Do’s
- For every source that is cited within the body of the paper, a corresponding Works Cited entry is created.
- Within any sentence that is drawing material from an outside source, enough information should be provided for the reader to find the corresponding entry in the Works Cited page.
- Every sentence that draws material from research source should also directly cite the source (i.e., tell the reader that a source is being quoted or paraphrased and indicate the author or title of that source).
- Always place the source information (usually the author name) within the sentence that is actively citing from the source.
- Integrate cited material into a sentence that also includes some original language of your own.
- It’s fine to quote at almost any length – from single words to short phrases to whole sentences or multiple sentences.* The rule of thumb is that quotations should not be longer than half of a double-spaced page.
(*See the specific rules about Block Quotations for formatting requirements for quotations of four or more lines.)
Don’ts
- No sentence should use material from an outside source without indicating what source the material is coming from.
- Never present directly quoted material without placing that material inside quotation marks.
- Do not wait until the end of a paragraph to identify the source of material that was cited in the middle of the paragraph. (Place source information somewhere in each sentence that is pulling material from a research source.)
- Do not begin a sentence with quotation marks and end with quotation marks. Add language of your own so that the quoted material becomes part of a new sentence.
A Few Plug-&-Play Citation Templates
Do’s and Don’ts of Citing in MLA
Some Tips for Special Citation Situations
Direct Quotations & Paraphrased Citations
The Three Parts of a Successful In-Text Citation
Setting Up & Punctuating In-Text Citations
More from Philo Culturo
How to Create Citations in MLA
Critical Concepts & Critical Theory
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