22.1: Readings by H. Morrison

10.1 MLA citations

Why do we cite?

• To avoid plagiarism (passing off others’ ideas as your own) in any and all forms.
• To increase our own ethos as writers: showing that you know of, and are in conversation with, other credible sources boosts your own credibility and authority.
• To create an easy way for your readers or audience to verify the facts you present.

Why do we use MLA in this class?

It’s a way to standardize the way you present your writing in academic settings. MLA is most commonly used in the humanities. As English is understood broadly as part of the Humanities, we use MLA.

MLA (Modern Language Association) is one of many ways to format documents and cite sources. Other common citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association), which is often used in the social sciences, and Chicago/Turabian style. All styles are suited to particular subject areas.

Each method provides 3 things:

• Standardization for in-text citations (for quotes, paraphrases, and summaries within the body of the essay).
• Standardization for Works Cited/References.
• Standardization for formatting the entire essay, i.e. where to put your name, the title, and the margin size.

Citations and how to do them

Citations are not the same as quotations. A citation is an standardized indication of the source of your ideas and/or words.

Citation is the broad category: summaries, paraphrases, and quotations all need citations, but none them themselves are citations.

• Example citation summaries:*
• In their book about modern ecology movements in the face of the climate crisis, Beyond the New Green Deal, Hahn and Wright discuss the impact of global corporations on the worsening climate. They conclude that anti-capitalist grassroot movements may be the most effective tool available, given the poor outcomes of attempts to change environmental policy in the US.
• *Summaries generally do not need page number citations because they are summaries of the entire work, or large parts of it. A signal phrase is most often enough.
• Example citation paraphrases:
• Hahn and Wright state that while a growing number of democratic political candidates promise to prioritize policy making to help climate change, only about 5% of them are able to do this once elected (112).
• Example citation quotations:
• Hahn and Wright argue “the ineffective nature of policy making in Washington, by our elected officials, may be discouraging to grassroots activists who are just starting out, but it in can also be a rallying cry to organize and create change in local communities” (113).

All three of these would necessitate a Works Cited entry, like this:

Hahn, Jo and W. Wright. Beyond the New Green Deal. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2018.

Never leave a quote alone

Never leave a quote alone in a sentence: use signal phrases or blend the quote into your own writing. Your own words should always introduce a quote or contextualize it.

• Incorporation into your own sentence:
  • While the statistics vary for men under the age of 50, there’s “a clear indication that men 50 and older are two to three times more likely to report being lonely, regardless of relationship status” (Watts) that suggests finding a mate is not helpful.
• Introduce the quote:
  • In the article “World on Fire,” the authors report on the panic caused by climate change: “60% of participants reported feeling severely heightened anxiety when consuming media about climate change.”
• Signal phrase:
  • Vaughn argues, “policy makers are not taking their commitment to citizens seriously. Instead, they are motivated by the interests of big business and the kickbacks and other financial and social benefit they provide.”

Quote/Paraphrase Sandwich

A quote/paraphrase sandwich is an analogy to help you remember how to treat quotes and paraphrases in your essays. As noted, quotes should never be left alone in a sentence. Quotes/paraphrases must always be introduced (conceptually and literally), presented, and then explained or connected to the topic sentence.

Top Bun	Conceptually introduce the quote, and literally introduce the quote. Include some introductory information needed to understand the quote, as well as the source, if desired.
Meat or delectable veggie filling	Present the quote or paraphrase.
Bottom Bun	Explain the quote if needed (if the language is complex, or the data otherwise needs to be broken down) and explain how the quote/paraphrase connects to the topic sentence in the paragraph in which the quote/paraphrase exists.

Example

The popular documentary-style show Love on the Spectrum (LotS) depicts young adults with autism engaged in the pursuit of romantic relationships. Like other dating shows, it follows participants’ lives as they get ready for and go on dates. In the article “Exploitation for Acceptance,” author Maree Wolf states “while Love on the Spectrum outwardly purports to be inclusive and increase representation of autistic adults, it actually does the opposite. It makes a spectacle—a bumbling circus sideshow—of earnest autistic’s pursuit of community and connection. The participant’s lives aren’t treated as real or serious—they are treated as jokes or ‘aww, cute!’ moments.” LotS’s cast is made up of autistic people, but as Wolf argues, the representation the show offers through editing and dubious interviewing techniques is harmful and dehumanizing, and just a matter of entertainment for the audience at the expense of real people.

