Documenting Sources:
MLA & APA
by
Sharon Cronk-Raby
Why Document?
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In research writing, it is the research that
wins or loses an argument.
When you conduct research, you will find
sources that support your main ideas.
When you use those sources in your paper,
you must document those sources, which
means giving credit to the sources where
you find the information.
When you give credit to the original source,
you give proper credit to the author, and
you avoid Plagiarism!
Plagiarism
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According to the 6th Edition of Kirszner & Mandell’s
The Brief Wadsworth Handbook, on page 195, it
states, “Plagiarism is presenting another person’s
ideas or words as if they were your own.”
Intentional Plagiarism includes copying and pasting
– word-for-word – from another place (internet,
journal article, another student), on purpose, in the
hopes of passing off that work as one’s own.
Unintentional Plagiarism includes improper use of
quotation marks or improperly citing sources per
one of the prescribed methods.
Additionally, the same Handbook, also on page 195,
notes: “The most common cause of unintentional
plagiarism is sloppy research habits.”
Don’t let short-term habits cost you long-term
consequences ! ! !
Consequences
of Plagiarism
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The consequences of Plagiarism could
include:
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Missed points on an assignment (if the
plagiarism is unintentional and the
assignment is a smaller one intended for
learning documentation style)
A failing grade on the plagiarized work
A failing grade in the course
Expulsion from school
How To Document?
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There are a variety of different citation
styles, based on a person’s major or
the college of attendance.
The 2 main documentation styles:
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MLA (Modern Language Association)
http://www.mla.org/
 http://www.mla.org/style
 http://www.mlahandbook.org
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APA (American Psychological Association)
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http://www.apa.org/
Another Helpful Web Site
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Another helpful web site for all
things grammar and writing:
The OWL (Online Writing Lab)
at Purdue:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Summarizing,
Paraphrasing, Quoting
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Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or quote from a
source, you must document the ideas and/or the
words!
Summary: Taking a long passage and condensing the
ideas into your own words. A summary includes just
the main ideas and is much shorter than the original
work. You must document the source’s ideas even
though you rewrite those ideas into your own words.
Paraphrase: Taking a passage and giving a detailed
rephrasing in your own words. A paraphrased passage
is roughly the same length as the original work. You
must document the source’s ideas even though you
rewrite those ideas into your own words.
Quote: Using a source’s exact words, complete with
exact wording and punctuation. You must document
the source’s exact words and their ideas in those exact
words.
Direct Quotes
A direct quote must include an
identifying tag, as well as the
exact words of the source.
 An identifying tag connects the
writer’s words to the source’s
words.
 Typically, the tag sets up where
the quote is from or whose
words/idea it is.
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Strong Verbs
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Use strong verbs in your tags.
Instead of repeating “says” or “states”
or “tells,” try other verbs, such as the
following (though this is just a
sampling, not a complete list!):
acknowledges
concludes
implies
proposes
admits
affirms
believes
claims
comments
concurs
discloses
explains
finds
illustrates
indicates
insists
notes
observes
predicts
reports
speculates
suggests
summarizes
warns
Types of Tags
for Direct Quotes
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A tag can come at the Beginning, the Middle, or the
End. Notice the punctuation between the tag and
the quote, and pay attention to capitalization, too.
 Beginning: John Smith, the Director of the Smell
the Roses Institute, claims, “It is best to stop
and smell the roses.”
 Middle: “It is best,” John Smith, Director of the
Smell the Roses Institute, acknowledges, “to stop
and smell the roses.”
 End: “It is best to stop and smell the roses,”
argues John Smith, Director of the Smell the
Roses Institute.
The above examples are examples of tags; later, we will
discuss the additional MLA or APA documentation that is
required.
Types of Tags
for Direct Quotes
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A colon can be used in a tag to set up a
quote.
Remember, to use a colon correctly, a full
sentence must be used before the colon.
• John Smith, Director of the Smell the
Roses Institute, has spent a lifetime
analyzing the effect of roses on health:
“When one takes time to smell the
roses, one can be happiest.”
The above examples are examples of tags; later, we will
discuss the additional MLA or APA documentation that is
required.
Types of Tags
for Direct Quotes
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A blended quote connects the words and ideas
of the writer and of the source in a different
way, with different punctuation and
capitalization. The words and ideas from the
writer and from the source blend together into
one full and complete sentence, and it is only
through the quotation marks that a reader
can discern where one’s words end and the
other’s words begin. The citation (to be
discussed in full in later slides) is where the
credit is given.
