APA or MLA? ...mumble mumble...

Do you remember when we talked about plagiarism, especially in writing?

Well, we said that there are different ways to avoid plagiarism and make proper references to any of the works we cite or paraphrase in our writings (i.e. essays, theses, blog posts). In particular, we looked at two authoritative referencing styles: MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association) and APA Formatting and Style Guide (American Psychological Association).
Let's see what are their main features, similarities and differences, if any.

MLA style:

• large list of examples concerning in-text references and their corresponding works-cited entries; it takes into account a great number of different types of sources (books, chapters in book, works in an anthology or collection, journal or magazine articles, online sources, media, interviews, dissertations/theses, etc.);
• very strict rules of in-text, parenthetical references and bibliography; it also gives advices on punctuation, capitalization, typefaces (i.e. opt for underlining instead of italics), URLs, location, publication, author/s and all the other information we have to provide (i.e. in-text references need author's last name, year of publication, chapter:page/s).

APA style:

• plenty of information concerning not only the referencing style (i.e. in-text citations and bibliography), but also the formatting of a scholar paper (i.e. sections and sub-sections, headings, typing and page size);
• 9 sections concerning in-text references and bibliography; each section considers one type of source (e.g. book, online resource, magazine) and gives general rule on the needed referencing style (punctuation, use of italics, etc.)

MLA vs. APA (imo):

• MLA has a more detailed and greater number of examples than APA;
• MLA takes into account a huge range of sources' types while APA is less various;
• APA accepts footnotes and endnotes while MLA doesn't, especially in academic paper;
• APA in-text references are more flexible than MLA's; APA uses both (author, year) and (author, year, page/s) while MLA always requires (author, year, chapter:page/s);
• APA accepts both italics and underlining; MLA does not accept italics;
• MLA lacks a guideline on the formatting of an academic paper.

These are the main things I've noticed so far, but the issue is very interesting so I'm going to learn more about it...and I want to hear your opinion too!

BTW, I think that - in the end - both styles are accurate; therefore, to choose MLA instead of APA is just a matter of personal taste. Whether you opt for MLA or APA, the important thing is that once you've chosen one you have to follow it 'till the end of your work.

Sorry for being so long-winded...

Talk to you soon :)
Giorgia

Examining my conscience :)

Hello all,

as anyone can see from my previous posts, me and my classmates are working a lot on sources' evaluation, reliability, writing and readability...So, as Sarah suggested, I want to think about my blog. I mean, I want to analyse if my blog posts respect some or any of the following characteristics: hourglass structure/well structured, logical, cohesive, clear, precise, concise and coherent.

As I go back and take a look to my first posts (e.g. Language Learning post) I realize that I made a lot of mistakes concerning:

• grammar,
• paragraphing,
• post length,
• use of conjuncts & subordinators (despite making myself clear, I used them too much!).

However, the more I go on writing and learning new things about text structure, the more it seems to me that I make better posts...Hope you've noticed that :) In the last posts I think I've managed to be precise and concise at the same time, which - afaic - it's very important in blogging. I myself get bored while reading everlasting and repetitive posts!

I think that blogging, unlike traditional writing, give us the possibility to be concise and precise without a lot of effort. Let's think about technical words or acronyms...you just put a clickable link on them and at the same time:

• people who know the meaning of that word just go on reading without any problem, and you don't bother them with an unwanted and verbose explanation;
• people who don't know the meaning of that word just click on the highlighted word and will find all the needed information, and you don't increase your post's length.

BTW, let me know what you think about that!

Bye
Giorgia
(photo source)

Clear as crystal!

As we've learned through Sarah's handout2, any text should be easy to follow and clear in meaning, especially when analysing complex subjects (i.e. academic papers). A crystalline and readable writing should be:

• well structured,
• logical,
• cohesive,
• clear, precise and concise,
• coherent.

Let's see if the academic paper I've chosen follows this guideline...I'm going to do this asking myself some questions presented in handout2.

1.Does the paper follows the hourglass structure (iow, well structured: intro,body,conclusion)? Yes, the paper follows the hourglass shape. It stars by summarizing the content and forecasting the conclusions; it also highlights the key words. Then, the body develops each of the topics presented at the beginning, providing examples. At the end, the paper sums up the content and exposes the conclusions.
2.Is there a logical flow of ideas? Yes. Since argument is large-scale, the paper body is broken down into parts, each one dealing with a different topic. However, each part is logically linked, even without using a large amount of metalinguistic signaling devices. The logical link is provided by introducing briefly an issue in the paragraph that precedes the 'real' paragraph on this issue.
3.Is the text cohesive? Yes; the ideas and information's flow is clear and easy to follow. Nothing is left unsaid; obviously the reader has to have a basical notion of what PLEs and e-learning are. However, the cohesiveness is provided by a sufficient amount of references forward and back (e.g. In the introduction I said; these tools; moreover).
4.Is the writing clear or complex? The content is clear and well exposed; however, as I've just said above, any reader should have at least a basic knowledge of PLEs, social software and e-learning. Most of the times the writer refers to specific concept just using their acronyms; therefore the writing turns to be sometimes difficult, but - I would say - not obscure.
5.Who is the text’s assumed audience? What indications of this do you have? How does this influence how the text is written? I think that the paper is intended for someone who has basic notions about the subject. I wouldn't say that is intended only for experts because I myself understood almost everything. As I said before, the academic influence comes out when the writer uses technical terms and acronyms to specific concepts. Anyway, the researcher - at the beginning - provides a list of key words so that one can go and search for them and their acronyms.

