SBS 194 - Understanding Social Issues in American Society
Professors: Dr. S Gutierres and Dr. A. Kirby
Librarian: Allison Leaming
| Plagiarism | |
| Citing Your Sources | |
| Useful Resources for Your Coursework | |
| Additional Resources |
Plagiarism
What Is Plagiarism?
As a student at Arizona State University, you are expected to adhere to a set of guidelines as set out in the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy. This policy states the following:
"Plagiarism" means using another's words, ideas, materials or work without properly acknowledging and documenting the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and documenting the source appropriately."
Sanctions that may result from plagiarism in your work can range from failure of the assignment or class to suspension or expulsion from the School.
What Isn't Plagiarism?
Here are some examples of text that doesn't need to be cited in your research papers.
- Your opinion.
- Common knowledge
- Accepted factual information
- Things you personally observe and record
- Personal experiences
The Basics |
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Citing Your Sources
Citing your sources is an important part of the writing process. Documenting your sources gives credit to authors whose thoughts and ideas you have incorporated into your work. Proper citation helps you as a writer by strengthening your position and showing the depth of your research. Citing also helps your readers verify what you've written and follow up with sources they find interesting.
Most importantly, proper citation will help you avoid plagiarism.
How can I effectively cite the sources I use?
Proper citation will link text and facts used in your papers and presentations to the relevant sources quoted or consulted. American Psychological Association (APA) Style and Modern Languages Association (MLA) Style are the two most commonly used citiation styles in the college setting. Check your syllabus or ask your professor to find out if there is a preferred citation style for the courses you are enrolled in.
The Fletcher Library has prepared some quick guides to help you with APA Citation Style, MLA Citationa Style and In-Text Citation. Look for these helpful guides here on the Fletcher Library webpage.
If you still have questions about the sources you find online, the APA has created a supplementary page that specifically answers common questions about citing electronic resources.
Here are some other tools available to you through the Fletcher Library to help with citations and bibliographies.
- RefWorks - A bibliographical manager that keeps your sources organized and creates formatted citations and bibliographies. Create an account to get started.
- Ask-A-Librarian - 24/7 service that links you to a librarian. A great tool if you're working on your paper at 2am and have a question about citation formats.
Additional Sources
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed.
WEST REFERENCE BF 76.7 P83 2001
**Additional copies available on Reserve at the Fletcher Library.
American Psychological Association. Concise Rules of APA Style. 1st ed., 2005.
WEST REFERENCE DESK BF 76.7 C66 2005
Gibaldi, Joselph. MLA Handbook For Writers Of Research Papers. 2003
WEST REFERENCE DESK LB2369 .G53 2003
APA Style Citations from the University of California Berkeley Library
APA Formatting and Style Guide from Purdue University
Useful Library Resources for Your Coursework
Academic Search Premier - A very well-rounded database that covers a wide range of academic subjects. ASP features full text for selected journals, abstracts and indexing for over 3,600 scholarly journals, and also includes magazine and newspaper coverage.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center - A full-text database providing differing points of view on current social issues. The database brings together viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics, biographies of social activists, court cases, profiles of government agencies and special interest groups, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as links to more than 1,800 reviewed and subject-indexed web sites.
PsycINFO - A subject-specific database that indexes journals, books, chapters, dissertations and technical reports written by experts in the field of psychology.
Additional Resources
For more guidance on how to get the most out of the Fletcher Library please consult Psychology Liaison Librarian Joe Buenker's page of Recommended Resources.