Proper Citation of Sources Worksheet

 

Using a consistent reference format in your writing

 

Overview

 

When writing persuasively within a particular framework (scientific, historical, critical, etc.) you must support your argument by providing corroborating evidence gathered from outside sources.  Whenever you quote or paraphrase information that is not public, personal, or common knowledge, you must cite your source; that is, tell the reader where to find that information so she or he can read more about it or put it in context.  One of the most common ways to cite the source of information is APA (American Psychological Association) Style.

 

APA Style is not just a convention about citing your sources, it is a handy guide to what you should be able to find about a reliable source. IF YOU CANNOT FIND ENOUGH INFORMATION TO PROPERLY CITE A SOURCE, YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW ENOUGH TO TELL WHETHER IT CAN BE TRUSTED. IN PARTICULAR, SOURCES THAT DO NOT HAVE AN AUTHOR AND A DATE SHOULD NOT BE USED.

 

When using APA Style, you cite the source of information in two places: in the text, where the information appears, and on a separate reference page that is included at the end of your work.  The citation in the text is brief, so it does not interrupt the flow of the text, but gives enough information that the reader can find the complete reference on the reference page.  The citation is the same for journals, books, etc.  The reference page contains the full citation of every source used so that an interested reader could locate your sources and verify the information you present.  Information there will vary according to the different types of sources.

 

Underline book titles and journal (not article) titles.  When typing or word processing, you may use italics instead of underlining.

 

To summarize, information from an authoritative source (journal, book, etc.) is cited using the following format:

 

            In the text:        (author, year, p. x) if a direct quote

                                    (author, year) if not a direct quote

 

            On the reference page: Complete reference information, according to the type of

                                    source (book, journal article, edited volume).  See exercises 3 - 5

                                    for examples.

 

Exercise 1: Quoting

 

Practice using APA Style by finding a short (one sentence or less) quote from one of the articles you brought.  Include appropriate punctuation (comma, quotation marks, etc.).

 

1.  Copy the complete quote, leaving out only the final punctuation mark:

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

2.  Now put quotation marks around the quote.

3.  After the quotation mark, place an open parenthesis  (  and write the last name of the author of the article.  If there is more than one author, write each author's last name, separated by commas.

4.  After the last author's name, put a comma and write the year the article was published.

5.  Put another comma after the year and write a "p." and then the number of the page from which you took the quote.

6.  Close the parentheses  )  and place the final punctuation after the parenthesis.

 

 

Exercise 2: Paraphrasing

 

1.  Rewrite the above quote in your own words, leaving out the last punctuation mark.

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

2.  After the last word of the last sentence, place an open parenthesis  (  and write the last name of the author of the article.  If there is more than one author, write each author's last name, separated by commas.

3.  After the last author's name, put a comma and write the year the article was published.

4.  Close the parentheses  )  and place the final punctuation after the parenthesis.

 

 

Exercise 3: Reference for the article

 

On the reference page: Author's name (Lastname, followed by initials; multiple authors appear in the order they are listed on the original, separated by commas and an ampersand [&]).  The year the article appeared, in parentheses.  Title of the article with only the first letter of the first word capitalized (also capitalize proper names and first word in subtitles).  Title of the journal (with the same capitalization rules) and the volume number, separated by a comma, all underlined.  The issue number, if present, is enclosed in parentheses, but not underlined.  The inclusive page numbers.  Each reference begins on a new line with the first line of each reference aligned to the left margin and subsequent lines indented (a hanging indent).

Use the following examples to produce a reference page entry for an article you might use in this class (such as one of those you found for this week's assignment).

 

Examples:

Washburn, S. L. (1983). Evolution of a teacher. Annual Review of Anthropology, 12, 1-24.

 

Myers, R. H., & Ulie, T. R. (1972). Foreign influence and agricultural development in Northeast China: A case study of the Liaotung Peninsula, 1906-42. Journal of Asian Studies, 31(2), 329-350.

