Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism

By Robert A. Harris

Book Overview

The sixth edition of Using Sources Effectively targets the two most prominent problems in current research-paper writing: the increase in unintentional plagiarism and the ineffective use of research source material.

Designed as a textbook for both undergraduate and graduate courses, this book will help every student who uses research in writing. It was written to give students the knowledge and tools you can use to make your research-based writing more powerful and effective. The book includes Mini-Research Projects at the end of each chapter to sharpen your research and evaluation skills; a set of practical, useful rhetorical devices to help improve the clarity and impact of your writing; instruction in close reading to help you better grasp what an author is discussing or arguing; and strategies for organizing and positioning your sources to strengthen your central argument. The new edition has been thoroughly updated to cover developments in AI and ChatGPT, critical thinking, and digital developments in relation to social media.

With updated online resources, including lecture PowerPoints, an instructor's guide, a quiz bank, and digital figures, as well as new "sidebar" and learning objective features in the book, this is an essential textbook for students across a range of disciplines who need a guide to research and writing and who are taking courses on academic writing.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 103264379X
• ISBN13: 9781032643793
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

book- using sources effectively

for graduate students this is a must have for thesis or dissertation writing for avoiding weak writing technique and plagiarism.

Must-read for students!

This book guides students through the entire process of working with research. It is written in a style that is easy to read with frequent headings to help you easily find the topics that you need. The chapters of this book deal with the whole range of the research process: the importance of using sources effectively, avoiding plagiarism, selecting sources, working with sources, putting it together, and effective use. Once someone has gone through this book, that person will be ready to handle the challenges of facing the research process. I think this book should be required reading for students who are just beginning to learn how to work with sources.