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Integrating Sources
into Text:
 Some Research Paper
Writing Advice

Do you ever think you are doing everything right but you're still afraid you might be accused of plagiarism?  Here are some tips to help you greatly reduce the chances of that happening to you.

Below is a sample paragraph from a research paper. Two secondary sources have been integrated into the research paper writer's text, and one paraphrase from the primary source is included.

Rymenhild also is an important element of the poem who seems to have no prototype in native English literature or culture. Unlike Edith and the Queen of Athelston or Goldborough of Havelok, the actions Rymenhild takes are born of personal passion. Writing of the Anglo-Norman version, M. D. Legge calls it a "man's poem in both form and content" for, among other reasons, the heroine is the aggressor in the love relationship (99-102). Although, as has been noted, the English version is considerably less explicit about the courtship, the essential events of it remain intact. It is still Rymenhild who pursues Horn, and as we have seen in the passages quoted above, Horn takes shameless advantage of her passion. Laura Hibbard implicitly concords with Legge's evaluation of the situation by characterizing Horn as "a wholly unsentimental lover who is more interested in rescuing his sweetheart than in remaining with her (86). Rymenhild is scarcely better treated by her father who intends to marry her off against her will (lines 931-4). While this fate, of course, was quite common in both literature and real life of the time, it does contrast sharply with King Athelwold's treatment of his daughter in Havelok.

= research paper writer's own thoughts
= information borrowed from secondary sources

Text of Paragraph Explanation
Rymenhild also is an important element of the poem who seems to have no prototype in native English literature or culture. Unlike Edith and the Queen of Athelston or Goldborough of Havelok, the actions Rymenhild takes are born of personal passion. No secondary sources have yet been introduced. That's how the reader knows that these two sentences belong to the research paper writer.
Writing of the Anglo-Norman version, M. D. Legge calls it a "man's poem in both form and content" for, among other reasons, the heroine is the aggressor in the love relationship (99-102). Note here that the research paper writer has introduced the source by name. ALWAYS INTRODUCE YOUR SOURCES. Notice also how the research paper writer has combined a paraphrase and a brief phrase quote. We know when the borrowing from the source ends because page numbers have been included parenthetically. (If the research paper writer had needed to include more information from Legge, she would have begun the next sentence also mentioning Legge's name. Perhaps she might have said, "Legge goes on to say....")
Although, as has been noted, the English version is considerably less explicit about the courtship, the essential events of it remain intact. It is still Rymenhild who pursues Horn, and as we have seen in the passages quoted above, Horn takes shameless advantage of her passion. Again, it is obvious that these two sentences belong to the research paper writer rather than being borrowed from a souce because no source is introduced.
Laura Hibbard implicitly concords with Legge's evaluation of the situation by characterizing Horn as "a wholly unsentimental lover who is more interested in rescuing his sweetheart than in remaining with her" (86). Here the research paper writer has introduced another source. Again it is a paraphrase combined with a brief quote. The important thing to notice here is that the research paper writer again has left us a clear marker between her own thoughts and those she has borrowed from another source.
Rymenhild is scarcely better treated by her father who intends to marry her off against her will (lines 931-4). While this fate, of course, was quite common in both leterature and real life of the time, it does contrast sharply with King Athelwold's treatment of his daughter in Havelok. Again, we know that these sentences belong to the research paper writer because no secondary sources have been introduced. Notice, however, that the research paper writer has referred to the poem she is writing about and included the relevant lines in parentheses.