|
Documenting your sources is a two step project:
First, you must document all sources in the text of your paper. In other
words, every time you summarize, paraphrase, or quote a source, you need to
document that usage. Second, you need to document all sources in a Works
Cited page, or Bibliography.
Parenthetical References
Parenthetical references are the first part of
documenting sources. The MLA Handbook suggests that writers give
credit to sources in the body of the essay rather than in end notes.
According to MLA style, "you acknowledge your sources by keying brief
parenthetical citations in your text to an alphabetical list of works that
appears at the end of the paper. . . . A citation in MLA style contains
only enough information to enable readers to find the source in the works-cited
list. If the author's name is mentioned, only the page number appears in
the citation: '(197)' " (MLA Handbook, 114-115). If you do not
mention the author's name in the text, the citation should include the author's
name and page number: (Marcuse 197). If the source does not have an
author, such as a web page, move to the next best piece of information, such as
the title of the page or the site: ("Pearl Harbor Attack"). If
your Works Cited page includes a number of authorless sources with similar
titles, move to the site title: (Britannica Online).
There are so many rules here, that I would
recommend using a guide book such as Writers INC or the MLA Handbook,
both of which you can borrow from me.
Works Cited Page
The Works Cited page is the last thing included
with your final essay. It is an alphabetical listing of the sources you've
used in the paper. Simply transfer the information from your source cards
onto the Works Cited page in MLA format. Use the following tools to help
you:
- Bibliography Templates on the MLA
page of this site
- The Sample
Bibliography Entries page
- A guide book such as Writers INC or
the MLA Handbook, either of which you can borrow from me.
- The sample Works Cited page below
|
