Library Director: Dr. Mary Hricko
Pirsig, R. M. (1974). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. New York, NY: Random House.
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Let's say you are trying to argue against hand-held texting while driving. However, in your research you find this summary of research done by University of Utah psychologist David Strayer that found:
So if the safe operation of a car is the core motivation for your argument, you might have to pivot your thesis and research to examine all the aspects of cell phones, handfree or otherwise, and the extent to which they distract the driver.
Especially when you use library databases for your research, some of articles you discover will likely be 'scholarly'. Most of the time this means that those who have conducted research in their field have published their findings in an academic journal. The most credible type of journals are those that have published articles following a rigorous 'peer-review' process. In this case the 'peers' are other experts in the field.
For example:
"Ethical Theory and Moral Practice: An International Forum is a double blind peer-reviewed journal which aims to publish the best work produced in all fields of ethics. It welcomes high quality submissions regardless of the tradition or school of thought from which they derive." (About this journal from Springer Publishing)
is to synthesize previous research and scholarship with your ideas on the subject. Therefore, you should feel free to use other persons' words, facts, and thoughts in your research paper, but the material you borrow must not be presented as if it were your own creation. When you write your research paper, remember that you must document everything that you borrow--not only direct quotations and paraphrases but also information and ideas."
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009. 55. Print.
Citations are used to give credit to those you reference in your papers and presentations.
Citation styles are the specific way you organize information related to each reference, such as title and author. Citations are important because they maintain your academic integrity and give proper credit to those you reference.
The most common citation styles are MLA (from the Modern Language Association), APA (from the American Psychological Association), and Chicago (from the Chicago Manual of Style).
Email: mhricko@kent.edu
Call: 440-834-3717