Library
The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources. Commonly used citation styles include APA, MLA, and Chicago.
For help with creating citations, take a look at our citation guides and resources:
Plagiarism occurs when you take another person’s words or ideas and claim them as your own.
The most common forms of plagiarism are:
List from RDP Student Academic Integrity and Academic Misconduct Policy
Plagiarism has severe consequences, including failure, suspension, and expulsion. In college courses, you are expected to document your sources properly and consistently.
The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources. Commonly used citation styles include APA, MLA, and Chicago.
To learn more, see the RDP Library’s Academic Integrity guide.
An annotated bibliography is the same as a “regular” bibliography (also known as a Works Cited or References list), with the addition of annotations (short paragraphs about each source). Two types of annotated bibliographies are the most common:
A short paragraph (50-200 words) that describes and/or evaluates each citation (source of information listed in your bibliography). An evaluative annotation judges, in your opinion, the relevance, quality, and accuracy of each citation, in addition to describing the work.
Annotations usually consist of the answers to the following questions:
| Questions to Answer: | Examples: |
|---|---|
| What is the material? | Book, chapter, scholarly article, web page |
| What is the work about? | Topics and subjects covered |
| What is the purpose of the work? | Introduction, update, research report |
| Who is the intended audience? | Scholars, general public |
| Who is/are the author(s)? What are their qualifications? | Academic qualifications, research background |
| Authority of the source? | Peer-reviewed journal, reputable publisher |
| Are there any clear biases? | Personal/corporate agenda, unbalanced discussion |
| What are the deficiencies or limitations of the work? | Dubious research methods; information that is clearly missing |
| What are the strengths of the work? | Thorough discussion, extensive research, major work in field |
Not necessarily! Look for information in:
Unless otherwise advised, make sure your Annotated Bibliography is in alphabetical order. Start each annotation with a correct citation in the required citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
A literature review is a review of the existing literature on your topic. A literature review summarizes and synthesizes the existing research about a particular topic. A literature review also analyzes and critiques the existing research.
The purpose of a literature review is to organize and evaluate the major concepts, arguments, and themes of the existing research on a topic.
When writing a literature review, you may notice a gap in the existing research, such as an aspect of your topic that no one has researched yet. You can note these gaps in your literature review as well.
There are 4 steps to completing a literature review:
Writing Skills Tutoring at Red Deer Polytechnic can help you with:
Students can get writing help in a variety of ways, including:
These services are free for all RDP students!
Citation tools can help quickly generate and manage your citations. Remember to double-check citations for accuracy. Some tools to try:
Red Deer Polytechnic recognizes that our campus is situated on Treaty 7 land, the traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina and Stoney Nakoda peoples, and that the central Alberta region we serve falls under Treaty 6, traditional Métis, Cree and Saulteaux territory. We honour the First Peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and we give thanks for the land where RDP sits. This is where we will strive to honour and transform our relationships with one another.