Sartartia Middle School’s
Sartartia Middle School’s
Research Documentation
Style Sheet
2008-2009
This style sheet follows the style for documentation set forth in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., and as presented as well in McDougal Littell’s Writing Research Reports. The “Plagiarism According to the MLA” can be found on page 75 of the MLA Handbook.
Bibliography Cards
Theses cards should be written on 3” x 5” index cards, either lined or unlined. Ideally, you will write a bib card on any source that you use in your initial research. If you wind up not using a particular source for your paper or project, just throw the card out. It’s better to have a card you don’t need than to have to find a source again when you didn’t write a bib card for it.
1. Bibliographical entry: You need to have the complete and correct information for the documentation of the source. The first line runs from margin to margin, but all subsequent lines need to be indented (called a hanging indention).
2. Source note: This tells you from which library you got the information. A database that you use at home but through the school would still be considered SMS.
3. Source letter: Putting this letter here allows you to organize your notes. All note cards, photocopies, and printouts will have this letter on it so that you will know from what source you got the information.
4. Card catalog number: Having the card catalog number, if a book was used, will allow you to more easily find that book again if needed.
Note Cards
These cards should be written on 4” x 6” index cards, either line or unlined. Whenever you come across a source that you think you might use, do a bib card on it first, and then take notes on it. You might not use these notes in your report, but you don’t want to have to find the information later on if you didn’t take notes on it. If you are allowed to, making photocopies and printouts is a much faster way of getting the information and ensures that you have it correctly. Simply staple your source card to your photocopies, and you will have a complete research source.
1. Guideline / topic: This will allow you to put similar topics together.
2. Source letter / card number: Writing the source letter on your card will make sure that you always know where it came from (if by chance you drop all of your cards), and the number helps you keep track of how many you have and in order.
3. Note: This is the most important item on the card. You have to make sure that you do not plagiarize your source. Word-for-word copying must have quotation marks. Even if you accidentally forget this, you are still held responsible for knowing if you are quoting or paraphrasing.
• Direct quotation—writing word-for-word from the text, using quotation marks
• Paraphrase—rewriting shorter passages in your own words. If you only change a few words, quote instead.
• Summary—writing a brief (one sentence) summary of a longer passage.
4. Page number: You must have the page number for any note that you take, whether or not you quoted it. If the information does not come from your head, you must tell where you got it.
Parenthetical Documentation
1. Basic citation: Place the citation at the end of the sentence containing the material you are documenting. The citation should appear after the last word of the sentence but before the end mark:
The Native Americans who lived in the West and South were allies of Britain and a threat to settlers (Marrin 15).
2. Basic citation with author’s name in text: If the name of the author is stated in the sentence or is understood, then give only the page number:
According to Nardo, Americans were also outraged when Britain ruled that no neutral nation could trade with any European nation except by using British ports (17).
3. Citation of an anonymous work: When citing an anonymous work, give the title or a shortened version of the title, followed by the page number if appropriate (you usually won’t have a page number for something from the Internet). Make sure that the first word in a shortened version of a title is the word by which the work is alphabetized in the Works Cited list:
The agreement was that “each side would release all prisoners and would return all property that belonged to the other side” (“Treaty”).
Sample Works Cited
The Works Cited, like the rest of the paper, is typed in 12-point Times New Roman with a 1-inch margin all the way around. The sources are organized alphabetically by the first word of the source. Your last name and the page number of your essay should be in the Header in the top right hand corner.
Forms for Working Bibliography and Works Cited Entries
Forms for Working Bibliography and Works Cited Entries
A. One author
Last name of author, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication or Copyright.
Ruiz, Ramon Eduardo. Triumphs and Tragedy: A History of the Mexican People. New York:
Norton, 1992.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
B. Two to three authors
Last name of first author listed, First name, and First name of next author listed Last name. Title
of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication or Copyright.
Applewhite, Harriet B., and Darline G. Levy. Women and Politics in the Age of the Democratic
Revolution. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1990.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
C. An editor, but no single author
Last name of editor, First name, ed. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication or Copyright.
Nabokov, Peter, ed. Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-White Relations from
Prophecy to the Present, 1492-1992. New York: Viking-Penguin, 1991.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
D. A book or monograph that is part of a series
Last name of editor or author, First name, ed (if needed). Title of Book. Title of Series. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication or Copyright.
