Frequently Asked Questions

How can I check the validity of a source?

Your school may have guidelines posted at your library, a computer center, or a department office for double-checking sources. If not, you need to ask "Who, what, and how?" Let's assume you're referring to an online source, although the principles remain the same for print or any interviews you conduct.

Who put your site together, or posted the newsgroup reply? Were any academic or professional credentials offered? Are they genuine? To check, verify them with the named institution. Also, try entering the author's name in your favorite search engine to see if other sites advise caution about his conclusions.

What will someone gain from supplying your information? Is your site a corporate or political site? Does it advise you to take some kind of action? Is any other kind of bias evident?

How exclusive is the site? Is any other site providing the same information, or is it unverifiable on the Web? If it is unverifiable you may need to query the author via e-mail for print sources. How well supported is it? Do the facts given justify the conclusions?

What is the difference between a paraphrase and a summary?

When you paraphrase, you use your own words to restate material given by another source. Your words run parallel with the thoughts of your source, but in words that originate with you. You don't skip points, make inferences, or interpret your source.

A summary condenses material by supplying main points. It's the distillation of someone else's meaning, and any given summary will necessarily be shorter than a paraphrase of the same material.

You must document either properly to avoid plagiarism.

How do I distinguish common knowledge from an outside source?

Ask yourself "Is this something that an educated person would in all likelihood know?" If it is, it's common knowledge, even if you have to draw certain facts from a reference book. If it isn't, you must document the material.

One complication occurs when specific details are used to augment common knowledge. For example, most Americans know that Theodore Roosevelt inaugurated our system of national parks when he signed the bill that created Yellowstone Park. Many general reference books would supply the size of the park, the date of the bill, and the number of the bill. All of this falls under the heading of common knowledge. Any debates on the floor of the House of Representatives or the Senate about the bill, any newspaper headlines, or commentary about the effect of the system of parks, any remote or unusual details, and any thinking you wouldn't arrive at on your own would need to be documented. When you are in doubt, document.

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