The video explains the cultural differences in academic writing, particularly focusing on the necessity of citing sources in American academic English. Unlike some collectivist cultures where using uncited sources is common and indicates a well-read writer, American academic culture emphasizes individual intellectual property and mandates proper citation to show respect to original authors and to establish the writer's credibility. Plagiarism, or failing to cite sources, is a serious offense with significant consequences.
Two methods outlined for including source material: direct quotations and paraphrasing, both requiring citations. Direct quotations involve using the exact words of the author with quotation marks and citations, while paraphrasing involves rephrasing the content and still citing the source. The APA documentation style prefers paraphrasing over direct quotes. Consult faculty when unsure about citations and to err on the side of caution by including citations whenever in doubt.
So in American academic English, it is necessary to cite ideas that come from other sources. This expectation may be different than what you're used to, depending on your cultural background.
Some cultures have a more collectivist approach to writing. In these cultures, the writer may use ideas and quotations from other seminal sources or historical sources without citation. In other cultures, this approach shows that the writer is well-read and the writer assumes that the reader will have the same background.
In other words, it is assumed that the reader has read the same sources. If these sources were cited, it might be considered an insult to the intelligence of the reader. Furthermore, the way in which the writer is able to take and combine these previous sources into their own writing demonstrates sophistication in their writing.
Other cultures, such as the academic culture in the United States, have a more individual approach to writing. The ideas of other authors are seen as their intellectual property, and therefore they must be cited within the text.
In this culture, citations show respect to the original author. They also show the reader that the writer is well researched and credible. If the sources are not cited or not cited properly, that is plagiarism. In the United States, where there's so much emphasis on the individual, plagiarism is a serious offense. And in some educational contexts, that can result in serious consequences for the student writer.
There are two ways to include source material within your writing: a direct quotation, and a paraphrase. In a direct quotation, writers use the original words of the author and copy and paste them into the writing. In a paraphrase, writers change the words and sentence structure from the original source but the ideas still come from the source, not from the writer of the current text.
In both cases, citations are necessary to show where ideas are coming from and which source a writer is using in the writing. Keep in mind that APA documentation style prefers paraphrases over direct quotations. Use direct quotations sparingly or not at all. And again, remember to cite both paraphrases and direct quotations in your writing.
Let's look at an example of both a direct quotation and a paraphrase. The direct quotation reads as follows: “To encourage business owners, large and small alike, to use social media as a marketing platform, several social media companies have developed business-specific tools or made it possible to brand an online profile to a business” (Geho & Dangelo,2012,p. 1). This example sentence has quotation marks around it so that it is clear to the reader that the words here come from another author, and it includes a full citation to the source’s author and year.
The paraphrase of this direct quotation reads as follows: Small business owners can develop a Facebook business page to establish an online presence, which could bring in thousands of potential customers at a low cost (Geho & Dangelo,2012,p. 1). This paraphrase does not have quotation marks around it because the language and sentence structure have been changed from the original. However, it still includes a citation with the source’s author and year.
Whenever in doubt about how or whether to cite a source or incorporate a quotation or paraphrase, ask your faculty. Our recommendation is to err on the side of caution. While APA wants us to achieve a balance in citations, if you're not sure it can be better to include a citation than leaving one out.
This video refers to the APA citation style. However, the main points covered apply regardless of citation style. More on citation styles will be covered later on in this session.
Activity: What's the Difference? Watch: Understand Why Plagiarism Happens