LaRusso, Carol Spenard, ed. The Green Thoreau. Classic Wisdom Ser. San Rafael: New
World, 1992.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
E. A republished book or literary work available in several editions
Last name of author, First name. Title of Book. Original publication date. City of Publication
for current book: Publisher, Year of Publication or Copyright for current book.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. 1939. New York: Penguin, 1976.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
F. A poem, short story, essay, or chapter in a collection of works by several authors.
Last name of author, First name. “Title of Piece.” Title of Book. Ed. First name Last name of
editor. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication or Copyright. Page number(s).
West, Paul. “Pele.” The Norton Book of Sports. Ed. George Plimpton. New York: Norton,
1992. 308-09.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
G. An introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword written by the author(s) of the work.
Last name of author of piece, First name. Type of piece. Title of Book. By Last name of author
of book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication Copyright. Page number(s) of piece.
Borges, Jorge Luis. Preface. Selected Poems, 1923 - 1967. By Borges. Ed. Norman Thomas
Giovanni. New York: Delta-Dell, 1973. xv-xvi.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
H. An introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword written by someone other than the author(s) of the work.
Last name of author of piece, First name. Type of piece. Title of Book. By First name Last
name of author of book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication or
Copyright. Page number(s) of piece.
Coles, Robert. Foreword. No Place to Be: Voices of Homeless Children. By Judith Berck.
Boston: Houghton, 1992. 1-4.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
I. A Translation.
Last name of author of piece, First name. Title of Book. Trans. First name Last
name of translator. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Viking, 1996.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
J. An article in a magazine, journal, or newspaper.
Last name of author, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine Date: Page(s).
Smith, Shelley. “Baseball’s Forgotten Pioneers.” Sports Illustrated 30 Mar. 1992: 72+.
Last name of author, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Date): Page.
Schwartz, Felice N. “Women in Business.” Harvard Business Review 70.2 (1992): 105-13.
Gopnik, Blake. “Art and Design Bringing Fresh Ideas.” Washington Post 21 Apr. 2002: G1.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
K. An article in a familiar encyclopedia or other alphabetically organized reference work
Last name of author of article, First name (if stated). “Title of Article.” Title of Book. Edition (if
stated). Year.
“Zuni.” Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropaedia. 1992.
Mohanty, Jitendra M. “Indian Philosophy.” The World Book. 15th ed. 1987.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
L. An article in a less familiar reference book and / or set is not alphabetical
Last name of author of article, First name (if stated). “Title of Article.” Title of Book. Ed. Name
of editor. Vol. Number of volume. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication or
Copyright. Page number(s) of article.
Kasinec, Denise E. “Jean M. Auel.” Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Ed. Laurie Collier.
Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. 13-22.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
M. An interview you have conducted or letter you have received
Last name of interviewee or writer, First name. Type of communication. Date.
Jackson, Jesse. Personal interview. 15 July 1992.
Johnson, Carl, Jr. Letter to the author. 7 Oct. 1996.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
On-Line and Electronic Sources
A. Scholarly project
Last name of author, First name (if available). “Title of Article.” (if available) Title of Site. Ed.
Name (if available). Date created or last updated. University. Date accessed .
“Selected Seventeenth-Century Events.” Romantic Chronology. Ed. Laura Mandell and Alan
Liu. 1999. U of California, Santa Barbara. 22 June 2002 .
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
B. Professional site
Last name of author, First name (if available). “Title of Article.” (if available) Title of Site.
Date created or last updated. Sponsoring business or organization. Date accessed URL.
“City Profile: San Francisco.” . 2002. Cable News Network. 14 May 2002
.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
C. Personal site
Last name of author, First name. Title of Site. Date created or updated. Date accessed .
Stephan, Ed. John Steinbeck: The California Novels. 16 Jan. 1993. 30 Sept. 1999
.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
D. Book
Last name of author, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication or Copyright. Date accessed .
Mabbutt, J. A. Social and Environmental Aspects of Desertification. Tokyo: United Nations
UP, 1980. 20 Jan. 2000 .
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
E. Article in a reference database
Last name of author, First name (if available). “Title of Article.” Title of Database. Publication
date or last update. Place of access. Date accessed .
Wadsworth, Frank W. “Shakespeare, William.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2007.
SMS, Sugar Land, TX. 30 Aug. 2007 .
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
F. Work from a subscription service
Last name of author, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Date):
Page(s). Database. Subscription Service. Place of access. Date accessed .
