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By Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
I. Though shalt not cite directly a paper thou hast not
read. Neither shalt thou include in thy reference section any paper that thou
hast not read nor any paper which has not been cited in the body of thy paper.
Such practices constitute the padding of thy reference section. They are an
abomination.
II. When paraphrasing part of an article, thou must
significantly rewrite the relevant material. Failure to paraphrase constitutes
plagiarism for which you will be cut down.
III. Excessive quotations are to be avoided. If thou canst
not paraphrase a thing, thou dost not understand that thing. If thou dost not
understand a thing, study it until thou dost understand it and by that
understanding, are able to paraphrase it. Excessive quotes are naught more than
filler material used by slothful students who do not have enough material to
write a decent paper.
IV. In the rare case that thou must use a quotation thou
must know that short quotations shalt always be enclosed within quotation marks.
Quotations longer than one or two sentences shall be indented. All quotations
must be followed by both the reference and the relevant page number (e.g.,
Pollak, 1974, p.322). Thou shalt include page numbers only for quotations. For
paraphrased material though shalt cite only the author(s) and date.
V. Thou shalt use APA style in all things. Thou shalt
consult the APA style manual or any current issue of the American Psychologist.
APA style means that thou shalt use few (if any) footnotes and that all
references will be cited in the body of the paper (e.g., Pollak, 1974). Thou
shalt not use numbered references. They are an abomination.
VI. Thou shalt avoid long, flowery, complex sentences in
favor of a crisp, telegraphic style.
VII. Thou shalt include an abstract at the beginning of thy
paper. An abstract is a summary of thy paper. It is not an introduction to thy
paper.
VIII. Thou shalt use only those sources that come from
scholarly journals and books. Psychology Today and other popular magazines are
not scholarly journals. Neither are internet sources and encyclopedias
appropriate for college-level papers. These things are an abomination before our
eyes.
IX. Thou must know that many of thy resources will not be
contained within the library of West Chester University and must be sought
elsewhere or must be ordered through inter-library loan. Therefore I say unto
thee, verily must thou begin thy research at the earliest possible time lest the
day of judgment approach and thou art found wanting before thy professor.
X. Thy professor is a gentle and gracious professor. Thou
shalt consult with thy professor at any and all stages of the research and
writing process that thou might not fall into error. Thy professor shalt treat
thy inquiries with helpfulness and charity even unto reading an early draft of
thy work. If thou dost listen to my words and do these things that I command,
thou will be found worthy and thy grade point average will prosper even unto
summa cum laude.
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