Research and Writing Terminology

Front

Research

Back

The process of finding, evaluating, and using information on a given subject; writers may quote from, summarize, or paraphrase information they have.

Front

Paraphrase

Back

Restatement in your own words of a phrase or idea that you found in your research sources.

Front

Quote

Back

Using the exact wording of an author to create authority or preserve an author’s language.

Front

Plagiarism

Back

Presenting other people’s ideas and words without proper citation; placing an in-text citation after the exact words does not remove plagiarism, but using quotation marks does.

Front

Thesis statement

Back

A clear statement of the principal point you intend to make in your paper.

Front

Topic Sentences

Back

Usually the first sentence of the paragraph, giving the reader an idea of what the paragraph is about.

Front

Topic

Back

General subject area chosen or assigned for preliminary research.

Front

MLA

Back

The style guide for the Modern Language Association, used commonly in documenting sources for literature and languages.

Front

Citation

Back

A reference note that includes the title, author, publisher, year, and page number of a source.

Front

Source

Back

Origin of material used in writing and research, such as a book, interview, or article.