One of my favorite questions I’ve ever had as a Writing Consultant was how to cite a piece written by Martin Luther, within a collection of sermons, now combined with other pieces of his writing within a multivolumous work. There were multiple publication dates, editors and translators; the challenging task attracted three participants, two writing style manuals and a website. It was fun!

Citation, format and bibliography are important elements of your paper, and oftentimes the most confusing. MLA, APA or Chicago—ask your professor which style you should choose. Then ask for more detail. Is the professor expecting footnotes, or citations within the text? How many online resources are you allowed to use? Would the professor like you to incorporate figures, pictures and lengthy quotes within the rest of the text, or should you use an appendix? As you brainstorm and plan your paper, think of any unique situations that might arise because of your resources, and ask your professor. Sometimes we even have faculty and staff ask us questions about tricky citations.

I’m a student, too. I realize that sometimes papers are compiled last-minute, especially citations and bibliographies. Unfortunately, leaving such things until the very end results in little energy for them. Sloppy citations, inconsistent format and bibliographies missing important components can degrade an otherwise magnificent paper that contains great thinking. On the other hand, proper and consistent citation shine well upon even the simplest of writing assignments, demonstrating the efforts of an involved student.

To help you lean towards the latter description, here are common hints and advice dealt out by the Writing Center:

1. The period comes out of the quote.

Both MLA and APA often use intext citations. When using direct quotations, the final period of the statement is taken out of the quotation and placed at the end of the citation.

MLA Example: “Notice that the period follows the parenthetical citation” (Hacker 129).

APA Example: “Readers need to move from your own words to the words of a source without feeling a jolt” (Hacker, 2004, p. 161).

2. Alternate between single and double quotation marks when your quote contains quotation marks.

MLA Example: “When a writer’s or a speaker’s quoted words appear in a source written by someone else, begin the citation with the abbreviation ‘qtd. in’” (Hacker 132).

3. Double-space your bibliography in MLA and APA. I know it looks strange,but it is correct. Chicago format calls for single space within entries, and double space between entries.

4. Use page-breaks (InsertàBreakàPage Break) between title pages and text, and between text and bibliographies to avoid formatting problems. Also, rather than trying to figure it out with tabs, use the markers at the top of word documents to set indents in your bibliographies.

5. Where to find help:

-Ask your professor.

-Ask a writing consultant.

-Instant message a writing consultant at VUWCafterhours (AIM, Yahoo! MSN)

-Use a style manual. We have quite a few available on our table or bookcase for in-library use.

-Check dianahacker.com/pocket, particularly for questions concerning electronic resources.

If you’re still unsure, the best advice we can give you is BE CONSISTENT. Nothing is more distracting than inconsistent formatting of citations.

As always, good luck and good writing. Look for our blue light at the Writing Center. We’d love to talk with you.

Cathrine Jackson, VUWC Writing Consultant

It’s fast approaching that time in the semester when the “end of the semester” research paper is becoming a concrete reality rather than an abstract idea. So here are a few helpful hints to help integrate outside information into your paper as you begin writing…

• First, as Eric’s post on thesis statements suggests, your paper needs to have a thesis which states your opinion on the topic. This thesis should be used to guide the kinds of quotes, paraphrases, summaries, and facts used in your paper. If a quote is really cool, but doesn’t quite make your point or fit in with your argument, it’s better to leave it out and find one that does.
• Make sure your paper flows well by framing outside information with your own words; don’t just use the author’s phrasing. Break apart larger block quotes into smaller phrases that can be integrated into your own sentences.
• Also, be sure to explain your outside information and its relation to the paper. Don’t just drop a quote or a statistic into your paper; it doesn’t add anything to your argument, it just makes your paper longer (longer isn’t always better!).
• CITE YOUR SOURCES!!! Even if it’s a paraphrase or summary, it still needs to be cited. (For help on citation styles, check out the Citation, bib, & Plagiarism link at the top of the list on the right side of our blog)

You can always ask one of the friendly Writing Center consultants for assistance or check out one of the many books we have at the Writing Center (I like Robert Perrin’s Handbook for College Research).

Brianne McClelland
Writing Center Consultant

Writing papers in college means a lot of resources. Despite the wonderful world wide web, online library catalogues and interlibrary loan, it can still be difficult to find the information you need. The best thing to do is to find a resource librarian. The most tempting, but definitely most illegitmate thing to do is to cite Wikipedia.

“But it’s Wikipedia dot ORG.”

This explanation is delivered over and over again at the Writing Center. Teachers have told us that websites ending with .org or .edu are more likely to be reliable resources. This does not change the fact that Wikipedia is an open-source encyclopedia. Anybody can post anything, generating a great danger of misinformation. Wikipedia may have a plethora of information on your paper topic, but the process by which the articles are assembled is not appropriate for academic use. Look up Wikipedia’s page on “Wikipedia,” and you will find reports of controversy and lack of academic credibility.

Keep Wikipedia out of your citations and bibliography, but…

Wikipedia can be a useful starting point. Because it is open-source, reading an article can give a general idea to culture’s current perspectives on many topics. Some articles within Wikipedia are highly developed, and provide legitimate citations. After checking their credibility, you can use these citations to find reliable, academic resources for your paper.

As always, good luck and good writing. Look for our Blue Light and drop by the Writing Center for all your writing needs.

“But this is how I thought we were supposed to cite things?”
“What’s Chicago style?”
“What do I have to cite?”
“You mean I have to cite if I paraphrase? Why?”
“I hate APA. Why can’t we just use MLA for everything?”
“Footnotes, endnotes, in text citations…AHHH”
“What if there is a quote that I’m quoting from a text that is quoting it? Do I quote the original text or the source I have or….?”

The are just a few questions or comments that have been made either by me or other students. Yes, I’ve heard you say them too. As it turns out, these questions all have logical answers. Some (if not all) can be found online here under the Citation & bibliography link or in the manuals of style at the Writing Center in the Christopher Center.

Come visit us and we can help you figure out some of those tough questions.

Oh, and yes, if you use someone else’s idea or paraphrase, you do have to cite it….