Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
What Is “Documentation”?
When you write a research paper, you use other people’s information and sometimes their exact
words. Letting the reader know where you got information or a quotation is documentation.
Documentation matters. Incorrect or missing documentation results in a grade of 0 on a research
paper and can cause you to fail an entire course.
You are ethically obligated to acknowledge sources of information. Someone else did work to
produce knowledge. By using that person’s work, you benefit from his or her labor and intelligence.
Documenting sources acknowledges your debt to them.
Documentation adds weight to an argument. It tells your reader, ―Hey, this isn’t just my idea. I’m
using the work of experts here, so pay attention.‖
Documentation lets other scholars find a writer’s sources. Knowing that other people can check their
work keeps writers honest. Documentation also helps one writer pick up where another writer left off.
Knowledge thus becomes cumulative, and everyone benefits.
Documentation is not a detail. Take it seriously.
Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation Style
MLA documentation is a two-part system consisting of
 a Works Cited page (or pages) that lists, alphabetically and in correct format, all the sources used in
the paper; and
 in-text (parenthetical) citations that correspond to entries in the Works Cited list.
The in-text citation is a link to an item in the Works Cited list. Here’s an example:
A makebelieve
paragraph.
It has a
quotation
at the end.
Although many experts agree that composition classes benefit students by
helping them learn to write better in school and on the job, a few researchers think
that such courses do more harm than good because they leave students emotionally
scarred for life. The problem, they argue, is not that studying composition is in
itself a bad thing, but that most English instructors are psychopaths and sadists who
revel in the misery of their students and therefore inflict as much suffering on them
as possible. According to one scholar of writing instruction, “The Society for the
Prevention of Cuelty to Freshmen has determined that 88 percent of composition
teachers are the kind of sickos who pull wings off flies and set small mammals on
fire. Students are in the hands of people who make Attila the Hun or Vlad the
Impaler look like Santa Claus” (O’Malley 126).
Here’s the in-text citation. It directs the reader to
the matching Works Cited entry.
The in-text citation in the sample paragraph matches this entry on the Works Cited page:
O’Malley, Bridget. Why We Should Feed English Teachers to Tigers. New York:
Balderdash Books, 2005. Print.
The in-text citation is the link to the Works Cited page. The Works Cited entry provides complete
information on the source. That’s how MLA documentation works.
You will use more than one kind of source. Every type of source has its own Works Cited format.
You have to figure out which rule to use for each source. In-text citations also vary.
Documentation is tricky. Before looking at a few tips for getting it right, let’s review the kinds of
information that require documentation.
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
Information that Must Have Correct Documentation
If you use information that you acquired through research, you have to document it. You must
document (cite) the following things.
 Direct quotations. A direct quotation consists of another person’s exact words. Chapter 68e in your
Prentice Hall Reference Guide covers punctuation with quotations, the differences between long and
short quotations, and other important matters.
 Paraphrases. When you paraphrase, you restate information in your own words. Paraphrasing does
not consist of changing some of the words in a passage; it consists of changing all the words.
Chapter 68d in the Prentice Hall Reference Guide deals with correct paraphrasing.
 Summaries. A summary is a rewrite that condenses information. The paragraph in the original
source might contain 400 words. You rewrite the paragraph, looking for ways to cut needless words
and redundant details or examples. You produce a 200-word paragraph. That’s a summary.
 Statistics, dates, and facts. If your paper mentions that 37 percent of English 101 instructors in
South Carolina in 2004 were diagnosed as lunatics , your instructor had better see a citation.
When you have the slightest doubt about what to do, cite the source. A missing citation = plagiarism
= a grade of F for the course. If you learned it from research, cite it.
Getting Documentation Right
Chapter 70 in the Prentice Hall Reference Guide lists 26 rules for in-text citations and 109 rules for
Works Cited entries—and neither list covers all the possibilities. No one memorizes all the MLA rules.
You only have to find and apply the right rule for each Works Cited entry and in-text citation. It’s time
consuming, but it’s really not complicated. Here’s a simple approach to the problem:
1) On index cards, make correct Works Cited entries for all your sources—not just sources that you
know you will use, but also sources that you might use.
How do you get the Works Cited cards correct? Start with this question: What kind of source
is this? A book with one author? A reference book? An article from a library database? An article
from a government Web site? Once you identify the type of source, look up the format in chapter
66 of the Reference Guide. Find the rule and apply it. For instance, if the source is an article from
a journal, find the rule for journal articles.
2) Each Works Cited index card will most likely begin with a person’s last name or the title of an
article. Whenever you know an author’s name, you cite the person: If the author of the
information is Bill Smith, your Works Cited entry will begin with Smith, Bill.
If an article is unsigned—that is, if no author is named—then the entry begins with the title of
the article; for instance, “Common Mental Illnesses of English Teachers.”
So the first words on your Works Cited index card will be Smith, Bill (if you know the
author’s name) or “Common Mental Illnesses of English Teachers” (if you don’t know the
author’s name).
