Formatting
a Click here for Science Citation formats. DOCUMENTING SOURCES Whenever you use another’s words, facts,
or ideas – whether as a direct quote or paraphrased into your own words - you
must cite the source. This allows you to avoid plagiarism, while enabling the
reader of your work to verify or follow up on your research. The most practical
way to supply this information is to insert a brief parenthetical
acknowledgement within the body of your text. Each of these in-text references
must point clearly to a specific citation that appears in a Works Cited list at
the end of your paper. It is easiest to draft your
Works Cited list in advance, so you will know what information to put in your
parenthetical citations. CREATING PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS Here are the rules you
must follow: 1.
The in-text reference must match the beginning of the full Works Cited citation
exactly, so your reader will know which source in the Works Cited list you used
for that section of text. 2. A
parenthetical reference consists of the author’s last name (or the
beginning of a title that has no author) and a page
number (for print sources), with no punctuation between them. (Provide
enough information to get the reader to proper place in the Works Cited.) e.g.:
(Doctorow 23).
3.
A parenthetical citation always goes OUTSIDE OF A QUOTATION and usually BEFORE A
PUNCTUATION MARK, such as a period (see example above). However, it goes after the period at the end
of a block quote (See 13., below).
e.g.: (direct quote): ...despite all we know" (Jones 81). 4.
Use one citation at the end of a long section of
material that comes from one source and the same page. Do not cite at the end of
each sentence. For a consecutive reference to the same source, but a
different page, use the new page number only in the citation. 5.
For the sake of variety, and to avoid long citations, place reference
information, such as the author’s name, in a previewing sentence or signal
phrase. The following parenthetical citation includes a page number only. e.g.:
In his recent study, Peter Brown states that
… (23). 6.
For electronic sources, include author’s last name only, or the beginning of
the page title if there is no author. Do not use page numbers from a printout. 7.
For title entries, be sure to italicize or use quotation marks, just as in the
Works Cited.
e.g.: (Mr. Lincoln
23). 8.
When there is more than one work by the same author, include author’s last
name, comma, abbreviated title and page number (for print sources) with no punctuation between.
e.g.:
(Brown, Mr. Lincoln 23). 9.
When the Works Cited list includes two authors with
same last name, include the author’s first and last name within the body of
your text, or add the author's first initial to the parenthetical citation. e.g.:
(P. Brown 23). 10.
If a single source has two authors, include last
names of both authors within the body of your text or in the parenthetical
citation. For three or more authors, include the first author’s last name
followed by “et al.” e.g.:
(Brown and Smith 23). e.g.:
(Brown,
et al. 23). 11.
When citing a source quoted within another source, include the author of
the words as “qtd. in” the author of source. e.g.: (Brown qtd. in Smith 23). 12. When citing two sources in a single parenthetical reference, cite them as you normally would and place a semicolon between them.
13. When a direct quote (or a poem) takes more than four lines of text in a research paper, format it as a block quote. To do this:
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