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MLA:
“stop
APA:
“stop
Every person, at least once every day, should
and smell the roses” (Smith 95).
Every person, at least once every day, should
and smell the roses” (Smith, 2009, p. 8).
2 Parts of
Documentation
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In order to give full and proper credit to
a source, you must include 2 parts:
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In the body of the paper, whenever you
summarize, paraphrase, or quote from a
source, you must use a properly formatted
in-text citation.
For every source you use and cite in the
body of your paper, you must include a
fully-formatted entry on the Works Cited
page (MLA) or References page (APA).
EXAMPLES for
Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA)
In the next several slides,
some examples
will be provided
of the most common
types of sources.
However, this PowerPoint is not meant
as a substitution for a style manual;
it is meant as additional clarification to
be used in conjunction with a style
manual.
A Short Story, Play, Or Poem
in an Edited Anthology
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle [if
given]. “Title of Story, Play, or Poem.” Name
of the Edited Anthology. Editors name [Ed.
stands for Edited by, so do not use Eds. for
more than 1 editor]. Edition. City of
Publication: Abbreviated Name of Publisher,
year. Start-End page numbers. Type of
source.
Chopin, Kate. “The Storm.” Literature: Reading,
Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G Kirszner and
Stephen R. Mandell. 6th ed. Boston:
Wadsworth, 2010. 313-17. Print.
A Short Story, Play, Or Poem
in an Edited Anthology
APA:
Author’s Last Name, Fist Initial. Middle Initial [if
given]. (Year). Title of story, play, or poem. In
First Initial. Middle Initial. [if given] Last
Name (Ed.) [or Eds. for more than one
editor], Name of edited anthology (p. for one
page, pp. for multiple pages). City [or City,
State – if an unknown city]: Name of
Publisher.
Lorde, A. (1984). Age, race, and class. In P.S.
Rothenberg (Ed.), Racism and sexism: An
integrated study (pp. 352-360). New York: St.
Martin’s Press.
Book: 1 Author
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle
Name [if given]. Book Title. City of
Publication: Abbreviated Name of
Publisher, year. Print.
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of
Enchantment: The Meaning and
Importance of Fairy Tales. New York:
Knopf, 1976. Print.
Book: 1 Author
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First Initial. Middle
Initial. [if given]. (Year). Name of book.
City of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Maslow, A. H. (1974). Toward a
psychology of being. Princeton: Van
Nostrand.
Book: multiple authors
Notice the order of authors’ names:
MLA:
Authors Last Name, First Name, and First
Name Last Name. Name of Book. City of
Publication: Abbreviated Name of Publisher,
Year of Publication. Print.
Peters, Michael A., and Nicholas C. Burbules.
Poststructuralism and Educational Research.
Lanham: Rowman, 2004. Print.
Book: multiple authors
Notice the order of authors’ names:
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First Initial., Last Name,
First Initial, & Last Name, First Initial. (Year
of Publication). Name of Book. City of
Publication: Name of Publisher.
Wolfinger, D., Knable, P., Richards, H.L., &
Silberger, R. (2007). The chronically
unemployed. New York: Berman Press.
Database Sources: Definition
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Most colleges, universities, and libraries subscribe to the
same academic databases. Here is a sampling:
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InfoTrac OneFile Plus
MasterFILE Premier
LexisNexis
ProQuest
EBSCOHost
Gale
Academic Premier
Wilson
Facts on File
In these databases, there is a compilation of many
sources (usually sources that were formerly in print).
Peer-Reviewed sources are the most reliable!
To give full and proper credit, you need to give credit to
the author, as well as to the original publication; you also
need to provide the path for how you found the
information.
A Scholarly Journal Article
(annual publication)
from an Online Database
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle [if
given]. “Title of Article.” Name of Journal
Article volume.issue (year of publication):
start-end page numbers. Name of Database.
Web. Day Abbreviated Month Year [date
retrieved].
Schaefer, Richard J. “Editing Strategies in
Television News Documentaries.” Journal of
Communication 47.4 (1997): 69-89. InfoTrac
OneFile Plus. Web. 2 Oct. 2002.
A Scholarly Journal Article
(annual publication)
from an Online Database
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First Initial. (year). Title of
article. Name of Journal Article, volume, startend page numbers. Retrieved from URL.
Miller, W. (1969). Violent crimes in city gangs.
