C28. Teach It: Citing Sources
A.
Chapter Objectives
The purpose of this chapter is to provide you with teaching materials to guide students to practice the prewriting techniques described in Chapter 28 of How Writing
Works.
We have included in-class discussion questions, activities, and writing exercises that will help students to develop skill in citing sources, while also reinforcing the key concepts
introduced in Part 4.
Chapters
in Part 4 are best assigned when students are working on a project from Part 1 or Part 2. Accordingly, we have included activities that you can use with any of the chapter
projects. Even after students have read this chapter, you might return to some of these activities when students are in the early stages of a project.
You can also use these materials
to create lesson
plans. You might spend a whole class session
on prewriting early
in the course, using multiple
activities in this chapter. Start by choosing
one or two discussion questions from B. Talk About It: Discussion Questions, an activity from C. Try It Out: In-Class Exercises, and a writing
activity from
D. Write About
It: Writing Prompts. Then,
you can layer in additional activities if you still have time. You can also assign the activities in part D for homework.
Later in the semester, you might use just one or two of these activities in a lesson
devoted to working on a project.
B. Talk About It: Discussion
Questions
Here you will find questions that you can use to prompt discussion about this chapter
in class. Keep in mind that you do not need to use all of
these questions; you can choose the ones that reflect your teaching objectives and style. For a balanced
lesson plan, be sure to leave time in each class session
to move on to the in-class exercises and writing exercises included
here.
We’ve started with student-centered questions, which help you to get students’ attention
by connecting the topic to students’ own interests and experiences. Then, we’ve provided concept-
and text- oriented questions that help you to direct
students’ attention toward the concepts and texts featured
in the chapter.
369
370 C28.
Teach It: Citing Sources
Student-Centered Questions
1.
Students’ writing experiences: Think of the last time you had to write a research paper or assignment for a course.
What citation style did you use? Why?
Note: The purpose
of these questions
is to guide students to think about themselves as already
familiar with some different citation
styles. Note students’ answers
on the board. Then, ask students to reflect
on why different citation
styles exist in different fields.
2. Students’ reading experiences: Think of the last time you read a scholarly document for a course.
What citation style do you think it used? Was it formal
or informal? What kind of in-text
signal was used? Did it have a reference list?
Concept-Centered Questions
1. Common versus special
knowledge: What is the difference between common
and special knowledge? Can you think of a case where something is considered common knowledge in one field but special knowledge
in another?
2. Citation styles: Our textbook includes two different
citation styles, MLA and APA. What are the main differences you notice between
the two styles? Why do you think different
academic disciplines might prefer one of these styles over another? What can we learn about these disciplines (modern languages and literature vs. psychology) from their citation styles?
C28. Teach It: Citing Sources 371
C.
Try It Out: In-Class
Exercises
Common versus special knowledge: Give students
a sample article
or two that they might use as source
material for their current writing project (or ask them to bring one to class).
As they read the article, ask students to underline any information that they think will be common knowledge for the purposes
of their project (audience, genre, and discourse community). Ask them to highlight
any information that they think will be special knowledge for the purposes
of their project. As a follow-up, ask students to talk over their work with a partner and then report to the class. Was it easy to identify
common versus special knowledge? Why or why not?
D.
Write About It: Writing
Prompts
Here we have provided
ideas for writing
prompts that you can assign in class, for homework, or as online
exercises. These are writing activities that can serve as prewriting for the chapter
project or as stages in writing the chapter
project.
Ideally, students should practice doing some writing
for every class session
(either in class or as homework), but you do not need to assign all three types of writing
for every session.
Depending
on your approach
to grading, you may or may not assign a grade to these kinds of assignments. Some prefer to award points that go toward
class participation and attendance; others consider these materials as part of the grade for the final project; still others will set aside a certain percentage of the course grade for in-class activities and homework.
In general, though,
you should award points for completing these kinds of assignments but do not need to assign
a letter
grade or give extensive comments.
In Class
Using citation styles: Give students a sample article or two that they might use as source
material for their
current writing project
(or ask them to bring one to class). Then, ask students to write a sample paragraph
that might appear in their draft using MLA citation style. Then, ask them to rewrite the paragraph using APA citation
style. As a follow-up, ask students to describe how the different citation styles
might influence
the paragraph rhetorically. Does one citation
style create a different impression from the other?
