Ch. 17 & 18 blog

Chapter seventeen talks about using sources effectively in writings.  It talks about the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing and quotations which we also did in work shop.  These things are used to introduce points in writings.  Quotations also work very well and are often used to support the different sides of a disagreement.  The amount of arguments that can be made is based solely on the amount of material in the sources of the quotations.  When disputing things you must provide evidence.  The evidence is best found from authority sources because this makes the dispute that much more believable.  Using quotes along with this evidence helps you seem even more like an authority.  Quotations can also be used to set the mood of the argument whether that be funny and exciting or sad and depressing.  When explaining things it is better to use an example then to just tell a description.  The reader has an easier time understanding this way.  You must always also use in text citations when using quotes, summarizing, and paraphrasing.  There are two main different styles of citations that are used.  One style is MLA which stands for the modern language association.  Another style is the APA format and the Chicago style.  When using quotations in paragraphs it is better to use fewer quotations but ones that are more relevant to your topic, do not over quote.  Always avoid plagiarism by using proper citations.

            When creating your masterpiece there are several qualities that make it more pleasing for the reader to read.  One is the balance of where things like pictures are located on the page.  It is best to try and make things symmetrical.  This leads people to enjoy reading it more.  Another one is the way that titles and headings stand out and how easy they are to spot.  Also that if you use page numbers or headers and footers they should be all the same on each page.  On every page there should be the same size margins and spacing as well.  Different colors, shading, and fonts can make a paper more appealing to the eye of the reader but can sometimes take away from the main points and aspects of the actual paper.  Different spacing can also make the paper nicer to read.  Many times double spacing is preferred because it makes the paper much easier to read.  These things all make papers more interesting to look at.