Parenthetical Citations What is a parenthetical citation? Documenting The Research Paper MLA Style Guideline In a research paper parenthetical citations give the source information in parenthesis following any information that needs to be documented. Generally, any information that is not common knowledge and comes from the result of research should be parenthetically cited. There are two different styles for citing resources used in a research paper, MLA and APA. The style being discussed in this handout is MLA, The Modern Language Association style guideline. Several sites are online that provide a more detailed explanation for how to insert the citation and how to document the citation on the Works Cited page. Three very good sites include the following: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html http://www.aresearchguide.com/9parenth.html http://www.powa.org/document/whattodoc.html What should you cite? 1. Use a reference citation to identify the source of all material that has been directly quoted. (Strong writers keep direct quotations to a minimum.) Include as few direct quotations from outside sources as possible, and keep them as short as possible. Quote directly only when the exact wording of your source is vital to understanding the point or when your source has said something especially eloquent or memorable. Otherwise, paraphrase the ideas, or summarize the relevant points. When you use a direct quotation, as when you paraphrase or summarize, introduce it with a running acknowledgment, as in the following example: This view is clarified by Fritjof Capra, who points out that "once it is seen to be a form of energy, mass is no longer required to be indestructible, but can be translated into other forms of energy" (187). Here, the writer was especially interested in Capra's use of "translated" and so decided to quote the passage exactly.
2 2. Use a reference citation to identify the source of material that has been paraphrased or summarized. Even when you don't quote directly but change your source's wording and restate the ideas in your own language, you should document your source. You should also document your brief summary of the main points of someone else's longer discussion. Again, as with direct quotation, introduce summarized or paraphrased material with a running acknowledgment. Jung believes that one of religion's major functions is to present humanity with a source of allegiance that transcends any individual social or political system. Belief systems that do not reach beyond their immediate socio-political contexts, he refers to as mere creeds (29-31). -or- According to Erich Fromm, it is through the act of giving that we experience our fullest strength and potency (19). The first example summarizes the relevant points of a two-page discussion in a few sentences. The second rephrases the main idea from a brief passage and blends it smoothly into the writer's own style. Both examples, however, acknowledge the sources of their concepts. 3. Use a reference citation to direct your reader to important background information. If a full appreciation of the point you're making depends on familiarity with another person's work, use a note to direct your readers to that material. Let them see the intellectual foundation on which your essay is built. One persuasive argument supporting this view of Satan has been offered by C. S. Lewis (203). 4. Do not use a reference citation to document information that is common knowledge, even though you found that information in a specific source. If a piece of information is generally known and acknowledged to be true, you don't need to provide documentation, even though the information is new to you: When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England.
3 5. Types of information to cite: Statistics and data Direct quotes Summaries or paraphrases of specific information Professional explanations Information from reports, charts, surveys, interviews, etc. How to document the citations: 1. Place the parenthesis as close as possible to the end of the information being cited. 2. Locate the parenthesis at the end of the sentence, but inside the period, end mark. Example: Four out of every ten Americans vote in non-presidential election years (Smith 26). 3. When the citation follows a quote, place the parenthesis after the quotation mark, but before the period. Example: Dr. Jankowski explained in Lung Cancer, The Silent Killer, Women are more susceptible to lung cancer than men by 45% (Thompson 28). 4. For quotes that are more than four lines long, block and indent. But, continue to double space. Place the citation after the period. Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Brontë 78)
4 5. What to put in the citation? 5.1 Typically the author s last name and the page number that locates the info. (Jones 17). 5.2 If the author s name is used to lead into the info, then only the page number goes into the parenthetical citation: (17). 5.3 If there is no author, then a shortened form of the title goes with the page number: How do I put together the Works Cited page? (Lung Cancer 19) Only resources connected to the parenthetical citations should appear on this page. The Bibliography Page/Works Cited 1.0 What is it? 1.1 A list of resources used in the research essay. 1.2 Every source cited in the essay must be listed on the bibliography page. 1.3 List the sources alphabetically according to the author s last name. If there is no author, list the source alphabetically by the title. 2.0 How is the information listed? 2.1 Alphabetically by the author s last name or the title of the source. 2.2 The information in the entry should be listed in the following order: 2.3 The first line starts at the left margin. All other lines are indented by tabbing. 2.4 Double Space all lines.
