Writing Skills Tutoring

How to integrate research and sources into your writing:

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing: What's the Difference?
Purdue OWL defines these essential skills that students need to master.

Quoting
Simon Fraser University on when to quote and how to do it properly.

Paraphrasing
Purdue OWL with a step-by-step guide to paraphrasing, complete with examples.

Summarizing
Strategies for crafting good summaries, complete with a case study and examples. From Simon Fraser University.

Reporting Verbs
Reporting verbs are used to blend your sources seamlessly with your own writing to avoid "quote bombs." This link from the University of Waterloo Writing and Communication Centre explains how to use them effectively.

Verb Tenses for Academic Writing
What verb tense should you use in your assignments? How do you refer to the articles and studies you cite? The Writing Center at George Mason University explains the three most common verb tenses used in academic writing.

Plagiarism occurs when you take another person’s words or ideas and claim them as your own.

The most common forms of plagiarism are:

• copying or paraphrasing another author’s work without proper acknowledgement
• using the ideas or lines of reasoning of another author’s work without proper acknowledgement
• submitting work that someone else has written or substantially edited
• submitting the same work for multiple courses without approval

List from RDP Student Misconduct: Academic and Non-Academic 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.