Example: Book Citation Barreca, Regina. They used to call me Snow White…but I drifted: women's strategic use of humor. New York: Viking, 1991. Article Citation Kuska, B. “A tale of too witty? Using whimsy to name fringe genes. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998 Oct; 89 (19): 1396-7

Why cite?

• Give credit to your sources. Ideas or information which you take from another author or source should be acknowledged through your citations.
• Give yourself credit. When you cite your sources, you show evidence of your own research.
• Readers may want to follow-up on some of your source material. A good citation will enable a reader to find this material more easily.

How do you Cite?
Always check with your teacher to see what citation format is appropriate for your course. The most common citation formats are: APA (American Psychological Association); and MLA (Modern Language Association).  TCHS has adopted MLA format for all classes. 

MLA. Modern Language Association.   Sources listed at the end of the text are in a section called Works Cited. An organization called the Modern Language Association (MLA) creates the standards for bibliographies and updates them every few years.

The easiest way to prepare your research project is to base it on NOTES which you make as you consult your sources.

You will waste time, however, if you take notes on EVERY fact on your topic. To avoid this, before you start your note-taking, write on an index card:

1. A statement of what you tentatively plan to prove about your topic.

2. Four to five general questions which will help you focus your research.

Taking Notes If you prepare your notes properly, you will find it MUCH easier to organize your material later and to complete your project. Also make your notes clear. Doing this from the beginning will save you time later. You shouldn't need to go back to find information you missed. Here are some important points to remember: Write your notes on index cards. Write on ONE side of the card only -unless you have just one or two lines left, in which case, use the back.  Take notes in your own words. Get all the FACTS, names, dates, what happened, etc., but you can use incomplete sentences and abbreviations, as long as you're sure you'll understand them later. Be careful not to twist facts or ideas into something that the author didn't say. If you are writing an exact quotation of someone else's words, copy the quotation EXACTLY, that means every little comma! ENCLOSE THE QUOTATION IN QUOTATION MARKS. Also include the name of the person you are quoting and that person's position.

Preparing the List of Works Cited

No research paper is complete without a list of the materials from which you have borrowed ideas, facts, opinions, or quotations. You created a running list of sources when you filled out your source cards. Now you must formalize the list to accompany your paper so that a reader can see your sources.
 

1. Go through your source cards, discarding any sources you did not use.
    
2. Divide your remaining source cards into two piles, one for the "Works Cited" list and one for the "Works Consulted" list. The "Works Cited" list should consist of all works that you specifically quoted, paraphrased or referred to in your text.
    
3. Arrange your source cards alphabetically according to the author's last name. If no author is indicated, alphabetize by the first prominent word in the title. If the work is published by a society and no author is named, use the society as the author in order to alphabetize.

   
    

   How to Cite Sources (based on MLA style) General Guidelines for a "Works Cited" Put all entries in a single list under the title "Works Cited" at the end of the report, on the last page of the report, or on a separate page. (Do not use quotation marks around your title.) Double space between the "Works Cited" title and the first entry. Order entries alphabetically by authors' last name, or, if author is not given, by the first important word in the title, excluding "a," "an," and "the." If more than one work by an author is cited, do not repeat the author's name, but use three hyphens and a period (---.) for the author's name in the second and subsequent entries, and alphabetize the works by the first important word in each title. Hanging indentation: Indent all lines of each entry five spaces, except the first line, which is flush with the left margin. Single-space all lines in a works cited entry and double-space between entries. Use a period at the end of each entry. Paginate the works-cited section as a continuation of your text. Separate author, title, and publication information with a period followed by one space. The title of a periodical does not require a period. Abbreviate the names of months except May, June, and July. The day of the month comes before the month.   Did you know that the TCHS Library has links to 4 websites that will help you cite your sources and save you tons of time?  CITATION HELP KnightCite Citation Maker Citation Machine Rapid Cite        Let's try one out!  Remember you can find the above links on the TCHS Library webpage.