Cr@p, I have to cite my sources!

An MLA Citation Tutorial Brought To You ByMark Ray

Slayer of Information IgnoranceSkyview High School

(Fall 2009 revision)

Why should I bother?

1. It’s about academic honesty—give credit where credit is due.

2. It’s about covering your glutes in case the information in your research turns out to be inaccurate or biased.

3. It’s required.

What do you expect me to do?

• The VPS (Vancouver Public Schools) uses MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines for citing (crediting) sources used for your research. OK? (Okay?)

• You should cite any sources used for your project using citations, a works cited page and parenthetical references.

#1: What is a citation?

• The citation summarizes bibliographic data to provide your reader (teacher) information to locate the book, website, or magazine that you used:– Author (if given)– Title of article, webpage, or entry– Publication information (publisher, website, magazine

title, date, location)– Medium (Print, Web, etc.)– Date of access

How is a citation formatted?

• Each citation or entry follows a specific format. Punctuation used in the citation defines different types of information in the entry. Formatting is very important.

• The parts of the citation follow a specific order and have their own function.

“Preview: 2008 Dodge Challenger." Billy Bubba’s Hemiworld. 9 Feb. 2006. Web. 28 June 2006.

What does a citation look like?

This citation example is for a webpage. Other sources will look different and will have other kinds of information.

“Preview: 2008 Dodge Challenger." Billy Bubba’s Hemiworld. 9 Feb. 2006. Web. 28 June 2006 <http://www.billybubba.org/hemi/challenger.htm>.

What’s up with punctuation?Titles of articles, webpages, or entries in a reference work are usually noted by quotation marks.

Titles of books, websites, or reference sources are usually noted with italics. This is a change from MLA 6th ed.

Dates in MLA citations follow a specific format. It’s very European.

You need to define in what medium you accessed the material. If you got it from the web, use “Web.”

Each part of the citation is completed with a period.

The web address or URL is no longer required in the citation. This is another change in the 7th edition.

“Preview: 2008 Dodge Challenger." Billy Bubba’s Hemiworld. 9 Feb. 2006. Web. 28 June 2006.

What goes in quotes and which gets italicized?

• Generally speaking, the citation goes from specific to general.

• Author always gets first billing, but if there is no author, you need to list the title of the specific article, entry, etc. first. That gets the “quotation treatment.”

• Next, you need to include the larger work in which that content was found. Probably it was part of a book, magazine or website. That source gets the italic treatment.

I still don’t get it.

• If you got an article from an encyclopedia:– “Lewis and Clark” is the specific article– World Book is the larger source

• If you got an article from a website:– “Terrorists get their day in court.” is the article– CNN.com is the larger source

• If you got an article from a magazine:– “Obama challenged by right.” is the article– Time is the larger source

What are the other mediums?

• Print. is used for almost anything printed on paper. Examples are books, reference magazines, pamphlets, etc.

• Web. Is used for any web-based content.• Other medium examples include:

– CD– Film– Television

• Ask yourself—by which medium did you get the information?

How do I cite other sources?

• Books, websites, databases, interviews, etc. all have distinct citation formats and require different bibliographic information.

• This tutorial would take forever if we covered every one. And that’s a waste of time, paper, and energy!

• Use a guide, online citation ‘engine’ or the “Research Papers” link on your media webpage.

• Clickable links can be found on the last page of this tutorial.

#2: What’s a works cited page?

• The works cited page is an alphabetical listing of all cited sources for your research. This list could include books, websites, databases, interviews, and any other source of information used.

• Remember that if you use someone else’s ideas, words, quotes, data, or other information, you must cite your source.

What about the other stuff?

• There may be situations where you read or consult other sources but do not use them directly in your paper. In this case, you can include them in a bibliography.

• A bibliography will contain all sources in your works cited list plus any additional sources used.

How do I format a works cited page?

• The entire page is double spaced

• The page is titled “Works Cited”

• Use a hanging indent. If you tab, you may get funky line breaks. See next slide on how to format a page for hanging indents.

How to hang your indents• Before starting your

works cited page…• Open the “Format”

menu to “Paragraph”• Select “Hanging” in

the “Special” section of the “Indentation” area

• Don’t mess with anything else!

What should it look like?“Works Cited’

centered at top of page

Entries alphabetizedPage has hanging

indents• What’s wrong with

this page?– ‘cited’ should be

capitalized!

#3: What’s a parenthetical reference?

• A parenthetical reference (PR) is a pointer to an entry in your works cited list.

• It provides a reference to your source in the text of your paper.

• Information is contained in () parentheses.• When you use ideas, data, or quotations

from a source and put them in your paper, you need to note that source with a parenthetical reference.

What is in a parenthetical reference?

• Because the parenthetical reference is a pointer to an entry in your works cited list, you put the last name of the author or the first word of the title of the source if no author is given.

• If you are using information from a book, magazine, or print source, include the page number where the information was found.

What’s the connection?

• The parenthetical reference should match the first word of the entry in your works cited page.

Where do I put them?

• Include a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, paragraph, or section that uses information from that source.

• Place the reference before the period if at the end of a sentence.

In review…

• The requirement to cite your sources is about academic honesty and good research practice.

• The Vancouver School District uses MLA or Modern Language Association guidelines.

• A citation is a summary of bibliographic information for your reader.

• A works cited page is a listing of your properly-formatted citations.

• A parenthetical reference is a pointer within your paper or project to a citation in your works cited list.

Where can I go for more help?

• Don’t be afraid to ask your local librainian!

• Links will connect you to desired page– The VSD ‘Research Paper’ page

• Complete MLA guides and additional links

– Son of Citation Machine• Automated citation maker…just fill in the blanks

– OWL MLA Update Page• Clearly explains the changes from 6th ed. to 7th.

Very useful site.

Credits

• Some bibliographic entries used in this presentation were created by Dr. Harry Stuurmans for the Vancouver School District. Thanks Harry!

• Some concepts used were ‘thunk’ before me by Big Dan McMurry formerly of Hudson’s Bay High School. (Go Eagles!)

• All other stuff was created by Mark Ray for the benefit of confused students of the Vancouver Public Schools.

• Use of this presentation by students and staff of the Vancouver Public Schools is encouraged. Modification of this tutorial is permitted so long as such changes are noted. In other words--if you mess it up, don’t blame me!