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MHS Research Guide

5. Citations

5. Citations

Because you are borrowing the words, facts, or ideas of others when you do research, you must tell readers that you have borrowed the material and from where you have borrowed it. To make sure your work is honest rather than plagiarized, you must acknowledge all borrowed material in two locations:

With in-text parenthetical citations in your writing.
With an alphabetized list of your sources on a separate page at the end of your writing.

It is plagiarism to take credit for another person's original words or ideas. Citing sources gives you credibility. A reference note shows that you drew your conclusions from quality sources and research studies.

The two documentation styles most commonly used at MHS are:

Modern Language Association (MLA) - used for humanities courses such as English, history and the arts. This style gives authors' names and page numbers for citations which are embedded in the essay, and then has a Works Cited list, containing full bibliographic information, at the end of the essay.
- MLA Formatting & Style Guide from OWL at Purdue
American Psychological Association (APA) - used for science, social sciences, business and mathematics. This style gives authors' names, publication dates, and page numbers for citations which are embedded in the essay, and then has a References list, containing full bibliographic information, at the end of the essay.
- APA Formatting & Style Guide from OWL at Purdue

Citation Resources:

Noodle Tools: Use your personalized account to create and keep track of sources while generating the citations and a bibliography.
Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab - MLA citation): Houses writing resources and instructional material.
Diigo - Online Note-taking and Annotations
Google Citations

Words to Know:

Embedded Citation - Also known as in-text or parenthetical citation, tells readers the material they've just read is borrowed, and refers readers to more detailed information about the source so they can locate it.
Footnote - Footnotes appear on the bottom of the page and explain a fact in more detail or cite the source the information came from. Endnotes are listed at the end of the paper on separate pages.
Works Cited - (Older term: bibliography; biblio = books) This is a list of materials referred to in your work and is typically included as an appendix, at the end of your paper.

Embedded (Parenthetical) Citations

MLA Documentation Style, 8th Edition

General Format: The author's last name and the page number from which the quotation, paraphrase, or idea is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference must appear in your Works Cited. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses. For websites, simply list the author's name (no page or paragraph number needed). If no author is given, used the first keyword in the title.

Direct Quotation - One Author:

Some argue, "a dream is the fulfillment of a wish" (Freud 154).

Freud states, "a dream is the fulfillment of a wish" (154).

Paraphrase - One Author:

The historian Crane Brinton believes that the French and Russian revolutions had similar causes (155).

Long Quotation (2 tabs):

Ralph and the other boys finally realize the horror of their actions:

The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to the first time on the island; great shuddering spasms of grief began to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other boys began to shake and sob too. (Golding 186)

Note: With intended quotations ONLY, period goes at end of sentence and NOT after page number.

Direct Quotation - Play by Shakespeare

One Shakespearean protagonist seems resolute at first when he asserts, "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation... / May sweep to my revenge" (Shakespeare 1.5. 35 - 37).

Mark breaks in verse with a slash ( / ) at the end of each line of verse (space before and after slash)
Note: Some teachers may use Roman numerals, e.g. (Shakespeare I.V. 35-37).

Direct Quotation - Play

In Death of a Salesman, Linda defends Willie Loman by stating: "He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person" (Miller 56; act 1).

Poetry

Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-12)

When short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in verse with a slash ( / ) at the end of each verse (space before and after slash).

Image Citations

Most images are protected by copyright and cannot be used without permission from the creator. Fair use allows for images to be used for educational purposes as long as the original work is not publicly displayed or distributed (so: okay to share in Google Classroom, not okay to post to YouTube).

The library recommends you use images from within the source (such as Canva), or from a copyright-friendly source such as Pixabay, Unsplash, or Creative Commons.

You must provide attribution (cite the creator) for images you use in your project.

Directions for Citing Images from OWL at Purdue

Works Cited

This list, placed on a separate page at the end of your paper, should include all the sources you have quoted, paraphrased or summarized. It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate any sources you cite. Each source you cite in your essay must appear in your Works Cited list. Some teachers may also ask for a Works Consulted list which would be works you referenced while researching, but did not directly cite within your writing.

General Rules:

Arrange sources in alphabetical order by the first element of the entry.
- - List authors by last name, first name
  - If more than one author: first author's last name, first author's first name, remaining authors listed as: first name last name.
  - If no author, use first letter of first word in the title.
  - Ignore articles "A," "An," or "The."
Whole works (books, journals, newspapers, etc.) are italicized
Indent the second and third lines
Capitalized each word in the titles of books, articles, etc. (excluding articles)
If listing more than one source by same author, put sources in alphabetical order by title, and instead of repeating author's name, use three hyphens (- - -).

Common Resources; MLA Format:

Book, One Author: Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Book, Two Authors: Last Name 1, First Name 1, and First Name 2 Last Name 2. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Book, More Than Two Authors: Last Name, First Name, et al. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Collection with Editor: Last Name, First Name, ed. Anthology Title. Edition Number, Publisher, Year of Publication.

Part of a Book (Ex: Essay in Collection): Essay Author Last Name, First name. "Title of Essay" Title of Collection. Ed. Editor First Name Editor Last Name. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Government Publication: Title of Document: Subtitle, if Given. Edition if Given, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date.

Magazine/Newspaper/Journal: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Publication, vol. #, no. # (issue number), Date of Publication, pp. (page numbers).

If Accessed Online: Author's Last Name, First name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Publication, Date of Publication, URL. Accessed (your access date).

If Accessed via Newsela: Original Author's Last Name, First Name, and Additional Author. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper via Newsela. Edited by Newsela Staff, Version Lexile, Date published, Date of access (if applicable).

Article Published ONLY Online: Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Website, Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website, Date of copyright or date last modified/updated, URL. Accessed (your access date).

Social Media - Online Video (YouTube): Video Creator Last Name, First Name (or Username). "Title of Video." Title of the Hosting Website, Day Month Year of Publication, URL of Video. Accessed (day month year you viewed video).

Podcast: "Title of Episode." Title of Podcast Show, Date of Podcast, URL.

Note: Including the URL is optional; check with your teacher for their preferences

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the representation of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work. Examples could be quoting a source without using quotation marks or turning in work written by someone else (even if you paid for it). Best practice is to always cite information that is not from your own noggin.

Tips for avoiding plagiarism:

Put in quotations everything that comes directly from the text, especially when taking notes, and name the author immediately before or after the quotation.
Consider using different colored ink or text to differentiate material that is quoted, paraphrased, summarized, and your own words/ideas.
Read over what you want to paraphrase carefully, then cover up the text so you can’t see any of it (and so aren’t tempted to use it as a guide). Then explain the idea in your own words.
Check your paraphrase against the original text to be sure you have not accidentally used the same phrases or words, and that the information is accurate.