Essay Sources

Essay Sources

A. Wright

Integrating source information into your outline works best if you have already developed an argument and some reasons for why it is true. These sources are to help you prove your reasons and argument.

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You have three methods of conveying source information to your audience and you should use a variety of each to support your argument. Using on one type of integration becomes repetitive and predictable.

 

Summarizing 

A good summary never includes a sentence by sentence following of the writing in the source. Instead, it is an overall condensation of the the main ideas of information in the source in your own words.

 

Paraphrasing 

A paraphrase conveys sentence level information from the source in your own words. Thus, it should not be used to convey large amounts of information. A paraphrase must also follow the correct format (Links to an external site.) in order for the paraphrase to be successful and for it not to be plagiarism.

 

Quoting (Links to an external site.)

A successful quote includes an introduction to the quoted information that tells who said or wrote it and possibly where it was located, quotation marks around any and ALL exact language from the original source, an in-text citation in parentheses that includes any further information about

​the location of the quoted material. Even short phrases quoted or one-word quotations need quotation marks. Furthermore, you must make sure that both short and one-word quotations and full-sentence quotations fit seamlessly into your own sentences . Finally, you must properly indent and format long quotations  to set them off from the rest of the writing.

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​Many beginning writers make the mistake of quoting too much and end up losing their voices to their source material, so you want to be careful to keep your quotations to a minimum. As mentioned, paraphrasing and summarizing are good ways to integrate your research, allowing you to keep more of your voice in your writing. However, when you do need to share a quotation from a source, you'll want to do it smoothly and effectively. In addition to thinking about the types of quotations you'll use, you should remember that it's not enough to put a good quotation into your paper. You'll want to anticipate questions your audience might have about two things:

1. Your source's credibility

2. Your source's relevance (Why is this quotation here?)

When you incorporate a quotation, at least the first time you use a source, you should provide some kind of signal phrase (set-up for your quote) that addresses the quote's credibility. You should address issues of relevance either before or after the quotation.

The important thing is to make sure you don't leave your audience wondering why a quotation has been used and / or if the source for the quotation is trustworthy.

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In-text citations are the first pieces of information that tell the reader why they can trust the evidence that supports the argument and where they can find the original source if they would like to read it or use it in their own writing. Yes, it sounds strange for anyone to want to read more academic writing than necessary, but that is one of the strange things about academic scholars: they read academic articles and sometimes enjoy it. The in-text citations make it possible for the reader to connect the evidence in the writing to the detailed original location listed on the works cited page.

 

When you quote or paraphrase a source, list the last name of the author, followed by the page number.

Example:

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According to some experts, Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert 11).

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​In-text citations are the first pieces of information that tell the reader why they can trust the evidence that supports the argument and where they can find the original source if they would like to read it or use it in their own writing. Yes, it sounds strange for anyone to want to read more academic writing than necessary, but that is one of the strange things about academic scholars: they read academic articles and sometimes enjoy it. The in-text citations make it possible for the reader to connect the evidence in the writing to the detailed original location listed on the works cited page.

 

One Author-​

When you quote or paraphrase a source, list the last name of the author, followed by the page number.

Example:

​According to some experts, Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert 11).

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​Two Authors-

Separate their last names with the word “and.” The authors’ names should be listed in the order they appear in the published work.

Example:

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Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert and Sennett 11).

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Three or More Authors-

If your source has three or more authors, you should include the first author’s name followed by et al.

Example:

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Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert et al. 11).

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Multiple Works by the Same Author-

If more than one work by an author is cited, include shortened titles for the works to distinguish them from each other.

Example if the author’s name is mentioned:

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Obama has argued that the invasion was a bad idea (“Too Soon” 42), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that it led to much good (“A Stronger Country” 13).

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Example if the author’s name is not mentioned in the sentence:

​Photography, because it is both science and art, seems to be “a bridge discipline” (Barthes, “Of Loss and Cameras” 45).

