Avoiding Plagiarism
What is it called when you use another author's exact words and put them in quotation marks with a citation?
Quoting
Give one example of a credible source type for school research (print or digital).
peer-reviewed academic journals
What makes a research question "focused" rather than too broad? Give one short explanation.
A focused research question is specific, manageable, and narrow enough to allow for in-depth analysis within given constraints.
In MLA format, what two main pieces of information must follow a short quotation in your paper?
the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken
(Last name, page number)
Name one clear way to avoid plagiarism when you include someone else’s ideas in your writing.
Use in-text citations to credit the original speaker.
List two quick checks you can do to judge a website’s credibility.
check for a reputable domain (e.g., .gov, .edu, or well-known .org/.com) and verify the existence of an "About Us" or contact page to identify the author or organization
Convert this broad topic into a focused research question: "Climate change effects."
Answers vary.
Ex. "How have recent increases in sea-level rise affected the economic sustainability of coastal aquaculture businesses in Southeast Asia between 2015 and 2025?"
What order are these elements in an MLA in-text citation for a print source. Show the correct format as you would place it after a quoted sentence.
(Author, 11).
True or False: Changing a few words in a sentence from a source is enough to avoid plagiarism.
False
Why might a .edu or .gov website often be more reliable than a random .com site? Provide one reason.
they are strictly regulated and restricted
Write a research question for a short project that asks students to compare how two authors present information about school uniforms.
Answers vary.
Example: "How do [Author A] and [Author B] differ in their use of evidence and tone when presenting arguments for or against school uniforms, and which author provides a more persuasive case?"
Give the basic format for a book entry on a Works Cited page in MLA (Author. Title. Publisher, Year.) — write an example using: Author = Maya Rivera, Title = Investigating Rivers, Publisher = River Press, Year = 2018.
Rivera, Maya. Investigating Rivers. River Press, 2018.
You find a useful paragraph online. List the three pieces you must include if you quote that paragraph directly in your paper.
the author’s last name (or organization name), the year of publication (or "n.d." if no date is available), and a locator such as a paragraph number (e.g., para. 4) or the section heading.
An online article has no author listed and includes lots of spelling errors. Name two reasons you should be cautious about using it.
lack of credibility, lack of professional oversight
For a research project on a historical event, list three subquestions you could ask to help narrow your investigation.
1) What specific political, social, or economic factors caused this event?
2) How did key individuals or groups influence the outcome?
3) What immediate and long-term consequences did this event have on different populations?
How do you cite a web page in MLA on the Works Cited list when there is no author? List the elements you would include in the correct sequence.
A student paraphrases a source but does not include a citation. What is this considered, and why is it wrong?
Plagiarism, (opinion)
You have two articles on the same topic with different conclusions. Give two strategies for deciding which article presents stronger evidence.
1. Evaluate the Research Methodology and Design (The "Internal Validity" Check)
2. Assess Contextual Credibility and Authority (The "External Validity" Check)
Explain how answering your initial research question might lead to generating at least one new related, focused question (provide an example).
often generates new, focused questions by highlighting gaps, inconsistencies, or unexpected patterns in the data, acting as a bridge from a broad topic to more specific, scholarly inquiry
A student uses a quote from a magazine found online that also appears in a print magazine. Explain how to decide whether to cite the print or the online version in MLA and what additional information you might include if you cite the online version.
In MLA style, you should cite the version you originally got the information from.