Ops, I've been talking too much... :)

Bye
Giorgia
(photo source)

Looking through my magnifying glass...

Hello all,

last week we talked about source evaluation and we came up with a lot of criteria through which analyse the reliability of a piece of writing.

A few days ago I found an interesting article on PLEs (personal learning environment) and I want to evaluate it through some of the criteria Sarah gave us in handout1.

Here it is what I've found:

1.Who's the researcher? Graham Attwell, director of the Wales based research organisation, Pontydysgu. The paper was also published in a website's page of the University of La Rioja (Spain).
2.What's the goal of the research? The paper explores the ideas behind PLEs and why PLEs might be useful and crucial to learning in the future. The paper also considers the technologies (i.e. blogs and wikis) that can be used in PLEs and the aggregation of different devices. At the end, the paper provides examples of practices on how PLEs can come in useful in the future.
3.Where and when was the research carried out? E-Laearning Paper published in 2007, edited by P.A.U. Education S.L., Barcelona - Spain.
4.What kind of study/data collected? The data are qualitative and the paper is provided with examples/case studies.
5.Was it large or small scale? I would say quite large, since the subjects taken into account are various: PLEs, technology, blogs/wikis, net generation. Moreover, the subject is considered to be in continuous evolution.
6.Was it short or long term? I think short term, in the sense that the author considers PLEs in the present moment in which he's writing, but he specifies that the subject is undoubtedly going to develop in the future.
7.What conclusions were drawn? The conclusions are easy to understand; they are based on the evidence presented in the paper.

Ok...Hope you find it interesting!

Bye
Giorgia
(photo source)

Happy Easter!

Hello all,

I just want to say...

Buona Pasqua (Italian) :)
Vrolijk Pasen (Dutch)
Joyeuses Pâques (French)
Frohe Ostern (German)
Καλὸ Πάσχα (kalò Pàskha)(Greek)
E ʻôlelo mâlie (Hawaiian)
Boa Páscoa (Portuguese)
¡Felices Pascuas! (Spanish)
IPhasika elijabulayo (Zulu)
復活節快樂 (fùhuójié kuàilè)(Chinese Mandarin)
ਈਸਟਰ ਖੁਸ਼ਿਯਾੰਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ (īsṭar khuśyāṅvālā hove)(Punjab)
Христос воскресе (Xristos voskrese)(Russian)
Geseënde Paasfees (Afrikaans)
عيد فصح سعيد (Arabic standard)
शुभ ईस्टर (śubh īsṭar)(Hindi)
イースターおめでとう (īsutā omedetō)(Japanese)
สุขสันต์วันอีสเตอร์ (Suk-sənt-wən īs-toer)(Thai)
Heri kwa sikukuu ya Pasaka (Swahili)
חג פסחא שמח (chag pascha same'ach)(Hebrew)

Just a few of all the wonderful languages all over the world!

OMG!
I ate too much...My mom and my aunts do not understand the words NO, THANKS - NO, I'M FINE - THAT'S ENOUGH! - I'M BLOWING UP!

BTW,I just want to post a link to an interesting .pdf on 'personal learning environment'. I found it using Google Scholar and I'm going to analyse it using what we've learned on reliability. I'm going to bookmark it too.

Have a nice day!

Bye
Giorgia
(photo source)

Let's save our bacon!

Hello all,

according to what we've learned so far, let's try to make a list of what we are supposed to do to respect sources, IRP and avoid plagiarism.

Dos & Donts:

• images - use Flickr with the CreativeCommons that provide all the info on copyrights; remember to cite the source and/or put the link which you take the image from. If the image is not taken from Flickr, make sure you are allowed to use it (i.e. see at the bottom of any web/blog page, there should be information about copyright);
• quotations, data, stats, research results (written productions) - remember to cite all the needed information about what you are writing whether you are exactly repeating or just paraphrasing someone else's words. There are different ways to cite (i.e. in-text citations, bibliography) and most of the times they have to be used together. Try to take a look to the two most common referencing styles > MLA and APA. Anyway, to make proper references within a blog is far easier than doing it in a formal piece of writing. In a blog you have just to put a link which works like an in-text citation and/or bibliography at your fingertip.

