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As aspect of writing a research paper that tends to intimidate students is the documenting of information they have borrowed. To document a fact or a statement is to cite it, or to give credit to the source from which the information or statement came. The noun forms of these words are documentation and citation, in case you see these words in those forms.
The proper documentation of information is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. If done improperly, or if it is missing, PLAGIARISM will likely occur. Plagiarism, especially if done intentionally, will result in a grade of zero for the paper, along with other penalties. Plagiarism is a kind of theft - theft of ideas. To avoid this, be careful all along to cite anything that is not yours and not common knowledge. By the way, even common knowledge information must be cited IF YOU BORROW THE EXACT WORDS OF THE SOURCE.
There are many kinds of documentation. You will use the most recent MLA (Modern Language Association) parenthetical documentation style. In this style, you include the source and page number in parentheses where a pause would naturally occur: at the end of a sentence, at the end of a clause, at the end of a phrase.
How to document sources:
After any quotation, whether indirect or direct, enter a space (as between words). Then, in parentheses, write the source name and the page number.
Use the author's last name only to indicate the source.
Example:
Solving the teen crime problem in the U.S. will be exceptionally hard because "the American public does not have the will to fix the source of the
problem - the parents" (Smith 43).
Notice that the period comes AFTER THE PARENTHESIS, and the quotation marks BEFORE THE PARENTHESIS.
If there are two authors, use both last names.
Example:
The American people don't want to face up to their part in the cause of teen crime (Smith and Jones 56).
If there is no author, use the TITLE, shortened if possible. If it is an ARTICLE, use quotation marks. If it is a book (unlikely), use UNDERLINE.
Example:
Because of the boy's "outrageous defiance of any kind of authority,despite getting several second chances" ("Teen Time" 39), he was sentenced to the maximum time allowed.
Notice that here the parentheses appear after the direct quote (word for word) in the middle of the sentence, and that the COMMA is placed after the parentheses. This happens to be a 'blended quote.' That is one which is part your wording, part exact wording from the source.
If you use more than one work by the same author, you must state BOTH the author's last name and the work, again shortened, if possible. Place a comma between the author and the title.
Assume an author named Carver wrote an article entitled "Second Chance Ends in a Second Home" and a book entitled Lost Years; Lost Tears for the example.
Examples:
A five year-old just doesn't have the ability to make good decisions,
especially if he has been traumatized (Carver, Lost Years 124).
When James' foster parents discovered that James was coming home,they were "thrilled, but still angry at the system" (Carver, "Second Chance" 32).
If you state the author's name in the paper just before or after the quote, you need only put the page number in the parentheses.
Example:
In a recent article, psychologist Dr. Herbert Goffman claimed that "there is no excuse for what is happening in our country today" (57).
If there is no author, the title, shortened if possible, is used, then the page number.
Example: (indirect)
There is a direct correlation between the numbers of
juvenile offenders and school drop outs ("Shattered" 33).(article entitled "Shattered Dreams")
(direct)
"Schools need to keep a closer watch on those habitually absent" ("Shattered 34), claim some observers.
If there is an author, but no page number (as in many internet articles), just include the author.
Example:
We need to find ways to "engage kids more" so that they'll stay in school (Turner).
Note: If you use the author's name in a sentence and there is no page number (as in an internet article), no parentheses are needed:
Noted author William Turner says we need to find ways to "engage kids more" so that they'll stay in school.
HERE IS WHERE IT GETS A BIT TRICKY! Many times your source will quote someone else and you want to use that quote. The following are the rules and some examples of the variations of use.
If your source quotes someone else and you DON'T NAME your source in the sentence, you would include the NAME of the person being quoted, then the phrase 'qtd. in' (meaning quoted in), then the name of the source (author or title) and finally the page number. A couple of examples will make this a little easier. Note: these are for DIRECT QUOTES only. Several variations of the rule follow.
Examples: Example where your source has an AUTHOR:
A Houston Police Chief observed that "criminals rarely think about getting caught" (Watson qtd. in Smith 23).
Here the police chief was Joe Watson and the author of the work
was Ronald Smith in an article called "Teen Time, Teen Crime".
Now an example where there is no author.
A Houston Police Chief observed that "criminals usually live in the present, rarely thinking of the future" (Watson quoted in "Childhood"
56).
Here the police chief was quoted in an anonymous article entitled
"Childhood Lost".
An example where you have included the name of the person being
quoted in the sentence:
Houston Police Chief Joe Watson observed that "criminals rarely think about getting caught" (qtd. in Smith 23).
The difference here is that because you included the name of the
person being quoted in the sentence, it is unnecessary to include it again in the parentheses.
REMINDER: THE PHRASE 'qtd. in' IS USED ONLY FOR DIRECT QUOTES, NOT INDIRECT QUOTES. (SEE SECTION ON TERMS IF CONFUSED)
There are several more complex scenarios, and though not included here, you may always ask a teacher for help.
To summarize:
- Always give credit to the source of information in your paper (unless it is common knowledge).
- Even common knowledge information must be cited if you quote it word for word.
- The most common citations include the author's last name and page number in parentheses. Ex. (Smith 47).
- If there is no author of the work you are citing from, use the title, shortened if possible. Ex. ("No Memories" 13).I
- f you include the author's name in the sentence, just include the page number in the parentheses. (34).
- When you quote someone your source is quoting, use the phrase 'qtd. in'. This is for DIRECT QUOTES (word for word) only. There are many variations of this rule. See previous information.
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