Works Cited Models for Argument Assignment
Copy the items you need for your argument paper. Remember to put them in
alphabetical order! Where I have added comments about the quality of a source, that’s
to help you decide how to use it; these comments do not need to be included in your
Works Cited page.
“Hamilton College to End Merit Scholarships in Favor of Need-Based Aid.” Associated
Press 16 Mar. 2007. Rpt. In Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G.
Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 136-37.
Print.
News report about one college’s policy of having only need-based aid. This is a reliable
source from a well-known news organization and is factual in nature (although some
opinions of individuals are also quoted in the piece). A good source of information.
Student Financial Services. “Merit-Based Scholarships for Incoming Students.” Lewis &
Clark College. Web. Rpt. In Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G.
Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 138-41.
Print.
Information about one college’s merit scholarships, including how much each category of
scholarship covers, who is eligible, and what the criteria are. This is a reliable source for this
information because it comes from the financial services office of the college. It’s only one
example, though, and may or may not be typical.
Mendelson, Zoe. “Paying for College.” Los Angeles Times 24 Aug. 2008. Rpt. In
Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.
Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 131-33. Print.
This is an argument giving one student’s opinion about the need for more need-based aid
and a broader definition of “need”. It relies mostly on examples of individual students but
also includes some statistics about typical family incomes and college costs. It’s a wellargued essay and so has some value as a source.
Schmidt, Peter. “At the Elite Colleges—Dim White Kids.” Boston Globe 28 Sept. 2007.
Rpt. In Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and
Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 128-30. Print.
This is an opinion piece. It makes some points that may be valid about how college
admissions practices favor applicants with money or connections, even or more-qualified
students without those. It doesn’t include a lot of detailed support and has a strongly
negative tone, so it doesn’t seem very reliable. By finding the article on the newspaper’s
website, I was able to learn that the author is a deputy editor of The Chronicle of Higher
Education and author of "Color and Money: How Rich White Kids Are Winning the War
Over College Affirmative Action." From Amazon I learned that this is a book published by
Palgrave MacMillan, an academic publisher with a good reputation. This additional
information indicates that the author is knowledgeable about the subject, making the article
more reliable (though still definitely opinionated).
Staples, Brent. “A Broader Definition of Merit: The Trouble with College Entry Exams.”
New York Times 1 Oct. 2008: A32. Rpt. In Practical Argument: A Text and
Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2011. 134-35. Print.
This is an essay arguing that test scores or over-used in the definition of “merit.” It is from
a very well-reputed newspaper, so it seems reliable. It draws most of its information from a
report written by a commission of the National Association for College Admissions
Counseling. If I were going to do more research, I would try to find the actual report (to get
the information more directly) and learn more about that organization (so I could be more
aware of how biased the report might be).
Amethyst Initiative. “Statement.” Choose Responsibility. Amethyst Initiative, n.d. Rpt. in
Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.
Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 369-70. Print.
Balko, Radley. “Amethyst Initiative’s Debate on Drinking a Welcome Alternative to
Fanaticism.” FoxNews.com. Fox News, 25 Aug. 2008. Rpt. in Practical Argument:
A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 371-73. Print.
Glasser, Joanne. “Alcohol and Those under Twenty-one Don’t Mix.”
ChicagoTribune.com. Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2008. Rpt. in Practical Argument:
A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 374-75. Print.
Herman, Andrew. “Raise the Drinking Age to Twenty-Five.” BG Views. Bowling Green
State University, 22 Aug. 2007. Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology.
Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.
376-77. Print.
Gitz, Barry R. “Save Us from Youth.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 31 Aug. 2008. Rpt.
in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.
Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 378-79. Print.
Voas, Robert. “There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age.” Christian Science
Monitor 12 Jan. 2006. Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie
G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 380-81.
Print.
Williams, Erica L., and Tim Westrich. “The Young and the Indebted.” Campus Progress
News 3 July 2008. CampusProgress.org. Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and
Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2011. 465-467. Print.
“Non-Issue Needs No Law.” Editorial. Contra Costa Times 18 Sept. 2000. Rpt. in
Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.
Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 469-470. Print.
Silver-Greenberg, Jessica. “Majoring in Credit-Card Debt.” Business Week 4 Sept. 2007.
Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and
Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 472-76. Print.
Chapman, M. Perry. “Openness vs. Security on Campus.” Boston Globe 28 Apr. 2007.
Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and
Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 499-500. Print.
Chapman is an urban planner with a background in architecture. He has worked with
universities as clients and has taught at universities. He is knowledgeable about university
life and values, and he speaks with some authority on the significance of the design of
campuses such as UVa, but it’s not clear if he has any expertise in security issues.
Sokolow, Brett A. “How Not to Respond to Virginia Tech—II.” Inside Higher Ed 1 May
2007. Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and
Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 501-504. Print.
Villahermosa, Jesus M., Jr. “Guns Don’t Belong in the Hands of Administrators,
Professors, or Students.” Chronicle of Higher Education 18 Apr. 2008: A56. Rpt.
in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.
Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 505-507. Print.
Wheeler, Timothy. “There’s a Reason They Choose Schools.” National Review Online
11 Oct. 2007. Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G.
Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 508-10.
Print.
McCollum, Bill. “Felons Don’t Merit Automatic Rights.” St. Petersburg Times 2 Apr. 2007.
Rpt. in Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and
Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 589-90. Print.
Feser, Edward. “Should Felons Vote?” City Journal Spring 2005. Rpt. in Practical
Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 591-94. Print.
Perl, Rebecca. “The Last Disenfranchised Class.” Nation 6 Nov. 2003. Rpt. in Practical
Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 595-99. Print.
“Felons and the Right to Vote.” Editorial. New York Times 11 July 2004. Rpt. in Practical
Argument: A Text and Anthology. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 600-601. Print.