"Documentation" means
listing information sources. You can read a documented paper about
Florence
Nightingale on this website. As you read it, notice the two
books listed at the end. These are the sources (also called "Works
Cited"). And notice that the page numbers are included in
parentheses in the essay. These are the basic elements of documentation.
Here are some guidelines about
documentation:
1. Document any information that
readers might disagree with. On the other hand, do not document
facts or dates that most people would agree with.
For example, don't document the
date Florence Nightingale was born or the date Martin Luther King
Jr. died. But you should document statistics and other numbers
that readers might challenge. For example, you should document
the population of the United States and the total annual budget
of Polk Community College.
2. Document statements from authorities
and famous people. For example, document something Franklin D.
Roosevelt said in a speech. Give the source even if you rewrite
a statement in your own words. Remember that it's important to
have the names of experts and famous people in your paper.
3. Document stories and interesting
information that readers might want to look up to learn more.
For example, document Rosa Parks' account of the bus episode that
sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
4. Document anything you copy
word-for-word. "Plagiarism" (copying without giving
sources) is a criminal act that can jeopardize your college or
professional career.
Questions? E-mail
me, or leave a voice mail message at 297-1010 X5304.