 

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

 

 

Exercise 4: Citing information from a book

 

On the reference page: Author's name (Lastname, followed by initials; multiple authors appear in the order they are listed on the original, separated by commas and an ampersand [&]).  The year the book appeared, in parentheses.  Title of the book with only the first letter of the first word capitalized, all underlined (also capitalize proper names and first word in subtitles).  The place the book was published, followed by a colon.  The publishing company that produced the book.  Each reference begins on a new line with the first line of each reference aligned to the left margin and subsequent lines indented (a hanging indent).

 

Use the following examples to produce a reference page entry for a book you might use in this class (such as the one textbook by Gardner and Stern or the other by Kitcher).

 

Examples:

Bauer, E. A. (1995). Mule deer: Behavior, ecology, conservation.  Stillwater, MN: Voyager.

 

Young, C. C. (2002). In the absence of predators: Conservation and controversy on the Kaibab Plateau. Lincoln: University of Nebraska.

 

Write your own example here:

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

 

Exercise 5: Citing information from an article in an edited volume (the exception mentioned above)

 

On the reference page: Author's name (Lastname, followed by initials; multiple authors appear in the order they are listed on the original, separated by commas and an ampersand [&]).  The year the volume appeared, in parentheses.  Title of the article with only the first letter of the first word capitalized (also capitalize proper names and first word in subtitles).  Title of the volume, all underlined, with the same capitalization rules.  The place the volume was published, followed by a colon.  The publishing company that produced the volume.  The inclusive page numbers.  Each reference begins on a new line with the first line of each reference aligned to the left margin and subsequent lines indented (a hanging indent).

 

Use the following examples to produce a reference page entry for an article from an edited volume you might use in this class (such as the one you read last week in class).

 

Examples:

Laqueur, T. (2000). From generation to generation: Imagining connectedness in the age of reproductive technologies. In P. Brodwin (Ed.), Biotechnology and Culture: Bodies, Anxieties, and Ethics. (pp. 75-98). Bloomington: Indiana University.

 

Mathews, N. E., DeWoody, J. A., Porter, W. F., Skow, L. C., & Honeycutt, R. L., (1997). Genetic variation as a predictor of social structure. In W. J. McShea, H. B. Underwood, & J. H. Rappole (Eds.), The science of overabundance: Deer ecology and population management. (pp. 99-119). Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution.

 

Write your own example here:

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   

 

 

NOTE: If you have a source that lacks an author's name, or any two or more of these other components, you should assume that this is not sufficiently reputable or scholarly.

 

FOR ARTICLES DOWNLOADED FROM THE WEB:

 

A web page is only usable if it tells you the author, affiliation with a reputable organization, and date. In some cases, the organization may also be the author (as in a web page for the American Diabetes Association).

 

If you retrieved the article through a Database, what you got was an electronic copy of a journal, book, or newspaper article.  In this case, you will cite it as you would the original article, but at the end of the citation you will add:

 

“Retrieved (insert date you retrieved it) from Name of Database Company on the World Wide Web: Web address.

 

If you found your article by doing a web search, for instance a google search, it might be a published article or it might be a web page.  If it doesn’t tell you that it is a published article, you should assume it is a web page.  In this case, BE CAREFUL!  Try to find out who wrote it, what organization supports the web page, and when it was written.  If you can’t find out enough to completely cite the web page, you don’t know enough to trust it.

 

Here’s how you cite a web page:

 

Author's name (Lastname, followed by initials; multiple authors appear in the order they are listed on the original, separated by commas and an ampersand [&]).  The year the web page was last updated, in parentheses.  Title of the web page with only the first letter of the first word capitalized (also capitalize proper names and first word in subtitles). The name of the source of the web page. The page numbers in square brackets (if the web page doesn’t have page numbers, put [unpaginated]). “Retrieved (insert date you retrieved it) from Name of Database Company on the World Wide Web: Web address.