Research
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM
Responsible research and writing implies that we respect the intellectual property rights of others: this is the essence of academic integrity. The links on this page will take you to information on how to avoid plagiarism (i.e. the presenting of others' words or ideas as your own) in your writing, and how you can responsibly copy and properly cite your research sources whether these are in print or online. If you have questions about these issues, please ask a librarian, who will be pleased to offer assistance.
COPYRIGHT
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One specified condition is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
OTC Library reserves the right to refuse a request for a photocopy if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the request would involve violation of copyright law.
TAKE THE TEST! How much do you know about the proper use of others' work? Work through this online tutorial and see if you can pass the self-test. Powerpoint on Plagiarism at Plagiarism.org.
CITATION AND STYLE GUIDES
What are Style Guides? Proper citation is important for all scholarly work. Style guides, or style manuals, provide detailed information about how to use a particular citation style for various media formats. The following list is a selection of citation style guides. The electronic guides do not include all the rules and formats of the citation style. For a complete and comprehensive guide to citation style, please access a print copy of the guide.
ELECTRONIC GUIDES TO WRITING
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of research sources (e.g. Books, articles, etc.) with a concise summary of the content and an assessment of its relevance. Annotated bibliographies are often assigned at the beginning of a larger project.
Research Essays
A research essay requires the writer to read material in a specific area of focus. This essay style requires the writer to compare their ideas and thoughts with those that they have synthesized from the source material.
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