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Anonymous or Unknown Author-

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Use an abbreviated version of the work’s title if the author is unknown. If your title is a noun phrase, it should not be abbreviated. Example:

​An anonymous source claimed that the Iraq invasion was a bad idea from the beginning (“Bush Cannot Win” 104).

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No Page Numbers

​If a work, such as a website, does not include page numbers, then omit this portion of the in-text citation. Example:

​Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert).

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Some sources employ location indicators other than page numbers. For example, an ebook may include a numbering system different than page numbers. If your work is divided into stable sections, those sections may be cited.

​Example:

Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert, par. 4).

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Not only must you include the correct information for in-text citations, but you must also make sure that you punctuate that citation correctly. 

You must have opened and closed parentheses.

You must use quotation marks around the article titles inside the parentheses.

You must include only ONE period at the end of the parentheses, not before them.

You will NEVER include commas in MLA in-text citations.

You will never include p. or pg. in MLA in-text citations.

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Your explanations in your paragraphs must do three things:

 

Explain the evidence used to support the argument.

You cannot assume that your reader understands what your evidence says. Since you are not quoting or summarizing large passages of a source, the evidence you do give will not be in the proper context unless you explain that context. It is your job to make sure that your reader cannot in any way misunderstand the evidence you have used. It may take more than one sentence to explain your evidence, so do not assume that one sentence is enough.

 

Explain how the evidence supports the topic sentence or claim.

You have done all of the research on this topic and have been thinking about it for a long time. Your reader, however, has not done this research or thought about this topic. You cannot assume that your reader automatically understands the connections you intend between your evidence and the topic sentence or claim because your reader is not inside your head with you! You may sound repetitive as you make these connections, but that will mean that you are beginning to show all of your work, as our math friends say. This level of explanation is what your reader needs from you.

 

Explain how the evidence and topic sentences or claim supports the thesis.

Again, remember that your reader is not inside your head with you. You understand the reasons you give in your topic sentences or claims to be a true reason for why your thesis is true. However, you reader is not just to assume you are correct, and you cannot leave all of the work of divining an understanding to your reader. Make the definite connections between your evidence and your topic sentences or claims and your thesis by explaining how they fit together.

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Multiple Choice

You are quoting an article with page numbers. Which in-text citation is correct?

• Smith claims that "many students struggle with MLA citation" (Smith 14).

• Smith claims that "many students struggle with MLA citation" (14).

• Citing sources can be complicated, and "many students struggle with MLA citation" (14).

• Citing sources can be complicated, and "many students struggle with MLA citation" (Smith).

Multiple Choice

What information should MLA in-text citations include when possible? 

• Author's first name and page number

• Publication date and page number

• Author's last name and page number

• Author's first and last name

Multiple Choice

Which in-text citation is correct? 

• This point has been argued before (Frye 197). 

• This point has been argued before. (Frye 197). 

• This point has been argued before (Gleen Frye 197).

• This point has been argued before (Frye, 197). 

Multiple Choice

What kind of spacing should an MLA formatted paper have?

• Single

• Double

• 1.5

• Multiple

Multiple Choice

Why should students use MLA Format?

• To avoid plagiarism

• Because teachers say they should

• To make a paper harder

• Students shouldn't use it

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the page where you give credit to authors whose work you used in a paper?

• Reference Page

• Works Cited

• Bibliography 

• Sources

Multiple Choice

What goes in the upper right corner of a MLA formatted paper?

• Your full name

• The name of your professor

• The title of your essay

• Your last name and page number

Multiple Choice

You shouldn't use the author's last name in the citation if the author's name appears in text.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How is the Works Cited page arranged?

• Alphabetically, by title of the work

• Alphabetically, by the author's first name

• Alphabetically, by the author's last name

• By publication year

Multiple Choice

You do not need to include in-text citations when summarizing or paraphrasing information from an outside source. 

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What information do you include if there is no known author of a source? 

