ENG 100BC

Evaluating Sources
MLA
In-text (parenthetical) citations
in Writing Lab - AlleyCat & Works cited activity

Activity

Groups

Decide whether each source is reliable or not

Give a brief reason

Write answers on board

There are 7 sources

Define the term Peer Review

Highly prized concept in academia

Refers to rigorous and competitive selection process by which

scholarly manuscripts are chosen for publication

Judged on rigor and accuracy of research and significance and

value of argument

How should sources, specifically

web sources, be evaluated?

Authority

Objectivity

Coverage

Accuracy

Currency

Evaluating Sources

Authority
Is

the document author or site sponsor

clearly identified?

Does

the site identify the occupation,

position, education, experience, or
other credentials of the author?

Does

the home page or a clear link from

the home page reveal the authors or
sponsors motivation for establishing the
site?

Does

the site provide contact

information for the author or sponsor

Evaluating Sources

Objectivity
Is

the sites purpose clear?

Is

the site explicit about declaring its

point of view?

Does

the site indicate whether the

author is affiliated with a specific
organization, institution, or association?

Does

the site indicate whether it is

directed toward a specific audience?

Evaluating Sources

Coverage
Are

the topics covered by the site clear?

Does

the site exhibit a suitable depth

and comprehensiveness for its purpose?

Is

sufficient evidence provided to

support the ideas and opinions
presented?

Evaluating Sources

Accuracy
Are
Do

the sources of information stated?

the facts appear to be accurate?

Can

you verify this information by

comparing this source with other
sources in the field?

Evaluating Sources

Currency
Are

dates included in the Web site?

Do

the dates apply to the material

itself, to its placement on the Web, or
to the time the site was last revised and
updated?

Is

the information current, or at least

still relevant, for the sites purpose? For
your purpose?

Web Sources

Who placed this piece on the Web and why?

Each kind of website has a different purpose

.com
Commercial

site

Purpose

is to promote the view of a

corporation or business

.org
Nonprofit

organizations or advocacy

groups
Purpose
To

is

provide accurate, balanced

information related to organizations

Web Sources

.edu

Associated

with a college or university

Purpose

varies to include school

promotion, strong advocacy on student
issues, objective and scholarly research

.gov or .mil
Sponsored

by a government agency or
military unit

Provide

basic data about government

policy, bills in Congress, economic
forecasts, census data, etc.

Purpose

varies to include objective

information or promotion of agencys

Activity Review

Web Sources

What is Google Scholar?

Attempts

to duplicate services of licensed

databases
Doesnt

make public names of journals it

indexes
Unsure

whether source is current or

thorough

Useful

substitute for researchers who dont

have access to online databases licensed by
university libraries

What is a Licensed Database?

Index articles appearing in thousands of

periodicals

Restricted to fee-paying customers

Cant be accessed through web search

engines
Academic

Search Complete (Ebsco)

LexisNexis

JSTOR

Complete AlleyCat activity

Tutorial worksheet available on Weebly

print completed worksheet

Eng 100BC
MLA
In-text (parenthetical) citations
Works cited activity

What is MLA?

Modern Language Association (1883)

Style most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within liberal arts
and humanities

Foundation for other styles such as APA

Not

every source type has a formula in APA; therefore, must refer to MLA
knowledge

Specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English

language in writing

Why use MLA?

Builds writers credibility by demonstrating accountability to source material

Provides writers with a system for referencing sources (uniformity)

Protects writers from accusations of plagiarism

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

turning in someone else's work as your own

copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation

changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit

copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether
you give credit or not

http://www.checkforplagiarism.net/plagiarism-consequences

What is a Works Cited page?

Alphabetical list of sources found at the end of a research-based essay

Entries are listed alphabetically by authors or editors last name or by the title
of the work if no author/editor is available

Author names are written last name, first name, middle name (or initials)
Burke,
Levy,

Kenneth

David M.

Wallace,

DO NOT list titles (Dr., Sir, Saint, etc.) or degrees (PhD, MA, DDS, etc.)
John

Smith, PhD appears as Smith, John

DO include suffixes (Jr., II., etc.)

Dr.

