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Documentation

The document discusses documentation in research papers. It defines documentation and explains why it is important. It describes what must be documented and the documentation process. It also outlines the two main types of documentation - parenthetical and footnotes/endnotes - and provides examples of each in MLA and APA styles.

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Divyang Patel
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41 views

Documentation

The document discusses documentation in research papers. It defines documentation and explains why it is important. It describes what must be documented and the documentation process. It also outlines the two main types of documentation - parenthetical and footnotes/endnotes - and provides examples of each in MLA and APA styles.

Uploaded by

Divyang Patel
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Composition

Lesson Forty Forty-two: Documentation in Research Paper

What Is Documentation?
- Is acknowledging sources that we have used in our research

Why Is Documentation Important?


-

informs readers that you have consulted experts on the subject, and have relied on the most current and authoritative sources to support your statements; gives proper credit to the sources used in the argument, which is an ethical requirement. Failure to do so will result in being accused of plagiarism; provides readers the books and articles you have used in support of your argument(s). As a result, the readers may be encouraged to go to the sources for additional information.

What Must be Documented?


Any direct quotation, even a single phrase or key word, must be identified according to the work, and the exact place in that work Any paraphrase or summary of another individuals written work or from an oral report or presentation Any opinion (verbal or writing) without which you could not have reached your views without the help of another source Any statistical data which you have not compiled yourself Any visuals that you have not prepared yourself Any software programs that you did not develop yourself.

Documentation in the Writing Process


Documentation begins as soon as you start researching, and it continues throughout the writing process: drafting, revising, and editing. Therefore, you need to maintain a careful record of sources you use and the exact material you take from them. You need to check the accuracy of your documentation during the various stages of the writing process.

Types of Documentation
parenthetical documentation (MLA and APA) documentation through footnotes and endnotes

Parenthetical Documentation
MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed., edited by Joseph Gibaldi (New York: Modern Language Association, 1997) used in English and several disciplines in the humanities. APA (American Psychological Association) style sheet used in psychology, nursing, and allied health disciplines, the social sciences, and some technological fields.

Points to Remember about the Parenthetical Documentation:


Both MLA and APA do not recommend footnotes or endnotes to document sources. The bibliography, according to them, should contain only the works a writer has cited in the text and not the works consulted. They use parenthetical, or inin-text, documentation. While the MLA style sheet uses Works Cited, the APA style sheet has References to list bibliographic data data last name, first name or initials, title of the work, name of the publisher, place of publication, date of publication, Web sites, page numbers, and so on.

An Example of Works Cited


Bronstein, Mary. The New Generation of Technical Writers. Writers . San Francisco: FTP Systems, 1999. Teunissen, Julie. Opportunities for Technical Writers. Computer Outlook 17 (1998): 4242-45. Tullos, George. Technical Writers and the Importance of Online Documentation. Journal of Computer Operations 18(1997): 15.

Points to Remember about the Footnote/Endnote Documentation:


A slight raised numeral is inserted immediately after the information you wish to document. It is followed by providing the source information either in a footnote at the bottom of the page preceded by the same raised numeral, or an endnotes page at the end of the entire paper. The order in which the endnotes are listed must correspond exactly to the order I which the information is cited within the paper. Both footnotes and endnotes provide the same details: authors name(s), title of the work, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, and page numbers.

An Example of Endnotes
1Julie

Teunissen, Opportunities for Technical Writers, Computer Outlook 17 (1998): 43. 2George Tullos, Technical Writers and the Importance of Online Documentation. Journal of Computer Operations 8 (1997): 15. 3Mary Bronstein, The New Generation of Technical Writers (San Francisco: FTP Systems, 1999): 107.

Documentation According to the MLA Style Sheet


Insure that the readers train of thought is not broken by paraphrasing and incorporating in the text. Have the leadlead-in phrase for every quote like according to Walton, (56) Walton observed that (56) Walton remarks that (56) Walton says, (56) Have the last name of the author and the page number of the text used (Walton 56). List the title of the book or article along with the authors name, etc. in the Works Cited.

Documentation According to the APA Style Sheet


Even when you use the same work more than once, follow the same procedure, except that you do not need to repeat the authors name and the title of the work in the Works Cited list more than once. Authors surname is followed by the initials Date of publication follows the inverted name of the author Capitalize only the first word of a book, journal, or magazine.

Documentation According to the APA Style Sheet


Underline or italicize the title of a book, write out in full the names of the months, and underline or italicize the volume numbers. Do not enclose the title of a journal, magazine, or encyclopedia article in quotation marks.

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