Working with your sources

Citing your sources

When you "borrow" information or ideas from someone else, you must give credit to that person. If you use facts, opinions, ideas, or quotations from one of your sources, you will have to say where you found that information. The words, pictures, and ideas in a book or on the Internet belong to the author. The author took the time to write, draw, photograph, or create the work — it belongs to him or her! So it is very important to give him or her credit. Otherwise, it might look as if you are taking someone else's ideas and calling them your own. This is called plagiarism, and it is a kind of cheating. There are special rules for how to use pictures and sounds you find on the Internet. More information about this can be found at the Cyberbee Copyright Classroom.

This "giving credit" is called citing your sources. When you cite a source, give the author's name, the title of the work, and any information someone else would need to find the work again. If you found the source on the Internet, give the URL or Web address of the website.

Taking notes with note cards

If you make notes on note cards, use subject headings from your outline or graphic organizer to keep the notes organized. Notes on note cards can easily be reorganized as you work on your paper or project. Keep cards in a Ziploc bag to avoid losing your work.

Keeping a working bibliography

Keep track of your research with a "working bibliography." A bibliography is a list of the books used to complete a paper or project. A working bibliography is a list of books you are using to do your research. Some may end up being helpful, while others will not. The important thing is that when it comes time to give credit to your sources, you will have a record of all the places you looked for information. To keep track, you can use an index card for each source. On the card, record the title and author of the source and any other information you may need to find it again.

The bibliography

Though it is designed for Grade 6 students, you will find all you need about citing sources on the Grade 6 Bibliography page. Ask your teacher what information is required in the final bibliography. It will save you time if you gather all needed information now instead of having to go back later to find a publisher or a page number when you are finishing your work!