5 Magazine/Newspaper article: Author s name. Title of the article. Title of the magazine Date: page number. Jones, Eileen. Save the Whales. Newsweek 5 Aug. 1995: 12-15. Book/pamphlet: Author. Title. Place of publication: publisher, date, page numbers. Grisham, John. A Time To Kill. Philadelphia: Harcourt Bracewell, 1992: 24-125. United States Dept. of Education. Five Facts You Need To Know About Your Schools. Baltimore, MD: DPE, 2001: 12-25. Personal Interview: Interviewee s name. Personal Interview. Date. Kathleen Faulk, Dane County Supervisor. Personal Interview. 29 Jan. 1996. Encyclopedia: Article name. Book name. Volume number, date. Orca Whales. Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 17, 1996. Article from an electronic database: In general: original publishing info, plus info from web location. Author s name. Article title. Source Title, Date, page # s. Name of the database Service Name, Name of institution affiliated with the site including the library name. Date of access. <electronic address of the service>.
6 Jones, Samantha. Volcanoes. Miami Herald. 14 Aug. 1995, 13-14. Social Issues Resources. Waunakee Community School District High School Library 10 Nov. 2004 <http://researcher.sirs.com>. Internet Resource: Author. Title. Name of the page. Date of posting, Name of institution affiliated with the site. Date of access <electronic address> DiStanfana, Vince. Guidelines For Better Writing. 9 Nov. 1999, The Modern Language Association. 10 Sept. 2001 <http://www.usa.net/~vinced/home/better writing.html>. A lecture or a speech: To cite a lecture or a speech, "give the speaker's name, the title of the lecture or speech (if known) in quotation marks, the meeting and the sponsoring organization (if applicable), the location [including place and city, if available], and the date. If there is no title, use an appropriate descriptive label (e.g., Lecture, Address, Keynote speech), neither underlined nor enclosed in quotation marks" (MLA Handbook, 206). Harris, Muriel. "Writing Labs: A Short History." 2003 Writing Center Conference. National Writing Centers Association. La Swank Hotel, Seattle. 28 March 2003. Advertisement Lufthansa. Advertisement. Time 20 Nov. 2000: 151. Television or radio program "The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998.
7 Sample MLA Bibliography Works Cited Burroughs, Williams. Understanding Lasers. New York: Warwick. 1984. Hecht, Jeff, and Dick Tersis. Lasers: Supertool of the 90's. New Haven: Ticknor, Inc. 1990. Hanson, Dave. Lasers, Pathway To Tomorrow. Mar. 1999. National Science Foundation. University of North Carolina. Aug. 2000 <http://www.usa.net.sciencenet.uncedu.com>. Lanesco, Hansel. Breaking For the Light. National Science Monthly 10 Mar. 2000. Lexis- Nexis. Waunakee Community School District LMTC. 22 Nov. 2001 < http://web.lexisnexis.com/scholastic> Jacobs, Nadeline. The Light Fantastic. Science News 15 Dec. 1999: 23-25. Mauer, John, and Peter Steponovich. Harnessing the Light, a Key to the Future. New Horizons. 17 Sept. 2000: 31-35. Potter, Jenna. Lasers. Encarta. CD-Rom. Seattle: Microsoft, 1999. Zarley, Craig. Lasers Join the Medical Forces. Esquire Sept. 1999: 268-273. Social Issues Resources. Waunakee Community School District H.S. LMTC. 11 Nov. 2001 <http://researcher.sirs.com>.