Well, these are just little tips I've learned so far...so, since the topic is very important and wide, I really need your help. Everyone is welcome to write a comment giving any kind of suggestions on referencing issue.

Bye
Giorgia
(photo source)

It's a Carbon Copy!

Today in class we talked about plagiarism and IPR (Intellectual Property Rights).
Every time somebody invents a new tool, makes a discovery or produces an artistic work, such as a book or a picture, he can protect his production through laws. These laws are called IPR; they are legal property rights and the common types are:

• trademarks,
• copyrights,
• patents,
• trade secrets.

Obviously, if you don’t respect the IPR, you act illegally; therefore, you can be sued by the rights’ owner. One of the most common illegal act is that of copying someone else’s production (e.g. words, music or invention) and pretending that you thought it or created it; this act is called plagiarism.

Plagiarism and any other illegal act linked to the improper use of something covered by IPR are particularly increased with the wide-spreading of Internet. Since Internet allows almost all computer worldwide to connect, publish and exchange information, it’s easy to meet with the above mentioned problems.

We all know how huge is the net and how difficult is to find all the needed information on the reliability and the right to use that information (see my post on images and reliability)…So, let’s all be careful about these issues!

Bye
Giorgia

Googling here and there!

Hello all,

I want to add something to my previous post about sources.
Sources are all about using the proper searching tools and evaluating. So, what about something that help you to join the two aspects?
I'm talking about fantastic tools that enable you to both search and evaluate at the same time. These tools help you to limit your search among data and information that have been already published; therefore, you can trust more on what you're reading...and half of the job is done!

These tools are:

- Google Books, a search engine that provides pieces of books from libraries and publishers worldwide; it works with tags;

- Google Scholar, a search engine that provides sholarly writings, such as theses and academic articles; it works with tags.

Another interesting tool from Google is Google Blogs. It works with tags and it searches for blogs on the World Wide Web. Google Blogs is similat to Technorati, except for the fact that the latter not only works as a search engine for blogs, but also provides info, stats and researches on the blogosphere as a whole.

So, let's surf guys!

Bye

Giorgia

(photo source)

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover!

We were asked in class to write down a list of questions we usually ask ourselves when judging the content of any source (i.e. website, book, blog).
Thinking about my third-year thesis and all the academic papers I prepared during my university path, it came up that I focused especially on authors’ credentials and content reliability:

- who’s the author? Is s/he well-known? Is s/he considered authoritative in his/her field of study?
- Is it the content reliable? Does any other website/book/blog report the same information about this topic (CROSS-REFERENCING)?

I think I use these questions especially when taking information from the Internet, rather than from a book: I’m used to thinking that if something has been published it should be authoritative.

However, I discovered in class that my questions are only a little part of the numerous ones I have to ask myself when using any kind of source. I just want to point out here some of the criteria that I never thought about ‘till now:

- when was the information provided? (i.e. think about stats and surveys; it is important to know if the data are still valid at the time you’re using them);
- why was the information provided? (i.e. think about the intended audience, purposes, perspectives).

I found that the tips on sources’ evaluation from San Diego University are very useful. The website gives a clear and detailed list of questions. It takes time to analyse a source through all those criteria, but in the end it is worth it, you will feel more secure and confident on what you write using that analysed source…And if there would be any mistake you can blame the source, not you!!! :)

Talk to you soon!
Giorgia

FeedBACK to get FORWARD

In parallel with the running of our blogs, me and my classmates are working a lot on mutual feedback, especially about grammar issues.
I think that getting feedback is an extremely useful way to get aware of our frequent mistakes; it is difficult for me to always recognize my errors, especially if I'm the only reader of my pieces of writing. :)
I sometimes notice my mistakes but you know...the more you go on reading and re-reading the same passage, the less you'll realize the errors inside.
BTW, if you've already read my post on 'personal learning environment', aka PLE, you know that in the last couple of weeks I've removed a few things from my vocabulary: present perfect (really hard, as you can see above!!!) and 'also'.

During the last lesson we continued our work on grammar improvement; we talked about 'building sentences', especially using subordinators and conjuncts. I learned that:
- subordinators (e.g. although, since, when) are never preceded by a comma;
- conjuncts (e.g. in addition, to sum up, therefore) are always independent words or expressions followed by a comma. They can be preceded only by a full stop or a semi-colon.
It is important to remember that subordinators and conjuncts are very formal expressions that tend to make the syntax heavy. So, if you manage to express yourself clearly and logically without those expressions, don't use them!

Then we talked about relative clauses (defining and non-defining), which are used to give additional information about something just mentioned without starting another sentence.
If you want some good tips about the above mentioned grammar issues, take a look to Grammar Girl, an helpful website about linguistic topics.

Ok guys...Hope this information will help you!
And I hope to get more and more aware of my mistakes and get rid of them!

Bye
Giorgia