Research Fundamentals

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Language of Research

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Information

Introduction

An important part of the research process is compiling a bibliography — a list of sources consulted — and citing those sources. The main reason for citing sources is to give credit to the authors whose ideas you have used in your research paper. Citing your sources also allows readers of your work to build on your research by finding the sources to which you have referred. Finally, if you don’t cite the sources upon which your research is based, you will be guilty of the most ignoble academic sin: Plagiarism.

Elements of a Citation

Regardless of the citation style you use (see next section on Citation Styles and Style Manuals), there are certain elements common to all citations. Therefore, keep track of the following as you locate and gather research materials:

Books: Author (or editor); Title; and Publishing information (City, Publisher, Year of publication)

Articles: Author(s); Title of article; Title of journal or magazine; Volume and Date of periodical; and Page number(s) of article

If you access information via the Web, also record the address of the Web site (or online database you used) and the date you accessed the site or database.

For the online Kennedy Library's online guide to citing sources visit: http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/research/guides/citing.html

Citation Styles and Style Manuals

The citation style you choose may depend on the style your professor prefers or the discipline in which you are doing research. Styles manuals provide guidelines on how to format the elements of your citation, including the order of the elements, punctuation, and spacing. Style manuals may also contain other useful information such as proper page layout, use of quotations, etc.

The following style manuals are the most commonly used citation guides for research. They are all available at the Reference Desk at Kennedy Library:

APA Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
CBE Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers
Chicago The Chicago Manual of Style
MLA MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Turabian A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

Also available at the Reference Desk are:

The Columbia Guide to Online Style, 1998.
A guide to citing academic documents and resources stored electronically; this interdisciplinary template can be applied to a variety of already established style guides.

Form and Style: Research Papers, Reports, Theses, 10th ed., 1997.
Provides citation examples for the APA, Chicago, and MLA styles.

Helpful Websites for Citing Resources Correctly

http://www.princeton.edu/~econlib/cite.html

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html

http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/citing.htm

Copyright and Fair Use

What is Copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship. This protection applies to both published and unpublished works.

What is the Purpose of Copyright?
" To promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries" -- U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8.

Violation of Copyright
Copyright is violated when someone copies or uses a copyrighted work without the permission of the copyright owner unless used within the fair use provision of the copyright law.

For more information about copyrights visit: http://www.copyright.gov/

Copyright and Trademark Websites

Copyright FAQs

Small Business Adminsistration - Protecting Your Indeas

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - Basic Facts About Trademarks

Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS)

Trademark Registration of Internet Domain Names

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - Electronic Business Center

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - General Information Concerning Patents

Plagiarize

To take and use the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc., of another person as one's own.

-Oxford Dictionary, American Edition,1995

Important Websites

Documentation and Plagiarism - Cal Poly

Academic Dishonesty Policy