How Do I Cite Sources?
When doing ANYTHING with information you didn't make yourself, you have to say where it came form. Learn how to do it correctly.
Anatomy of the MLA Format
Google Citations work within a Google Doc, and they are excellent for organizing and saving your sources, in-text citations, and creating a quick Works Cited page at the end of your paper. This is an especially good option for saving your work over multiple sessions while writing longer assignments.
EasyBib.com is a website that will help guide you through the process of making an MLA citation for your sources. It can be a little tricky to use, and there may be a lot of ads, but is definitely helpful because you won't have to remember all of the different rules on your own.
Full Citations
These contain all of the necessary information about a source that you used and are included in a bibliography or works-cited page at the end of a larger work (like an essay or presentation). They let your readers know exactly where you found all of the information you found in your research
Book
Website
www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/. Accessed 10 May 2006.
Article in an online database
These are a shorthand for full citations. They are used within the text of a paper or a presentation so that your reader knows that you are quoting or paraphrasing the work of someone else. In-text citations should contain just enough information so that your reader can find the source if they look in your bibliography, but not so much that it makes your work difficult to read.
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You can reference a source in the text of your essay, and include the page number where necessary in parentheses. For example:
As Howard Zinn points out in his book, A People's History of the United States, "when the war in Mexico began, New York workingmen called a meeting to oppose the war." (159)
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Alternatively, you can provide a parenthetical citation with the author's last name and the page number the quotation comes from:
"When the war in Mexico began, New York workingmen called a meeting to oppose the war." (Zinn, 159)
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You must use either method of in-text citation even if you are paraphrasing the source and not directly quoting it!
The Purdue OWL is a resource from Purdue University that provides free, easily understood information about how and when to cite virtually any kind of source. Use the headings on the left side of the page to help you find the types of citation (and examples!) that you need.