Research Project – Citing Sources American Literature

Plagiarism is taking someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. Plagiarism occurs when you don’t cite your sources.

 You could possibly receive an “F” on your paper  You may fail the entire class  Some schools or colleges will expel you  It may be on your permanent academic record

 For the beginner, MLA can be difficult, but there are many resources for the student to use, and in time, this method will become a piece of cake.  MLA (Modern Language Association) is a commonly used method for citing sources in a written work such as a research paper.

 Provides consistent format within your paper  Gives you credibility as a writer  Protects you from committing plagiarism  Allows readers to easily locate your sources if they want additional information

 Son of Citation Website  Citation Maker through Destiny DeKalb Academic Search Complete Database through Galileo

 PARENTHETICAL(IN-TEXT) CITATIONS  WORKS CITED /BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE AT END OF PAPER

Two Basic Items to Include in In-text Citations Within Your Paper:  The last name(s) of the author (or authors)  The page number(s) where the information is located, unless the source is online or only one page long Do not include the abbreviation “p.” (or “pp.”) or the word page or pages

 One Author, named in your introductory phrase According to Jane Leeves, there are too many rules when it comes to writing a research paper (21).  Author not named in the text In the last ten years, the guidelines for writing an “A” paper have become very stringent and selective (Leeves 17-18).  Two authors: (Leeves and Smith 71).  One work with three authors: (Kernis, Michael. et al. ***The abbreviation et al. means and others***

If using someone else’s exact words and it’s less than four lines of information, you must place quotation marks outside of those words. Example: One distinguished anthropologist calls the American male’s reluctance to cry “a lessening of his capacity to be human” (Montagu 248).

If a quotation is four lines or longer, indent each line of text ten spaces on the left, without quotation marks and without a period after the citation: When Ambrose asked Tom Hanks if he is an optimist, Hanks replied: Shamelessly so. I apologize to my friends and family because I say it all the time, but if you had told me in 1966 that I’d be an actor and make movies, I would have thought you were insane. If you told me in 1966 I’d be married and have four great kids, I could never have imagined it. (68)

The trained inability of any human being to weep is “ a lessening of his capacity to be human – a defect that usually goes deeper than the mere inability to cry…. It is very sad.” (Montague 248)

 Original Text: The amazingly fast recovery of the cancer patient baffled the doctors and scientists. The cancer patient’s amazingly fast recovery surprised the scientists and doctors.  Acceptable Paraphrasing When they were informed about the speedy recovery of the cancer patient, neither doctors nor scientists could provide a reasonable explanation.  Unacceptable Paraphrasing

 The page at the end of your paper where you list the authors’ names alphabetically (last name first) of all the sources you refer to in your paper  Most citations should include: Author’s Name Title of Publication Publication Information (Location, Publisher, Year)

 Books -One Author: Leeves, Jane. Writing An “A” Paper. New York: Penguin, Two of More Authors: Jamison, Jane, and Mike Krauss. No Gain Without Pain. Chicago: Random House, Author and Editor: Shakespeare, William. The Complete Tragedies. Ed. John Sawyer. Boston: Norton, 1987.

 Magazine article: Myers, Kevin. “Research is Overrated.” Time 25 June 2001: 7-9.  Web Page: “The Perfect Quote.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Vers August Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 August  Newspaper Article: Miller, Joe. “Plagiarism on the Rise.” New York Times 28 May 2000: B1+.

Don’t Stress; Strive for Success Review your research package several times to gain a clear understanding of what’s expected of you. Write down any questions you have after reviewing the package.