Citing for ChampionsA Guide to Works Cited, Parenthetical Documentation, and Credible Sources

Your MLA paper should:Be typed on standard sized white

printer paper (8 ½ by 11”)Have 1” margins on all sides of the

page. Be double-spaced. NOT have extra lines of space above

or below the title of the paper or between paragraphs.

Have a centered title. Not bold. Not underlined. Just centered.

A quick review:Modern Language Association Basics

Presentation is everything!

12 pt, easy-to-read font (Times New Roman).

Have the page number preceded by your last name in the upper right corner of each page.

Include, on the first page, this information in the heading in the following order: Your name, your instructor’s name, the course title, and the date.

Your heading is double-spaced.

1. Heading: Your name, Teacher’s Name, Course Name, Date

2. Title: Centered, no extra spacing, not bold/underlined3. Text: Double-spaced. 12pt, easy-to-read font.4. 1” Margins all around.5. Header: Last name followed by page number.

Truth: Plagiarism is for fools.

Of course you have to cite your sources. Of course you have to cite all direct

quotations. Of course you have to cite any ideas borrowed

from a source. Of course you have to cite ideas that you have

paraphrased or summarized. Of course you have to cite the source of a

cartoon, graph, or visual that you didn’t create.

You’re off the hook if…

No, you don’t have to cite common knowledge.

Common knowledge = general information that your readers may know or could easily locate in any number of reference sources. Ex: The World Trade Center was attacked

on September 11, 2001.

Parenthetical DocumentationAKA In-Text Citations

Put direct quotes inside quotation marks.

After using a direct quote or ideas from a source place the author’s name and page number in parentheses.

You only use the author’s last name and the page number. NOTHING ELSE. Put the period outside of the parentheses. (Barrett 1).

Parenthetical Documentation

Original Source:Future cars will provide drivers with concierge services, web-based information, and online email capabilities.

- Matt Sundeen, “Cell Phones and Highway Safety: 2000 State Legislative Update,” p.1

In-Text Citation:Cars of the future will have “concierge services, web-based information, and online email capabilities” (Sundeen 1).

***Note that the period comes AFTER the parentheses.

What if you used the author’s last name in the sentence – do you need to include it in

the in-text citation?

If you used the author’s last name in your sentence, than you do not have to use it in your parenthetical documentation.

In-Text Citation:Matt Sundeen points out that cars of the future will have “concierge services, web-based information, and online email capabilities” (1).

In-Text Citations (AKA Parenthetical Documentation) In general, an in-text citation should include the quote or

paraphrased information, followed by parentheses with the author’s last name and page number, followed by a period after the parentheses. “The rate of violent crime in Phoenix is one and ½ times the

national average” (Johnson 7).

The only punctuation goes after the parentheses. No punctuation within the quotationNo punctuation between the author and page number.

You do not need the author’s name if he/she is mentioned in the lead-in.According to Dr. Jacob Milton, the average daily traffic delay in

Phoenix is seven minutes a day (198).

In-text Citations

A lead-in or signal phrase with the author’s name introduces the material you are going to quote.

If you use a lead in, you do not have to list the author’s name in the citation. Smith declares that the newspaper

industry is “quickly diminishing” (19).

In-Text Citations

If there are two authors, quote both last names, linked with ‘and’, in the in-text citation. The unemployment rate in Phoenix

is just over 10%” (Lawrence and Holly 194).

If you don’t have an author, list the title of the article and page number. “There are almost three million

people in the Phoenix urban area” (“Phoenix Living” 39).

Formatting Sources:To Quote or Not to Quote?

Italics Quotation MarksNewspaper Short Story

Movie Titles of magazine/newspaper

articles

Book Television Episode

CD Song in an album

Practice: Are these in-text citations correct? If not, why?

1. “Cowards die many times before their deaths.” (Shakespeare 143).

2. “Cowards die many times before their deaths.” (Shakespeare, 143).

3. “Cowards die many times before their deaths” (Shakespeare 143).

4. “Cowards die many times before their deaths” (Shakespeare, 143).

5. According to Shakespeare, “Cowards die many times before their deaths” (143).

6. Shakespeare wrote, “Cowards die many times before their deaths” (Shakespeare 143).

Works Cited

A Works Cited gives publication information for each of the sources you have cited in the paper. Sources are alphabetized. The first line of a source should be flush

left. Any other lines of type for that entry should be indented.

The whole page should be double-spaced.

Guidelines for preparing a Works Cited list

Place the Works Cited list on its own, separate page.

Start each entry flush with the left margin and indent subsequent lines 5 spaces (TAB).

List sources alphabetically by author or editor’s last name.

Sources should be alphabetized.Titles of sources are either in

quotation marks or italicized.

Preparing a Works Cited Page MLA formatting requires every works cited

entry to identify the medium (type) of publication. i.e. print, web

MLA does NOT require the html address to be included in the works cited entries.

If you read a source and did not use it in your paper, you do not need to include it in the Works Cited.

The date you accessed a source should be written out Day Month Year: 18 February 2011

Example

Basic rules for print and electronic sources.

If there are more than three authors for a source, include only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” (This is Latin. It means “and others”). Ex:

The study was extended for two years, and only after results were reviewed by an independent panel did the researchers

publish their findings (Blaine et al. 35).

Online Sources

If you access information online, your citation should always include the date you accessed the information.

Definition:1.capable of being believed;

believable: a credible statement. 2.worthy of belief or confidence;

trustworthy: a credible witness.

Credibility is important! If your research is flawed, so is your

argument. If you use credible sources, you can

believe them, and your readers can believe you.

Credibility

Most books you find in library nonfiction are credible. Most large newspapers are credible.

◦ New York Times◦ U.S.A. Today◦ Washington Post

Scholarly journals are usually credible.◦ JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)

Most government publications are credible. Reputable organizations are usually credible.

◦ American Cancer Society◦ World Health Organization◦ American Red Cross

Most information from colleges is credible.◦ .edu websites

How do I know if my sources are credible?

You can automatically rule out: Wikipedia Facebook Geocities Personal Blogs Friendster Personal sites

How do I know if my sources are credible?

The internet offers the BEST information on MANY topics.

The internet offers the WORST information on MOST topics.

You can use internet resources for research papers, but you have to be careful.

Using the Internet for Research

Ways to tell a credible internet source: Looks professional▪ The website doesn’t look like it was made by

a 4-year-old with a crayon▪ All or most links are working

Information offered is easy to verify▪ The website offers links to where they found

their information▪ The sources of their information is also

credible

Credible Internet Sources

It is easy to contact the owners of the website for more information or to ask questions

The site is up to date▪ Information from 1991 is not “recent”

There are no errors▪ The site uses proper spelling and grammar

The website is appropriate▪ There is no inappropriate language, graphics,

or photos

Credible Internet Sources

Using Our Resources

Mountain Ridge and DVUSD pay for services from credible academic sites. They are available to all students and teachers!

Visit the media center or log on to the MRHS website and visit the media center page to get info on accessing ProQuest, Opposing Viewpoints, and more.

These guidelines are not 100%When in doubt, ask for help from a

teacher or our librarian If you’re still not sure, DON’T use it

Credible Internet Sources