MUBAS

LAN – EAP – 111

Writing Using
Sources

February, 2025

Lecturer: Shida Kondowe

Mwalwayo
Semester 1
Outline
 Reference in Academic Writing
 Evaluation of Information from
the sources
 Referencing Styles
 Understanding Plagiarism
 Writing Using Sources
• Every time you use material derived
from specific sources, whether quoted
passages or summaries or paraphrases
of fact opinion, explanation or idea,
you are ethically obliged to let your
reader know who deserves the credit.
• This also involves telling the reader
precisely where the material came
from so that the readers could locate
them.
 Referencing in Academic Writing

• When you are writing as a student or a

professional (e.g. in essays or reports), you
will frequently be expected to refer to the
work of other writers/ experts in your
subject area (sources), and formally
acknowledge them by including their
identifying details.
• In academic writing you must always cite
your sources of information, in other words
you should always give credit where it is
due.
What is referencing?
• Also known as documenting
• is citing, acknowledging or giving
credit to sources of the information or
views on which you are expressing
your own opinion in your essay
What is Citation?
• Citation: quotation from a book or
passage in support of an argument. A
citation appears in the body of the text.
All citations are included in the list of
references
 Elements of A
• Reference
Originator: author, artist, composer,
editor, inventor, official body or
organization.
• Title of the individual item: book,
article, web page
• Place of publication (origin)
• Publisher
• Identifier: volume, issue number, URL,
page numbers
• Title of work/series in which the item
is contained: title of journal, book or
map series.
 Why Referencing
• To explain what has been done and explain
what has not been done – a justification for
your own contribution (this is the case in
research)
• To evaluate the work of others in order to
negotiate your position with regard to the
present body of knowledge and establish your
stance
• To support/back up/ or develop your own
findings (research), ideas, or point being made
• To relate your findings or ideas to those of
others, thereby giving authority to yours
• To criticize the findings or ideas of
others in light of your own
• To enable readers to follow up what
you have written and more fully
understand the cited author’s work
• To avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is
regarded as a very serious offence
because it is dishonesty. Academics
can lose their teaching positions and
students can be expelled from
university, if they are found to have
plagiarised someone’s work.
 Steps in referencing
• Record the full bibliographic details
and relevant page numbers of the
source from which information is taken
• Insert the citation at the appropriate
place in the text in your document
• Include a reference list that includes
all in-text citations at the end of your
document
 Which materials require
referencing?
 Not all materials require referencing.
 When you are writing about issues of
common knowledge you are not
supposed to cite the source.
 Evaluating Information
from Sources
• The internet is one of the tool we get
information from. It has to be noted that it is
just a system of networks and a
communications tool, not a source.
• The quality of information available on the
internet can vary significantly.
• It is essential to analyze any source, but
especially web resources, for content, validity,
and appropriateness.
• Unlike journals or books, web pages frequently
lack editors or publishers who filter out
misinformation
 Materials that require
referencing
 Direct quotations: whenever you use someone’s
words, even if it is just a phrase, put quotation
marks around it and acknowledge the source.
 Judgements or opinions of others: whenever
you present another person’s opinion, even if you
present it in your own words (in a phrase or
summary) you must cite the source of the opinion.
 Statistics, charts, tables, diagrams and
graphs must all be acknowledged if they do not
originate from your own field research. Even if the
chart or graph is your own it is the information
whose source you need to acknowledge.
 Presenting source
material in your text
 This is where you integrate the information you
have got from different sources with your ideas
into your write-up
 Whatever method you employ, always
remember that weaving other people’s words,
facts or ideas into your writing can be very
challenging.
 Be prominent in your work and avoid filling
your work with other people’s voices.
 There are two ways of presenting your source
material; in-text citation (within the text) or at
the end of the text.
In-text citations - In-text citations usually
require the name of the author(s) and the
year of publication
- A page number is included if you have a
direct quote, paraphrase a passage or you
want to direct the reader to a specific
page
- Page numbers may also be included if you
are referring to a long work and the page
numbers might be useful to the reader
At the end of the text - The second
method of showing a paper trail is the
footnote style - which is less often used
today than the parenthetical system.
Footnote
 Methods to use when
presenting source
material in your text
1. Using paraphrases
 Paraphrasing is used when you want to use
other people’s ideas or information in detail
but you feel there is no need for you to quote
them verbatim.
 It is ideal when you want to present other
people’s background information or other
facts your readers may not already know.
2. Using Summaries
 There are short statements that give only the
main points of something, not details.
 In your citation, summaries are used
when you want to present in brief only
the general idea of large amounts of
information from other people.
3. Using Direct Quotations
 A group of words or short piece of
writing taken from a book, play,
speech, etc.
 When you are writing essays you are
supposed to use quotations but always
remember that your essay must be in
your own words.
 Depend on other people’s words as little
as possible. Avoid over-quoting in your
essay.
 Only quote:
• To allow words of an author (expert) to
strengthen your argument.
• A statement expressed so effectively by
the author that it cannot be
paraphrased without altering its
meaning.
 In your text, the quoted sentence of fewer
than 40 words should always appear in
double quotation marks.
 However, display a quotation of more
than 40 words in a free-standing block.
How?
• Use a block format in which all
lines of the quotation are indented
approximately half an inch from the
left margin.
• Do not use quotation marks.
• Introduce the quotation with a
complete sentence and a colon.
Wang, Johnston, Juarez, and Marks (2010) described
effective time management as an ongoing process:
Time management is not a skill that can be achieved
at once; it takes self-awareness, planning, execution,
and reflection. The perception about time management is
that the work is done once a schedule is created. In
reality, that is only the first step. Successful students are
adaptable and flexible; they are able to make changes to a
schedule because they can purposefully and proactively
move tasks around to adjust to new situations. (p. 27)
 Referencing
Styles
1. American Psychological Association (APA)
2. Modern Language Association(MLA)
3. Chicago Manual of Style
4. Harvard System of Referencing
5. Vancouver (Numeric) and many others

