ENGL B1A: Poverty in America: Citing Sources

• Citations let your professor, or anyone else who reads your work, find the items you used in your research. The key to a successful citation is providing all the information needed for your reader to find the book, article, or other item you are citing.
• Citing builds your credibility and shows that your ideas are shared by other experts in the field. Citing scholarly, peer-reviewed sources lends extra credibility to your work.
• Citation avoids plagiarism! Citing your sources properly gives credit to the original author. 
  • Plagiarism is copying another's work without permission or giving the original author credit. It is highly illegal. Check out below (left hand column) to find out more plagiarism and how to avoid
  • Your professor is recommending using Canvas/Turnitin.com to assist you in avoiding plagiarism. These sites have function that read your paper and see if too much information has been copied. 

• MLA style means your references page will be titled "Works Cited". Check out below (right column) for resources on how to format citations for sources using MLA. 
• This paper will also be using in-text citation (giving the source credit when the quote or piece of information is embedded in the essay).
  • Example: (Smith 45) This in-text citation tells us that this source's author was Smith and the information can be found on page 45. Check out below (right column) to find sources on how to create other forms of in-text citation, such as how to reference online articles or websites

Formatting citations on a "Works Cited" page can sometimes be the trickiest part. Here are a few tips on how to make the infamous hanging indent in different programs.

Microsoft Word

1. Cursor on line needing indentation- press "Ctrl" and "T" at the same time

2. Paragraph (should have pop out window) > Under "Indentation", choose "Hanging" in drop down menu > Click "Ok"

Google Docs

Format > Align & Indent > Indentation Options > Special Indent > Hanging