How to Avoid Plagiarism and Use Proper Documenta=
tion
Writing an Acceptable Research Assignment
When
you are given an assignment that requires you to use references such as boo=
ks,
magazines, newspapers, or the Internet, you must include a Works Cited
page. It should be the last p=
age of
your assignment, whether it is a written paper or a Power Point
presentation. If you use any
graphics, photographs, maps, charts, or cartoons, you need to place a citat=
ion
at the bottom of the illustration.
If you are doing an oral report, and you have used research from
sources, you need to give the teacher a written Works Cited page or give the
citations orally. The rule of thumb is to credit an author or site, if you =
have
used any information from it.
How To Put Together a Works Cited Page
(1) When
given an assignment that includes researching information on your topic, ma=
ke
certain that you know what kinds of research your teacher wishes: some teachers want a variety of so=
urces,
and other teachers will specify exactly what types of sources are needed.
(2) Go
to your school’s media center and start researching your topic. You n=
eed
to be able to decide what will help you and what you might not need to comp=
lete
your assignment. If you do yo=
ur
research without assistance and without adequate time, you will limit yours=
elf
to whatever you find on your own at the last minute. Going to Google only will m=
ake
your search more difficult than it should be. If you need help, see the med=
ia
specialist.
(3) As
you are compiling your resources, you should write down the following
information so that you will be able to start your Works Cited page. You don’t need to begin the =
page
yet: just copy down the following information and eventually you will use i=
t to
make the final page of your paper.
Write down the information below for your research:
Internet sources:
· URL address, which is found at the top of the page,<= o:p>
beginning with http or www.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
·Home page or fir=
st
page of the article
·Name of the web =
page as well as the author, if there is one<=
/span>.
·Title of the article and author, if there is one=
=
·The date of the web page and the date that you
actually were on the computer getting the information.
See the library media specialist fo=
r more
detailed information on subscription databases.
Magazines or newspapers:
=
· Copy
of the article
=
·Front
page of the magazine or newspaper
=
·Name
of the periodical
=
·
Periodical’s date
=
· Page
numbers of the article
=
·
Title of the article
=
·
Author, if there is one.
If there are sections of the newspa=
per,
put down the section as well (they are usually letters, beginning with sect=
ion
A.)
Books:
=
·
Title of the book
=
· Author(s),
=
·
Publishing company
=
· Date
=
· City
of publication
This information is usually on the=
left
hand page in the beginning of the book, opposite the title page.
Encyclopedias:
=
·
Exact title of the article in the encyclopedia
=
· Name
of the encyclopedia and the edition (year).
Writing a Works Cited Page
There are many Internet
sources available to help you document sources properly.
One excellent site is
Citation Machine http://72=
.32.51.103
which will properly format the data that you provide.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> A link for it is also on the media=
page
under Subscription Databases.
- Have all resource materials with
you---either hard copies or open Web Pages.
- Go to Citation machine http://72.32.51.103
- Check on MLA on the left side of the
page. All your essays are
written in MLA format.
- Check whether or not your source is p=
rint
or non-print(Internet source).
If it is an Internet source, click on “ see more” so
that you can see all the choices.&nbs=
p;
If you are using one of the media center’s subscription
databases, make certain that you select the 9th selection:
“Subscription databases service accessed through a
library….”
- Fill in all information that is avail=
able
to you for your source.
- Click on “Make Citation” =
in
the gray box at the bottom of the page.
- Copy and paste information under
“MLA Format” to a Word Document.
- If you have more than one line in your
entry, tab each line. Fi=
rst
line is not tabbed (see examples below).
- Go back to Citation Machine and follow
each step for your remaining sources.
- Before
you print be sure you have done the following:
- Double space Works Cited Page <=
/span>(Ctrl
+ 2)
- Make all margins one inch. Go to page set-up and change =
the
left and right margins to one inch.
- Alphabetize your entries &n=
bsp; (Cut
and paste)
- Add Header =
&nb=
sp; =
(Go
to “View,”
“Header and Footer” and enter your last name, and
justify it to the right. Click on “close.”)
- Save your Works Cited page to your
network folder.
