you to use exact words from a site and put quotation marks around it. It highlights that those phrases are not yours and indicates the site where they come from. Whenever quoting a passage, choose the one that seems well phrased or is unique to the author or topic. Be selective while quoting statements, as excessively including them isn’t good if you want to maintain your academic integrity.
There is no need to quote bulky paragraphs, you can simply use ellipses (….) to highlight the omitted words. Connect with your professor to find out the ideal length of quotations, as some employ word limits on how much of a sentence you can quote. Whether before or after quoting a passage, explain the significance of the quote to the reader. Avoid including the ones that have no introduction or context to your subject matter. You can further check your citation handbook for quoting guidelines to avoid any mistakes.
Paraphrase
Paraphrase is the way to go if you want to mention someone else’s ideas in your own words. However, you don’t need to use quotation marks in this case. While paraphrasing a passage, avoid changing a word or two here and there, as it would be still considered plagiarism. The right approach is to write the original idea in your own words. Read the content, reflect upon it, and restate it in a meaningful way that aligns with your paper’s context.
The goal of paraphrasing is to back up a point you’re making in your essay, so tailor your paraphrased content exactly to that specific point. A tip to efficiently do it is by attentively diving into the part you want to paraphrase
. Later, look away to explain the main point in your own words and translate them into written words. Go back to the original content to confirm whether you’ve paraphrased correctly. If any phrase still comes directly from the original site, paraphrase it once again.
Summarize
Here comes the third method for incorporating sources into essays that you’ll typically find in USA writings. You should consider this approach when you have to include central arguments or conclusions in your essay. Summaries are usually shorter in length than the original text and are written in one’s own words. While summarizing, you should never quote from the source and only describe the original text.
Signal Phrases
Consider signal phrases when you have to attribute an idea or a quote to another author. Opt for this approach when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize primary, secondary, or even tertiary sources. Signal phrases usually introduce material from an outside site and offer relevant background information. They also highlight the author’s ideas, as well as your unique perspective on them.
A signal phrase typically contains the author’s name and an attribute tag, like ‘has criticized,’ continued by the relevant idea or quote. You can use them along with in-text citations to differentiate your work from the sites you would cite. Every citation style has its unique format that you must stick to while employing for your essay. The most note-worthy styles are APA and MLA in-text citations.
Final Verdict
You have successfully explored insights on how you can research and integrate sources in your essays. Consider the method for incorporating data or sites that align with your particular academic paper. You will gain the capability to identify the suitable approach through consistent practice and mindfulness. However, our goal is to empower the maximum number of students in their academic journey. Hopefully, this detailed and insightful guide will contribute to this cause and let you submit A+ essays.