Hanging Indents

Your Works Cited must have “hanging indents.”

They look like this:

Here’s how to do them in Microsoft Word.

MLA citation and Works Cited Checklist

The answer to all of these questions should be YES!

In-text citations:

• If I used my own words to explain a source’s ideas, is it clear exactly where those ideas come from? Do I use signal phrases and/or parenthetical citations?
• If I used the source’s exact words, is it in quotation marks?
• If I used more than 4 lines of a source’s exact words, is it presented properly in a block quote?
• Do I introduce each quote/paraphrase/summary, and then immediately discuss/explain/elaborate and connect it to the rest of the paragraph?
• Does every cited source have a Works Cited entry?

On the Works Cited page:

• Does the Works Cited start on its own page?
• Is the title Works Cited in bold and centered at the top of the page?
• Are the entries arranged in alphabetical order?
• Did I use hanging indents?
• Did I verify the formatting and content of each entry, using Purdue OWL, even if the entry was automatically generated by a database?
• Is every Works Cited entry cited at least once in the essay in an in-text citation (quote, summary, paraphrase with signal phrase and/or parenthetical citation)?

MLA Resources

Full Information on how to properly use MLA for all 3 elements: in-text citations, works cited, and formatting from Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).

MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

MLA Formatting and Style Guide

MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format

Responsible use of sources: accuracy, fairness, and clear attribution

To properly use a source, you must do the following:

• Comprehend the source. It is crucial for you to completely understand your source--thoroughly read and understand the source. If you need help with this step, see a reading tutor.
• Be accurate. If you understand your source, you should be able to accurately represent the source author’s ideas and data.
• Be fair. Honestly represent what the source says, even if it does not help your argument. Typically, we use sources that agree with our arguments, so we default to being fair, i.e., using the author’s work in the way they intended and honestly representing it. However, sometimes we disagree with an author’s conclusions OR we think they should have come to a somewhat different conclusion. We then can take their work and point out the issues, but we must be clear when we do this. It should never seem like you are changing or misrepresenting the author’s ideas.
• Cite the source correctly whether you paraphrase, quote, or summarize. It should always be crystal clear when you are using the source’s ideas rather than your own.
• Do not plagiarize. It must be very clear whose ideas are presented. If the ideas are not entirely your own, if the wording is not entirely your own, either do not use it or cite it properly.

Considering the source

Rhetorically analyze your potential sources:

• What is their ethos? What are their credentials, and what is their motivation/intention?
• A source being peer reviewed automatically lends ethos and high credibility because the source: 1. Must be an expert to be peer reviewed, and 2. Those peers who review it are also experts. Therefore, the output’s reliability is verified.
• Who is their intended audience? If it’s not you, consider either not using the source, or, if appropriate, offering contextualization when you cite them. Say “In a report intended for medical students, the author suggests….”
• Reliable academic sources will rarely use pathos; they will use logos in abundance. They will also strengthen their own ethos by citing the work of other reliable, well-respected sources.

Plagiarism

There are many forms of plagiarism, but it can be summarized as presenting another’s work as your own. This applies to a single sentence or phrase, or an entire essay.

It can be intentional or unintentional. Intentional is far more serious and carries heavier penalties, but both will result in lost points, at minimum.

Intentional – In this class, automatic failure of the assignment, possible other disciplinary actions and/or failure of the course.

• Your friend took this class last year. You submit a part of one of his essays as though you wrote it.
• You buy an essay.
• You copy/paste a paragraph from a news article, modify it somewhat, do not cite it, and then include it your essay.
• A work colleague heavily edits your essay and changes the phrasing, word choice, and organization of your essay. They may have also added a topic sentence here and there.
• You used an AI chat to write your essay, in part or in whole.

