Using Citations and Choosing the Method
Before you check your citations carefully, let’s quickly review why you have to cite sources in the first place and which documentation method you should be using. Properly citing sources
- strengthens your writing because it shows that you have researched and integrated your findings into your own argument or examples;
- shows that you are aware of other people’s positions on the topic, whether or not they agree with yours;
- demonstrates your integrity as a writer because you have given credit for ideas and arguments to those who came up with them; and
- helps prevent you from being accused of plagiarism.
It would be simpler if there were only one way to document sources, but that’s not the case. Numerous style manuals abound and each has its own method. Different areas of academic study use the style guide that best meets the requirements of their discipline. In most English classes, the manual of choice is the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Don’t be confused by the word “research” in the title. MLA documentation style is applicable to all types of English assignments that call for outside sources, and many teachers want students to use MLA formatting for all their English papers.
In MLA style, citation is a combination of parenthetical documentation (in-text citation) and corresponding, detailed entries about sources in the list of works cited. Keep in mind that MLA uses a works cited page instead of a bibliography. Both contain the list of sources cited in your paper; however the bibliography sometimes contains a list of sources you’ve consulted but not necessarily cited in your paper.