Journal of Social Issues, 27, 581-593.
Retrieved from
http://proquest.com/social.27.org.aspx/227.
com
A Monthly Magazine Article
from an Online Database
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of
Article.” Name of Magazine Month Year: startend page numbers. Name of Database. Web.
Day Abbreviated Month Year. [date
retrieved]
Livermore, Beth. “Meteorites on Ice.” Astronomy
July 1993: 54-58. Expanded Academic ASAP
Plus. Web. 12 Nov. 2003.
Wright, Karen. “The Clot Thickens.” Discover
Dec. 1999: n. pag. MasterFILE Premier. Web.
10 Oct. 2003.
A Monthly Magazine Article
from an Online Database
APA:
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial [if given].
(Date listed as Year, Month Day). Title of
article. Name of Magazine, volume(issue),
start-end page numbers. Retrieved from URL.
Livermore, B. (1993, July). Meteorites on ice.
Astronomy, 16(3), 54-58. Retrieved from
http://academicasap.edu/meteor_
aspx_853.com
A Newspaper Article
from an Online Database
MLA:
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name
of Newspaper Day Abbreviated Month Year:
section pages. Name of Database. Web. Day
Abbreviated Month Year. (date retrieved)
Meyer, Greg. “Answering Questions about the
West Nile Virus.” Dayton Daily News 11 July
2002: Z3-7. LexisNexis. Web. 17 Feb. 2003.
A Newspaper Article
from an Online Database
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First Initial. (Date listed as
Year, Month Day). Title of article. Name of
newspaper, p. section/#. Retrieved from URL.
Meyer, G. (2002, July 11). Answering questions
about the West Nile Virus. Dayton Daily
News, Z3-7. Retrieved from
http:ebscohost.org.z37.west_nile.org/200211
.htm
Internet Sources: Definition
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An Internet source is an online source that
does not come from a database.
An Internet search is a general web search
using a browser, such as Google or Yahoo.
Be careful of the Internet information you use
in a research paper!!!
Google Scholar: More likely to find reputable
sources (but verify each source individually
based on its own merits) –
http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en&tab=ws
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Avoid Wikipedia in academic writing ! ! !
Internet Sites
According to the 6th edition of Kirszner & Mandell’s The
Brief Wadsworth Handbook, on page 223, it notes:
“MLA style recognizes that full source information for
Internet sources is not always available. Include in
your citation whatever information you can reasonably
obtain: the author or editor of the site (if available);
the name of the site (italicized); the version number
of the source (if applicable); the name of any
institution or sponsor (if unavailable, include the
abbreviation N.p. for “no publisher”); the date of
electronic publication or update (if unavailable, include
the abbreviation n.d. for “no date of publication”); the
publication medium (Web); and the date you accessed
the source.”
Internet Sites
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name
of Web Site. Sponsor of Site, Date of Publication listed
as Day Abbreviated Month Year. Web. Date
Retrieved listed as Day Abbreviated Month Year.
<URL>. [If the brackets disappear when you hit enter,
hit the “undo” or “back” button, which is typically a
blue arrow.]
Baard, Mark. “Will Genetic Engineering Kill Us?” Wired
News. Lycos, 16 Apr. 2003. Web. 12 Feb. 2004.
<www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,58467,
00.html>.
Internet Sites
According to the 6th edition of Kirszner & Mandell’s The
Brief Wadsworth Handbook, on page 260, it notes:
“APA guidelines for documenting electronic sources focus
on Web sources, which often do not include all the
bibliographic information that print sources do. For
example, Web sources may not include page numbers
or a place of publication. At a minimum, a Web
citation should have a title, a date (the date of
publication, update, or retrieval), and a Digital Object
Identifier (DOI) (when available) or an electronic
address (URL). If possible, also include the author(s)
of a source.
When you need to divide a URL at the end of a line, break
it before a slash or period (do not add a hyphen). Do
not add a period at the end of the URL.”
Internet Sites
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First/Middle Initials. (Year
of publication). Title of article. Name of
publication, volume(issue), start-end page
numbers. doi: #
Yip, T., Gee, G.C., & Takeuchi, D.T. (2008).
Racial discrimination and psychological
distress: The impact of ethnic identity and age
among immigrants and United States-born
Asian adults. Developmental Psychology,
44(3), 787-800. doi: 10.1037/00121649.44.3.787
Article in an Online Magazine
(not from a Database)
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of
Article.” Name of Web Site. Name of
Publication, Date of Original Publication listed
as Day Abbreviated Month Year. Web.
