All sources cited in the paper appear on the works cited page. (Cross reference this very carefully. If you cited an author or work that isn’t on your list of works cited, you must add an entry for that source.)

Every direct quotation is followed by parenthetical documentation. (Place the in-text citation where a pause naturally occurs in the sentence, which is usually at the end. If necessary to clarify what is being cited, the citation may be within a sentence.)

Every paraphrase or summary that is not common knowledge has an in-text citation. (Consecutive paraphrased or summarized sentences from the same source can be grouped together with one citation IF they come from the same or nearby pages in a print source or from the same online source. If, however, a direct quotation appears anywhere in those sentences, you must stop and cite it.)

Every paragraph (except perhaps the introduction and conclusion) has at least one citation. (A lone citation is usually at the end of a paragraph.)

The first word inside the citation’s parentheses is the word used to alphabetize that source on the works cited page (author’s name or first word from the title); it is followed by a space and the page number(s), if applicable.

If the author’s name (or title by which the source is alphabetized on the works cited page) already appears in the sentence you’re citing, the parenthetical documentation only contains a page number if the source is paginated.

If the citation begins with the first word or two of a title instead of an author’s name, be sure the word(s) from the title exactly matches the entry on the works cited page. The same rule goes for formatting (i.e., quotation marks or italics used in a source.)

All citations are before the sentence’s end punctuation EXCEPT in the case of block quotations. (When it is necessary for clarity’s sake to put an in-text citation within a sentence instead of at the end, put the citation before interior punctuation like commas, semicolons, or colons.)

Use quotation marks around the titles of articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Also use quotation marks for the titles of short stories, book chapters, poems, and songs.

Every entry for a works cited page includes the medium for the information (print, Internet, television, CD, radio, e-mail, performance, lecture, DVD, film, etc.)