R you Literate
To avoid fluff in your writing, make sure all of your sources are this. Ask yourself if the quoted and paraphrased information you included relates to your thesis and supports your argument.
Relevant
To restate text or speech using new terms, generally to provide clarity. Citation still required.
Paraphrasing
Approaching resources with a critical eye to distinguish between credible sources: .com, .gov, .edu, .org, and .mil.
Guide to the Web
In order to make sure the resources you are using is this, find information that is up to date and from an academic database. Avoid Wikipedia at all costs.
Reliable Sources
Information that bolsters points of argument, with the expectation of being from reliable sources.
Additional Support
To avoid plagiarism, this action will help distinguish between your ideas and those of others. Make sure not to “drop it in”.
Introduce Quotations
Where does your source come from? What are the author's credentials? Is all of the information theirs? Who is the Publisher? Ask yourself these questions when looking into this.
Resource Authority
Information that explains the main topic or argument, to include data points and quotations. They provide a clear connection between evidence and the main idea.
Supporting Details
Call the cops on anyone who uses someone else’s ideas, words, or styles in his or her own writing without properly citing the source.
Plagiarism Warning
Researching this helps to determine why a source was created and what the author's intentions were. Watch out for biased opinions and sources that seem to have their own agenda that does not line up with your paper.
Resource Purpose
A perspective with little or no backing from reliable sources or evidence. Offers no details for outsiders to agree or disagree with.
Biased Opinions
when the camera goes flash, these include magazines, newspapers, sometimes unsigned articles, and journalists. As the tassel turns, these include bibliographies, professional jargon, standardized formats, and experts.
Popular vs. Scholarly Sources