A Student Guide

Western Canada High School

Ms. Prentice 2014

WCHS Library

A Brief Introduction to Reference

Lists and Citations

What is a “citation”?

To cite means to note or refer to something. It is

an action word (a verb).

A citation is a reference, or a mention. It is a

thing (a noun).

When we do research, it is important to

refer to or mention where we found our

information.

Scholarship is a collaborative

activity. We build our

understanding on the work of

others. It is only fair to

acknowledge this.

Why do I need to worry about

this?

Plagiarism occurs when

we take someone else’s

words or ideas and claim

them as our own.

Plagiarism is like stealing

someone’s words and

ideas…

AND STEALING IS

WRONG!We want to develop habits of ethical scholarship by

respecting the intellectual and creative property of

others.

Plagiarism and Your Learning

In your academic work, it is important to be

honest. Give credit where credit is due. This is

ethical research.

You can borrow someone’s words and ideas, but

make sure you GIVE THEM CREDIT by citing

the source.

Remember: your teachers can recognize

plagiarism quite easily. Plagiarizing can have

serious consequences – so make sure to avoid it!

Why Create a Reference List

Give credit where credit

is due

Guide others to the

research

Give credibility to your

work

Step 1: Collect information for your

reference list

Every time you do research, you should create a reference list for your project.

Your reference list identifies the information sources you used in creating your project.

For each source, you MUST identify:1. WHO is the author2. WHAT is the title

3. WHEN it was published (and if the source is digital, when you found it)

4. WHERE it was published (and if the source is digital, where you found it)

5. The MEDIUM of publication (if using MLA style).

DON’T wait until the end of your research to do this; record the information as you go along.

Basic Reference/Citation

Format (MLA):

Who. What. Where. When. Medium.

NOTE: There are many different citation styles; MLA is one of the most common. Make sure you know what style your teacher wants you to use, and use it consistently.

BOOK:

Author last name, first name. Book Title. City of

Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium

of Publication.

Example:

Lane, Bryan. Crime and Detection. Toronto:

Stoddart, 1998. Print.

WEB SITE:

Author. “Website Article.” Web Page Title.

Institution or Organization Associated with

Website, Day Month Year. Web. Date retrieved in

Day Month Year.

Example:

Lamb, Arthur. “The Golden Gate Bridge.” Bridge

Building. University of Dublin, 15 Nov. 2010. Web.

31 Oct. 2012.

*note that you don’t include the URL in your citation

IMAGES:

Author. Title of work. Year Created. Medium of

work. Image Source. Database/Website. Web. Date

retrieved.

Example:

Smith, Joan. Sunflowers. N.d. Photograph. CNN.com.

Web. 6 Feb 2009.

Use N.d. for “no

date” if you can’t

find one.

** If the image doesn’t have a title, create a descriptive one.

For example: “Photograph of a lion on the Serengeti.”

Tools to Help with Creating

Reference Citations

Many academic resources – for example, e-

resources in the Online Reference Centre or our

school’s virtual reference library – will have

citation help tools. These resources will create a

citation for you. All you need to do is copy and

paste it into your reference list.

** make sure the citation provided is consistent

with your style (MLA? APA? Chicago?)

Online Tools to Help with

Referencing

Citation Machine

NoodleTools

BibMe

For examples, and a good general guide, visit the Purdue OWL:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01

/

Online citation generators can help too (but be careful to double-check for accuracy!)

Microsoft Word’s Referencing tool can also help. See this video tutorial for help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcMqrs2plZE

Step 2: Citing in Your Essay or

Project: In-text citations

In addition to creating a reference

list, you should credit your sources

within your essay or project. We call

this ‘in-text citation.’ It’s a bit

trickier.

Do I have

to cite everything?

Facts that are widely known, or

information & judgments considered

“common knowledge” Do NOT have

to be documented.

Examples of common knowledge:

World War I began in 1914 is common knowledge.

Smoking is linked to lung cancer is common

knowledge.

Ottawa is the capital of Canada is common

knowledge.

