ENG 101 2023: Incorporating Limited Research Into a Comparison

1.Determine which piece (s) of evidence will need support from research and how (Relevance to the topic)

2. Verify the source: It should be timely, have a credentialed author, have good support its claims, and have a balanced approach to the topic

3. Cite the Source: Use the MLA handbook to create a source citation to place on a works cited page

• The evidence chart in Chapter 5 can be used to identify areas where you might need information you can't obtain from critical thinking or commmon knowledge.

• The goal of research incorporation is not necessarily to provide the pros/cons, advantages/disadvantages for you directly--but rather to help you expand your knowledge on different aspects of the topic that play an important role in the comparison.

• A student expands their analysis of cost of rolling bags vs. shoulder bags by sharing the prices of the top three Amazon listings revealed (along with the word choice used) when searching for each type of bag.

• A student choosing between a mechanical pencil and standard pencil for notetaking in their college course is concerned with functionality and knows a common complain is how easily the lead of a mechanical pencil breaks off. So she cites an article that explains the cause of that more in depth to analyze whether it's the writer or the pencil that is most to blame.

• A student comparing bringing lunch from home to eating on campus is concerned with timeliness and researches how long food actually stays fresh in a lunchbox.

• How timely should a source be? That depends. If you are looking for statistics, the most recent information available will serve the paper best. If you are looking for cause/effect, historical background, or facts, the publication date may not matter.

• What makes an author credible? They have a defined level of expertise in their field. This can be determined by their bio or online search for other things they've written. Usually, they have a formal education in their topic. They are also writing for a source that is reputable--a major news outlet, an established company or publication, etc. There are always exceptions though.

• What gives a source a balanced approach to a topic? Citation of sources, a balanced use of word choice and tone, reasoning and examples--the same standards we hold ourselves to as academic writers.

Evaluate each of the following sources to verify the author and information:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRrqaNua4hk

2. https://www.quora.com/Why-are-backpacks-with-wheels-not-allowed-at-most-schools

• Citation generators exist and they are great--even our library has them! But if you don't have a basic understanding of what information citations call or and how they are formatted, you risk losing points.

• MLA formatting and documentation does not need to be memorized! We can always look it up and verify.

• Let's take a look at the handbook guidelines for how to cite our two example sources:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRrqaNua4hk

  2. https://www.quora.com/Why-are-backpacks-with-wheels-not-allowed-at-most-school

• MLA Internal Documentation is comprised of three elements: 

  1. Signal Phrases (Also Known as Identifying Tags): Phrases that introduce authors/sources responsible for the information that follows them; these all help you clearly transition between your own thoughts and material from your supporting sources. 

  2. Direct Quote and Paraphrase: Word-for-word information from a source placed in quotation marks (a direct quote), information from a source re-written in your own words and style (paraphrase), or a combination of both. 

  3. In-Text Citations: A piece of information, placed in parenthesis at the end of a sentence, that contains a quote/paraphrase of information from a source; this further identifies the source and matches its full citation on a works cited page.

• The Economic Policy Institute ​reiterates that...

  Here, to reiterate is to remind an audience of a detail that has been repeated many times, especially policies. 

• The Congressional Budget Office​ claims:

  Here, to use the word "claim" is to indicate that the information being given from the source is up for dispute or requires further investigation to validate. 

• Anderson critiques efforts to raise the minimum wage, stating that...

  Here, acknowledging a "critique" is to indicate that this author is critizing a policy, and it could also signal that the author is also critiquing the policy and using the source to validate those critiques. 

• Direct Quote: The Economic Policy Institute reiterates that "The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and has not been raised in over 10 years" (Cooper et al.).

  Here, it is clear that the student is quoting information. The presence of a signal phrase to identify the source, quotation marks, and an in-text citation eliminate the risk of plagiarism. 

  Original Source:

  A lawyer who makes comedy-based content may send the wrong impression about the legal world and the responsibilities that accompany the career. It becomes difficult to trust a lawyer when they turn to a social media platform to make short, humorous videos about their practice and, ultimately, lose a sense of professionalism and authority. Because TikTok allows anyone to join the platform, anyone can claim to be an attorney without verification. This gives users free rein to spread misinformation and affect the younger generation’s perception of an entire profession. 

  Paraphrase: 

  Sara Kahn claims that the use of Tik Tok for comedic purposes is particularly damaging to the reputation of lawyers, and in turn, young users' understanding of the legal profession. This is because there is no vetting process to prove one's professional identity and validate the information they communicate to their audience (Kahn).

  ​This is an acceptable paraphrase, as in addition to using a signal phrase, the student is communicating the same main idea, but has re-written the passage in their own words and style. It's also more concise than the original, which shows that the student has identified the most important points in support of the argument.

• An in-text citation is a piece of information, placed in parenthesis at the end of a sentence, that contains a quote/paraphrase of information from a source; this further identifies the source and matches its full citation on a works cited page.

  The Economic Policy Institution reiterates that The minimum wage is stagnant, as it remains at "7.25 per hour"; there has been no increase "in over 10 years" (Cooper et. al).

  ​

  What goes in an in-text citation? It depends on the information you have for the source. We first and foremost want an author last name and page number, but we don't always have those details. Here's how we are expected to format our in-text citations based on the information we have: 

   ​In-Text Citation Formats

  • One author: (Author Last Name #) or (Author Last Name): (Collins 3)

  • Two authors: (Author Last Name and Author Last Name #) or (Author Last Name and Author Last Name): (Collins and Smith 4)

  • Three or more authors: (Last Name of First Author Mentioned et al.): (Collins et al.). *et al. means "and others". We use this to avoid creating a disruption in the citing with too long of an  in-text citation.

  • ​No author: ("Title of Source" #) or (Title of Source"): ("How to Cite" 3)