Estimated In-Class Time 10-15 min
Estimated Pre-Class Time 20 min
Downloads Handout 7B-1
Answer Key 7B-1
In-Class Procedure
Pre-Class Preparation

Students examine three paragraphs to determine which one best balances source material and original ideas and then briefly discuss what makes it so.

Other Activities in this series: Activity 7A, Using the Work of Others Ethically.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Distinguish between writing that makes balanced use of sources and that which does not.
  • Discuss why balance between source material and original ideas demonstrates academic integrity.

Relevant Threshold Concepts

  • Scholarship as conversation.
  • Information creation as a process.

Suggestions for Use

  • This activity should be helpful in classes where beginning researchers will incorporate source material into their original writing.
  • Use this short activity to start a discussion about balancing original ideas with those found in information sources in academic writing.
  • This activity also emphasizes how producing original work while utilizing other sources demonstrates academic integrity.
  • Students can complete Handout 7B-1 electronically or in print.

Pre-Class Preparation

  • Review the handout and answer key for this activity.
  • Review In-Class Procedure below.
  • Prepare for introducing the session, using your own remarks or the Possible Script below, if it seems helpful.
  • Read Chapter 7: Ethical Use and Citing Sources of Choosing & Using Sources.
  • Decide whether you want students to complete Handout 7B-1 on paper or electronically.
  • If you decided on paper copies, print Handout 7B-1 (1 copy per student and 1 for yourself) and Answer Key 7B-1 (1 copy for yourself).
  • If you decided on an electronic handout, put Handout 7B-1 in your learning management system.
  • Consider assigning students to read before class Choosing & Using Sources, Chapter 7, Ethical Use of Sources, “Why Cite Sources?”
  • Download and/or print In-Class Procedure, Possible Script, and Answer Key 7B-1 so you can take them with you to class.

In-Class Procedure

  1. If you’re having students use printed copies of Handout 7B-1, pass them out or set them where students can pick them up as they come in.
  2. If you’re having students use an electronic Handout 7B-1, tell them how to find and open it.
  3. Ask students to complete Handout 7B-1 in 5 minutes, following the instructions on the handout.
  4. After 5 minutes, ask students to share their answers.
  5. Briefly discuss student answers.

Possible Script

As students, you not only consume information, you also create it. By engaging with the ideas and scholarship of others, you enter an ongoing scholarly conversation. In your academic writing, balancing your original ideas and insights with those of others allows you to make a meaningful contribution. It also helps you demonstrate academic integrity.

Scholars rely on the work of others to strengthen and give evidence for their original ideas and insights on a topic. Using source material also places these into the larger context of the scholarly conversation. When incorporating sources into your writing it is important to balance your original work with that of others. One rule of thumb is that in a given paragraph, there should be more of your own words than those of others. However, a lack of source material can sometimes weaken your argument, since you have little or no evidence to support your claims. So it’s all about balance: How much from your sources? How much from you?

Relevant Choosing & Using Sources Chapters:

Chapter 7 , Ethical Use of Sources.