Here are some IMPORTANT rules and considerations to use when using web-research in your thread posts in my class!
· DO include the URL (web address) that you took the information from. (Hit enter after pasting in the URL and it will become a hyperlink to the source for other students.)
· DO include quotation marks or <<>> around quoted (i.e. copied and pasted) material.
· DO introduce the quoted material with YOUR OWN WORDS about why you are providing that quotation.
· DO limit the quoted material to a paragraph or less (a snippet) to entice the reader into following the URL (link) you then provide.
· DO use an 80/20 rule of thumb for posting that is, for every sentence of quoted material, you should give us at least 4 sentences from you. AT LEAST give us a few sentences to orient us to why this quote is appropriately contained in your post. Worst case: use a 50/50 rule but in no event should you simply copy and paste in paragraphs from a website with no orienting material from you. As the % of your words to quoted material decreases, so too will the value of the post decrease.
What will I do if you “copy and paste” from a book or website, in contradiction of the above guidelines?
1. If the problem is simply that you have “too much” copy and paste, but you have included the URL, this will affect the “quality” of your post-and your post will likely be a “low quality” post. Avoid this problem by only providing a “snippet”-i.e. 2-3 sentences of quoted material…and then provide YOUR OWN WORDS about why that is important. INCLUDE the URL!
2. If you do not include a cite to the website or book from which your post information came, OR if you do not use quotation marks or some other method to show that the material was not written by you, then the issue will become one of Academic Integrity and I am required to turn it into the committee, subject to the rules on Academic Integrity in the student handbook.
Please let me know if you have questions about this class policy.