If you see a fact in three or more sources, and

you are fairly certain your readers already know

this information, it is likely to be “common

knowledge.”

• If you are discussing your own experiences,

observations, ideas or reactions you don’t need

to make a citation.

What should I cite?• Facts that might be unfamiliar to your

reader (such as statistics or specific

historical information) should be cited.

• Ideas or interpretations that are not your

own should be cited (even if you agree with

the idea or interpretation).

• Cite direct quotes

• Cite anything you paraphrase or

summarizeIf you aren’t sure if you should cite something, err on the

side of caution and cite.

Generally speaking: if the thinking isn’t yours, cite it (even if

the words are yours).

Should we cite it?

EXAMPLE 1: Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. He is one of the most famous writers in English literature.

EXAMPLE 2: Most Elizabethans, like Shakespeare, believed human emotions and actions were governed by four fluids, known as humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. If the humours were in balance, a person would behave rationally. However, an excess of one humour could cause irrational behaviour.

Should we cite it?

EXAMPLE 3: Romeo and Juliet are sacrificial victims, and the ancient rule about sacrifice was that the victim had to be perfect and without blemish. The belief underlying this idea was that nothing that is perfect can exist in this world of imperfection. That which is perfect should therefore be offered up to another world before it deteriorates.

EXAMPLE 4: "Like adolescence itself, the play has many moods: it is delicate yet intense, occasionally obscene, sometimes funny, and always heartbreaking … you're in for a delightful surprise. This play is terrific."

Paraphrasing & Summarizing

Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s thoughts or ideas in your own words. When you paraphrase, you must credit the original author.

Summarizing means taking the main idea or ideas of one author or several authors and putting them briefly in your own words. When you summarize someone else’s ideas, you must credit them.

Remember: if the thinking isn’t yours,

cite it (even if the words are yours).

Example of Paraphrasing

To paraphrase, you have to use your own words and change the structure of the sentences.

Original:Kenyans enjoy many sports and activities. Soccer is the most popular team sport in Kenya. Many people belong to soccer teams in their cities and towns. Track-and-field activities such as running and high jumping are very popular. Many Kenyan runners compete in races around the world. The best have won medals in the Olympics.

Paraphrased:Sports such as soccer, running and high jumping are popular in Kenya. Kenyan runners compete internationally, and some have won Olympic medals. Soccer is a popular team sport, and many Kenyans play on soccer teams in their communities (Bartell 20).

Example of Summarizing

Summaries are much shorter than the original source or sources, and only include the main ideas. The summary should be in your own words.

Original:Every year, Nigerians and people from around the world look forward to the Argungu Fishing festival. The four-day events began as a way to bring neighbouring villages together in peace. During the first three days of the festival, people enjoy a motor rally, canoes races, and a fair. People dance to traditional music and watch many different sporting events. The fishing competition happens on the last day of the festival. Thousands line up along the banks of the Sokoto River with nets to catch fish.

Summary:The Augungu Fishing Festival is an important Nigerian holiday. This festival is an opportunity for people to come together and enjoy many activities (Owings 26).

Quoting

Quotations are someone else’s words, copied exactly from the source material. Quotations need to be in quotation marks, and must be credited.

Original:Goalkeepers have to make important decisions during a game. These decisions may affect whether the game is a win, loss or draw for their team.

Quotation:

Gifford notes, “Goalkeepers have to make important decisions during a game. These decisions may affect

whether the game is a win, loss or draw for their team” (20).

Dealing with long quotesFor longer quotes, such as a text excerpt, set the

quote apart as a free-standing text block. You don’t

need quotation marks.

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and

dehumanizes him throughout her narration:

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them,

or even in their room, and I had no more sense,

so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it

would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or

else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr.

Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on

quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to

how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in

recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity

was sent out of the house (Bronte 78).

Remember…take accurate notes

while researching:

Include any direct quotes or unique phrases

in quotation marks or mark with a big Q and

make sure the speaker’s /writer’s name is

identified.

Make sure you note a paraphrase with the

writer’s name and mark it with a big P

Include page numbers and source references

so you can go back and check for accuracy

as you write.