Editing Research Reports
After revising your report, you need to edit it to correct any remaining errors. You'll look closely at sentences, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage, and spelling. The following activities will help you edit your research report.
Editing In-Text Citations
Always place in-text citations in parenthesis at the end of a sentence but before the end punctuation. In a direct quote, citations come after the closing quotation mark but before the end punctuation.
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Correct: Ride wished the science part of her mission got more attention (Hurwitz 28).
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Incorrect: Ride wished the science part of her mission got more attention. (Hurwitz 28)
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Correct: “She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars” (Macy 5).
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Incorrect: “She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars (Macy 5).”
Cite sources correctly.
Insert the citations in the correct places in each sentence. One example is provided. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.
- Thurgood Marshall changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement. (Smith 18)
- Marshall believed in justice for all people. (Smith 24)
- “Every day we live with the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall.” (Feldman 45)
- In grade school, he had to memorize the Constitution as a punishment for goofing around. (“Biography”)
Thurgood Marshall changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement (Smith 18).
Marshall believed in justice for all people (Smith 24).
“Every day we live with the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall” (Feldman 45).
In grade school, he had to memorize the Constitution as a punishment for goofing around (“Biography”).