How to Use and Cite Sources A Quick Guide

Citing Sources  When you use info from a source in your paper, you need to tell your readers where you got it.  Your source will go at the end of your sentence in a certain format: it’s called a parenthetical citation.  A parenthetical citation is a short note, placed in parenthesis, recognizing a source of information  Example: “One particular legend says that Hephaestus wished to marry Athena, who was also a patron of smiths, but she refused because she found him ugly” (Leadbetter).

Citing Sources, con’t.  If you are citing an online source with an author, the author’s last name goes in parentheses.  Ex: “Sophomores are all geniuses!” (Rolfe).  If you are citing an online source with NO author named, the title of the webpage or article goes in parentheses.  Ex: “Sophomore teachers are geniuses too!” (“Why These Papers Will Rock”).

Citing Sources, con’t.  If you are citing a book source with an author, the author’s last name(s) goes in parentheses along with the page number(s) where the information can be found.  “Your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else’s joy” (Tan 217).

Ways to Use Your Sources  There are 3 major ways you can present information from a source in your paper:  Direct quotation  Summary  Paraphrase

Direct Quotation A “direct quote” is a string of words taken from the text EXACTLY how it is written. “In fact, the only goddess Hephaestus had pursued was Zeus' daughter, Athena, who rejected him "because she found him ugly" (Leadbetter). We do this if we like the way the author put something and do not want to change his or her words.

Direct Quotation, con’t.  When you quote, you CAN use a whole sentence or a string of sentences, BUT…  It is better to embed your quote.  To embed, you insert SOME of the author’s words into your own sentence. In fact, the only goddess Hephaestus had pursued was Zeus' daughter, Athena, who rejected him "because she found him ugly" (Leadbetter).

Direct Quotation, con’t.  Why embed quotes?  Usually, the writer’s words will not fit into your paper exactly as they are. This is the full quote from the text:  “One particular legend says that Hephaestus wished to marry Athena, who was also a patron of smiths, but she refused because she found him ugly” (Leadbetter).  But I don’t need all that! So I keep what I DO need, and scrap the rest.

Citing Direct Quotation  Make sure you notice the FORMAT of citing your source:  In fact, the only goddess Hephaestus had pursued was Zeus' daughter, Athena, who rejected him "because she found him ugly" (Leadbetter).

Summary  Sometimes, your source will go into a lot of detail on a topic, but you just need to give a general idea.  Look at how long this excerpt from a source is:  The gods on Mount Olympus pleaded with Hephaestus to return to their heavenly domain, as to release Hera, but he refused. Dionysus gave the smith god wine, and when Hephaestus was intoxicated, Dionysus took him back to Mount Olympus slumped over the back of a mule. This scene was a favorite in Greek art. Hephaestus released Hera after being given the beautiful Aphrodite as his bride. Dionysus AphroditeDionysus Aphrodite

Summary, con’t. This student needed to tell the story, but didn’t want to go through all that! This is her summary, which is ½ as long:  All the gods tried to convince Hephaestus to free her, but finally, Dionysus, god of wine and parties, got Hephaestus drunk enough that he took a deal: he would free his mother if he could have Aphrodite as his wife (Leadbetter).

Paraphrase  Sometimes, you want to say BASICALLY the same thing as an author, but you want to say it differently, in your own words. This is called paraphrasing.  From source: “So great were Aphrodite's seductive abilities that every god, including the great Zeus, desired her as his wife. However, Aphrodite was too proud for any of her suitors and rejected them all” (Lombardi).  From student’s paper: Everyone wanted to marry her, including Zeus (although he was already married to Hera), but while her romantic affairs were innumerable, she refused to marry anyone (Lombardi).

Citing Summary and Paraphrase  Citing these is almost the same as direct quotation… there’s just no quotation marks.  All the gods tried to convince Hephaestus to free her, but finally, Dionysus, god of wine and parties, got Hephaestus drunk enough that he took a deal: he would free his mother if he could have Aphrodite as his wife (Leadbetter).

Did you get it? Here’s your text, by Ms. Rolfe: Unfortunately, the little security pin at the bottom of the glass door was faulty; it didn’t latch tightly enough, so when the demon kitty thwacked it, it fell right into the gap, and jammed the door shut. The kitty just looked at me, faking innocence, as I pawed at the locked door. 1. Write a sentence that embeds a direct quote from this little story. Cite the source! 2. Write a summary of the paragraph. Cite the source! 3. Write a paraphrase of one line. Cite the source!