Teach citation as a reasoning practice
A citation workshop can begin with a question about evidence rather than a list of punctuation rules. Use a short working passage in Citation to show how a source record connects to a claim and its reference.
- Audience
- Educators
- Role
- Writing instructor
- Project
- Research workshop
- Reading time
- 2 min read
Choose a brief source passage that students can read in full. Prepare examples of a quotation, a paraphrase and an unsupported claim.
Check the course policy on AI assistance and source use before planning the exercise.
Begin with a claim
Ask what a sentence asserts and what evidence a reader would need to assess it. Identify which part comes from the source.
Compare a narrow claim with one that extends beyond the passage. Let students explain the difference before discussing formatting.
Inspect the source record
Add the source by its identifier or enter it manually. Check authors, title, date and publication details against the original.
Show how changing a citation style changes presentation while the underlying source remains the same. Verify the course’s required style.
Practice paraphrasing
Ask students to explain the source’s point without looking at its wording, then compare the result with the original meaning.
Discuss which ideas still require attribution. Replacing a few words is not a substitute for understanding or acknowledging a source.
Review a revision
Use comments to explain why a passage needs a citation or a qualification. Compare the first and revised versions.
If AI assistance is permitted, use its suggestion as material to evaluate. Ask what it preserved, changed or invented.
Finish with a source check
Have students trace a cited claim back to its evidence and explain why the source supports it. Check quotations and reference details together.
Review the exported exercise for formatting, then keep the discussion focused on the relationship between writing and evidence.