Note: Study each style on your own;

 Understanding Plagiarism
• The verb “to plagiarize” means: “to steal and
pass off (the ideas or words of another) as
one’s own
• Plagiarism simply means that you have used
someone else’s work (exact words, ideas,
images, and so on) in your writing without
giving proper credit.
• Any time you use someone’s work without
giving him or her credit, you are plagiarizing.
This may include copying word-for-word,
changing certain words, or using another
person’s ideas without properly citing him or
her.
 Types of Plagiarism
1. Accidental: Due to lack of plagiarism
knowledge, and understanding of citation or
referencing style being practiced at an institute.
2. Unintentional: The vastness of available
information influences thoughts and the same
ideas may come out via spoken or written
expressions as one’s own.
3. Intentional: A deliberate act of copying
complete or part of someone else’s work without
giving proper credit to original creator.
4. Self-plagiarism: Using self-published work in
some other form without referring to original one
 Why is Understanding
Plagiarism Important
• Plagiarism is considered unethical in
school and in the professional world: if
you do not give the original author
credit, you are telling the reader that
you came up with the idea on your
own.
• Most professors will outline their
policy regarding plagiarism in their
syllabi.
• These policies range from receiving an
“F” on the plagiarized assignment to
 How to Avoid Plagiarism
• The following points can be kept in
mind to avoid plagiarism:
1. Understand Plagiarism
- learn more about what plagiarism is,
and why it’s wrong.
2. Cite as you write
- Most of the time we keep on reading
and writing text but forget to note
down from where we have taken the
material.
 - You must show throughout the
assignment which points came from
others and which are yours.
- Citations must be both intext and at
the end of the text.
3. Quotations
- This is when you insert a source’s
words into your writing
- If you decide to quote, make sure to
provide the proper citation for the
format you are using.
 - Use quotations any time you use
someone else’s exact words or when
referring to technical terms that are
not common knowledge.
- Even if you only use a few words
and not an entire sentence, make
sure to include quotation marks.
4. Paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing is rewriting a source’s
ideas or information into your own
words, without changing its
meaning.
- Make sure you also include an in-
5. Present your own Idea
- Instead of parroting the source’s
ideas, explore what you have to say
about it.
- Ask yourself what unique
perspective you can contribute in
your writing that’s entirely your
own.
- Keep in mind that if you’re alluding
to a source’s ideas or words to
frame your own point, you’ll still
need to apply the guidelines above
to avoid plagiarizing
6. Bibliographies/References
- At the end of your paper, make sure
to include an accurate Works Cited
or References page that includes
each source you cite in-text.
 Points to remember when writing
references and bibliography

• Start your list on a separate page after

the text of your essay but before any
appendices that explain your research
procedures or results and any notes.
• Type the heading ‘References,’ neither
underlined nor in quotation marks.
• Double-space and begin your first
entry.
• Do not indent the first line of each
entry, but indent any subsequent lines
of the entry five spaces.
• Double-space the entire list.
• List your sources alphabetically (i.e.
from A to Z) by author’s last names.
• If the source is anonymous author,
alphabetise it by the first major word
of the title.
 Effects of plagiarism
1. Academic Discipline
 Academic honesty and integrity. Students
who are guilty of plagiarism face at the
least a failing grade in the course for which
they committed the offense, suspension or
even expulsion from the school they attend.
2. Loss of Degree or Job
 Loss of their degrees upon discovery of the
offense. College faculty members who
plagiarize the work of other scholars face
serious consequences such as loss of
tenure, jobs and reputation.
 An academic found guilty of plagiarism
faces the permanent loss of her
credibility as a scholar. Plagiarism also
may damage the reputation of schools
as places of learning and intellectual
inquiry.
3. Damaged Relationships
 Plagiarism poisons the relationship
between students and teachers by
undermining the mutual trust that is
an important element of the learning
process
 Suspicion and mistrust replace
intellectual curiosity and trust.
Plagiarism also damages
relationships between students who
plagiarize and those who earn their
grades honestly.
4. Lack of Critical Thinking
 When students or instructors present
others' work as their own, they fail to
develop and use critical thinking
skills, which are necessary for
learning and success in life.
End of Presentation
Thank you!!!!!