Examples:
![](3D"HowtoAvoidPlagiarismandUseCitationsCorrectly_files/image003.jpg")
=
=
Book
Perry, Bruce. Malcolm X: The Life of=
a
Man Who Changed Black
![](3D"HowtoAvoidPlagiarismandUseCitationsCorrectly_files/image005.jpg")
Web Page
Haberman, Barbara . "Malcolm X: A
Search for the Truth." Official Website of Malcolm X. 24 Nov. 2=
003.
Estate of Malcolm X c/o CMG Worldwide. 25 May. 2005
____________________________________________________________=
__________________
![](3D"HowtoAvoidPlagiarismandUseCitationsCorrectly_files/image007.jpg")
OnLine Subscription
Database—EBSCO
"Malcolm X Remembered on 40th Anni=
versary
Of His Death;
____________________________________________________________=
__________________
![](3D"HowtoAvoidPlagiarismandUseCitationsCorrectly_files/image009.jpg")
Online Subscription=
Datatbase—Gro=
lier
Lewis, Ronald. "Malcom X.=
"
(nd). Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Scholastic Library Publishing
2005.
![](3D"HowtoAvoidPlagiarismandUseCitationsCorrectly_files/image011.jpg")
Online Subscription=
Database—SIRS=
"Malcolm X His Legacy." Mo=
nthly
Review Feb 2005:25-45. SIRS Research. Proquest.
____________________________________________________________=
__________________
![](3D"HowtoAvoidPlagiarismandUseCitationsCorrectly_files/image013.jpg")
Online
Database—
CQ Researcher
Click on the
“Cite Now” feature in CQ Researcher
Cooper, Mary H. "Muslims in =
Yo=
ur
last name and page number
Wo=
rks
Cited
Cooper, Mary H.
"Muslims in
Haberman, Barbara. "Malcolm =
X: A
Search for the Truth." Official Website of Malcolm X. 24 Nov. 2=
003.
Estate of Malcolm X c/o CMG Worldwide. 25 May. 2005
Lewis, Ronald. "Malcom X.&qu=
ot;
(nd). Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Scholastic Library Publishing
2005.
"Malcolm X His Legacy." Mo=
nthly
Review Feb 2005:25-45. SIRS Research. Proquest.
"Malcolm X Remembered on 40th
Anniversary Of His Death;
Mamiya, Lawrence, and Eric Lincoln.
"Nation of Islam." Contemporary Issues Companion Series 20=
05 Opposing
Documenting Sources Within Your Paper
In
addition to a works cited page, you need to document sources within the bod=
y of
your paper. This is called =
a
parenthetical citation. Cite sour=
ces
when you do any of the following:
Quote: Quotations are the exact words of an author,
copied directly from a source, word for word. Quotations must be cited. They also must have quotation marks
around them.
Paraphrase: When you rephrase the words of an author, putt=
ing
his/her thoughts in your own words, you must use documentation. You need to remember to change wor=
ds,
phrases, and sentence structure, when you paraphrase. You don’t need quotation mar=
ks,
but you do need documentation.
Summarize:
When you put the main idea(s) of one or more wri=
ters
into you own words, including only the main points, you need to use
documentation. Summaries are
significantly shorter than the original material. The summary gives a broad over vie=
w.
How To Use Parenthetical Citation (In-text Documentation)
Parenthetical citations give immediate source information without
interrupting the flow of a paper or a project. They are usually placed at the end of a sentence, and they a=
re
typed before the end mark of the sentence (the period, question mark, or
exclamation point). Below are=
some
examples:
· Cite the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses=
.
The academic world takes in-text citing
seriously (Smith 72).
· In the absence of an a=
uthor,
cite the title and the page number.
The academic world takes in-text citing seriously (Citing Sources<=
/u>
72).
· If you identify the au=
thor
and title of the source in your paragraph, just list the page number:
According to Smi=
th
in Citing Sources, the academic world takes in-text citing seriously
(72).
· When citing a Web source in your paragraph, you
probably won’t have page numbers, so
include the
first part of the entry.
=
The academic world takes in-text citing seriously
(Smith).
=
(Information on in-text documentation courtesy of
Joyce Kasman Valenza, Copyright 2004)
Avoiding Plagiarism
By properly citing sources, you will avoid plagiari= sm, give authors proper credit, and distinguish between your ideas and those of others. Plagiarism is a serio= us offense and may result in academic consequences. Cite sources properly. Ask for assistance, if you have any questions.
M. Minichiello, Library Media
Specialist &nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; October2005(revised 10/06)
=