essay on material sources

A reader should always know when you are speaking and when your source is speaking. Once you've decided whether to paraphrase, summarize, or quote from a source, you should make sure your source material is clearly integrated into your paper. College Writing Program One Bow Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Integrating sources means incorporating another scholar's ideas or words into your work. It can be done by: Quoting. Paraphrasing. Summarizing. By integrating sources properly, you can ensure a consistent voice in your writing and ensure your text remains readable and coherent. You can use signal phrases to give credit to outside sources and ...

Option 1: Quoting. When you quote a source, you represent the original author's words exactly. Students often default to quoting as their go-to source integration strategy because it likely seems like the easiest technique, since the writer doesn't have to articulate an idea in their own words.

In order to make a clear, effective argument, you need to make sure to distinguish between your ideas and the ideas that come from your sources. A reader should always know when you are speaking and when your source is speaking. Once you've decided whether to paraphrase, summarize, or quote from a source, you should make sure your source material is clearly integrated into your paper.

Important guidelines. When integrating a source into your paper, remember to use these three important components: Introductory phrase to the source material: mention the author, date, or any other relevant information when introducing a quote or paraphrase. Source material: a direct quote, paraphrase, or summary with proper citation.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays, research papers, and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises). Add a citation whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

Integrating Sources. Once you have evaluated your source materials, you should select your sources and decide how to include them in your work. You can quote directly, paraphrase passages, or simply summarize the main points— and you can use all of these techniques in a single document. It's important to learn how to quote, when to quote ...

Objects & Artifacts. Webster's dictionary defines an artifact as something created by humans, usually for a practical purpose, and especially as an object remaining from a particular period. When you use artifacts as primary sources, you've added material culture to your research. Artifacts can be an important complement to text-based primary ...

Use source material to provide proof or support for your arguments or ideas, to define or clarify points or examples, or to provide a point of view or argument different from your own and to refute opposing ideas. You may paraphrase, summarize, or quote directly from a source. Paraphrase: restate source material in your own words.

Using Sources Overview. One of the challenges of writing an essay using sources is successfully integrating your ideas with the material from your sources. Your essay must explain what you think, or it will read like a disconnected string of facts and quotations. However, you also need to support your ideas with research or they will seem ...

Proper citation of sources is a two-part process. You must also cite, in the body of your essay, the source your paraphrased information or where directly quoted material came from. These citations within the essay are called in-text citations. You must cite all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized words, ideas, and facts from sources.

Revised on May 31, 2023. Throughout the research process, you'll likely use various types of sources. The source types commonly used in academic writing include: Academic journals. Books. Websites. Newspapers. Encyclopedias. The type of source you look for will depend on the stage you are at in the writing process.

Natural scientists consider empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals to be primary sources. These published results of experiments and analyses of data provide the raw material for other scientists to consider as they pursue their own research. Secondary sources in the natural sciences include literature reviews and books.

This libguide was created to provide information resources and tools for the students of the Essay Writing course ENG 1100. ... Anything that provides information or material that informs your thoughts on a topic can be considered a source of information. ... Popular sources are typically written by non-experts (journalists or writers) for the ...

Using source material is the conventional way to strengthen the substance of your writing, but it needs to be done with precision and accuracy. To use source material, three methods will work in any paper or essay you have to write in college: Paraphrase. Reformulate the meaning of a passage in your own words. Summarize.

Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to the truth of what actually happened during an historical event or time period. Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied. A primary source (also called original ...

Strategies for Essay Writing. article. Brief Guides to Writing in the Disciplines. newspaper. Writing Advice: The Barker Underground Blog. Other Resources Harvard Guide to Using Sources. Advice from the Harvard Writing Center tutors. Anthro Writes: a guide to writing in anthropology. Harvard Writes: Harvard faculty explain academic writing.

At the beginning you may want to do a search to: improve your knowledge of the subject area. get ideas about how to conduct research in your area. identify gaps in the current body of knowledge. identify trends and predict future developments. identify keywords/terms and phrases. identify key people and organisations.

Research databases. You can search for scholarly sources online using databases and search engines like Google Scholar. These provide a range of search functions that can help you to find the most relevant sources. If you are searching for a specific article or book, include the title or the author's name. Alternatively, if you're just ...

Heinz found that "subjects in the low-carbohydrate group (30% carbohydrates; 40% protein, 30% fat) had a mean weight loss of 10 kg (22 lbs) over a 4-month period.". These results were "noticeably better than results for subjects on a low-fat diet (45% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 20% fat)" whose average weight loss was only "7 kg (15.4 ...

Source material is the collection of objects a writer uses to gather information and ideas. Sources can be written, spoken, audio, or visual materials. Source material is important to learn about your subject and support your argument. There are three major types of source material: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews ...

Revised on May 9, 2024. A credible source is free from bias and backed up with evidence. It is written by a trustworthy author or organization. There are a lot of sources out there, and it can be hard to tell what's credible and what isn't at first glance. Evaluating source credibility is an important information literacy skill.