Documentation & Academic Integrity — Practice · Grade 12 English

Chapter: Research & Source-Based Writing

What this practice covers

By the end of Documentation & Academic Integrity you should be able to:

11 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: in-text citation, Works Cited, container, paraphrase, patchwriting, academic integrity.

Problem 1

In MLA's current model, what is a 'container'?
  1. The font, margins, and spacing the paper must use.
  2. The larger whole that holds a source — a journal holding an article, or a database holding the journal — tracked so a reader can find the exact version used.
  3. A physical box where a researcher stores printed sources.
  4. Another name for the in-text citation.
Answer and explanation

The larger whole that holds a source — a journal holding an article, or a database holding the journal — tracked so a reader can find the exact version used.

A container is the larger whole a source sits inside (a journal, database, anthology, or website); nesting containers is how MLA documents real sources found through journals and databases. It is not formatting, storage, or the in-text citation.

Problem 2

A student wants to use a researcher's words that they encountered only inside a second author's article. How should this be cited in MLA, and why does the distinction matter?
Answer and explanation

It should be cited as a secondhand quotation, for example (qtd. in Han), naming the source the student actually read rather than the original they did not. The distinction matters because the student never saw the original in context and cannot vouch for it directly; telling the reader it came 'qtd. in' another source keeps the trail honest and lets the reader judge how far removed the quotation is from its origin.

Problem 3

A student quotes five words from a source accurately but crops the clause that reverses the source's meaning, then cites it correctly. How should this be judged?
  1. Completely fine — the quotation is word-for-word accurate and correctly cited.
  2. A formatting error only, fixable by adding a missing page number.
  3. A breach of academic integrity: a quotation can be word-perfect and correctly cited yet still misrepresent what the source actually claimed.
  4. Acceptable, because a writer may use any portion of a source they choose.
Answer and explanation

A breach of academic integrity: a quotation can be word-perfect and correctly cited yet still misrepresent what the source actually claimed.

Accurate wording and a correct citation do not make a use honest; cropping a source into saying the opposite of its real claim misrepresents it and violates academic integrity, which is about fidelity to sources, not just credit.

Problem 4

Explain why 'academic integrity' is broader than simply 'not plagiarizing,' using the idea of representing sources fairly.
Answer and explanation

Plagiarism is only one way to misuse a source — taking its words or ideas without credit. Integrity also requires representing sources fairly once you do cite them: not cropping a quotation so it reverses the author's meaning, not lifting a statistic out of its qualifying context, and not presenting a tentative finding as settled. A properly cited source can still be misrepresented, so integrity is about being accurate to what sources actually said, not just crediting them.

Problem 5

In a source-rich essay, why does consistent, correct formatting across dozens of Works Cited entries itself matter for the paper's credibility?
  1. It does not; only the in-text citations have any effect on credibility.
  2. Because each entry is expected to be longer than the one before it.
  3. Because a complete Works Cited page removes the need to discuss any sources within the essay.
  4. Because an erratic, inconsistent list signals carelessness that makes a reader doubt the care behind the research, and each entry must give enough detail to locate the exact source.
Answer and explanation

Because an erratic, inconsistent list signals carelessness that makes a reader doubt the care behind the research, and each entry must give enough detail to locate the exact source.

Consistent entries let a reader find every source and signal a careful researcher; a sloppy, uneven list undermines trust. Entries are not ranked by length, and a Works Cited page never replaces integrating and discussing sources in the text.

Problem 6

Explain why this is not yet a sound paraphrase. Give a detail and explain its relevance.
Answer and explanation

The wording remains nearly identical. Quote the phrase accurately, or recast the idea genuinely: Lee argues that labels should indicate where the evidence remains incomplete. Attribution is still needed.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 7

A learner writes: “Changing three words means I no longer need a citation.” Explain the problem and produce a better response.
Answer and explanation

Borrowed ideas still need attribution, and borrowed distinctive wording needs quotation marks. Rewriting is not a numerical word-substitution rule.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 8

Compare what you must inspect in these two cases. What can transfer, and what must be checked again?
Answer and explanation

A citation allows readers to trace borrowed words and ideas. MLA in-text references direct readers to a Works Cited entry, adding an available locator such as a page number when appropriate. The method transfers, but the particular detail, scope, and context must be read again. The wording remains nearly identical. Quote the phrase accurately, or recast the idea genuinely: Lee argues that labels should indicate where the evidence remains incomplete. Attribution is still needed.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 9

Using an assigned reading or one exercise source, write a developed response applying documentation & academic integrity. Aim for 300–450 words; name the reading or reproduce the sentence you revise.
Answer and explanation

If Lee is not named in the sentence, use (Lee); if the prose already names Lee, do not repeat it without a locator. The entry uses Lee, the article title, the site title, date, and URL. Do not add a made-up page. A complete response supplies context, a focused claim, a brief supporting detail, explanation, and a relevant qualification. Do not simply repeat this model.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 10

Write two specific feedback comments on a response to this unit: one on accuracy or meaning and one on evidence or language. Then state a revision priority.
Answer and explanation

Check whether the response explains a citation allows readers to trace borrowed words and ideas. mla in-text references direct readers to a works cited entry, adding an available locator such as a page number when appropriate. Ask for a relevant detail and the reason it supports the conclusion. Prioritize the mistaken assumption shown here: “Changing three words means I no longer need a citation.”

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 11

Choose a fresh sentence or detail from the assigned selection. Explain how this unit’s method applies, and identify one uncertainty or limitation.
Answer and explanation

The contractor’s attractiveness rating does not establish faithful representation; the coalition identifies a possible distortion without measuring its frequency. The staffing memo supports a bounded review pilot with costs and limits clearly stated. The response must supply its own precise detail and explain it; copying the model without fresh evidence is insufficient.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

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