Final Thoughts: Once students become familiar with the core elements that should be included in each entry in the Works Cited list, they will be able to create documentation for any type of source. While the MLA handbook and Purdue OWL still include helpful examples students may use as guidelines, they will not need to consult these sources every time they need to figure out how to cite a source they have never used before! So long as one has included each element in the proper order and used consistent punctuation, one should be able to create a Work(s) Cited entry for any source! Making MLA Parenthetical Citations When writers take ideas and/or words from any source, they must indicate their use of that source to their readers and/or listeners. Therefore, writers must include a citation after each idea or direct quotation taken from a source. What to Put in the Parenthetical Give the author’s last name and the page number. The in-text citations (also called parenthetical notations) will look like this: (Hawthorne 54-5). If there is no author, use the first item that does appear in the Works Cited entry, and format it in the same way it is in the Works Cited (it will probably either have quotation marks around it or it will be italicized). For example, you may put the title of an article if there is no author listed. If more than one of the Works Cited entries starts with the same word, then choose what to put in the parenthetical by finding the first item of each entry that is different from the other(s). For example, if there are two works by the same author, you would use the title of the works rather than the author’s last name. If there is no page number, you do not need to put anything after the author name (or title). Paraphrased Material (When It’s “In Your Own Words”) If a writer talks about something that happened the novel, but he or she is putting it
in his or her own words and not using a direct quotation from the book, the writer still must cite the page number. However, the writer should not put his or her paraphrasing (something that’s in his or her own words) in quotation marks! Example: Pearl’s parents decide to run away when they are in the forest (Hawthorne 126). Short Quotations (fewer than 4 lines) Place quotation marks around the passage and then provide the author and specific page citation in the text. Punctuation: Periods, commas, and semicolons are removed from the very end of quoted material. The writer then ends the sentence by placing a period AFTER the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points that come at the end of the quoted material the writer is using should remain within the quotation marks. Example 1 (ending the sentence after the parenthetical): Margot realizes her husband has changed after his hunting success: “From the far corner of the seat Margaret Macomber looked at the two of them. There was no change in Wilson. She saw Wilson as she had seen him the day before when she had first realized what his great talent was. But she saw the change in Francis Macomber now” (Hemingway 17). Example 2 (continuing on after the parenthetical): The narrator says, “From the far corner of the seat Margaret Macomber looked at the two of them. There was no change in Wilson. She saw Wilson as she had seen him the day before when she had first realized what his great talent was. But she saw the change in Francis Macomber now” (Hemingway 17), and this marks a turning point for Margot. Example 3 (leaving in an exclamation mark that was in the text): Within the pages of Hawthorne’s novel, the message “‘Be true! Be true! Be true!’” (184) is not only stated outright, but flows throughout the entire text. Example 4 (asking a question in one’s own writer’s voice): Is it possible that when Margot “saw the change in Francis Macomber” (Hemingway 17), it
Works Cited Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. "Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates." Environmental Toxicology, vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. EBSCO Host, doi:10.1002/tox.20155. “A-Plus Schools for B Students: National Universities.” US News and World Report: Higher Education, US News and World Report L.P., 2016, Accessed 29 Aug. 2016. Gallagher, Noel K. “Five Maine Colleges Make Princeton Review Top-Schools List.” Portland Press Herald, Maine Today Media, 8 Oct. 2013, Accessed 30 Aug. 2016. “Majors, Minors, and Programs.” University of Southern Maine, 2016, https://usm.maine.edu/majors-minors-programs. Accessed 28 Aug. 2016. McGonigal, Jane. “Gaming and Productivity.” YouTube, uploaded by Big Think, 3 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdzy9bWW3E. "University of Southern Maine: Campus Life." BigFuture, The College Board, 2016, https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/university-of-southern-maine. Accessed 28 Aug. 2016. Citation Checklists Works Cited
