Using Sources

Based on the appendix in Williams & Bizup of the same name, and other sources.

Using Sources

Two things to worry about:

• SFU's expectations: shouldn't be new to you, but let's be sure.
• General expectations when writing: maybe not the kind of sources/citations you're used to.

Academic Honesty

A starting point: SFU's S10.01 Code of Academic Integrity and Good Conduct. Section 4.1.2 lists some “forms of academic dishonesty”.

Academic Honesty

1. Plagiarism, including:
   1. submitting or presenting the work of another person… without full and appropriate accreditation;
   2. copying all or part of an … assignment… and presenting… [as your] original work;
   3. failing to acknowledge the phrases, sentences or ideas of… material that is incorporated into an essay or other assignment.

From SFU Policy S10.01.

Academic Honesty

Let's look more closely:

1. … without full and appropriate accreditation;
2. … presenting… [as your] original work;
3. failing to acknowledge…

All have in common: if you acknowledge sources appropriately, then there's no plagiarism.

Academic Honesty

Another excerpt:

1. … the work…
2. … all or part…
3. … the phrases, sentences or ideas…

We're talking about more than just direct quotes here: ideas, results, illustrations, text, … are all relevant.

Academic Honesty

On the academic honesty side of things: if you make an honest good faith effort to tell us where the material came from, we shouldn't have any problems.

But remember that copying-and-pasting text isn't all that matters.

See also the SFU Library's Plagiarism Tutorial.

An Example

Suppose you are writing a report about B-Trees.

In the Wikipedia article on B-Trees, you'll find a good explanation, some good diagrams, etc.

An Example

Is it okay to…

• use the diagram in your paper?
• use the diagram in your paper and give an appropriate citation?
• redraw that diagram for your paper?
• draw a completely different B-tree (that you design) for the paper?

An Example

Is it okay to…

• copy the description of a B-tree?
• write a description based on Wikipedia that gives the same points?
• quote a few sentences from Wikipedia that explain a B-tree and appropriately cite the source?

Fact vs Description

It's important to distinguish content from the way it's presented. These have different truth values:

• There is only one (correct) way a B-tree works.
• There is only one correct description of how a B-tree works.

Of course your description of B-trees will have the fundamental content in common with every other description.

Why We Care

Plagiarism is generally a big deal in academia. Ideas are the basic currency: taking one and claiming it as your own is theft.

You can cite someone else's work and explain, apply, implement, extend, adapt, refute, disprove, or complain about it, but not claim it as your own.

Why We Care

We cite sources to… [from a wlu.ca handout “Why We Cite Sources”]

1. …distinguish between citation and interpretation. What ideas are yours vs someone else's?
2. …show how knowledge is formed. Where did these ideas originate, and are they reliable?
3. …demonstrate context and significance. How are these ideas linked to other concepts?

Why We Care

The emphasis on citing sources is not as severe outside of academia, but you should still be clear on what work is yours, and what is someone else's.

Why take a chance on damaging your credibility when being honest might only be a matter of adding (from Wikipedia's page on B-trees)?

Plagiarism Principles

Williams & Bizup gives three good principles for how/when to cite sources…

Plagiarism Principles

Principle 1:

When you quote the exact words of a source, cite the source (including page numbers) and put those words in quotation marks or in a block quotation. Williams & Bizup, 11th ed, p. 231

Plagiarism Principles

Principle 2:

When you paraphrase a source, cite the source (including page numbers). Do not use quotation marks, but you must recast it entirely in your own words in a new sentence structure. Williams & Bizup, 11th ed, p. 231

Plagiarism Principles

Principle 3:

When you use an idea or method you found in a source, cite the source. If the entire source concerns the idea or method, do not add page numbers. Williams & Bizup, 11th ed, p. 231

Finding & Recording Sources

As you're finding sources, take notes. Don't wait and try to find the sources later if you decide to use it. If you wait, you're likely to lose the source.

(My strategy: create a text/markdown doc in the project directory with my own notes, including sources.)

Finding & Recording Sources

• Record the author, title, edition, page(s), etc: whatever you'll need for the references later.)
• Record any quotations exactly. Even if you don't use them, you'll have the definitive source.
• When writing, mark quotations immediately. If you don't, you might forget it's a quote later.
• Don't paraphrase too closely. Do more than replace words and restructure sentences.

Using Quotations

In the “Principle 1” scenario where you're quoting exactly…

Short quotations (W&B suggest ≤4 lines) should be inline in quotation marks (≈ an HTML <q> element).

Using Quotations

You drop the quote in directly with a verb like says, asserts, suggests, etc.

Wikipedia's page on linked lists says that they are a linear collection of data elements.

According to Wikipedia's page on linked lists, a linked list is a linear collection of data elements

Maybe slightly clumsy: quote isn't really integrated into the text.

Using Quotations

A little nicer to read: weave it into your sentence so it's grammatically part of it.

We can think of a linked list as a linear collection of data elements[1] which can be used…

Using Quotations

It may be necessary to do some minor editing to make the quote fit:

As originally defined, a linked list [was] a linear collection… consisting of a group of nodes[2].

Using Quotations

If editing a quote, be sure not to change its meaning.

Indicate deletions with … and insertions with [ ].

If adding empasis (italic/bold), clearly state [emphasis added] or similar.

Using Quotations

For very short quotes, include as explicit quotes if they are distinctly from the source. Definitely no need to quote after the initial usage.

We use a linked list as a linear collection of values [3] and like all linear collections…

We use a linked list as a linear collection [3] of values and like all linear collections…

We use a linked list as a linear collection [3] of values and like all linear collections…

Using Quotations

For longer quotes, insert the quote as an idented block (≈ an HTML <blockquote> element) with no quotation marks.

Wikipedia explains a linked list as

a linear collection of data elements, called nodes pointing to the next node by means of a pointer. It is a data structure consisting of a group of nodes which together represent a sequence. [4]

We can use a linked list to…

Citation Style

I care that you cite sources clearly. Your style should be consistent.

I really don't care where the commas go. IEEE citations seem fine.