Research Documentation and Proposals

Documentation Importance

• Documenting sources is about improving writing and growing knowledge
• Incorporate sources to show the relationship between ideas and others
• Information found should help to make a point or argument

Research Proposals vs. Research Papers

• Research proposals outline proposed research, summarize information, and are at the beginning of research
• Research proposals include title, introduction and hypothesis, methods, and references
• Research papers present ideas responding to information, and allow judgments and interpretations
• Research papers include detailed information about previous research and require investigation of sources
• Research papers are written after a proposal and act as a report of completed research
• Research papers include title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussions, references cited, figures, tables, and appendices

The Necessity of Documentation

• Indicates participation in an academic conversation
• Shows the extent of research and expertise on a topic
• Demonstrates thoroughness by considering various perspectives
• Positions the writer within a field of study, especially in graduate work
• Upholds academic integrity by properly crediting sources and avoiding plagiarism
• Helps readers locate cited sources for their own purposes

Different Styles of Documentation

• Professionals in different fields of study use preferred documentation styles
• How and what is prioritized is tied to the profession's practices
• Humanities use MLA or Chicago/Turabian, emphasizing the author and using parentheses or footnotes for source location
• Sciences and social sciences value information currency, so APA is used, emphasizing the author and year
• CSE shares data directly, and lists additional sources on a references page, using in-text and superscript citations

Citation Generators

• Generator quality relies on the user’s input and follows predetermined patterns
• Generators cannot provide human judgment
• Writers who treat generators as definitive authorities risk errors
• Inaccurate information provided by the writer cannot be self-corrected by citation generators

Responsible Citation Generator Use

• Ensure entered information is correct (spelling, capitalization, edition number, etc.)
• Know the source type (academic journal, magazine, etc.)
• Use reputable sources
• Double-check all details (capitalization of titles, page numbers, placeholders)
• Ensure compatibility with in-text citations, noting differences when using author's name in a signal phrase

MLA Basics

• Use white 8.5" x 11" paper
• Double-space all text
• Use 12 pt. Times New Roman (or similar) font
• Do not include a title page
• Leave one space after punctuation
• Set all margins to 1 inch
• Indent the first line of paragraphs by one half-inch
• Include a header with page numbers in the upper right-hand corner

First Page of MLA Style Documents

• Do not include a title page
• List name, instructor's name, course, and date in the upper left-hand corner
• Center the paper title using standard capitalization (no underlining, italics, quote marks, or bold typeface)
• Create a header listing last name and page number in the upper right corner, half inch from the top and one inch from the right

APA Basics

• Set one-inch margins
• Double-space
• Use 12 pt Times New Roman font
• Indent the first line of each paragraph
• You should include a page header (title, all caps) in the upper left-hand corner, plus a running head
• The page number is in the upper right

APA-Title Page Contents

• Includes first name, middle initial, and last name
• List institutional affiliation
• Include the professor's name
• Include the school name
• Use a running head with page number
• Left side is justified with right side containing the pages numbers
• Should be centered
• Avoid abbreviated or unnecessary words

MLA Headings

• Section headings are generally optional, but should usually be numbered
• Headings should maintain consistent grammar and formatting, but may vary otherwise
• Numbered headings: Flush left, no underlining, bold/italics
• Unnumbered headings: Use different levels with formatting

APA Headings

• Level 1: Centered, boldfaced, upper and lowercase headings
• Level 2: Left-aligned, boldface, upper and lowercase headings
• Level 3: Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with a period
• Level 4: Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with a period
• Level 5: Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period

MLA In-Text Citations

• In-text citations provide brief references to used sources
• Citations should direct readers to the corresponding works-cited list entry
• Citations should be unobtrusive so text flows smoothly
• Parenthetical citations: Author's last name (or title) and page number
• The author can be referred to within the sentence itself

MLA In-Text Citation Examples

• "Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a 'spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings' (263)."
• "Romantic poetry is characterized by the 'spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings' (Wordsworth 263)."
• "Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263)."

MLA: Long In-Text Citations

• Quotations of five or more lines should start on a new line
• Indent the quote by 1/2 inch from the left margin
• Maintain double spacing
• Do not add quotation marks
• Do not add extra indents or quotation marks not in the original source
• If the quotation includes a new paragraph, indent the first line

APA In-Text Citations

• Should include the author and year
• (Graffunder, Noonan, Cox, & Wheaton, 2004) is an example of a properly formatted citation
• Can be used to paraphrase
• (Burnette, 2015, p 122) is an example of a quotation
• When using a direct quote make sure to cite the page
• Electronic documents lacking page numbers should be cited by paragraph number/heading

APA: Long In-Text Citations

• Long quotes are considered to be 40 works or more
• Start long quotes on a new line
• Indent long quotes .5 inches from the left margin
• Quotation marks are not used for long quotes

MLA Works Cited Page Elements

• The author provides the full name of the author
• The titles are of the sources, books, and websites in italics
• The title of the container includes complete works containing smaller works, or larger containers holding smaller containers
• The contributor is someone other than the primary author
• The versions include edition or version of the work
• The number is part of a numbered sequence
• The publisher produces or distributes source to the public
• The publication mentions the date that the date was published
• The location specifies the work's location

MLA Citations

• Citations are made up of core elements in a specific order, followed by a punctuation mark
• Example: Belton, John. “Painting by the Numbers: The Digital Intermediate.” Film Quarterly, Translated by Lydia G. Cochrane, vol. 61,no. 3, Spring 2008, pp. 58-65.

APA Reference Page

• Each entry consists of core elements in a specific order
• Center the title "References" at the top of the page (not bolded)
• Double-space reference entries
• Flush left the first line of each entry and indent subsequent lines
• Source entries are alphabetized by the first author's last name

APA: Reference Page Details

• Author/Creator: Last name, first initial
• Year of publication: For books, give the year, find it inside the book
• Title of Work: Main title of the work
• Publication Name: The responsible parties for making a work available to the public
• The volume is a number
• Number represents a numbered sequence
• Publication Date: The date shows when the project was created
• Page numbers show the range where the document was created
• DOI or URL is assigned by a registration agency

APA: Reference Example

• Stewart, R. (2012). Psychological testing and assessment. Mental Measurements Yearbook, 8(2), 269-299. doi:10.1108/03090560710821161

APA References Additional Info.

• APA references should have a hanging indent
• List references in alphabetical order
• References should be double spaced
• Use times new roman font
• Notes that if a reference is not on the reference list cannot be listed if it is not on the reference list
• Notes that a reference should not be listed to the reference page if the source is not documented in the body of research

Additional Advice

• Avoid using google to search for sources because it is considered a 'sub-par education!'
• Suggest to research the BEST information in one place. It advises “that's what librarians are for”