10.16.3 Documentation, Plagiarism, and MLA Formatting

paraphrasing

the act of restating a text in your own words. Merely changing a few original words does NOT count as paraphrasing. Rather, there should be a difference in sentence structure, language, voice, and overall style.

plagiarism

the act of using information from any other source or author and claiming it as your own by not having proper citations.

MLA format

the format standards created by the Modern Language Association to properly cite and document sources used within a paper or essay.

works cited page

the single document that authors use to cite all of the sources used to develop any type of academic writing. A Works Cited page is created using MLA format guidelines and will be required in nearly every English assignment and should be considered a "routine" or standard part of any essay.

parenthetical citations

used within the body of the text to give immediate credit to the source for paraphrased data or direct quotations. If the writer of the paper is giving specific information of any kind that was retrieved from an outside source, parenthetical citations must be used. Likewise, if the writer opts to reference a direct quote from an outside source, parenthetical citations must be used. These citations are placed within the text of the paper, directly after the use of the source, and the citation itself goes within parentheses and includes limited information about the source itself. Parenthetical citations may also be referred to as "in-text citations."

quote

using another author's exact words. Quotes should always be identified by using quotation marks and then parenthetical citations.

self-plagiarism

when a student submits a paper or assignment for one course or subject and then copies and submits that same assignment for another course or subject.

documentation

the way you let your readers know what sources you consulted in writing your paper or creating your project. In order to have proper documentation, also referred to as citations, you must give credit to the source(s) used. This is most commonly accomplished through the use of a Works Cited page and parenthetical citations.