Write Explanatory: Using Quoted Content
NOTE: Below is a source that a student plans to use for an informative essay, an article excerpt from "Our changing conversations" by Bella Dahl, author for National Communications Digest;
Verbal communication has decreased dramatically from just twenty years ago, when most of the technology used today did not even exist. Email was one of the earliest forms of communication technology to emerge that is still in use today, starting during the 1970s, but not becoming popular until the 1990s.
STUDENT TASK: Write an informative/explanatory essay that describes how communication has changed in the last fifty years.
Student Draft Excerpt: In the last fifty years, the way we communicate has changed. According to author Bella Dahl of the National Communications Digest, "verbal communication has decreased dramatically" in the last two decades. Dahl explains that this is because, even twenty years ago, a majority of the technology available today "did not even exist."
To avoid plagiarism, a student who wants to use the Dahl source may use several techniques. Which technique will NOT avoid plagiarism? In other words, which technique would be WRONG to use?
A Paraphrase or express the meaning of the writer using different words
B Use or copy another person's words or ideas from a text without crediting the original source
C Summarize or express the most important facts or ideas about something or someone in a short and clear form
D Quote or copy out a group of words from a text, with an indication that you are not the original author or speaker
Which two techniques are shown in the student's draft excerpt to avoid the plagiarism that is described in the correct answer above?
A Use short quotations (only several keywords) as part of your own sentence.
B Include the name of the original author whose ideas you are presenting.
C Use no quotation marks around the words of the original author.
D Avoid paraphrasing any of the words of the original author.
E Add summary information from sources you do not plan to cite.
The technique that would be WRONG to use in order to avoid plagiarism is B) Use or copy another person's words or ideas from a text without crediting the original source. Plagiarism involves presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without giving them proper credit.
The two techniques shown in the student's draft excerpt to avoid plagiarism are:
A) Use short quotations (only several keywords) as part of your own sentence.
D) Quote or copy out a group of words from a text, with an indication that you are not the original author or speaker.
In the draft, the student uses quotation marks around the words of the original author ("verbal communication has decreased dramatically") and includes the author's name (Bella Dahl) to give proper credit to the original source.