A Basic MLA Principle:
Why Document?
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A Basic MLA Principle: Why Document? |
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Have you ever made a funny or insightful comment to a friend,
only to hear that person repeat it to others as though she had thought of it herself? If
so, you probably felt cheated out of something--recognition. In essence, that's one reason
why we document: We document to give recognition, or credit, to the person who originally had an idea. Not only is this the right, ethical thing to do, but documentation also gives our readers the feeling that we've done our homework--we've researched the topic, and what we say can be taken seriously. So, We document in order to be taken seriously by readers. Lastly, and importantly, we document to protect ourselves. If we borrow an idea or phrasing without documenting it, we are plagiarizing, and we can receive stiff penalties, ranging from a zero on the assignment to disciplinary action by our college or university. Thus, We document to protect ourselves. So we can think of documentation as a "thank-you," as support for our argument, and as a license. Let's try some practice.
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