DOCUMENTING SOURCES

An essential part of researched writing is the careful documentation of all the sources one has used in composing
one’s paper. The origin of all information, ideas, opinions, and judgments in one’s paper must be cited, or
acknowledged, properly. Material one must cite includes any summary, paraphrase, or quotation; photograph,
diagram, chart, or other work of art; video, DVE, or sound recording; statistic; server; system of organization or
structure; and anything else one take from any source other than one’s own knowledge. The only exception is
common knowledge – information, such as a fact, that is well known or found in a number of sources. If one is
uncertain about whether or not to acknowledge a source, it is better to be cautious and cite the material. It is
wiser to document too much rather than too little and risk being guilty of plagiarism.
KEEPING A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY
One way to help one to keep track of the works that one cite in one’s paper is, while one is taking notes, to create
a working bibliography; that is, a list of all the primary and secondary sources – including articles, books, and
web sites – that one might use for one’s paper. This initial bibliography will help one to organize one’s research
and later to integrate one’s sources an prepare the list of works cited at the end of one’s paper. Of one know
ahead of time what the particular documentation style will be for one’s paper, one will save oneself time later by
using this format for the working bibliography. While compiling one’s working bibliography, one should keep a
careful record of the following information for books; articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers; and
World Wide Web sites.
SELECTING A DOCUMENTATION STYLE
Various academic disciplines use their own style of documentation to cite print and electronic sources within a
paper, to list these sources at the end of the paper, and to write footnotes and endnotes. Although there are many
documentation styles, the two most common are the MLA (Modern Language Association), used widely in the
humanities, and the APA (American Psychological Association), used widely in the social sciences. Both MLA
and APA style cite sources within the text of a paper in parentheses and list these sources alphabetically by the
authors’ last name at the end of the paper. Although the two styles differ in their documentation of source
information, their purpose is the same: to let the audience know, in a complete and accurate manner, the orient of
every quotation, paraphrase, or summary of source material a writer has used.
Following is a brief discussion of MLA and APA documentation style, with several examples of in-text citations
and the entries for these citations in the list of sources at the end of the paper. If one has any questions about
which documentation style to use or how to cite sources in either of these styles, ask one’s instructor or refer to
writing style manual.
MLA DOCUMENTATION STYLE
MLA is an author-page system that cites a writer’s sources parenthetically in the paper and includes the full
publication information for each source at the end of the paper in works Cited list arranged alphabetically by the
authors’ last names.
MLA Citations in the Text
1 Author named in a signal phrase
Start with a signal phrase that mentions the author’s last name. Also indicate the page number(s) in parentheses
at the end of the citation. (Example of signal phrases are “According to Johnson” and “Raemy
indicates/maintains/claims/asserts/argues that …”)
Althen contends that people’s communicating style is “strongly influenced by cultural values, assumptions, and
beliefs” (33).
2 Author named in parentheses
If one does not begin with a signal phrase that mentions the author, place the author’s last name and the page
number in parentheses at the end of the citation.
There is a strong need for educational training that helps new teachers work in culturally diverse classrooms
(Grisham 190).
3 World Wide Web sources
With online sources, it is often difficult to find all of the information one would use to cite a print source. Many
Web sources, for example, lack a clear author and page numbers. Whenever possible, however, cite an online
source in the same way one would a print source, using the author but is sponsored by an organization, use the
organization’s name as the author.
HIV testing and counselling in populations at risk are essential in preventing transmission of the infection (World
Health Organization 1).
MLA list of works Cited
A Work Cited list at the end of one’s paper, arranged alphabetically by the authors’ last names, includes the full
publication information for each source cited in the text. Do not include any sources in one’s final list that aren’t
cited in the paper, even if one has read them. Works Cited:
Althen, Gary. American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. 2nd ed. Yarmouth: Intercultural P,
2003.
Grisham,Dana L., et. al. “Connecting Communities of Practice Through Professional Development School
Activities.” Journal of Teacher Education 50.3 (1999): 182-191.
World Health Organization. “Testing and Counselling.” 2004. 11 Nov. 2004
http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/vct/testing/en/#why.
APA DOCUMENTATION SYYLE
APA is an author-year system that cites a writer’s sources parenthetically in the paper and includes the full
publication information for each source at the end of the paper in a References list arranged alphabetically by the
authors’ last names.
APA Citations in the Text
1 Author named in a signal phrase
Start with a signal phrase that mentions the author’s last name and indicate the date, in parentheses, immediately
after the author’s name. For quoted material, place the page number in parentheses at the end of the quotation
and precede it with “p.”. Note that APA style requires the use of the past tense or the present perfect tense in
signal phrases.
Althen (2OO3) has contended that people’s communication style is “strongly influenced by cultural values,
assumptions, and beliefs” (p.33)
2 Author named in parentheses
If one does not begin with a signal phrase that mentions the author, place the author’s last name and the date in
parentheses at the end of the citation. For a quotation, include the page number after the date.
There is a strong need for educational training that helps new teachers work in culturally diverse classrooms
(Grisham, 1999).
3 World Wide Web sources
Whenever possible, cite an online source in the same way one would a print source, using the author-year style.
If a Web source does not have an individual author but is sponsored by an organization, use the organization’s
name as the author.
HIV testing and counselling in populations at risk are essential in preventing transmission of the infection (World
Health Organization, 2004).
APA List of References
A list of references at the end of one’s paper, arranged alphabetically by the authors’ last names, includes the full
publication information for each source cited in the text. Do not include any sources in one’s final list that aren’t
cited in the paper, even if one has read them.
When listing one’s sources in any documentation style, it is important to follow the exact use of underlining,
italics, parentheses, abbreviations, periods, commas, colons, etc. if one compares the APA References list with
the MLA works Cited list, one will see several such differences in the two systems.
Althen, G. (2003). American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. (2nd ed.). Yarmouth:
Intercultural Press.
Grisham, D. L., et. al. (1999). Connecting Communities of Practice through Professional Development School
Activities. Journal of Teacher Education, 50 (3), 182-191.
World Health Organization. (2004). Testing and Counselling. Retrieved November 11. 2004, from
http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/vct/testing/en/#why
PLAGIARISM (Avoiding Plagiarism)
When integrating source material into a paper, it is very easy to borrow too many ideas and too many language
from the original, unintentionally committing plagiarism – the academic offense of using information from a
source without giving proper credit to the author or other owner of the intellectual property. Plagiarism,
intentional or unintentional, is a type of intellectual theft (presenting someone else’s material as one’s own) and
can have serious consequences ranging from failure on an assignment to expulsion from school. If one has any
questions about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, one should consult one’s instructor or a librarian, or refer
to a writing style manual. Meanwhile, if one follow the guideline below, it will reduce the chance of one’s
plagiarizing.
1 take accurate summary and paraphrase notes. To be sure that one’s language is not too close to that of the
original, change both the wording and the sentence structure. Use one’s own words whenever possible, and don’t
mix the author’s language with one’s own unless one place the original material in quotation marks.
2 Take accurate quotation notes. Use quotation marks for all phrases and sentences one copy directly from a
source. Be specially care3ful not to cut and paste any online material into one’s paper without putting it in
quotation marks and fully citing the source.
3 Document completely all summaries, paraphrases, and quotations of source material in one’s paper.
Acknowledge all ideas, information, visuals, and other materials taken from any print, electronic, or other source.