Presentation Transcript

1. Quick & dirty guide to MLA citations Holly Hendrigan (hah1@sfu.ca) Liaision Librarian, Fraser Library (Surrey)
2. Outline Why cite? MLA nutshell Elements of in-text citations Elements of end notes **************************************** Reference points: MLA citation guide; MLA Handbook Electronic resource helpers: Fast Search, Gale Virtual Reference Library, EBSCO databases Software solutions
3. Why cite? Illustrating your own understanding of the subject matter by demonstrating that you have read widely & are able to select relevant information to contextualize your own research Enabling readers to track down your source texts easily if they wish to find out more information Avoiding Plagiarism
4. MLA nutshell: in-text citations “Enabling readers to track down your source texts easily if they wish to find out more information.” According to Wade Davis, “[f]or the Spaniards the most perplexing question was how such a primitive people could have accomplished so much” (39).
5. “For the Spaniards the most perplexing question was how such a primitive people could have accomplished so much.” (Davis 39)
6. End notes: simple print book AuthorTitle of book (italicized) Davis, Wade. The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2009. Print. Place of publication Date PublisherFormat
7. Double-checking book in hand
8. Somewhat more complicated end notes Vlahos, John B. "Homer's Odyssey: Penelope and the Case for Early Recognition." College Literature 38.2 (2011): 1-75. Web. Arac, Jonathan. "Global and Babel: Language and Planet in American Literature." Shades of the Planet: American Literature as World Literature. Ed. WaiCheeDimock and Lawrence Buell. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2007. 19-38. Print.
9. Translations Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. New York: Knopf, 1992. Print. Author of original. Title of original. Translator. Place of publication: publisher, date. Format.
10. Section in a Website Invitation to World Literature “The Odyssey depicts a world in which there is no strong central authority to impose law and order on people.” (“The Odyssey”, Background sec.) “The Odyssey”. Invitation to World Literature. Annenberg Foundation, 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. Ps I needed to look this one up in the MLA Bibliography
11. Mini-quiz What element of a citation is italicized? Davis, Wade. The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2009. Print Vlahos, John B. "Homer's Odyssey: Penelope and the Case for Early Recognition." College Literature 38.2 (2011): 1-75. Web.
12. What element of a citation goes in quotations? Arac, Jonathan. "Global and Babel: Language and Planet in American Literature." Shades of the Planet: American Literature as World Literature. Ed. WaiCheeDimock and Lawrence Buell. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2007. 19-38. Print.
13. Format designations: “Print” is easy. What about an article from an e-journal or an e-book? Vlahos, John B. "Homer's Odyssey: Penelope and the Case for Early Recognition." College Literature 38.2 (2011): 1-75. Web.
14. Reference points SFU Library’s MLA guide MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Ask a librarian! @ reference desk, 10-6 AskAway Txt Us: 604.724.5898 Me! hah1@sfu.ca
15. Electronic helpers WARNING: garbage in=garbage out. Fast Search Gale Virtual reference library EBSCO databases
16. Software Solutions Separate session! Best to become familiar with MLA first so you can correct mistakes Library Search: RefWorks Library Search: Zotero
17. When in doubt… Ask a librarian! @ reference desk, 10-6 AskAway Txt Us: 604.724.5898 Me! hah1@sfu.ca