Date Retrieved listed as Day Abbreviated
Month Year. <URL>. [If the brackets
disappear when you hit enter, click the
back/undo arrow.]
Weiser, Jay. “The Tyranny of Informality.” Time.
Time, 26 Feb. 1996. Web. 1 Mar. 2002.
<www.time.com/tyrannyof/333987/up/76.ht
ml>.
Article in an Online Magazine
(not from a Database)
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First/Middle Initials. (Year,
Month Day). Title of article. Name of
Magazine, volume(issue), start-end page
numbers. Retrieved from URL.
McCurdy, H.G. (1983, June). Brain
mechanisms and intelligence. Psychology
Today, 46, 61-63. Retrieved from
www.psychologytoday.com/intelligence_
466163.J1983.html
Article in an Online Newspaper
(not from a Database)
MLA:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.”
Name of Web Site. Name of Newspaper, date
of newspaper listed as Day Abbreviated Month
Year. Web. Date Accessed listed as Day
Abbreviated Month Year. <URL>. [If the
brackets disappear when you hit enter, click
the back/undo button.]
Wyatt, Edward. “Electronic Device Stirs Unease
at Book Fair.” New York Times. New York
Times, 2 June 2008. Web. 12 June 2008.
<www.nyt.com.bookfair_org_asp.135790.
com>.
Article in an Online Newspaper
(not from a Database)
APA:
Author’s Last Name, First/Middle Initials. (Year,
Month Day). Title of article. Name of
Newspaper, page numbers. Retrieved from
URL
James, W.R (1993, November 16). The
uninsured and health care. Wall Street
Journal, pp. A1, A14. Retrieved from
www.wallstreetjournal.com/healthcare/1993
_11_16.A1A14_wsj.htm
In-Text Citations
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An in-text citation includes limited
information so as to not interrupt the flow
of the written information, but it provides
enough to give credit for the
summarized, paraphrased, or quoted
material.
An in-text citation leads the reader to the
source – alphabetically – on the Works
Cited page (MLA) or the References page
(APA), where the full information about
the source can be found.
Examples of
In-Text Citations
MLA:
The In-Text Citation for an MLA-formatted
reference will include the author’s last
name (or whatever piece of information
appears first in the entry, if no author is
given) and page number – with no
punctuation between the two items.
Examples of
In-Text Citations
MLA:
Summary/Paraphrase, with the author included
in the sentence:
Tom Smith agrees that the grass is
greener on the other side of the fence
(95).
Summary/Paraphrase, with no author included
in the sentence:
The grass is greener on the other side of
the fence (Smith 95).
Examples of
In-Text Citations
MLA:
Direct Quote, with the author included in the
tag:
Tom Smith claims, “On the other side of
the fence, one might think the grass is
greener” (95).
Direct Quote, with no author named in the tag:
According to the author, “On the other
side of the fence, one might think the
grass is greener” (Smith 95).
Examples of
In-Text Citations
APA:
The In-Text Citation for an APA-formatted reference
will include the author’s last name (or whatever
piece of information appears first in the entry, if no
author is given) and the year of the source – with a
comma between the two pieces of information.
For the In-Text Citation for a Direct Quote, also add the
page number (if available). If the page number is
not available, use a paragraph number instead.
Abbreviate “page” as “p.” Abbreviate “pages” as
“pp.” Abbreviate “paragraph” as “para.” or use the
symbol for paragraph.
Examples of
In-Text Citations
APA:
Summary/Paraphrase, with the author included
in the sentence:
Tom Smith (2009) agrees that the grass
is greener on the other side of the fence.
Summary/Paraphrase, with no author included
in the sentence:
The grass is greener on the other side of
the fence (Smith, 2009).
Examples of
In-Text Citations
APA:
Direct Quote, with the author included in the
tag:
Tom Smith (2009) claims, “On the other
side of the fence, one might think the
grass is greener” (p. 95).
Direct Quote, with no author named in the tag:
According to the author, “On the other
side of the fence, one might think the
grass is greener” (Smith, 2009, p. 95).
Formatting Notes
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1” Margins
12-Point Fonts
Double Spacing
Page Headers:
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MLA: Writer’s Last Name page number
APA: Title
page number
The Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA)
should start flush at the left margin & be
indented after the first line.
The Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA)
should be alphabetized.
Questions ?