Loyalty to Source: Respecting the Author's Intent

You watched this great political speech on C-Span, and the politician said something in passing that made him sound like a raving liberal, when actually he toes the Republican party line – the speech was all about welfare reform. Can you take that sentence out of context and use it in your paper to prove that the Republican senator from Wyoming is actually Ted Kennedy in disguise? Why not? It's not like you're quoting inaccurately – he really said it!

• When making a reference to the work or ideas of another, it is very important to characterize them accurately. This includes respecting the overall message of a speech or article, and not selectively snipping out a quotation that seems to support what you want to argue.

• If you can't find any scholars who support your position, but you still want to argue that you're right, take the time to examine the opposing viewpoint and construct a detailed argument against it. It's not fair to 'massage' the record and use edited statements that seem to support you when, taken in context, they really don't.