Section II. Questions about citations and quoting

1. a. To indicate the source of an idea that you are using in your own text Correct Answer
2. b. Exclusively to indicate the source of the exact words (using quotation marks) of another person Incorrect Answer
3. c. To give praise to another author for his/her writing Incorrect Answer
4. d. To guarantee against the charge of plagiarism Incorrect Answer
5. e. All of the above Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is a. To indicate the source of an idea that you are using in your own text.

To cite another person's work is to indicate the source of an idea using a specific and consistent style (such as Chicago, MLA or APA style) or, when using quotation marks, the specific words used by that source.  Citations are in no way limited to identifying the source of direct quotations though you must, of course, cite any direct quotation you use from someone else’s work.

Your goal is to create an original paper that builds from the work of the past in appropriate ways, to use the ideas and sometimes the exact words of others to support your own. Nothing guarantees against a charge of plagiarism. The best way to avoid plagiarizing, whether intentional or not, is to always cite the source of an idea in your writing if it is not your own. Keep in mind that excessive quotations suggest lack of originality and should be avoided.

To learn a bit more about the importance of properly crediting sources, check out the Washington State University’s Plagiarism site: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/plagiarism/.

1. a.True Incorrect Answer
2. b.False Correct Answer

The correct answer is b.False.

You should only use others' words when those words are unique and absolutely indispensable or when you are unable to paraphrase the idea for yourself and your reader. (Remember, whether you are directly quoting or paraphrasing, you always indicate the source of the idea.) Read more on this topic at: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources-template.php?id=69.

1. a. When you directly quote the exact words someone has written on a website Incorrect Answer
2. b. When you paraphrase a few sentences from a newspaper article Incorrect Answer
3. c. When you present ideas of another author Incorrect Answer
4. d. All of the above Correct Answer

The correct answer is d. All of the above. Whenever you are borrowing ideas, using another person's words, or paraphrasing another's thoughts, you must credit that source through proper citation style. Read more on this topic at GMU's Writing Center: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources-template.php?id=3.

1. a. In order to guide the reader to an especially useful source pertaining to the idea you are discussing in your text Incorrect Answer
2. b. In order to indicate to the reader your awareness of other authors’ ideas as they relate to what you are saying in your text Incorrect Answer
3. c. In order to refer in the text to a particular person's work Incorrect Answer
4. d. All of the above Correct Answer
5. e. Only b and c Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is d. All of the above.

In addition to attributing credit for ideas and words of another author, guiding the reader to a particularly authoritative source on the topic you are discussing constitutes a good use of citation and of footnotes with citations.

1. a. First mentions of a cited author in your text should generally include the full name. Incorrect Answer
2. b. You should tell the reader who the person you are citing is (e.g., a leading feminist scholar or a noted libertarian) in order for the reader to know how to assess what you are asserting and to understand what you intend. Incorrect Answer
3. c. You do not need to include the author’s name again in the citation when you mention his name earlier in the sentence. Incorrect Answer
4. d. When you are citing a work written by multiple authors, all of their names must be included. Incorrect Answer
5. e. A cited author’s name should always be written out in full regardless of how many times you cite him. Correct Answer

The correct answer is e. A cited author’s name should always be written out in full regardless of how many times you cite him..

You accomplish the task of contextualizing your quotation not by saying, “I’m telling you this because…”, but by more subtle means. For example, if you are trying to show the reader that scholars differ on what constitutes the scope of politics, you might write: Robert Paul Wolff, for example, restricts politics to “the exercise of power of the state” (1990, 20).  In contrast, a precept of feminism, according to leading feminist scholar Iris Marion Young, is the widely used expression, “the personal is political” (1985, 383), suggesting a much broader scope.

It is important to make clear in your text for the reader the following items: the name of author is whom you are citing, which should be mentioned in full the first time you cite her, as well as who she is (specifically, why you are citing her to support your analysis). Additionally, if the author’s name is mentioned in the text of the sentence, it is not necessary to repeat it in the parentheses of the citation. Note also in the APA style used in this example that the page number—20 or 383—is positioned after the date, following a comma but with no further denotation such as p. or page.