Opinion Essay—Incorporating Resources/Citations (Body of Paper)
Citations NEEDED—Body of Paper:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Direct Quotations
Facts That Aren’t Widely Known
Arguable Statements
Judgments, Opinions, and Claims That Have Been Made By Others (Paraphrasing)
Statistics, Images, Charts, Tables, Graphs, or Other Illustrations That Appear In Any
Source
6. Collaboration—Help Provided by Friends, Colleagues, Instructors, Supervisors, or
Others
Citations NOT Needed—Body of Paper:
1. Common Knowledge (Specific Piece of Information Most Readers Will Know About)
2. Facts Available From a Wide Variety of Sources
3. Your Personal (Original) Thoughts and Ideas
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Parenthetical Citations of Quotations & Paraphrased Information:


Purpose = State the source of the quotation or paraphrased information
Information Needed = Author’s Last Name and Page Number within
Parentheses (no punctuation between the information)
o If no author is given, list the title of the work/article/book/etc.
o If there is no page number listed, leave this portion out.

Examples =
o
o
o
o
Author and Pg # = “quotation” (Rodriguez 242).
No Author but Pg # = “quotation” (“The Life of Lemmings” 242-3).
Author but No Pg # = “quotation” (Rodriguez).
No Author and No Pg # = “quotation” (“The Life of Lemmings”).
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Citations Appearance/Placement—Body of Paper:
General Rule (“Blanket Citation”): Within your sentence, verbally
introduce the source where those ideas begin. When those ideas from the
source end, put a parenthetical citation.
 Like Creating a Sandwich = You have to have 2 pieces of bread (one on the top
[front] and one on the bottom [end]) or all of the ingredients in the middle will
spill out and make a mess.
* 1 Source in a Paragraph (Paraphrasing):
 Step 1 = Start with a clear topic sentence—explains what the paragraph is about.
 Step 2 = Verbally introduce the source from which your paraphrased ideas came.
 Examples: According to the article “Welfare”...; According to the author Bob
Queen...; Scientist John McKinley noted that...; Professor Steven Jenkins
stated that...; The article “Jobs in the United States” argued that...; The book
Mental Health talks about...; A 2009 study by the United States' Census
found that...; etc.
 Step 3 = At the end of the paragraph—or the end of the paraphrased ideas—create an
in-text citation with parentheses around it—contains the author's name (or, if no
author, the name of the article/book) and the page numbers (if applicable).
Remember—The sentence period is placed after the parenthetical citation.
Though many seem irrational, historically, the development of superstitious beliefs was grounded in
the logical fear of the unknown and unpredictable. Accordingly, the article “Superstition” in The World Book
Encyclopedia explains that superstition is a traditional belief that a certain action or event can cause or
foretell an apparently unrelated event. For example, some superstitious people believe that carrying a
rabbit’s foot will bring them good luck. Others believe that if a black cat crosses their path, they will have
bad luck. Such beliefs are superstitious in nature because, in each case, the action and the event it foretells
are traditionally thought to be connected (“Superstition” 75).
* 2+ Sources in a Paragraph (Paraphrasing):
 Step 1 = Start with a clear topic sentence—explains what the paragraph is about.
 Step 2 = Verbally introduce the first source from which your paraphrased ideas came
(see examples above).
 Step 3 = At the end of the first source's information, create an in-text citation with
parentheses around it—contains the author's name (or, if no author, the name of the
article/book) and the page numbers (if applicable). Remember—The sentence period is
placed after the parenthetical citation.
 Step 4 = Verbally introduce your second source in a different way from the previous
source.
 Step 5 = At the end of the paragraph—or the end of the paraphrased ideas—create an intext citation with parentheses around it.
Traditionally, superstition has been used as a testing device for good or bad luck. However, what are
the real, underlying reasons for superstitious practices? There are two major reasons for superstition.
According to the article “A Closer Look at the World of Superstition” by Psychology Professor Martin Bolt,
first, we have a strong need to be able to predict and control our environment and our world, and we seem to
have a desire to put our faith into something material in order to gain that control. This explains why
superstitious beliefs tend to emerge when life becomes unpredictable and uncontrollable (Bolt 2-3).
Furthermore, Psychoanalyst Marion Wright notes that the second reason stems from our inability to properly
calculate and understand the chances of an event happening. Given all of the possible events in the world,
we are going to have some “amazing” coincidences that really aren’t so amazing under closer scrutiny. For
instance, if the chance of something happening is just one in a billion, it’s actually going to occur six times a
day, two thousand times a year (Wright 233).
* 2+ Sources in a Paragraph (Paraphrasing and Quoting):
 Step 1 = Start with a clear topic sentence—explains what the paragraph is about.
 Step 2 = Verbally introduce the first source from which your quoted ideas came (see
examples above).
 Step 3 = Make sure to type the quotation word for word and place quotation marks (“…”)
around the quoted information.
 Step 4 = At the end of the sentence in which the quotation appears, create an in-text
citation with parentheses around it—contains the author's name (or, if no author, the name
of the article/book) and the page numbers (if applicable). Remember—The sentence
period is placed after the parenthetical citation.
 Step 5 = Verbally introduce your second source (of paraphrased information) in a different
way from the previous source.
 Step 6 = At the end of the paragraph—or the end of the paraphrased ideas—create an intext citation with parentheses around it.
This next superstition actually appears to be grounded in practical advice: Walking under a ladder
should be avoided because a workman’s falling tool could become a lethal weapon. However, its true origin
has nothing to do with practicality. According to the article “Superstitious Practices,” a ladder leaning
against a wall forms a triangle, long regarded by many societies as a representation for a sacred trinity of
gods. To the Egyptians, the ladder was a symbol of good luck, because a ladder rescued the sun god Osiris
from imprisonment by the spirit of Darkness (“Superstitious Practices”). Historian Julia Fields noted that
“centuries later, followers of Jesus Christ created the superstition because a ladder had rested against the
crucifix; therefore, it became the symbol of wickedness, betrayal, and death” (Fields 5). The article
“Superstitions and Life” stated that this kind of symbolism led to the belief that walking under a ladder could
only cause misfortune. Strictly adhering to this superstition, in England and France in the 1600s, criminals
on their way to the gallows were forced to walk under a ladder while the executioner walked around it
(“Superstitions and Life” 20-31).