In- Text Documentation:A Guide for Using the Green Writing Research Papers Handbook Effectively

• First Step– Prepare the bibliographic entries for the sources you

used.

Most common sources used:

A book with a single author: An article from an online subscription

periodical database (Electric Library, EBSCOhost, etc….) :

A Professional Web Site:

2nd Step- Make your Works Cited Page

• Once you have your resources in the correct bibliographic format, you must create a works cited page.

• The words “Works Cited” are typed one inch from the top of the page

• Arrange your bibliographic entries in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

If your entry does not start with an author, you use the first word in the title.

Sample Works Cited Page

Works Cited

Bennet Jr., Lerone. “10 Biggest Lies About Black History.”

Ebony May 2001: 86+. EBSCOhost. Unami Middle School Library, Chalfont, PA. 17 October 2001.

Holzer, Harold, ed. Abraham Lincoln- The Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters. Honesdale: Boyds Mill Press, 2000.

“Lincoln Rallies New Yorkers Against Slavery.” PBS Kids: Learning Adventures in Citizenship. 17 October 2001

<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/episode2/topic8/

e2_t8_sl-lr.html>.

Writing your Paper:What do you need to Cite?

• All Statistics• All Direct Quotes• Any information that is not common knowledge

Common knowledge is defined as information you found in more than 3 sources.

• Any information that is controversial or questionable.

• Opinions from scholars and other individuals you consulted.

How to do parenthetical or in-text documentation

• To put it simply, after you write information that qualifies as needing to be cited, you tell the reader right away where you found the information. You do this by listing the author’s name and the page number of the source in parenthesis after the sentence in which the information was found. If no author is given, you give the first few words of the title of the article. Basically, you put in parenthesis the words that match the first words of your entry on the Works Cited page.

Sample: Direct Quote

In June of 1858, Abraham Lincoln stated in his speech to the Republican Party convention, “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free” ( Holzer 37).

author page period at the end of parenthesis

Works Cited

Bennet Jr., Lerone. “10 Biggest Lies About Black History.”

Ebony May 2001: 86+. EBSCOhost. Unami Middle

School Library, Chalfont, PA. 17 October 2001.

Holzer, Harold, ed. Abraham Lincoln- The Writer: A Treasury

of His Greatest Speeches and Letters. Honesdale: Boyds Mill

Press, 2000.

“Lincoln Rallies New Yorkers Against Slavery.” PBS Kids:

Learning Adventures in Citizenship. 17 October 2001

<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/episode2/topic8/

e2_t8_sl-lr.html>.

Sample- Works Cited

Sample: Statistic

The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves. In fact, it excluded the 276,000 slaves in the state of Tennessee (Bennett).

Author period outside of parenthesis

No page number provided here because this information was found in an electronic forma.t. You can’t be sure which page it appeared on in the original article

Works Cited

Bennet Jr., Lerone. “10 Biggest Lies About Black History.”

Ebony May 2001: 86+. EBSCOhost. Unami Middle

School Library, Chalfont, PA. 17 October 2001.

Holzer, Harold, ed. Abraham Lincoln- The Writer: A Treasury

of His Greatest Speeches and Letters. Honesdale: Boyds Mill

Press, 2000.

“Lincoln Rallies New Yorkers Against Slavery.” PBS Kids:

Learning Adventures in Citizenship. 17 October 2001

<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/episode2/topic8/

e2_t8_sl-lr.html>.

Sample- Works Cited

Sample- A paraphrased opinion

During his presidential campaign in 1860, Lincoln understood that it was important for him to win over America’s newspaper capital, New York City. Lincoln was successful in winning their support because he managed to give each opposing faction a little bit of what they wanted. For instance, for the abolitionists he promised that he would not allow slavery to spread into the West. For the business men with interests in the South, he promised that slavery could remain in the South. This strategy along with Mathew Brady’s photographs was widely covered by the newspapers and magazines raising Lincoln to celebrity status (“Lincoln”).

Title of article period

Works Cited

Bennet Jr., Lerone. “10 Biggest Lies About Black History.”

Ebony May 2001: 86+. EBSCOhost. Unami Middle

School Library, Chalfont, PA. 17 October 2001.

Holzer, Harold, ed. Abraham Lincoln- The Writer: A Treasury

of His Greatest Speeches and Letters. Honesdale: Boyds Mill

Press, 2000.

“Lincoln Rallies New Yorkers Against Slavery.” PBS Kids:

Learning Adventures in Citizenship. 17 October 2001

<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/episode2/topic8/

e2_t8_sl-lr.html>.

Sample- Works Cited

Help for In-Text Documentation in your green guide book

• Examples of In-text documentation format:

Pages 22- 29.• Guidelines for how much of your paper should be

cited: page 18.

Basic rule- cited information accounts for 50% to 75% of a research paper.

• Explanation of what purpose documentation serves in your paper: page 18.