- Since the material in your research paper will
contain information from the work of others, you
must give proper credit by citing your sources.
- Use citations for direct quotes, paraphrasing,
statistics, or other information that is clearly not
your own.
- Exceptions: You do not need to cite sources for
familiar proverbs, well-known quotations, or
common knowledge. Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/557/
Sample Exercise – let’s say I want to write a research
paper on the cultural significance of hockey in
Canada.
-I would start investigating resources and taking
notes. As I do this, I would also immediately record
the information for each source that I could
potentially cite in my essay.
- Microsoft Office is very useful for documenting this
information.
In-Text Citations: the Basics
 MLA uses parenthetical citations within the text of your
research paper
 Parenthetical citations depend on the medium
(e.g. Print, Web, DVD)
 Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s
entry on the Works Cited page (i.e. where the full
bibliographic information is located)
 Signal word in the text is the first thing in the
corresponding entry on the Works Cited page
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/557/
Author-Page Style (i.e. for books)
In-text Example:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a
"spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively
explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford
U.P., 1967.
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/15
/
Special Note:
On the Works Cited Entry on the previous slide, the
title of the book was underlined. Italics may be
used instead of underlining (this is the new trend),
just make sure that you consistently use only one
method.
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford
U.P., 1967.
Print Source with Author
In-text Example:
Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke
as "symbol-using animals" (3).
Human beings have been described as "symbol-using
animals" (Burke 3).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life,
Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, 1966.
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/15/
With Unknown Author
In-text Example:
We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely
because this region has “more readily accessible climatic data and
more comprehensive programs to monitor and study
environmental change” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
“The Impact of Global Warming in North America.”
GLOBAL WARMING: Early Signs. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2009.
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/15/
Other In-Text Citations
Authors with Same Last Names
In-text Example:
Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will
lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that
the advantages for medical research outweigh this
consideration (A. Miller 46).
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/15/
Other In-Text Citations cont.
Work by Multiple Authors
In-text Examples:
Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in
the United States (76).
The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second
Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).
Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting the
current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust
gun laws (4).
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/15/
Other In-Text Citations cont.
Citing Indirect Sources
In-text Example:
Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as
"social service centers, and they don't do that well"
(qtd. in Weisman 259).
Multiple Citations
In-text Example:
. . . as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/15/
Other In-Text Citations cont.
Newspaper articles, magazine articles, CD-Rom Articles,
Internet sources, etc.
-In most cases, simply using the author’s last name in the
parenthetical citation (no page number required) will
suffice
eg (Wilson)
- if there is no author, then utilize a title or heading placed
in quotation marks eg (“War of 1812”)
Source: http://dept.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/stylesheet/mla-cit.htm
“NOTE: In unusual cases, common sense
should determine what to use in a citation.
Choose the name, word or phrase that will
allow the reader to easily identify the source
in your list of Works Cited. (As a rule,
whatever comes first in the bibliography
entry forms the basis of the citation.) Keep
citations brief and simple.”
Source: http://dept.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/stylesheet/mla-cit.htm
Formatting Long Quotations (four or more lines)
In-text Example:
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her
narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room,
and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping
it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing
his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on
quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was
obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and
inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)