Tests and assignments are vital assessment tools used by teachers in learning institutions. It is not possible for students to understand and know everything without using other sources. Academic sources provide examples and evidence that support arguments in research essays.
Primary and secondary academic sources should therefore be used in an ethical way to ensure students deliver quality assignments backed by credible evidence from external sources. Academic research entails referring to other people’s work to build one’s ideas, theories and facts.
Academic sources should be made accessible to students when they are doing standardized tests. Standardized tests that determine people’s education, basically their lives, are not fair due to lack of information and materials that can help students perform well. Therefore, these tests should be restructured or should not be used as assessment tools.
Writing skills are essential in communication and language tests. Composition tests are meant to test the students’ writing techniques, and at the same time examine if their thinking is actually critical (Perelman 128). Compositions and other pieces of writing must always meet intellectual standards.
Any form of training that does not allow students to use outside information and materials is bound to lack substance. Positions taken by students when writing essays should have strong and credible evidence from outside sources (Perelman 129). Recent research indicates that the performance of students is poor when it comes to essay writing because their tutors do not permit the use of external sources.
It is always difficult for students to remember all the facts about a particular subject or topic without consulting other sources (Perelman 129). A student can only be considered as information literate if he or she is able access and evaluate information from sources in a critical and effective manner.
Ethical and legal access to academic information with appropriate application demonstrates that a student meets the required information literacy standards (Perelman 130).
Internet research has become very popular in recent times with many composition classes leaning towards the new trend of conducting academic research. Many publications have been done through the help of internet sources. Although internet sources have helped a great deal in academic writing, the credibility of some of the sources is what worries many scholars (McClure 53).
It is always a difficult task for students to determine which online sources are credible and useful. Some companies have commercial websites that they use to advocate for issues they support. These websites provide a perfect platform for customers to give their views about company products, services and campaigns.
Digital advocacy has become a common trend in companies and learning institutions (McClure 53). Conservative composition teachers are always reluctant to allow the use of internet sources by their students because they always question the credibility of some of the online sources.
It is always a difficult task to locate and understand information from traditional print sources compared to online sources. Some websites do not undergo editing and filtering, and which makes conservative scholars to question the use of online sources (McClure 54).
Digital advocacy is an initiative that has changed the attitude of many people towards the use online resources. Many students do not prefer the use of print sources in their academic research but are only forced to do so by their instructors.
Information location, analysis and application require some techniques but many students are not familiar with these essential research skills. Research techniques are also very fundamental when using both commercial and advocacy websites (McClure 54).
Students can only become effective writers if their instructors give sincere responses and comments on their work. The task of assessing students’ writing assignments consumes a lot of time and energy but many people don’t seem to realize this.
A teacher’s comments helps students to always have the reader in mind while writing any piece of academic work (Sommers 152). Students are able to review their work and make the necessary revisions if their writing is assessed on a consistent basis.
The comments made by some teachers tend to influence students to write according to their teachers’ demands and not according to their original ideas (Sommers 152). There is a great difference between the comments made by editing software and a teacher’s comments. The tone of editorial comments plays a major role in determining whether students remain original in their writing or not.
A teacher’s comments should be thoughtful and not abstract in order to make students make the right amendments (Sommers 153). Plagiarism is one of the major issues highlighted by teachers when assessing the quality of their students’ writing. The use of external sources is permitted in writing academic work but it must be done in a legal and ethical manner.
Students who refer to external materials and information in their writing should make an effort of recognizing the sources used in their work (Sommers 153). Plagiarism is the use of another author’s intellectual material without any form of citation. Plagiarism is a criminal offence liable for prosecution in a court of law if one is found guilty.
Teachers have a responsibility of teaching their students on how to use external sources. Paraphrasing and in-text citation should always be used by students in order to avoid plagiarism. All the sources quoted or paraphrased by students should be well documented using appropriate referencing methods as directed by the students’ instructors.
Some software has been developed to detect illegal use of sources by students (Sommers 154). The use of plagiarism detectors has become very common because it is difficult to identify plagiarism instances manually.
The content of a student’s work is determined by the amount of research conducted by the student. The errors found in the work of a student should always be highlighted to help students rearrange their work in a logical manner (Sommers 155).
The purpose and reason for writing a research essay should be made clear by teachers to make students write with some logic (Sommers 155). Research essays are an example of standardized tests offered in schools and colleges and therefore a lot of effort should be put in training students on how to write research papers with intellectual substance.
In conclusion, the use of external sources by students should be allowed in schools to enable students come up with quality research essays and compositions. Advocacy and commercial websites are currently being used for academic and commercial purposes.
The response and comments made by teachers on their students’ work should help a great deal in enabling students come up with quality essays. Students should cite all external sources used in their work to avoid plagiarism by all means.
Standardized tests can only become fair if students are allowed to use external information and materials to support their work. Credible Internet and print sources help students write about different topics and subjects with reliable evidence.
Works Cited
McClure, Randall. Examining the Presence of Advocacy and Commercial Websites in Research Essay of First-year Composition Students. Writing Program Administration 32.3 (Nov 2009): 50-72. Print.
Perelman, Les. College Composition and communication. ProQuest Education Journals 60.1 (Sep 2008):128-141. Print.
Sommers, Nancy. Responding to Student Writing. College Composition and Communication 33.2 (May 1982): 148-156. Print.