Documenting Sources in a Research Essay

1. Documenting Sources in a Research Essay MLA

2. Can I use this source? YES: • Articles from a library database • Articles from a legitimate news agency • Articles from a government agency NO: • Wikipedia • Blogs • Websites published by individuals • Websites published by organizations with spurious agendas • Articles published by students or other unknown sources

3. Use SIGNAL PHRASESOr embed quotations grammatically • Never begin and end a sentence with quotation marks. The quotation must be integrated so that it blends smoothly into the surrounding sentences. According to Levine, “The number of foreign-born rose more or less steadily between 1890 and 1930 (from 9.2 million to 14.2 million), while declining slightly in relative terms from 14.8 percent of the total population to 11.6 percent” (6). Between 1890 and 1930, “The number of foreign-born rose more or less steadily” (Levine 6).

4. In-Text Citations • Citations must include the author’s last name and the page number of the original text (if not an html document). • Note: Online PDF documents will have page numbers. • If an HTML doc: According to Mears, “Arizona is the nation's most heavily traveled corridor for illegal immigration and smuggling.” As of 2012, “Arizona is the nation's most heavily traveled corridor for illegal immigration and smuggling” (Mears).

5. In-Text Citations • When there is no author, cite by the first word(s) of the article title. • If an HTML doc: One study concludes, “Immigrants integrate into U.S. society over time and they contribute to the U.S. economy” (“Pew Analysis”). • Works Cited: “Pew Analysis Highlights Immigrant Integration and Economic Contributions.” Immigration Policy Center. American Immigration Council. 2012. Web. 19 September 2012.

6. Long Quotations • If your quotation is MORE THAN FOUR LINES long when you type it into your paper, it must be set off one inch (tab twice) from the left margin. Orrenius and Zavodny explain: Immigration policy reform has reached an impasse because of disagreement over whether to create a pathway to legal permanent residence and eventual U.S. citizenship for unauthorized immigrants. The United States first—and last—offered a large-scale amnesty as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRGA) in 1986. Despite increased border enforcement and provisions for employer sanctions, the law failed to curtail unauthorized immigration. (85) Therefore, amnesty may not be a legitimate solution.

7. Elipses Original Text: Whether to offer a legalization program to unauthorized immigrants is ultimately a moral and political decision, but policymakers should also consider the economic implications of an amnesty. • Orrenius asserts that “…policymakers should also consider the economic implications of an amnesty” (86). • Orrenius claims, “Whether to offer a legalization program to unauthorized immigrants is ultimately a moral and political decision…” (86). • According to Orrenius, “Whether to offer a legalization program…is ultimately a moral and political decision, but policymakers should also consider the economic implications of an amnesty” (86).

8. Works Cited page • Sample Database Citation: Orrenius, Pia M., and Madeline Zavodny. "The Economic Consequences Of Amnesty For Unauthorized Immigrants." CATO Journal 32.1 (2012): 85-106. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. • List citations in alphabetical order • Entire page should be double-spaced

9. Common Documentation Errors

10. The stand-alone quotation • Always incorporate quotations into a sentence by either(1) blending the quotation into a sentence or (2) using a signal phrase. • Soil erosion will “rapidly mobilize bio available phosphorus,” which affects the water’s status (Hashemi 150). • According to Hashemi, “The erosion and transport of soils from agricultural lands during intense rainstorms can rapidly mobilize bio available phosphorus” (150).

11. Incorrect Punctuation • With page number: • According to Hashemi, “The erosion and transport of soils from agricultural lands during intense rainstorms can rapidly mobilize bio available phosphorus” (150). • HTML source with no page number: • According to Hashemi, “The erosion and transport of soils from agricultural lands during intense rainstorms can rapidly mobilize bio available phosphorus.”

12. Internal citation doesn’t match the Works Cited entry • The parenthetical citation should include the author’s last name or the first word of the title and should directly correlate to the works cited entry. Soil erosion will “rapidly mobilize bio available phosphorus” (Hashemi 150). Hashemi, Masoud, et al. "An Assessment Of Water Pollution Of The Beshar River Aquatic Ecosystems." World Academy Of Science, Engineering & Technology 74.(2011): 150-153. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.

13. Sources without an author not cited correctly • Cite by the first word(s) of the article or webpage title when no author is provided. In one effort to stem river pollution, “The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained” (“Summary”). “Summary of the Clean Water Act.” EPA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.

14. Other Errors • Page numbers not cited for print or PDF sources • Sources used and cited but not listed on Works Cited page • Sources listed on Works Cited page that are not cited in the paper • Works Cited entries not formatted correctly per MLA • Plagiarism : (