Terms related to research and citation.

MLA format and style guide

The Modern Language Association's guide for formatting papers and citing sources; these rules are used in English classes

annotated bibliography

a brief summary of what the source is about and an evaluation about its usefulness for research on a topic

in-text citation (parenthetical)

a citation included within in the paper that shows the source of the information that is being quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. includes: WHO, CREDENTIALS of who, VERB tag, and QUOTE (direct or indirect. At the end of the quote, include in parentheses, (LAST NAME of author, PAGE number) from the book or article. This source must be listed on the Works Cited or bibliography page.

works cited

a list of the sources from which the essay writer has taken ideas, evidence, facts, descriptions, anecdotes, etc. to use in the essay. Any sources included in this list will have been given credit IN the paper (in-text citation).

bibliography

a list of the sources used for research on a topic; it includes the bibliographic information of each book used when investigating a topic — the author, the title, and publication information. It is always on a separate piece of paper.

annotation

a note that explains or comments about a text; may be added to text (like margin notes), diagrams, or bibliographies.

credential

a qualification, achievement, personal quality, or part of a person's experience, that shows a person has particular ability or expertise

verb tag

a synomym for "said" or "says" such as explains, claims, shares, reports, etc. This is used in an in-text citation to link the source to who said it.

source

a text, website, or person used to get information about a topic, such as encyclopedia, book, magazine, interview, etc.

bibliographic citation

a written reference to a source used when gathering information; the citation follows a specific format (MLA)

bias

prejudice for or against an idea, person, or thing; sometimes obvious, but can also be indirect; shows an opinion

credibility

the quality of being trusted and believed in; trustworthy, believable. Does the source / writer have

plagiarism

to deliberately pass off the ideas or words of another as your own and /or to use another's ideas or words without giving credit to the actual writer or speaker.

evaluate

to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality; assess

cite

to quote, paraphrase, or summarize information as evidence from a passage, article, book, or author

summarize

to restate in your own words the key ideas / points of a text, speech, film, diagram, chart, etc. Look for Who, What, When, Where, Why, How

paraphrase

to restate the original version of something spoken or written using your own words

citation

written reference to a source used to get information, particularly for research or to support an essay; the purpose is to give credit to the source and provide enough information so others can also use the source