Problem

Do you take ideas/words from sources and include them in your essays without being critical of them? This can lead to the work of others finding their way into your assignments in an undigested or uncommented upon form.

Solution

  • Ask questions of the sources you use; by asking questions and developing answers, your own view will become apparent.
  • Be more critical of the material you read.

Some questions to ask of your source:

  • Who is the author?
  • When and where was the source published?
  • What is the writer's thesis?
  • Does the writer support their thesis with sufficient evidence?
  • Is the text offering a new view, or is it restating a thesis that I have encountered before?
  • Is it relevant to the question I am answering?
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