Citation: Needs Meets Exceeds Simple Citation Skills Quotation marks hug either side of word-for-word quotes & face inward Quotes text exactly as it is in the original Sets up (introduces) quotes; set up is not awkward Includes parentheticals after direct quotes, AND after paraphrased evidence Space between quotation marks and parenthetical Removes end periods within direct quotes, and then places the proper punctuation after the parenthetical Uses block quote for quotations over four lines Knows Works Cited appearance rules: Starts at top of page (avoids too many returns) Center, capitalize, & use plain font Work Cited (1 source) or Works Cited (2+ sources) Use left-align and hanging indent Alphabetize Works Cited entries Advanced Citation Skills Triple quotes when people are speaking aloud (the inner marks are single, outer marks are double) Knows how and when to change text w/ brackets and shows missing text with a bracketed ellipsis Knows when to flow into a quote, use a comma, or use a colon. Formats parentheticals correctly: chooses correct keyword from Work Cited entry and formats it as it appears in the entry; does not include a comma Includes the correct information in the parenthetical Leaves ! and ? at the end of direct quotes Formats block quoting properly: tabs in twice, no quotation marks around the block quote, leaves end punctuation as it was in the source Works Cited entries are formatted properly, complete, in the right order, and accurate/correct. Proofreading: Needs Meets Exceeds Commas Advanced Punctuation (colons, semicolons, hyphens, dashes, parenthesis, and ellipsis) Run-Ons (avoids comma splices & uses compound sentence commas) Pronouns (agree with antecedent / are not vague) Correct Tense (present tense for literary criticism) Possessives / Plurals Style (no contractions; stays in 3rd person; not vague, wishy-washy, or colloquial; correct & precise word choices; wording not awkward; not wordy or repetitive) Spelling & Homonyms Capitalization Typos Passive Voice Subject-Verb Agreement Fragments Parallel Structure Dangling / Misplaced Modifiers
also in the second place again in addition even more next further last, lastly finally besides and, or, nor first second, secondly, etc. Time while immediately never after later, earlier always when soon whenever meanwhile sometimes in the meantime during afterwards now, until now next following once then at length simultaneously so far this time subsequently Exemplification or Illustration to illustrate to demonstrate specifically for instance as an illustration e.g., (for example) for example Comparison in the same way by the same token similarly in like manner likewise in similar fashion Contrast yet and yet nevertheless nonetheless after all but however though otherwise on the contrary in contrast notwithstanding on the other hand at the same time Summary/Conclusion to summarize in sum in brief to sum up in short in summary in conclusion to conclude finally Tone and Mood Words List Tone: the author’s attitude toward his/her subject
Optimistic Affectionate/Adoring/Admiring Approving/ Complimentary Passionate/Fervent (very enthusiastic) Happy/Elated Jovial/Mirthful Exhilarated Celebratory Compassionate/Sympathetic Thoughtful/Introspective/Reflective Sincere (honest, earnest, straight-forward) Serious Polite Objective/Impartial (unbiased, Urgent (insistent, very serious, the issue is crucial) Intimate (sharing very personal/private information) Didactic (trying to teach something) Speculative/Questioning Scholarly Imaginative (fanciful and creative) Frank/Direct (matter-of-fact, Indifferent (not caring, disconnected) Pedantic/Pretentious Sarcastic Accusatory (blaming someone) Angry/Indignant/Outraged Blunt/Harsh Nervous/Frightened/Uneasy Insensitive (not sensitive to other’s feelings) Critical (finding fault) Doubting/Incredulous Mocking (making fun of) Self-Deprecating Gloomy/Depressed/Melancholy/Miserable Mournful Desperate Judgmental Malicious (mean and hurtful) Condescending/Patronizing (acting as though others are inferior or stupid) Pessimistic/Cynical (very negative, hopeless) Mood: how the text is supposed to make the reader feel amused awed calm cheerful contemplative empowered enthralled excited exhilarated giddy hopeful joyous jubilant liberated/freed light-hearted mellow nostalgic optimistic peaceful refreshed relaxed relieved satisfied sentimental surprised sympathetic thankful thoughtful touched anxious cynical discontented distressed dreary exhausted fatalistic gloomy haunting heartbroken hopeless hostile infuriated intimidated irritated lonely melancholic moody morose nauseated/sick nervous numb overwhelmed painful pessimistic restless scared serious/somber suspenseful tense terrifying threatening uncomfortable Google Search Tips Use single words or phrases. Do NOT write out sentences/questions.
