A Brief Guide to Citation A Brief Guide to Citation Using MLA GuidelinesUsing MLA Guidelines

Warren Easton Senior High SchoolWarren Easton Senior High School

Joni Tierce, M.Ed.Joni Tierce, M.Ed.

Citation is not hard; it’s just complicated!

WHO? Anyone who uses the work of another should give her credit.

What? Citation includes a reference in a sentence in the paper and a works cited page.

WHY? Work lacking citation that includes the ideas of others is plagiarism.

How? Citation allows writers to avoid plagiarism.

To Cite or Not to Cite? Ask these Questions.

Is this info common knowledge?

Yes No

NO citation is required. Citation IS required.

Is this my own idea?

YES! NO!

No citation required. Citation is required.

If citation is required, ask “Who or where did I get this information?”

This is the person or resource that you must credit in TWO places.

You must make a parenthetical citation in the sentence that includes the information.

AND

You must include information about

the source on the “Works Cited”

page.

Barack Obama is the first African-American President.

No citation needed! No plagiarism!

Common Knowledge!

Review!!

What are the two questions to ask to determine if citation is needed?

Is this common knowledge?

Is this my personal idea?

Who was the first black governor elected in the Post Reconstruction era?

This is NOT Common knowledge. A citation is required.

L. Douglas Wilder was elected governor of Virginia in 1989

Here is the article• L. Douglas Wilder• The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | Copyright • ... • L. Douglas Wilder (Lawrence Douglas Wilder), 1931-, American political

leader, b. Richmond, Va. The grandson of slaves, Wilder studied law at Howard Univ. A Democrat, he was elected a state senator in 1969, becoming the first African American to serve in the Virginia legislature since Reconstruction . Wilder was subsequently Virginia's lieutenant governor (1986-90) and then governor (1990-94), the first elected African-American governor in U.S. history. During his term in office he held the line on taxes, balanced the state budget, and succeeded in passing controversial bond issues and a handgun control measure. The outspoken and often combative Wilder was briefly an unsuccessful aspirant for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992 and just as briefly an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate from Virginia in 1994. In 2004, however, he made a political comeback when he was elected mayor of Richmond, Va.

In the actual paper or report a parenthetical citation is required.

This is a brief reference in the sentence containing information that guides the reader to the source listed on the Works Cited page.

Two ways to do parenthetical citations

The first African-American to be elected as a governor in the Post Reconstruction Era is Lawrence Douglas Wilder (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2008).

According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, L. Douglas Wilder is the first African-American to be elected governor in the Post Reconstruction Era (2008).

And … there’s more to do.

The source must also be included on the Works Cited page.

FYI

What many of us call a bibliography page is Works Cited in MLA format.

Works Cited

"L. Douglas Wilder." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 17 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Here’s one way to organize research.

Source 1Book or Article

Source 1 with page numbers!!Direct quotations

Notes or paraphrase or summary

Call this source 1

Working bibliographySource 1

Author, title, publisher, place published, year published,

And Library call number!!!!

Notes

The next source used will be source 2.

Source 2Article, book, etc

Source 1 notes incl page numbers

Source 2QuotesNotes or paraphrase or summaryPage numbers

Call this source 2

Working bibliographySource 1 info and

library call number!!!

Source 2 info andlibrary call number!!!

NOTES

How it works.

What you need to Know about

College

Al Knowit

According to Knowit, the cost of college will double in tenyears (2008, 23)

The resourceThe paper

The works cited page

Works Cited

Knowit, Al. What You Need to Know AboutCollege. Eagle Press; New Orleans, LA 2008.The notes

Working Bibliography

FYI

• The MLA is the Modern Language Association.

• Most papers for English classes, secondary and beyond, require students to follow its guidelines for documentation of research and formatting.

Review! What two things are required for correct citation according to the MLA guidelines ?

Parenthetical citations attached to sentences within the paper.

Works Cited page that includes information about the resources

used.

There is no excuse.

• There are plenty of helpful websites to guide students through this information.

• There is a link on our website as well!!