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Documentation in Writing

Documentation of sources is necessary not just in research papers but in any written work that contains information from or references to texts outside itself.  Each discipline has methods of documentation that best serve its purposes, and each also prescribes separate forms for books, articles, and Web sites, as well as special forms for such cases as a work by more than one author, two works by the same author, works in more than one volume, material taken from the films and electronic sources, and many other special cases.

Four frequently used styles of documentation, listed with the authoritative sources of information for them, are the following:
APA: American Psychological Association.  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed.  Washington, DC:  APA, 2001.
CBE:  Council of Biology Editors.  Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.  6th ed.  New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Chicago:  The Chicago Manual of Style.  15th ed.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
MLA:  Gibaldi, Joseph.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  6th ed.  New York:  MLA, 2003.

An excellent source for information about three of these styles -- APA, Chicago, and MLA -- is Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual, 3rd edition (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000).  Hacker presents a list of other disciplinary style manuals on pp. 214-16.  Extensive information about citation in all four styles listed above is available through the Writing Center web site under the heading Useful Links.

Many Hamilton departments, including those of Anthropology, Biology, English, and Psychology, have prepared handouts explaining the preferred methods of documentation for their courses.

When you have questions about the appropriate style of documentation for a paper, your instructor is almost always the best source of information. Ask!

Acknowledging Help from Other People

Many instructors encourage students to help one another with their writing.  Another person's perception of and reaction to a piece of writing can help you to identify problems and mistakes you cannot see by yourself. If another person finds in a paper the organization and meaning you intended, you know you have communicated successfully.

Although collaboration is encouraged in many courses, some courses, some disciplines, and some instructors place limits on it or do not permit it at all.  If you are uncertain whether a given instructor permits or encourages you to received help from classmates, ask.  Some instructors not only permit such assistance but give extra credit to students who are frequently and specifically acknowledged.

The Honor Code at Hamilton requires that you acknowledge whatever help you receive.  But the Honor Code does not forbid collaborative or cooperative work.  It forbids only fraud -- that is, passing off someone else's work as your own.

Creating an Acknowledgments Section

One way to acknowledge help you receive from others is to create an acknowledgments section. At the end of your paper, write the heading "Acknowledgments." Under the heading, explain clearly who helped you and what kind of help you received.  Here are two examples:
Acknowledgments:
My thanks to Rebecca Fabriacant and Cory Lown for reading over my second draft and making suggestions for editing.  Rebecca also suggested a change in the organization of the paper, placing the paragraph about character nearer to the end in order to acheive a more climactic order.
Acknowledgments:
I thank Mrs. Cutler for help with the t-test and my lab partners for helping me collect the data for this experiment.

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