Responding to "Annoying Ways People Use Sources"

One annoyance Kyle Stedman brings to the attention of the reader in "Annoying Ways People Use Sources" is the "Armadillo Roadkill: dropping in a quotation without introducing it first" (244). When you don't properly introduce a quote, it can feel very random. It also might not have the same effect on the reader emotionally because there was no attachment to the quote on who said it, where it came from, etc. Sometimes there still can be some background information, but without properly introducing it, it just is a quote with a lack of meaning.

An example of dropping a random quote is:

Pop music is one of the most popular genres of our generation. "The catchy beat and easy-to-follow lyrics make it something anyone can dance or sing along to" (Paul Johnson). It is also a genre that, even if one doesn't listen to it constantly, they will still know a handful songs from it.

(Written by me with a random name)

The quote fits in well with the topic and, to an extent, the wording flows well with the sentences that are before and after it. However, the quote itself is very sudden. There isn't any introduction, it just starts and ends without a warning.

Out of all of the annoying ways I could do my sources, the one I do the most is dropping in a citation without doing it properly to make it clear where my information came from. I struggle with patchwriting where I am trying to use the information I have and then adding in my own words. I do this so my writing isn't only quotes and so my opinions/interpretations are also there. Often times, this will also happen when I am trying to paraphrase a quote and I mix so much of my words and the information together that I don't know where to cite it. Using the examples Kyle Stedman gives in "Annoying Ways People Use Sources", I will know how to make my citations more clear, and notice when I need to specify what is my work and what is someone else's.

My rankings for the most annoying to the least annoying way people use their sources are:

1. Am I in the Right Movie?

2. Uncle Barry and his Encyclopedia of Useless Information

3. Dating Spider-Man

4. Armadillo roadkill

5. I Can't Find the Stupid Link

6. I swear I did Some Research