• Publication date

• Title of the source

• Publisher name

• You do not need to cite this source

Multiple Choice

You are quoting an article written by 2 authors. What is the correct in-text citation?

• The effects of climate change "will continue to become more evident over time" (Johnson and Smith 37).

• The effects of climate change "will continue to become more evident over time" (Edward, Johnson and Eric, Smith 37).

• The effects of climate change "will continue to become more evident over time" Johnson, et al. 37).

• The effects of climate change "will continue to become more evident over time" (Johnson & Smith).

Multiple Choice

Which in-text citation is correct?

• It has been said that "artificial intelligence is the future (Wood 5)."

• It has been said that "artificial intelligence is the future". (Wood 5).

• It has been said that "artificial intelligence is the future" (Wood 5).

Multiple Choice

You are citing an online article from Huffington Post titled "How A Vegan Diet Could Affect Your Child's Development". The article has no author. What is the correct in-text citation?

• Many vegan parents worry that veganism "might not give their growing child all of the nutrients they need" (Huffington Post).

• Many vegan parents worry that veganism "might not give their growing child all of the nutrients they need" ("Huffington Post").

• Many vegan parents worry that veganism "might not give their growing child all of the nutrients they need" ("How a Vegan Diet").

• Many vegan parents worry that veganism "might not give their growing child all of the nutrients they need" ("How a Vegan Diet Could Affect Your Child's Development").

• Many vegan parents worry that veganism "might not give their growing child all of the nutrients they need" ("How a Vegan Diet", Huffington Post).

Multiple Choice

What is the correct works cited entry for an article from an online database?

• Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.

• Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Web 27 May 2009.

• Langhamer, Claire, “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.

• Langhamer, Claire. Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England. Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Web 27 May 2009.

Multiple Choice

What is the correct works cited entry for a page on a website?

• Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.

• Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.

• Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.

• Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.

Multiple Choice

What is the correct works cited entry for a book?

• Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, New York, 1987.

• Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science, Penguin, 1987.

• Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.

• Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987. Print.

Multiple Choice

What is the correct works cited entry for a book with an editor?

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Edited by Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Edited by Smith, Margaret, Oxford UP, 1998.

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Smith, Margaret, Oxford UP, 1998.

Multiple Choice

If you are citing multiple works by the same author, how should the citations appear in your works cited?

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Penguin, 1990.

  ---. Villette. Penguin, 1995,

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Penguin, 1990.

  Bronte, Charlotte. Villette. Penguin, 1995.

• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre, 1990 and Villette, 1995. Penguin.

Multiple Choice

What is the correct way to format author names when there are 3 or more?

• Smith, Eric, et al.

• Eric Smith, et al.

• Smith, Eric, et. al.

• Eric Smith, et. al.

Multiple Choice

Every citation has two parts.  What are they?

• artwork and music
• exact words and quotations
• an author's exact words and the title of the book where they are found
• an in-text citation or reference and an MLA full citation on the Works Cited page.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT needed to cite a website?

• Author
• Company or Organization
• Date Posted
• Editor of Webpage

Multiple Choice

Create a works cited entry for the following information:
A book by Charles William Taussig, entitled Rum, Romance and Rebellion, which is printed in New York by Milton, Blach in 1928.

• -
• -

Multiple Choice

Which is the newest addition of MLA?

• MLA 5

• MLA 10

• MLA 8

• MLA 9

Multiple Choice

According to MLA 8, nothing in a works cited entry is underlined.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What is a DOI?

• Digital Object Indicator

• Digital Object Identifier

• Database Object Identifier

Multiple Choice

MLA 8 no longer reccommends the inclusion of URLs for web sources

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT an example of a container?

• A website

• An academic journal

• A publisher

• An encyclopedia

Multiple Choice

Containers are what?

• Underlined

• In quotations

• There is no special formatting for containers

• Italicized

Multiple Choice

When citing an article from an online database, should you use the URL or DOI in the citation?

• URL

• DOI

• Preferably DOI, but the URL can be used if the DOI is not provided