Incorporating research into your writing involves more than just adding a few quotes or citations. With a careful approach, you can strategically integrate evidence to strengthen your argument, engage with scholarly conversations, and avoid plagiarism.
How to read scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles
Reading scholarly journal articles is different than reading magazine or blog articles. Once you have found scholarly articles, how can you get the most from them?
Using sources effectively
Now that you have collected your resources, how do you effectively use them and avoid accidentally plagiarizing?
Reference/citation managers
Consider using a free citation manager to keep track of sources for all your college writing assignments. Many people like Zotero: (see Quick Start Guide and Support, or the Newman Library’s Zotero guide). Your entries can include links, details on the source that are needed for citing each item, and even a PDF copy of the source. When it’s time to generate a References list, Zotero does most of the work for you. The Baruch Newman Library also runs regular introductory and advanced Zotero workshops.
Should I use a citation generator? (Library or web-based)
A citation generator is a software tool that automatically creates citations for your research sources, formatted according to specific citation styles such as APA, MLA, and Chicago. This resource discusses the benefits and drawbacks of using a citation generator.
