Understanding Academic Sources and Citations: A Comprehensive Guide
Understanding Academic Sources and Citations
Part I: Identifying Correct Citations
Example 1:
“In the argument culture, criticism, attack, or opposition are the predominant if not the only ways of responding to people or ideas” (Tannen 7).
Identify the correct parenthetical citation for this source:
Tannen, Deborah. The Argument Culture. Toronto: Random House, 1998.
Answer: (Tannen 7)
Example 2:
“Before mid-millennium, Gen Xers will be the CEOs of the future” (Brundage and Lahey 103).
Identify the correct parenthetical citation for this source:
Keaveney, Susan. “When MTV Goes CEO.” Acting on Words. Ed. David Brundage and Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson, 2004. 99-103.
Answer: (Keaveney 103)
Example 3:
“[T]he first post-colonial society to develop a ‘national’ literature was the USA” (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin 15).
Identify the correct parenthetical citation for this source:
Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin. The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures. London: Routledge, 1989.
Answer: (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin 15)
Example 4:
In an interview, Shaun White says he is “sick of being called The Flying Tomato.”
You have interviewed Shaun White, who won an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding at Turin. You interviewed him in person on Feb. 20, 2006. Which citation is correct?
Answer: Since this is a personal interview, it would not be included in a traditional Works Cited list. You have already provided the necessary information in the text.
Example 5:
Earlier, Emerson had claimed that he would do everything he could to fight the Liberals in government (“Was Emerson lying” A2).
You are using material from a newspaper article. There is no author given, but the title of the article is “Was Emerson lying to his constituents?,” published in the Edmonton Journal on Feb. 14, 2006, on p. A2. Which is the proper parenthetical citation for this paraphrase?
Answer: (“Was Emerson Lying” A2)
Part II: Understanding Academic Sources
What is a primary source?
A primary source is a document or physical object that was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.
What is a secondary source?
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes, or graphics of primary sources in them.
What is a tertiary source?
A tertiary source is an index and/or textual consolidation of primary and secondary sources.
What do scholars “do” with academic sources?
- Authoritative: Academic sources identify the qualifications and expertise of the writer. A source written by a recognized expert in a field is more likely to be trustworthy.
- Sourced: Academic writing is careful to credit the origins of information and ideas, usually by means of a reference list or bibliography.
- Peer-reviewed: Other academics have read the source and checked it for accuracy. Before publication in an academic journal, for example, an article is checked by a panel of referees. Academic books are checked by editors and other reviewers.
- Objective: Academic sources aim to examine a topic fairly. This does not mean that they never take a side, but that the source does not ignore alternative positions on the topic.
- Written for academics: Academic sources target university lecturers, students, and professionals interested in the theoretical side of a topic.
Why isn’t a tertiary source appropriate for an academic essay?
Tertiary sources are not usually sources of original research. They are a third-hand source and may be a distillation of first and second-hand sources.
What’s the difference between a credible source and an academic source?
A credible source is one whose veracity is supported by a network of academic peer review and reference to a foundation of relevant established research and discourse. In other words, a source that has solid authority within its discipline. Academic sources are books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and published reports written by experts for an academic audience. Academic sources are also called scholarly sources.
Why isn’t Google always the best place to go to find an academic source?
The number of scholarly articles you need for university research is limited on Google. Most scholarly sites have restricted access. Most often, online publications are a duplication of what has been published in print.
What does it mean if an academic source has credibility and authority?
It means the ideas and claims must be supported by evidence and argument, and the sources of all ideas and data must be acknowledged. It is valid, relevant, sufficient, and convincing.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas or words as your own.
Identify 3 specific examples of plagiarism.
- Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks.
- Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation.
- Changing words but copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, even if you give credit.
Part III: Generating Works Cited Entries
Book with a single author
Information provided:
- Author: Robert Stone
- Title: A Hall of Mirrors
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
- Publishing Location: Boston
- Copyright: 1997
Works Cited Entry:
Stone, Robert. A Hall of Mirrors. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Newspaper article with a single author
Information provided:
- Author: Bill Brubaker
- Title of Article: “New Health Center Targets County’s Uninsured Patients”
- Publication: Washington Post
- Date: May 24, 2011
- Section: A3
Works Cited Entry:
Brubaker, Bill. “New Health Center Targets County’s Uninsured Patients.” Washington Post, 24 May 2011, p. A3.
Scholarly journal with a single author
Information provided:
- Author: Bagchi Alaknanda
- Title of Article: “Conflicting Nationalisms”
- Title of Journal: Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature
- Publication: Issue 13, 2004
- Pages Accessed: 20-32
Works Cited Entry:
Alaknanda, Bagchi. “Conflicting Nationalisms.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 13, 2004, pp. 20-32.
Website with a single author
Information provided:
- Author: John Singlewood
- Title: Moving In: Moving Out
- Sponsor of Site: Lisa Jones
- Site last updated: 2010
- Date of access: August 20, 2012
Works Cited Entry:
Singlewood, John. “Moving In: Moving Out.” Lisa Jones, 2010, www.examplewebsite.com. Accessed 20 Aug. 2012.
MLA Format
- Font: Times New Roman
- Font size: 12
- Margins: 1 inch all sides
- Indent: First line of each paragraph
- Line spacing: Double space
- Page number: Top right corner, including your last name
- Title: Centered on the first page
- Order of information on the first page:
- Your Name
- Professor’s Name
- Class Name
- Date