David Foster

Martin Luther King, Jr. appears as King, Martin Luther, Jr.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/

Works Cited page basics

One-inch margins, same header as rest of essay, double spaced (no extra
spaces between citations)
Works Cited (do not italicize, underline, bold, or put inside quotation marks)
centered at top of page

First line of each entry is NOT indented. The second and subsequent lines are
indented (hanging indent).
Page numbers are hyphenated, not separated by a dash
For every entry, indicate the medium of publication (Print, Web, Film, DVD)

URLs for Web entries are no longer required (instructor/publisher discretion)

<https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/>.

Use italics (do not underline) titles of larger works (books, magazines, etc).
If citing a source originally issued in print form but was retrieved from an
online database, type the online database name in italics

Works Cited page basics

It there is more than one entry per author, works are arranged alphabetically
by title

For second and all additional entries, type three hyphens and a period in
place of the authors name

Stanko, Jeannine. I Like Belly Dancing. Pittsburgh: Random, 2014. Print.

---. I Like Cats. Pittsburgh: Random, 2014. Print.

How to create a Works Cited page

First, adhere to all of the basics as outlined in the previous slides

Second, determine the type of source (book, periodical, electronic source,

other [interview, lecture, visual art, film, audio, digital file) being cited

Third, find the appropriate formula to document the necessary information

of the source

OWL@Purdue https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/

Online Bib Generators - WARNING

Not always correct

Inaccurate information

Not up-to-date with current MLA

User error

MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE CHECK YOUR WORK FOR ERRORS

Electronic Sources

Author and/or editor names (if available)

Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)

Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print
publications have Web publications with slightly different names. They may,
for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified
information, like domain names [e.g. .com or .net].)

Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or

issue numbers.

Publisher information, including the publisher name (n.p. if unavailable) and

publishing date (n.d. if unavailble).

Take note of any page numbers (if not available n.pag.).

Medium of publication.

Date you accessed the material.

URL (if required, or for your own personal reference; MLA does not require a
URL).

What is an in-text (parenthetical) citation?

Sources listed on Works Cited page must be referenced in the essay using an
in-text (parenthetical) citation

Sources referenced in an in-text (parenthetical) citation must appear on

Works Cited page

Information listed in parenthetical citation depends upon

Sources medium of publication

Sources entry on Works Cited page

Whatever

signal word/phrase used in parenthetical must be the first thing listed on

Works Cited page source citation

Example
The following is an excerpt from an essay:
This disenfranchisement over his marginalization in Anglo
society [affected] his individual psyche (Delgadillo 99).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Stanko 17
Works Cited

Delgadillo, Theresa. Forms of Chicana Feminist Resistance:

Hybrid Spirituatlity in Ana Castillos So Far From God.
Modern Fiction Studies 44.4 (1998):79-102. Print.

MLA in-text citations (regular & attributive tag)

In-text citations contain two elements

Last

name of author

Page

number of quoted or paraphrased passage

Information can be placed in parentheses immediately after the material

being cited
The Spanish tried to reduce the status of Filipina women, who had been able to do
business, get divorced, and sometimes become village chiefs (Karnow 41).

Or place authors name in an attributive tag at the beginning of the source

material and the page number in parentheses at the end
According to Karnow, the Spanish tried to reduce the status of Filipina women, who had
been able to do business, get divorced, and sometimes become village chiefs (41).

Works Cited Activity

Use http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ to create a works
cited page.
Your Works Cited page should follow MLA format.
Four sources will circulate around the room.
Create a citation for each source.
Select a quote from each source.
Write the quote without using an attributive tag.
Then write the quote with an attributive tag.
Email Works Cited pages to jstanko@ccac.edu and
print a copy

Works Cited Activity Format

Insert Header Here
Something Goes Here
Source citation
Quote without using an attributive tag
Quote using an attributive tag
Source citation
Quote without using an attributive tag
Quote using an attributive tag
*continue until all sources cited

Planning
I. Thesis statement
II. Citations & Annotations

A. Citation #1
1. Reason #1 (why are you using this source?)
a. explanation
b. explanation
2. Reason #2
a. explanation
b. explanation
3. Reason #3
a. explanation
b. explanation
Complete for all 5 citations

For Tuesday

Essay #4 Annotated Bibliography rough draft

Read chapter about definition writing