What’s it about?

In this micro course you will learn how to support your argument through the proper use of sources that you will locate through research. Backing up your argument in this way involves much more than just finding a source that agrees with you and copying and pasting their work into your document.

The first step is learning how to properly use the work of others and being able to identify credible sources. Just because something is on the internet, does not mean that it is a reliable source, or even true. To help you with this, you will learn about locating and evaluating source material.

Finding sources puts you well along the way, but ensuring you do not commit plagiarism and instead learn the subtle art of paraphrasing and how to properly quote the work of others to bolster your points is key.

Finally, once you have found credible sources and have quoted or paraphrased them, learning how to properly cite and give credit for the work of others is your last step. Learning the different citation styles and how to use them properly is one of the keys to a successful academic career.

In this micro course, you will engage with all of these topics and learn how to back up your arguments and make your academic writing more credible by citing the work of others.

What will I learn?

In this course, you will learn to:

• use the work of others to support your argument
• locate and evaluate credible sources.
• avoid plagiarism through the proper use of quotations and paraphrasing.
• properly source the works you have chosen to use to back up your argument. 

What’s involved?

Participants will join an international community of learners interested in gaining a better understanding of the complex process involved in communicating through writing. Largely self-directed and self-paced, the course will, if learners wish, lead to credits from an affiliated institution.

The course will be offered as a micro open online course comprising a number of learning activities and resources. It is to be viewed as part of the larger English for academic writing course of study, coupled with ENGA101, ENGA102, and ENGA104.

Prerequisites?

Anyone is free to participate in this course. An internet connection and basic web browsing skills are recommended with the ability to self motivate and direct.

Learners preparing for formal academic credit will need to meet the normal admission requirements of the conferring institution.

Image credit:  Book stack by tookapic dedicated to the public domain.