Eliezer, Christie. “Papuan Telek Breaks Out.” Billboard 109.12 (22 Mar. 1997): 63. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. SMS, Sugar Land, TX. 30 Aug. 2007 .
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
G. An e-mail communication
Last name of writer, First name. “Title of Message.” (taken from subject line) E-mail to
recipient. Date of the message.
Harner, James L. “Re: Utopia.” E-mail to author. 20 Aug. 1998.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
H. Discovery Education Streaming
Title of Video. Production Company. Date created. unitedstreaming. Date accessed .
Life Cycles of the Butterfly. Classroom Media. 2004. unitedstreaming. 31 Aug. 2007
.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
I. A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph
Last name of artist, First name. Title of Piece. Date created. Source. Date accessed URL.
Risberg, Eric. Jack London’s Legacy. 15 June 2006. AP Multimedia Archive. 23 Apr. 2007 .
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Validity of Internet Sources
Definition of Validity:
The quality, fact or condition of being supported by commonly accepted facts or recognized authorities.
We suggest that there are two types of validity with respect to home pages - the first is based upon a page being well-referenced to known authorities, and the second based upon the content of a page being confirmable with accepted facts.
Concrete Validity
We define "concrete validity" as validity based upon items which should be visible on a home page. The reader should be able to answer the first two questions, and answer YES to most of the remaining questions. NOTE: We suggest that pages should pass the majority of these criteria. It may be unrealistic to expect a home page to pass all.
1. Where is this information coming from? What is the source?
2. Is this site sponsored by an individual, group, or organization?
3. Is the author / publisher a recognizable authority?
4. Does the author / publisher provide his/her e-mail address?
5. Is there a common link to the page from recognized authority?
6. Does the page provide other sources that could be contacted for confirmation or further information?
7. Does the page cite a bibliography or provide references to confirm the accuracy of the information?
8. Has the site been reviewed by a "content" reviewing agency?
9. Has the site been updated recently?
Context Validity
We define "context validity" to deal with pages which do not meet the majority of the concrete criteria but contain information which appears valid in comparison to other pages. In order to accept a page as "valid in context," the reader should be able to answer all of the following questions.
1. Does the information contradict or confirm the information from other sources?
2. Does the information link you to other sources on the same topic? Is there a common link?
3. What is the intent of this information? Why was it put there - entertainment, educational?
4. Can you detect any evidence of bias from reading the page?
Work Cited
“Validity of Internet Sources.” Research Guides. 2008. Ethical Culture Fieldston School. 24
Aug. 2008 < >.
Plagiarism According to the MLA
You have plagiarized if
• you did not distinguish paraphrase and summary from quotation and then presented the words as if they were your own.
• you copied and pasted information from the Web and did not use quotation marks or cite your source
• you presented facts without saying where you found them
• you repeated or paraphrased someone’s wording without acknowledgment
• you took someone’s particular or apt phrase without acknowledgment
• your paraphrased someone’s work or presented someone’s ideas without acknowledgment
• you bought a paper and presented all or part of it as your own work
You can avoid plagiarism by
• making a list of the writers and ideas you discovered in your research and double-check that list against your presentation
• keeping the following three categories distinct in your notes: your ideas, your summaries of others’ material, and exact wording you copy.
• identifying the sources of all material you borrow—exact wording, paraphrases, ideas, arguments, and facts.
• checking with your instructor when you are uncertain about your use of sources.
A Few More Thoughts About Plagiarism
Plagiarism is stealing—you are stealing someone else’s intellectual property just as much as you might steal the book that the ideas come in. Also, plagiarism is not just the stealing of words but of ideas. If it does not come from your head, you must give credit. And if you’re ever in doubt, cite it!
-----------------------
A
Gonzalez, Alex. The War Between the States.
New York: Little Brown, 2006.
SMS 526.78
GON
Source letter
Bibliographical entry
Source note
Card catalog number
Impressment A1
Impressment was one of the most important causes of America’s anger with Great Britain: “The impressment of American sailors into the service of the Royal Navy [. . .] was a much larger cause of the war [. . .], and it was an incredible blow to American national honor and pride” (26).
Source letter and note card number
Guideline / topic
Note—summary, paraphrase, or quote
Page number if not on Internet
Jones 5
Works Cited
Marrin, Albert. 1812, The War Nobody Won. New York: Atheneum, 1985.
Nardo, Don. The War of 1812. San Diego: Lucent, 1991.
“Treaty of Ghent.” War of 1812. Galafilm. 10 Apr. 2000
.
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