Ms. Costello's Term Paper Citing Guide
The following section is a guide to how to put your direct quotations and/or paraphrases in your paper during the writing stage:
1. In-text parenthetical documentation with one author and page number:
Direct quote w/author mentioned:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). If you mention the author within your sentence and direct quotation blend. Do not put the last name in the parenthetical citation, only the page number. Punctuate on the outside of the parentheses.
Direct quote – author not mentioned:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). If you do not mention your author within your sentence and direct quote blend, make sure to put it in the parenthetical citation with the page number. Punctuate on the outside of parentheses.
Paraphrase – author mentioned:
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
This is an example of a paraphrase in which the writer used the author’s last name in the sentence, so put only the page number at the end in parentheses as above. Remember a paraphrase is an idea you did not know before reading it from the source, so you cite the author/source to give credit. MAKE SURE YOU USE NO ORIGINAL WORDING.
Paraphrase – author not mentioned:
He extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (Wordsworth 263).
Here is the same paraphrase with the author not mentioned in the sentence, so he is mentioned in the parenthetical citation with the page number just like direct quotations. Still NO ORIGINAL WORDING WAS USED.
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., 1967. Print.
*See section 4. for information on how to create citation. You may consult your research book or the OWL Purdue MLA online as well.
2. In-Text Source with UNKNOWN Author 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. Print.
3. In Text Print Other Types of Citations:
*Classic & Literary Works with Multiple Editions:
In-Text Example:
Marx and Engels described human history as marked by class struggles (79; ch. 1).
*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).
*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).
*Multiple Works by the Same Author:
In-text Examples:
Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools ("Too Soon" 38), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skills in a child's second and third year ("Hand-Eye Development" 17).
Visual studies, because it is such a new discipline, may be "too easy" (Elkins, "Visual
Studies" 63).
*Citing Indirect Sources – A Quote within a Quote:
Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd. in Weisman 259).
*Sources from the Internet:
In-text Example:
One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of
New Hampshire, 2 May 2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2009. Web.
4. BASIC FORMAT -WORKS CITED PAGE: *Books:
Basic Format:
Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
Example:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
*Work in a series or volume:
Basic Format:
Last name, First name. Title. Total number of volumes. Publishing city: Publisher
Year of publication. Medium of publication.
Example:
Jones, Howard. Critical Authors Series. 3 vols. New York: Gale, 1959. Print.
*Collections/Anthologies:
Basic Format:
Last name, First name. “The Title of the Article”. Title of the Collection/book. Ed. First
Name and First name Last name (if applicable). Publishing City: Publishing
Company, year of publication. Medium of Publication.
Example:
Brown, Sylvia. “J.D. Salinger Now”. American Authors Today. Ed. Howard Jones and
Lisa Fredricks. Boston: Gale, 2009. Print.
*Article in a Magazine Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of
publication.
Example:
Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 143-8. Print.
*Article in Scholarly Journal Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): pages. Medium of
publication.
Example:
Duvall, John. "The (Super) Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated." Arizona
Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127- 53. Print.
*Online Sources:
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). “Article Name.” Name of Site. Version
number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or
publisher). or N.p. (if no publisher is listed) Date of publication or n.d. if no date
is available. Medium of publication. Date of access. Day, month, year.
Examples:
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People
Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., N.p. 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May
2009.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003.
Web. 10 May 2006.
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, N.p. n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.
WORKS CITED PAGE FORMAT:
Center the words Works Cited (not bold, not underlined, not all capitalized, same 12 pt font and style as paper)
Top right header is your last name with the last page number after your paper
Ex: Costello 6 (if my paper was the minimum 5 pages)
Double space throughout – DO NOT double double space in between entries.
Alphabetize the entries according to the FIRST letter of entry.
Tab the 2nd + lines of the entry (if applicable).
Example on next page:
Costello 6
Works Cited
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis
Guggenheim. Rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June 2006. Web. 24
May 2009.
“It’s Getting Too HOT!”. GlobalWarming. Cooler Heads Coalition, 2007. Web. 24 May
2009.
Schulte, Bret. "Putting a Price on Pollution." Usnews.com. US News & World Rept., 6
May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
FORMATTING SHORT QUOTATIONS:
Basic Format: To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.
You must lead in or blend your direct quotations with your own words. DO NOT BIRD PLOP a direct quote on (in) your paper!!!!!!!!!!
In-text Examples:
According to some, dreams express “profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.
According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).
Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?
Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-12).
Bird plopped example – DO NOT DO!
It is possible that dreams may express more than is known. “They develop profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184). This is evident in certain case studies.
FORMATTING LONG QUOTATIONS:
Basic Format: For quotations that extend to more than four lines of verse or prose: place quotations in a freestanding block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing. Only indent the first line of the quotation by a half-inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)
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)
It is evident that Dean has damaged Heathcliff’s self-esteem through this torture and torment.
ADD/OMIT WORDS
In-text Example for Adding Words:
Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78).
In-text example for Omitting Words:
In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale . . . and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78).
Extra Information:
MLA no longer requires the use of URLs in MLA citations.
Abbreviations Commonly Used with Electronic Sources:
If publishing information is unavailable for entries that require publication information such as publisher (or sponsor) names and publishing dates, MLA requires the use of special abbreviations to indicate that this information is not available. Use n.p. to indicate that neither a publisher nor a sponsor name has been provided. Use n.d. when the Web page does not provide a publication date.
When an entry requires that you provide a page but no pages are provided in the source (as in the case of an online-only scholarly journal or a work that appears in an online-only anthology), use the abbreviation n. p.
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases) Here are some common features you should try and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as possible both for your citations and for your research notes:
- Author and/or editor names (if available)
- Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
- Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print publications have Web publications with slightly different names. They may, for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified information, like domain names [e.g. .com or .net].)
- Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.
- Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date. Use N.p. if no publisher, and n.p. for no publishing date.
- Take note of any page numbers (if available). Do not page number it unless indicated.
- Date you accessed the material. Day, month, year.
- Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
- Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
- Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor).
- Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
- Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
- Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
- Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.
- If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).
- Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
- In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
- Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
- Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
- Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
- Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)
Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ MLA STYLE GUIDE
Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style: