Summaries of "Integrating Sources"

1. Explains the difference between a primary source and a secondary source. A primary source is one that provides information that the writer must then interpret such as stats. A secondary source is from a scholar or other reputable person that supports your argument. Also explains that citing your sources gives your writing credibility, allows the reader to find your sources, and shows that you appreciate your source.

2. This section discusses appropriate ways: summary, paraphrase, notes, and quotes, to integrate sources into a paper. It also defines the rules of using these techniques.

3. The “Citing Sources” section addresses when or when not to cite your sources and reasons for doing so. The section also provides examples of citations and explains which types of citations are appropriate for specific genres of writing.

4. This section is about the “Misuse of Sources.” It identifies some typical ways that writers misuse their sources; such as intentional and unintentional plagiarism or “misrepresenting” a source’s ideas to better suite the writer’s argument. It also examines the reasons writers may take part in these kinds of misuses, the consequences of doing so, and what to avoid so that the writer can produce original work.

5. “Styles of Documentation” lists the different styles of citing sources, as far as in-text and works cited pages, when writing for certain topics, such as humanities and sciences. It also lists rules for handling different types of sources within those topics, such as magazines, books, and electronic sources.