Discussing the Readings and Consumer Issues

The Buzz on Caffeine Discussion Questions: Do you think this is an important consumer issue? Why or why not? Why do you think the National Coffee Association is unclear about how much coffee is a “cup”? Do you agree or disagree that caffeine should be considered an “recreational chemical”? The writer uses several casual or informal words—buzz, rep, rap, and detox. Does the use of these words change the essay or your perception of the author? Look at thesis statement and structure.

The Working-Class Smoker Discussion Questions: Why do you think people continue to smoke even with the overwhelming evidence that smoking is harmful? What is meant by the phrase “defiant self-nurture” in the first paragraph? Consider whether or not your own experience supports the conclusion the article comes to about education level and smoking. Among your own family, friends, and acquaintances, are those with college experience less likely to smoke than those with a high school diploma or less? Look at thesis statement and structure.

Calling in Late Why is this consumer issue even though most of the article is about being late/inattentive? What types of business are seeing a change in their clients behavior due to cell phone use? Why do you think it might be these business in particular? What are some opposing arguments to the claim that cell phones are a problem? Look at thesis statement and structure.

General Tips about Thesis Statements A statement that contains the essay’s topic and point(s) Gives the reader a sense of what the essay will be about Most thesis statements are only one sentence and it must be a complete sentence. Should not be a question. Everything in the essay must support the thesis. Usually comes at the end of the introduction: Introduction paragraph should follow this format: Attention getter (commonly known as a “hook”) Introduce the topic and give background leading up to the thesis State the thesis

MLA Citation Continued

MLA Citation has two main parts: Parenthetical citations. Ex: (Anderson 3) Are in the body (main text) of your essay. Come after each paraphrase or quote that you did not write or think of yourself, you must indicate which source you are using in order to avoid plagiarism. Consult your textbook, a handbook, or the handout on Moodle for more detail. A Works Cited page: On its own page at the end of your essay Lists every source you used in alphabetical order by the last name of the author. Each works cited entry must contain specific information in a specific order. Consult a handbook or the handout on moodle for more details.

MLA In-Text Citation An in-text citation is the place where you give credit to a source in the body of your paper. All direct quotations are enclosed in quote marks Author’s last name and page number where quote is found included in parentheses after the quote Your in-text citation should both give credit to your source and send your reader to your Works Cited page to find your entry for the source you have just quoted.

Book Citation

Citing an entire website

Four Basic Rules for Avoiding Plagiarism Make sure all word-for-word quotes have quote marks showing where they begin and end. Make sure to make the difference between your ideas and your sources’ ideas clear when paraphrasing. Identify where each quote OR paraphrased idea came from in the body of your paper using in-text citations. Make sure that each source you quote OR paraphrase in your paper is correctly listed on your Works Cited page. Pass out the Incorporating Sources Handout

How to Avoid Drop-in Quotes: One of the risk factors for heart disease is alcohol consumption. The American Heart Association website states, “drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke” (“Risk Factors”). Notice that the quote is a part of a sentence written by the author of the paper. Adding “(Insert source name here) states” to the beginning of a quotation is a quick, easy way to fix drop-in quotes. This is called a “signal phrase.” You are encouraged to embed your quote into your own sentence: Example: People worried about heart disease should seriously limit how much they drink because “drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure” or even cause death or stroke (“Risk Factors”).

The “Quote Sandwich” This is a way to integrate quotes into your paper smoothly and avoid drop-in quotes. The first piece of “bread” Introduce quote, possibly mention author, connect quote to what you were saying before. The “Meat” Your quote, correctly cited with in-text citation. The second piece of “bread” Interpretation/explanation of quote (NOT simply rewording the quote), connect quote to what you will say next.

Online Examples of Quote Sandwiches http://www.csun.edu/~hflrc006/quote.html https://sites.google.com/site/sasamtani/quote_sandwich003.jpg Notice that both of these examples make the quote a part of a sentence the essay author wrote, and notice that both examples give credit to the source’s author.

To Cite, or Not to Cite You do not have to cite facts that are undisputed common knowledge. Ex: The Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863. Ex: Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Ex: Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. However, once you start needing to use ideas about these common, everyday facts that you found in your sources, you must cite the source of the idea. When in doubt, cite! And if you have time, ask!

Some Myths about Plagiarism Myth 1: As long as I have a source on my works cited page, I don’t have to mention it in the body of my paper. WRONG! Any time you use ideas or words from a source, you must include an in-text citation. Myth 2: As long as I change one or two words in a quote, I don’t have to put quote marks around it or do a citation. WRONG! Changing one or two words in a quote and replacing them with synonyms is STILL PLAGIARISM if you keep the original ideas and/or sentence structure. Myth 3: As long as I paraphrase correctly, using my own words and sentence structure to express an idea, I don’t need an in-text citation. WRONG! Even if you use your own words, if the idea originally came from somewhere else, you must cite it.

Myths about Plagiarism Myth 4: I don’t need to cite exact words, ideas or information I find on the internet. WRONG! Treat your internet sources with the same respect you have for your print or online database sources. Myth 5: It is appropriate to use an old essay from a friend, buy an essay, or have someone help me write an essay using his or her wording instead of mine. WRONG! All of these are called collusion, and they are all plagiarism. Myth 6: I won’t get caught if I plagiarize. WRONG! Plagiarism is quite obvious to most professors, and many of them use plagiarism detecting software.

Resources to Help you Avoid Plagiarism Online plagiarism tutorial and quizzes from Simon Fraser University http://www.lib.sfu.ca/node/10442 Plagiarism Self Test from Western Carolina University http://www.wcu.edu/12083.asp University of Southern Mississippi’s Plagiarism Tutorial http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php