 Welcome to Memorial University Library's introductory video on how to write a paper with integrity. My name is Beth Madigan and I'm the librarian at the Education Library in Commons on the St. John's campus. In this video we will consider why integrity is so important when you're writing a research paper, how to gather and evaluate the sources you will use to write your paper, and how to read your sources critically with a questioning stance. When we compose an argument or a specific point of view and write it down in an essay or research paper or even a social media post, we're entering into a conversation on that topic. Scholarly conversations are those that link researchers from across the globe by the threads and themes that tie their studies together. It's important that every time we enter a scholarly conversation we do it with integrity. That means we honor those that wrote on the topic before we did by giving them credit for their ideas and by considering their arguments and conclusions whether we agree with them or not. When you write with integrity you showcase what you have researched and learned. A style guide, sometimes called a manual of style, will assist you with the guidelines for formatting and structuring your paper. Your instructor will indicate which manual you should use and how you should use it. Usually instructors want you to follow the style guide when you are citing the sources in your paper and writing your bibliography or reference list. Familiarize yourself with the correct style by visiting the library, in person or online. If you're assigned a paper and your instructor doesn't indicate which style to use, choose one and follow it consistently. When you follow the style guide and carefully cite your sources and include them in your bibliography, you will demonstrate several of the key ingredients for writing with integrity, such as an informed perspective developed by considering multiple sources from a variety of viewpoints. Taking this approach improves your argument and usually produces a higher quality paper that will get a better grade. You'll want a trail for your readers to follow to locate the citations included in the text of your paper from the corresponding list of references at the end of your paper. Finally, and probably most importantly, by carefully citing and referencing, you will be given credit to the authors of the original ideas that you considered when you developed the main arguments and points of your paper. Memorial University Libraries have tools to help you. Tutorials, style guides and videos are available online. Libraries staff are also available by phone, email, chat or in person to answer questions and steer you in the right direction to find your own solutions. Most academic papers, essays and research projects require that you find and review information that is relevant to your topic. This information will usually come from chapters and books or articles and journals. Start your search by visiting the library, in person or online. In addition to the material you find at the library, depending on the type of paper and topic you choose, you may need to consider information from other sources like newspaper articles, websites and blogs. Once you've gathered some sources, you need to verify that they are appropriate for your research and that they give a balanced perspective on what has already been published about your topic. To evaluate your sources, you'll need to read them closely, often more than once, and consider them critically from a questioning stance. As you become a seasoned researcher, this questioning stance will become more natural and automatic. But as a beginning researcher, it is important to pause and consider specific questions about every source of information you are reviewing. Stephen Wilholt, in a brief guide to writing from readings, 7th edition, explains this questioning stance and gives a detailed list and a Henry Summary chart on page 24 and 25 of the types of questions critical readers pose while they're reading. My advice is similar. Ask some questions before you read the information. For example, question who wrote the text and what expertise or authority do they have to write on this topic. Question when the text was written and if more recent sources might contain updated information. Question the publication itself and ensure it's respected in the field of study. And before you read, always take some time to reflect on your own beliefs. Think about how you view your topic before you start to read. Do you have any preconceived notions that might influence your perspective? Are you open to considering new views and opinions? While you read, ask more questions. For example, who was the piece written for? Is it designed to persuade, to inform, or to entertain? Is the methodology and discussion free of bias? Ask yourself, how did the author organize their argument and supporting evidence? Do the findings and the conclusions make sense? Are the representations of race, religion, gender, sexuality, ability and ethnicity authentic? And always ask yourself about what might be missing. Whose voices aren't represented? Do you need more information to get a fuller picture? Why didn't the author provide that information? And then, after you read the piece, reflect on your own beliefs and opinions again. Have your previous beliefs or opinions changed? Also, think about what questions remain. What's still unclear? If you have unanswered questions about your topic, or if you feel you might be missing diverse perspectives, you need to find more sources to consider. Some questions, such as those you attempt before you start to read, will help you evaluate your sources, while others will help you become a critical reader. Critical readers are better able to discern appropriate sources for their projects, and they don't accept what they read and view automatically without verification. Writing papers from readings gives you an opportunity to hone some of the skills you'll need to become a critical reader and writer. As a part of Archaeology 1005, Dr. Scott Nielsen encourages his students to create a system to help organize their thoughts and impressions of the articles, chapters, and books and documents they're reading. He suggests creating a database or online portfolio of the sources that students read and reflect upon. Whatever system you choose, a well-crafted system that suits your research and writing style is one you will be likely to use throughout your academic journey. As we discussed, when you are reading critically, you pause and ask yourself questions. Other tips to excel at critical reading include take detailed notes and include the page numbers. I always forget the page numbers. Those are important to remember the content of the piece and paraphrase important segments while or immediately after you are reading. By paraphrasing, you're capturing the thoughts and reframing important concepts in your own words. When you've captured ideas in your own voice and style, you will be more likely to integrate the new ideas with your own existing ones and then remember them when it comes time to write your paper. By paraphrasing while you're reading, you become skilled at synthesizing the ideas of others into your own words. Before you begin to read any piece in depth, scan through first. Read the abstract, the headings, and the conclusions. This will give you a better sense of what to expect as you read the detailed content. If you know the claims the authors are making, you're in a better position to assess if they've sufficiently supported those claims as you read the content closely. When you read the piece for the first time in full, consider the main ideas and how those are presented. Consider the author's conclusions and how well supported they are by the content. Take notes and keep close track of page numbers as you paraphrase key concepts. A close reading will also help you determine perspectives or viewpoints that might be missing. The close reading of an important source could lead you to other important sources for your topic. When you find a particularly valuable source, check the list of works cited at the end of that article or chapter. These are the references for the research completed by the authors of that valuable source that you liked. Each reference gives you the information you need to track down those sources online or by using the library catalog. Continue finding information and reading on your topic until you've considered it from every perspective and angle. Then you'll be ready to start using your sources to write about your topic. For more information about Writing with Integrity, please consult the second video in this series, Writing with Integrity Part 2, Writing, Citing, and References. Thank you.