Unintentional—In this class, results in a point reduction only if it is clearly unintentional. May incur more serious penalties.

• You paraphrased one of your sources and forgot to cite it.
• You briefly summarized an article but forgot to mention where it came from or who wrote it.
• You provided a quote but forgot to put it in quotation marks and cite the source.

How to avoid plagiarism:

Intentional:

If you’re feeling stuck and/or overwhelmed, ask for help from the correct sources that will actually help you learn:

• A writing tutor.
• A reading tutor.
• A librarian.
• Your professor.
• If you need other support, seek it out!
• For disability accommodations, see the Access Center.
• For mental health issues, see the Wellness Center.

Here and in life in general, advocating for yourself and asking for what you need is crucial.

• Plan ahead and anticipate your challenges. Life is busy and complicated, and no one succeeds completely on their own. Make a plan to complete your assignments and make appointments for help.
• Ask for an extension. While extensions can set you back, it’s far better to ask for an extension than to plagiarize.
• Accept that you may not get the grade you want, or you might even fail. No one wants to fall short of their own expectations or others’; however, even an F is preferable to plagiarism being noted on your official academic record.

Unintentional

• Give yourself enough time to revise and thoroughly edit.
• Carefully edit and re-read your essay. Try highlighting all the content that is not yours for a clear visual indicator (remove the highlight before submitting!). You can also color code.
• Keep track of your research in your research log.
• Keep track of the sources you use with an in-progress works cited page.
• Have a writing tutor review your final draft for correct citations. Note, there’s no guarantee that a tutor will spot unintentional plagiarism.

Patchwriting

Patchwriting happens when you rephrase a portion of source material, but your language remains too close to the vocabulary and/or sentence structure of the original text. All patchwriting is a kind of paraphrase, but successful paraphrase is not patchwritten.

Why is it something to be avoided?

• Patchwriting does not demonstrate the writer's comprehension. Often, we patchwrite when we do not fully understand the source content..
• It is typically not well-written. Pasting together synonyms is usually a recipe for an awkward, unwieldy sentence. Sometimes, it’s incomprehensible.
• It can lead to plagiarism. If you are not truly using your own words, and not using a quote, it’s technically plagiarism.

Patch Writing Example

Original text

“The Goose diet, commonly known as “honking” on social media, is a growing trend in which teens and adults eat nothing but grass clippings in an effort to lose weight and, reportedly get “goose juiced”—meaning they take on the fearless of aggression of a nesting Canadian goose” (Gosling).

Patchwriting (ineffective, plagiaristic paraphrase)

The Goose diet, also known as “honking” on Tiktok, Twitter(X) and the like, is a growing trend in which people over the age of twelve eat only clippings of grass in an effort to shrink their waistlines, and allegedly get “goose juiced”—which means they assume the lack of fear and the anger of a Canadian goose who is in its nesting season.

Actual paraphrase

According to Gosling, the Goose Diet phenomenon has been gaining popularity among both teenagers and adults, and even has a nickname on social media: “Honking.” The diet is simple—it consists of eating grass clippings exclusively—and, allegedly, the result is rapid, significant weight loss as well as an empowering behavioral change in which dieters feel they have the invincible assertiveness of nesting Canadian geese (Gosling).

To quote or not to quote: determining whether you should paraphrase/summarize, or quote.

• Does the potential quote contain NECCESARY specific or technical phrasing (even jargon) that cannot be duplicated?
• Is it beautifully or poetically stated? Pithy or witty?
• Does it contain statistics, numbers, or figures that you would have to present “as is” anyhow?
• Is the quote an important personal narrative that needs to have the author’s voice presented, rather than your own?

…. Then you should quote it!

• Is the potential quote very long?
• Would you need to leave things out using an ellipsis (…) because not all of it is relevant?
• Is the quote an explanation or background information?
• Is it confusingly written? Complicated?
• Is it a key point or concept that you need to show you understand completely?

…. Then you should NOT quote it!

Paraphrase or summarize instead.