How to Document Sources for Research Papers

Why is Proper Citation Important to Both Readers and Writers?

Oct 6, 2009

Many writers of research papers plagiarize sources not for wanting credit for original ideas, but because they are unclear on how to use proper referencing techniques

Plagiarism

Authors want others to use their work as an enhancement tool, but they also need to receive the proper acknowledgement. According to Webster’s New Students Dictionary, to plagiarize is to steal and pass off as one’s own the work of another. It happens too often among students who write research papers. To appropriately recognize the work of an author in one’s own work, the writer must understand how to document sources.

MLA Style

To successfully write research papers in the Humanities, which include the subjects of history, English, philosophy, religion and political science, one must use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. The key to using MLA is mastering “in-text citation.” There are generally two ways to use it. One is the “introductory method” or what Diana Hacker calls “the signal phrase” (334). The writer introduces the author followed by a quote (or paraphrase) and the page number. For example: According to Diana Hacker, “using the signal phrase is effective” (107).

The other method of MLA in-text citation is parenthetical citation.The writer paraphrases (or quotes) the author’s words and then, within parentheses, writes the author’s name and the page number of the source, usually at the end of the paragraph. For example: The Dogon priests of the Mali Empire in West Africa understood the concept of planetary motion as early as 1250 CE. There is a great deal of evidence indicating that they learned these ideas from the Ancient Ghanaians (Richardson 25).

Paraphrasing

To paraphrase means to simplify, summarize or condense the author’s material. A writer must develop the skill of applying his or her own words to the author’s information to interpret its meaning. In other words, the writer should be able to explain the author’s work without using the author’s words. Diana Hacker suggests that an excellent method for developing the skill of paraphrasing is to summarize the work without looking at it only after a thorough examination of the source (334).

APA Style

The type of documentation used for social science papers, including psychology, education and sociology is the American Psychological Association (APA) technique. The writer may use the same two in-text citation methods described above for MLA, but the APA style requires more information. When using the signal phrase, for example, the writer must cite the author’s last name and date of publication. At the end of the quote (or paraphrase), the writer places the letter “p.” in front of a period before citing the page number. For example: Brooks (2008) says “John Locke’s clean slate theory came from studying Aristotle’s ideas on child development” (p. 390).

As for parenthetical citation in the APA style, whether paraphrasing or using a direct quote, the writer must cite the author’s last name, date of publication, the letter “p.” in front of a period and the page number. Similar to the MLA style, the citation usually goes at the end of a paragraph. For example: According to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the five approaches to teaching social studies in elementary schools are child-centered, social/history, reflective-inquiry, action/justice and citizenship transmission (Chapin, 2006, p. 5).

Internet Sources

To document an Internet source, one must follow the general rules of MLA and APA in-text citation. To use Internet sources for MLA documentation, the writer must cite “the author’s name, title, and publication information” (Gilbaldi 208). If there is neither an author nor a date for the Internet article, use the title. If none of the above exists, use the Website’s address unless there’s a specific URL to cite that will locate the information. Use the same procedure for the APA style, but add the extra information such as the date and page number.

Works Cited

For MLA papers, the writer starts a new page, centers Works Cited, skips a couple of lines and begins to list the sources in alphabetical order on the left margin. Upon entering the author’s name, title of work, city and date of publication, if the entry runs to the next line, it gets indented. For example:

The APA list of works is similar with the exception of not underscoring the title and only using the initial of the author’s first name. For example:

Sources:

The copyright of the article How to Document Sources for Research Papers in Academic Writing is owned by William Cook. Permission to republish How to Document Sources for Research Papers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.