appendix author bibliography brackets c. or ca. (circa) cite/citation copyright/copyrighted document e.g. (exempli gratia) editor ellipsis et. al. (et alia) glossary i.e. (id est) ibid. (ibidem) index in-text citation MLA outline pagination paraphrase parenthetical
periodical plagiarism preface prefatory publication quotation/quote reference research subtitle summary synthesize table of contents thesis statement title page translator works cited Evaluation Form for Web Sources URL: Author(s) -- if missing, skip this box Webpage/Article Name Website
Publisher/Sponsor –find down at bottom of webpage Date Created – or copyright date if missing Date of Access Should one trust the author/publisher? YES / NO The author’s name is visible. If there is no author, the publisher is well known and respected. The publisher’s name is usually at the bottom of the page by a copyright symbol; you can also use to find the publisher (it will be labeled “Registrant Org”) The author is an expert in the field. Check this by reading the author information at the bottom or top of the article, in the “About” section of the website, or through Google or Wikipedia. Is this website respectable? YES / NO This website does not have too many ads, “click-bait” titles, or links that go to baloney like stuff, celebrity gossip, or mindless top-ten lists. This article is NOT a slide-show article. This website looks professional and grown-up. The writing does not contain stupid mistakes, and the language is serious and mature. This site is easy to use without ads or popups getting in the way. Is the article informative, not just opinion? YES / NO Does the author cite his or her sources through links within the article or citations at the bottom? Is the article filled with facts, statistics, and expert opinions? Basic Speaking and Reading Guidelines Speed: Most people speed up when they are nervous. Before you go, relax by taking deep breaths and imagining yourself doing a great job. Speak or read so everyone can follow and understand; this should be a little slower than you normally talk. Pause at appropriate times in your speech. Before and after each “paragraph” = good times to pause. Pauses can also help show the importance of specific words or ideas. When you practice alone, your time should be somewhat longer than your goal – you will speed up a little.
does not require footnotes or endnotes and is easier to write, it may interfere with how smoothly your work reads. Both styles require a "Works Cited" page at the end of the paper. With so many different citation styles, how do you know which one is right for your paper? Ask your instructor! There are several factors determining the appropriate citation style, including the type of class, the academic expectations, and the teacher’s preferences. See below for a break down by the type of paper or class… MLA APA Chicago English Language and Literature Literary Criticism and Comparative Literature Art History Philosophy Music Religion Foreign Language and Literatures Cultural Studies Social Sciences: Psychology Linguistics Sociology Economics Criminology Education Business Nursing Engineering History Physical Sciences Natural Sciences Comparison and Contrast of MLA and APA Styles MLA Similarities APA Used in humanities Double-spaced Reverse indentation Citation page at end of paper Used in social studies Citation page is called “Works Cited”. All sources used in the paper MUST be listed in the citation page. Citation page is called “References”. The author’s name in the Works Cited entry is last name, first name. Smith, Jayson All ideas, information, numbers, statistics, facts, or wording taken from any source other than the writer MUST be cited. The author’s name in the References entry is last name, first initial. Smith, J. (2005) If the author’s name is already given in the sentence, only the page number is placed parenthetically. In both citation styles, if the author’s name is not given, the title of the source should be used in the parenthetical reference. If the author’s name is already given in the sentence, the year of publication is placed parenthetically after the author’s name.