372 C28.
Teach It: Citing Sources
Take Home
Formal and informal styles: Take a paragraph you have written
using formal
citation style. Rewrite the paragraph using informal citation
style. Be prepared
to share your work in class and discuss how shifting
from a formal to an informal
citation style changes
the tone of your paragraph.
Online
Discussion forum: Post a paragraph
from your latest writing
project to the course
discussion forum. Then, comment
on at least two of your classmates’ posts. How well have they used the required
citation style in their writing? Check the students’ paragraphs against the examples
in Chapter 28. Have they followed the citation
style correctly? If not, provide concrete
suggestions for improvement.
Note: All of these exercises ask students to work with sources they will be using for a writing
project. We’ve designed
the exercises this way because students
are more likely to internalize what they have learned when it applies
directly to a writing project.
We’d suggest that you avoid doing these kinds of exercises
in a decontextualized manner
since students will have little
motivation to apply
what they have learned.
E.
Media Suggestions
Online tutorials: Many college libraries have online tutorials
that show students how to cite sources using different citation styles. If your college has such resources, be sure to point them out and ask students to view them. If not, you can ask your students
to search for tutorials on evaluating sources from other college libraries. Then, they can post the best ones to the course
management system,
or you can screen them in class.
F.
Intercultural Teaching Tips
Your students will have different experiences with citation styles.
While some may have familiarity with a citation
style (likely MLA), many will not. Citing sources
formally—and correctly—will be an important
skill for all students to practice. Referring
students to Chapter
28 will help, but as the instructor you will need to help students interpret these guidelines.
C28. Teach It: Citing Sources 373
Part of the challenge
may be that students
are not familiar
with the range
of sources they need to cite. For example,
they may need help distinguishing between a peer-reviewed journal
article and a magazine or between
a print and an online version
of a source. For students who have worked primarily
with books (or who have done little research writing at all), this array of source
types will make proper citation a challenge.
Given these challenges, we recommend
that you exercise patience when assessing writing
that uses a citation style.
You may feel perfect citation
is required for every assignment since students may be graded harshly
in future courses if they do not cite properly. While
you are certainly
justified in emphasizing proper
citation, we recommend that you give students some leeway, at least at first.
If students make a good attempt
at citing properly,
you can provide feedback to help them do even better next time. (As reviewers of journal articles
and book reviews,
we have noticed that even seasoned scholars make many mistakes with citation styles!)
Remember
that your campus library and writing center will have additional resources
to help students cite sources
correctly.
G.
Class Handouts
Handout: Citation
Styles at a Glance:
MLA vs. APA Styles
You can use this handout
to help students reflect on the strategies they used to avoid plagiarism. By signing the sheet, students
are confirming that they have done their best to avoid plagiarism and uphold your college’s honor code.
374 C28.
Teach It: Citing Sources
Citation Styles at a Glance:
MLA vs. APA Styles
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MLA
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APA
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In-text citation
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Last name + page number (Smith 25)
or
Smith suggests that . . . (25).
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Last name + year:
(Smith, 2013) or
Smith (2013) suggests
that . . .
|
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Reference list:
book
|
Wallace, David Foster. A Supposedly Fun Thing
I’ll Never Do Again: Essays
and Arguments. New York: Little, Brown, 1997. Print.
|
Nestle, M. (2002). Food
politics:
how the food industry influences nutrition and health.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
|
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Reference list:
|
Devitt, Amy J. “Integrating
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Friedlander, S.
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article
|
Rhetorical and Literary
|
F. (1998).
|
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Theories of Genre.”
College
|
Consultation
|
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English 62.6 (2000): 696–718.
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with the
|
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Print.
|
specialist:
|
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contact
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dermatitis.
|
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Pediatrics in
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Review, 19(5),
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166–171.
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C28. Teach It: Citing Sources 375
Reference list: newspaper article
|
Carter, Andrew.
“Penn State Saga Hits
Home with ACC:
‘It’s a Tragic Situation.’” The News and Observer [Raleigh, NC] 24 Jul. 2012: C1+.
Print.
|
Bronner, E. (2013,
Jan.
31). Law
schools' applications fall as costs rise and jobs are cut, New York Times,
pp. A1+.
|
||
Reference list: web page
|
Monsanto Company. “The Monsanto Pledge.” Monsanto.com. Monsanto, 2012. Web.
24 July 2012.
|
Monsanto Company. (2012). The
Monsanto Pledge.
monsanto.com
/whoweare/P ages/monsant o-pledge.aspx
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