Written & Presented by: Michael Frizell, Director MichaelFrizell@MissouriState

1. Documentation,MLA StyleA guide to in-text and reference citation methods.Modern Language Association (MLA) Written & Presented by: Michael Frizell, Director MichaelFrizell@MissouriState.edu

2. Sources GENERAL RULE: • Ideally, no more than 25 percent of your paper should be direct quotations. • Paraphrase as much as you can. • Use direct quotations when citing a statistic or original theory • Use author's words if they capture a point exactly.

3. When to Give Your Source… You must acknowledge in your paper the source of • A direct quotation • A statistic • An idea • Someone else’s opinion • Concrete facts not considered “common knowledge” • Information not commonly known • Information taken from the computer (CD ROMS, internet, etc.) • Illustrations, photographs, or charts – if not yours Source: Silverman, Jay, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Weinbroer. Rules of Thumb: A Guide for Writers. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002.

4. Paraphrasing and Summarizing You must still acknowledge your source if you… Paraphrase: • Put someone else’s ideas into your own words Summarize: • Condense someone else’s words or ideas

5. Parenthetical Citations:Author & Page Number (Keeling 125) • Notice there is no “p” and no comma. The struggle for identity is common during puberty (Keeling 125).

6. WORKS CITED • List only those sources that you actually used. • List the complete title of the article, essay, or book. • Alphabetize your list by authors’ last names or the first main word in a title. • Online sources usually follow the print format followed by the URL <URL>. (journals, newspapers, magazines, abstracts, books, reviews, scholarly projects or databases, etc.). • Format – • Author’s last name first • Double-space • Left Margin • Indent second and third lines five spaces • Most item separated by periods – leave one space after ending punctuation. • Place a period at the end of each entry.

7. THANK YOU! Michael Frizell, Director FOR MORE INFORMATION: • MichaelFrizell@MissouriState.edu • www.missouristate.edu/writingcenter

8. Evaluating Web Sites It Looks Lovely, But Is It True? designed, compiled by and mostly written by v guarino

9. The Internut As the internet becomes a more common mode of sharing information, and as the number of sites grows exponentially, you will need to distinguish fact from fiction. After all, anyone can post messages. Anyone can create a website. Anyone can pretend to be someone else. Anyone can try to mislead you.

10. Checklist for Information Quality CARS is an acronym for . . . Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, and Support CARS

11. Credibility Credibility merely means that an author of a web site has credentials that prove he or she is knowledgeable in a field. After all, you don’t want information about your health provided by an electrician in Ohio who enjoys reading health guides during his lunch breaks! Thus, when you arrive at a site, you should ask several important questions that will help you assess the credibility of the site.

12. Accuracy Accuracy merely means that the information offered at a site is correct and supported by other reputable sources. If a site is inaccurate, its intention may be to mislead you. Thus, when you arrive at a site, you should ask several important questions that will help you assess the accuracy of the site.

13. Reasonableness Reasonableness merely means that the information, data, tone, argument and perspective offered at a site are judicious and reasonable. Remember, your goal is to avoid the odd and unreasonable world of the Internut Thus, when you arrive at a site, you should ask several important questions that will help you assess the reasonableness of the site.

14. Support Support merely means that the site is sponsored by accredited institutions, and that the author is closely affiliated with major, respected organizations. Another meaning of support is that the points made at the site are supported by evidence. Thus, when you arrive at a site, you should ask several important questions that will help you assess the support of the site.

15. A Special Thanks . . . The following sites offered a wealth of information about criteria and CARS: Vanguard University of Southern California at sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/evalu8it.htm Susan Beck’s site at lib.nmsu.edu/staff/susabeck/evalcrit.html Don’t forget the REVIEW section two slides ahead! We hope this helps you develop a critical eye!