CHAPTER 2

PDR BOOKLET
 IS MY SOURCE CREDIBLE?
• Articles
• Is the source in-depth (more than a page or two), with an abstract, a reference list, and documented research
or data?
• Who is the audience (researchers, professors, students, general population, professionals in a specific field)?
• What is the purpose of the source (provide information or report original research or experiments, to
entertain or persuade the general public, or provide news or information specific to a trade or industry)?
• Who are the authors? Are they respected and well-known in the field? Are they easily identifiable? Have
they written about other similar topics? What are their credentials?
• Is the source reputable? Is it published on a reputable, non-biased web site, or in a peer-reviewed, scholarly
journal, and not from a newspaper, blog, or wiki?
• Is the source current for your topic?
• Is there supporting documentation (graphs, charts, illustrations or other supporting documentation)?
 WEB DOMAINS IN SCHOLARLY RESEARCH
• government or military (.gov or .mil) - Government or military websites end in .gov or .mil, and in general
are reliable sources on the web. However, beware of political sites used to sway public opinion.
• university (.edu) - University web sites end in .edu, and are usually reliable. Use these sites with caution,
checking for credibility and authority.
• company website (.com) - Company web sites generally end in .com. These sites are great for information
about a particular company. However be aware that company websites are used to promote, so be sure the
information is non-biased.
• special interest (.org) - While many professional organizations end in .org, there are also many .orgs that are
biased and promote a specific agenda.
 PLAGIARISM

• Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original
ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:
• Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it
afterward.
• The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright
laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection
as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
• turning in someone else's work as your own
• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work,
whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)
 AVOID PLAGIARISM
DO PARAPHRASING
• A paraphrase (pronounced par–uh-freyz) is a restatement or rewording of a paragraph  or text,  in
order to borrow, clarify, or expand on information without plagiarizing. Paraphrasing is an
important tool to use when writing research papers, essays, and pieces of journalism.
• Paraphrases are created when text or speech from another source are added into a project, but the
writer chooses to summarize them and weave in his or her own writing and writing style.
• Even though the writer modifies the information from another source, it is still necessary to
credit the source using proper format.
To develop a well-written paraphrase, follow these simple, step-by-step instructions.
1. Find a phrase, sentence, paragraph, or section of original text you’d like to turn into a paraphrase.
2. Read the text carefully and make sure you fully comprehend its meaning. A writer can only develop a
well-written paraphrase if the information has been fully grasped and understood. If you’re having
difficulty understanding the information, take a few minutes to read up on tricky words and background
information. If all else fails, ask a friend to see if they’re able to make sense of the concepts.
3. After analyzing and completely understanding the original text, put it to the side. Take a moment to think
about what you’ve read and connect the idea to your own assignment.
4. Now that the information is completely understood, take a moment to rewrite what you’ve read, in your
own words and writing style. Do not simply substitute words in the original text with synonyms. That’s
plagiarism! Show off and demonstrate your ability to process the original information, connect it to the
content in your paper, and write it in your own individual and unique writing style.
5. Include an in-text reference next to the paraphrase. All paraphrases include references, similar to direct
quotes. See section 6 of this guide to learn how to properly attribute your paraphrased information.
6. Give yourself a pat on the back! Paraphrasing is an important part of the research and writing process.
EXAMPLES FOR PARAPHRASING
TECHNIQUES FOR PARAPHRASING
 CITATION MLA FORMAT
• MLA was an academic style guide by the United States-based Modern Language Association of America
(MLA) first published in 1985
• It was developed as a means for researchers, students, and scholars in the literature and language fields to use
a uniform way to format their papers and assignments. This uniform, or consistent, method to developing a
paper or assignment allows for easy reading.
CITATION MLA FORMAT
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