This term of school has truly been interesting for me. I am not sure why it has been such a struggle but it has. I think part of the problem is that I am taking three classes instead of just two. Also I am working two jobs and being a single mom who's parents have moved in with her for the winter so that I can help them. Gee I guess maybe that is why this term has been so challenging. Guess I never really sat down and thought about it. Oh and to top it off this term is right over all the major holidays. My birthday included of course. OK well this really isn't what my post was going to be about so now lets get to the real topic of my post.
This week in my composition class we are discussing the importance of citing our work. Now when I started this whole college adventure and decided to do it online instead of the more traditional role I never even thought of the fact that I would have to write papers and essays and have to cite my work. Then the first time I hear that I have to cite my work the instructor says and I need to cite it in APA format. OK so what is APA format and how do I do this. So being a mom of teenagers who would be the obvious people to ask, my teenagers of course. So I start with my oldest and go down the line and guess what I got for an answer from all of them... What is APA format mom. That is right none of my kids knew what it was either. So I am thinking to myself oh great they don't know how am I a person who has not been in school for over 20 years supposed to know. Thankfully our school as an amazing resource center that we can access online also and it walks you through step by step how to cite in APA format. So that is one hurdle I was able to overcome.
Now on to my next problem when it comes to citing. I am so nervous that what I do may be considered plagiarized and I will forget to cite that I don't really want to write about anything anymore. Can someone please tell me in simple terms how I can write anything without citing everything I am writing when it comes to reports and essays. I mean my understanding of citing is that if a sentence I write is knowledge I gained from reading something then I need to cite that reading. My issue with that is some of my knowledge that I have is from things that I read years and years ago but I could not tell what the name of the article or book I read or even the author. It is something that just becomes part of my knowledge base. So when I repeat what I have learned from years ago how can I cite that or should I even cite it? My other problem with citing is there are time when I am reading an article for a report and a sentence that I read I say to myself well I already knew that. So if I use any information like what I read do I need to cite the article even if the information was already part of my knowledge base? One last question it I have been told if it is common knowledge then you don't need to cite it. Well what one person might consider common knowledge another person may not so how do you know if what I think is common knowledge is the same as what others think is common knowledge?
I do believe that citing your work is important. It is not right to take someone elses work and claim it as your own. I like that citing my work is an important part of my education at my school I just am not sure I am always doing it correct.
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