citation

citation

Writing Partners

Writing Partners

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Programs
Writing is one of the most valuable skills honed in college, and will pay dividends in any walk of life.  Good writing allows you to communicate compassionately and effectively, avoid ambiguity, and convey your ideas to others in a persuasive way.  From emails and memos around the office to sympathy letters in times of bereavement, your writing skill can directly help in a time of need. Beyond enhancing other life skills, though, you may wish to make a career out of writing.  This can take many different forms – from academic writing, to literature and poetry, to news reporting or blogging.  Many courses at IU East teach skills writers need.  The library, too, offers many resources to help you build … Continued
Organized Research

Organized Research

, , , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
We are now a few weeks into the semester – long enough to get comfortable with the trajectory and expectations of a class, but not far enough, in most cases, to feel pressure from a final paper or project.  More and more, though, students want to keep it that way. If you’re one of this new type of student, you may be doing some of your major research early, to reduce the demands on you at the end of the semester.  A little pre-research, or ‘presearch’, if you will.  And that’s great – that sort of dedication and forethought is commendable.  But how do you make sure the value of what you do now is maximized later?  If you forget … Continued
Credit Where Credit Is Due

Credit Where Credit Is Due

, Matt Dilworth, Research
Most assignments that involve research also involve citation. Chances are, you’ve written papers that required a bibliography. This isn’t an empty exercise – this serves a very important purpose. Citation helps place your words and ideas in the continuum of academic thought – by writing, you are joining a conversation with other authors. Citing your sources makes clear who you are responding to. It also helps your own readers follow your train of thought, so they understand where and how you developed your ideas (that’s one reason why interviews or other intangibles are cited in-text but rarely in the reference list – no one who reads your paper would be able to double check something like an interview). And it … Continued
I Cannot Tell a Lie

I Cannot Tell a Lie

, Matt Dilworth
Presidents Day is an opportunity to reflect on our leaders, their strengths and their challenges. And this Presidents Day, it seems appropriate to examine a story about our first President.   We’ve all heard the apocryphal story by biographer Parson Weems about the young George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, but being unwilling to lie about it to avoid punishment. As the story goes, Washington was given a hatchet when he was about six, and proceeded to swing it at everything he could, as a little boy with a new toy might. This included his father’s prized cherry tree. Obviously, Augustine Washington had a pretty good idea what had happened, and asked his son if he knew who killed his … Continued