Documentation
An essential part of the research process is documenting the sources you have used. When you include someone else's ideas or exact words, you must cite and document those words or ideas. Most college instructors will require you to document your sources in a formal manner. At Carroll Community College, we use either the MLA (Modern Language Association) style or the APA (American Psychological Association) style of documentation. There are two key aspects of documentation - in-text citation and the Works Cited or Reference list.
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In the body of your essay, when you quote or paraphrase an author's ideas, you will need to insert what is called an in-text or parenthetical citation. Frequently, in-text citations are preceded by a signal phrase. A signal phrase indicates to the reader that the idea recorded in your paper belongs to someone else. Here are some examples of signal phrases and in-text citations in the MLA format:
Robert Frost once said, "I'd just as much assume playing tennis without a net, as writing free verse" (89).
In Sophocles' Antigone, Creon represents the state through both his actions and his words (Miller 33).
According to Lillian Schanfield, Shakespeare's places do not represent those cities or societies so much as comment on Elizabethan England (66).
In the first example, note that only the page number is included in the parenthesis after the quote because the author's name is mentioned in the signal phrase.
In the second example, the author's name appears in the parenthesis because his name was not included in a signal phrase.
In the third example, the signal phrase indicates the author of the source article and the page number of the journal appears in parenthesis.
Paraphrasing and quoting other's ideas and words can be tricky. It is essential, however, to avoid plagiarism by correctly citing and documenting your sources.
With direct quotes, the important thing is to remember to include quotation marks around the exact words used and to include the correct author and page (if needed) in the parenthesis. If the original source is an online source, the author may be the title of the web page without a page. Electronic sources vary depending on the original source used. You may need to consult a style manual or Library style guide for examples to follow.
Paraphrasing is a challenge. To paraphrase correctly you need to capture the original author's ideas without repeating exactly or even nearly the words used. To paraphrase, you need to use different words and sentence structure as well as your own insight. As with direct quotes, you will also need to include an in-text, parenthetical citation. Generally, the author's name and the page number need to be included in the parenthesis.
For a humorous yet informative video from Rutgers University, view this 3 part series
(but turn your volume DOWN first - it is very loud) Rutgers Plagiarism videos
The second key element of documentation is the list of sources you have used in writing your paper. This list is called Works Cited in the MLA style or References in the APA style. The format is different depending on the style your instructor requires.
The Works Cited or References list is an alphabetical listing with detailed descriptive information about all the sources both print and electronic you have used in your essay.
For every possible type of source used in research, there is a corresponding way to document it. Books, journal articles, web sites, newspaper articles, television shows, films, email, etc. all have a different format for documentation.
To see what a complete Works Cited page looks like, scroll to the end of this sample MLA research paper.
An APA research paper uses the term References to describe the same concept. Scroll to the end of this APA paper to see
the References page.
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Works Cited
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The Library provides a number of online style guides and print style manuals which should help in developing your Works Cited or References lists. The following are examples of Works Cited / References entries for some of the commonly used resources. Developing your Works Cited or References lists is a complicated process as you can see below. Be sure to keep track of which sources you have used in your research and the key identifying information for each source.
Print Sources:
Book by a single author - APA style
Author's name (last name, initial(s)) (year). Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher.
Hook, L. (2003). The digital divide: A brief history. New York: Tapestry.
Books by unknown author - MLA style
Title of Book. (Alphabetize entry by the first word of the title skipping "A", "An", or "The".) Edition number (if any). Place of publication: Publisher, year.
Smyth World Atlas. 5th ed. New York: Ottawa House, 2003.
Documenting online, electronic sources presents some unique challenges. It may be difficult to identify the author, web page organization, or even web page title. Use the style guides on the Library's home page or ask assistance from a librarian.
Online Sources:
Web Site with an author or authors - MLA style:
Author/editor/creator. "Document Title." Web Site Title. Copyright date or last update. Name of organization
associated with the site. Access date <URL>.
Stambaugh, Larry, and Angeline Davies. "Scribe Statues." Ancient Egyptian Art. Art Research Institute. 31
July 2007 <http://www.ari.org/egypt/scribes.asp>.
Journal article from an online database - MLA style:
Author. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume number.Issue number (Year): Number of pages/paragraphs or
page range (if given). Name of Database. Database company. Name and location of library. Access date <URL>.
Fair, Eleanor Jane, et al. "Native American Art: Historical Perspectives." Art in America 90.6 (2006): 35.
AcademicOneFile. Thomson Gale. Carroll Community Coll. Lib., Westminster, MD. 12 Jan. 2007
<http://find.galegroup.com>.
(Note that long URLs may be shortened after the main domain address.)
The Library also provides access to an online documentation tool called NoodleBib. Noodlebib will prompt you for the pieces of information about the sources you have used. Through a series of screens, you will make selections and decisions about these sources. Once all the pertinent information has been entered, NoodleBib will format the Works Cited or References list for you.
You can access NoodleBib from the Library home page under "Citing and Evaluating Sources." The first time you use Noodlebib, you will need to register and create a personal ID. Look for the following:
