english

Search Engine

a program that allows users to search for material on the internet or on a website; the search function of a database

Revise

to review and make alterations to a piece of writing; the step that occurs after proofreading, when you go back and make changes to a draft

Works Cited

a list of all the sources you have documented in your paper, organized alphabetically and with proper bibliographic citations; according to MLA style, the Works Cited is the final page of a research paper and follows very particular formatting guidelines: · It is PART OF the actual research paper, not "bonus" material. · The title - Works Cited - should be centered at the top of the page in size 12 Times font (no bolding). · The full page is double-spaced. · Entries are reverse-indented (that means the first line ISN'T indented, but all lines after the first ARE indented). · Entries are alphabetized (not numbered or bulleted). · All entries end with a YEAR and a PERIOD.

Research Paper

a piece of writing comprising information mostly collected from outside sources; some original thoughts from the writer will appear in the paper, but more than half of the material will be taken from and properly attributed to other sources (a research paper should NOT be referred to as an "essay")

Secondary Source

a source that comments on, analyzes, or otherwise relies on primary source material; a second-hand account of information such as a textbook, biography, book review, newspaper article, or encyclopedia entry

Primary Source

a source that provides a first-hand account of information such as a speech, diary, interview, autobiography, or eyewitness account; primary sources have the advantage of being closely related to the information they conveys and are therefore often considered essential for research, particularly in history

Online Database

a subscription service that allows libraries to provide students access to various magazine articles, news stories, and academic journals for research purposes (although databases are accessed online, they are not considered internet/website sources)

Source Cards

an MLA method of organizing sources on index cards for reference throughout the research process; there are three pieces of information on a source card: source number, bibliographic entry, and format

Bibliographic Entry

an individual entry on a Works Cited page (or Bibliography) that provides the author, title, and publishing information of a source

Publishing Information

information including a source's city of publication, publishing company, and year of publication necessary for a bibliographic entry. Publishing company and city are usually listed on the title page of a book; if more than one city is listed, use the one geographically closest to your location

Heading

information that appears in the top LEFT corner of a the FIRST page only to identify student name, instructor name, course name (and section/period), and the full date (written out formally); the heading should not appear in the header of the document (the part that reappears on ALL pages of the document)

Parenthetical (In-text) Citation

the MLA method of documenting the author and page number in parentheses at the end of a piece of information from an outside source to give credit to the originator of the information, for example à (Jones 47). If no author is listed, use the editor; if no editor is listed, use up to and including the first significant title word

MLA

the Modern Language Association, which specifies guidelines for formatting academic writing in English and other humanities classes; MLA style provides writers with a specific system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citations in the body of a paper and on a Works Cited page

Source Reliability

the degree of accuracy of a source based on factors such as the time and means of publication, the qualifications of the author, and the consistency of information provided

Relevance

the degree to which information is connected to a particular topic of study

Research

the practice of collecting information from reliable sources related to a particular topic of study

Plagiarism

the unethical act of presenting someone else's ideas as your own (i.e. without proper citation); in general, the following acts are considered plagiarism: (1) failing to cite quotations or borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, (3) failing to put summaries or paraphrases in your own words, and (4) submitting someone else's work as your own

Summarize

to rephrase a passage from a source in a shorter, more concise passage of your own words

Directly Quote

to transfer a phrase, sentence, or passage word for word from the original source into your own paper; all directly quoted material must appear in "quotation marks" and must be properly cited

Paraphrase

to use one's own words to restate another author's ideas (in a passage that is generally the same length as the original); the original source must be cited appropriately

Copyright Date / Year of Publication

when listed on the copyright page of a book, a source's year of publication usually appears after the © symbol; if there is more than one year listed, use the most recent

Reverse Indentation (Hanging Indent)

when the first line of a multiple-line bibliographic entry is flush with the left margin and all subsequent lines are indented half an inch to the right (Microsoft Word calls this function a Hanging Indent, and there is a special feature on the ruler at the top of the screen for this purpose)