Real-Life Communication -- Solution

"It's foremost for all researchers to practice the very highest degree of integrity because your entire reputation is based on being honest and speaking truthfully," says Dr. Ben Koop.

Because your reputation is based on the accuracy of the information you provide, it's crucial to provide proper documentation for all the sources that you use in your research findings.

1. What system of documentation is frequently used in technical writing?

   The number system of documentation.

2. What if you can't remember where you got the information?

   If you honestly can't remember, then it has become common knowledge for you and does not need to be documented.

3. Do you document a conversation?

   Yes, you document all information, whether it's in print, heard in a conversation or interview, or obtained electronically.

4. Where do you put the list of sources?

   At the end of your document.

5. How do you source books?

   For books, put the name of the author first (first name last), followed by a period, followed by the title of the book (in italics if you have them; otherwise, underline it), followed by a period, followed by the city of the publisher, followed by a colon; followed by the publisher's name (delete things such as: "Inc.," "Co.," and "Ltd."), followed by the year of publication, ending with a period. In this style, you don't indicate pages.

6. How do you source magazine and journal articles?

   Start with the author's name first (last name first), followed by a period, then the title of the article in quotation marks and ending with a period, followed by the name of the magazine or journal (in italics if you have them; otherwise, underline), followed by a period, followed by the date of issue of the magazine the article occurs in, followed by the beginning and ending page. If the article spreads out across the magazine, you can write "33+." or "33(5)." The latter style seems to be taking hold; in it, you estimate how many pages the article would be if it were continuous.

   If there is no author, start with the article or book title. If there are two authors, add "and" and the second author's name, first name first. If there are too many authors, use the first one (last name first), followed by "et al.," which means "and others."

7. How do you source reports?

   With reports, you're likely to dealing with government reports or local, informally produced reports. With most reports, you may not have an individual author name; in such cases, you use the group name as the author.

8. How do you source correspondence or interviews?

   With these sources, you treat the interviewee or letter writer as the author, follow that name with the person's title, followed by a period, then the company name, followed by a period, then what the information was ("Personal interview" or "Personal correspondence") followed by a period, then the city and state, followed by a period, ending with the date.

9. How do you source brochures?

   For these kinds of information sources, treat the company name as the author, followed by a period, use something identifying like the product name (including the specific model number), followed by anything that seems like the title of the brochure, followed by a period, ending with a date if you can find one (otherwise, put "N.D.").

10. How do you source borrowed graphics?

    It's certainly legal to copy graphics from other sources and use them in your own work -- as long as you document them. You indicate the source of a borrowed graphic in the figure title, which is located just below the graphic.

    Here's an example:

    Figure 3. Advanced MicroWidget Device. The new design of the whatzit reduces the requirements on the base system, while not compromising performance. Source: Alfred Newperson,Widget Design: The 1990s and Beyond (Summe City: Nouveau, 1990), 32.

    (Traditional source citation for a graphic; the complete bibliographic details are given, plus the page number.)

• Back to Activity