Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing

Planning and Writing a Research Paper

Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing

Working your sources into your writing is a very important part of the writing process and gets easier over time. You must also decide whether you will quote, paraphrase, or summarize the material when incorporating resources into your writing.

Academic integrity encompasses the practice of engaging with source material meaningfully and ethically, to the benefit of your own learning and the discourse community with which you interact. UMGC has carefully developed a philosophy of, approach to, and tutorial about academic integrity that can be found here: Philosophy of Academic Integrity Please review this material and familiarize yourself with both the best practices in this area and how to avoid running afoul of expectations.

Research Styles

OBJECTIVE RESEARCHER
CONTEXT CREATOR
ANALYZER
EVALUATOR

At this level, you are expected to remain objective and impartial when presenting the research, with no personal opinions given. You report the information, taking on the role of an experimental researcher or even an investigative reporter.

Here, you are expected to put your sources in the context of a greater issue or debate. You have to offer enough explanation and discussion (through your own comprehension and interpretation) to help your reader see the connection between the material you are researching and the other references.

At this level, you help the reader understand the relationship, significance, and authority of the reference material by introducing and discussing its sources.

Here, you are asked to judge the source materials and their usefulness for your research project. This last position, most commonly found in literary, musical, or other fine arts criticism, involves you, the researcher, as a critical thinker in assessing the sources.

Key Takeaways

Acknowledging intellectual ownership shows respect for those who have contributed to the field of knowledge and for the achievements in that field.
Citing reliable sources gives your research and writing credibility, showing your familiarity with the work of a scholarly community and your understanding of how you are contributing to it.

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Online Guide to Writing and Research

The Research Process

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