3) When you use information from this source in your paper,stop and ask yourself this question: Do
I know the name of the author? Look at your Works Cited card; if you know the author’s name,
it will be the first word on the card.
4) If you know the author’s name, then ask yourself this question: Did I say the author’s name in
my own writing? In other words, did you say something like, According to Bill Smith, a
psychologist who has been studying English teachers for 20 years, “Most composition teachers
are harmless, but they’re still crazy”? If you used the author’s name in your text, then your
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
citation for this quote provides only the page number. The sentence, with the quote and citation,
would look like this: According to Bill Smith, a psychologist who has been studying English
teachers for 20 years, “Most composition teachers are harmless, but they’re still crazy” (134).
Your sentence named the author, so your citation gives only the page number.
5) If you did not say the author’s name in your own writing, then your in-text citation provides both
the author’s last name and the page number whence the quote came. Your sentence would look
like this: According to one psychologist who has been studying English teachers for 20 years,
“Most composition teachers are harmless, but they’re still crazy” (Smith 134). Your sentence
does not identify the author, so your citation names the author and gives the page number.
6) If you do not know the name of the author, then, obviously, you cannot cite the person. In this
case, your Works Cited card begins with the title of the article: “Common Mental Illnesses of
English Teachers.”.
When a Works Cited entry begins with an article title, then your in-text citation provides the
title. If the title is more than a few words long, shorten it. Your sentence and citation might look
like this: In a study that ran from 1994 to 2004, the Institute for Research into Teacher
Madness concluded that 96 percent of composition instructors have an indentifiable mental
disorder (“Common Mental Illnesses” 28). The citation gives the article title (since the author is
unknown) and the page from which the statistic came.
Here’s the general idea as a flow chart:
Do I know the author’s name?
If Yes, then:
If No, then:
Did I give the author’s
name in my sentence?
Did I provide the title of the
article in my sentence?
If Yes, then:
If No, then:
If Yes, then:
If No, then:
Citation provides
only page number.
Citation provides
author’s last name
and page number.
Citation gives
page number.
Citation gives
article title and
page number.
Use Your Textbooks
The Prentice Hall Reference Guide has a sample MLA-style research paper in chapter 70d.
Strategies for Successful Writing has a sample paper in chapter 20. Each sample paper has notes that
explain each part.
Chapter 70 in the Reference Guide covers MLA format for Works Cited entries and in-text citations.
The same topics are covered on pages 408 – 415 and 425 – 431 in Strategies for Successful Writing.
Check and double-check every piece of documentation. Expect to spend many hours getting your
documentation right.
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
Troublesome Sources: Documenting Material from Government (.gov) Web Sites
A. Works Cited
1. Entries for Unsigned Works
An unsigned work is one that does not name an author. Most government documents are unsigned.
You need to know:
a) The name of the government (for instance, United States).
b) The name of the agency (or agencies) that produced the document (for example, Department
of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation).
c) The title of the work.
d) The name of the entire site or database where the work lives. Italicize the name of the site or
database.
e) The name of the agency that sponsors or maintains the site. This will most likely be the same as
b), above, but sometimes a document created by one agency will appear the on the site of
another agency.
f) The date of publication. This might be at the beginning or the end of the document; look for it.
g) The medium of publication (the word Web followed by a period).
h) The date of access (the date on which you used the document). This will be the last item in the
entry.
Construct the entry this way:
a) Name of government; for instance, United States or North Dakota. End this item with a period.
b) Name of agency or names of agencies responsible for the document; for example, Department
of the Interior. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. End this item with a period.
On some government sites, you have to explore to find the levels of hierarchy. For instance,
a publication of the U.S. Forest Service might not come right out and tell you that the Forest
Service belongs to the Department of Agriculture. You’ll have to do some investigating on the
home page of the Forest Service to find that information. Figuring out the levels and layers of
government is your responsibility.
c) Title of document. End this item with a period.
i. If the title is that of a free-standing publication such as a booklet, pamphlet, book, or
brochure, put the Title in Italic Type. Check to see if you can order a printed, paper copy of the
publication. If you can order a hard copy, it’s a free-standing document. If the publication opens
as a PDF file, it’s a free-standing document. Italicize the title.
ii. If the title is that of an article that belongs to a bigger work, put the “Title Inside
Quotation Marks.” For instance, the title of a short article in the Medline Plus online library
goes inside quotation marks. The title of a speech goes in quotation marks. Generally, the titles
of small, short things go in quotation marks.
d) Title of entire Web site or database. Look for a link that will take you to the home page,
because the name of the overall site might not appear on every document within the site. The
only way to know the title of the entire site is to look for it. If you leave this title out of an entry
that should have it, your instructor may assess a penalty for botched documentation.
You always need to use this step and include the title of the entire site or database for
articles from PubMed and MedlinePlus and some other government databases. The title of a
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
e)
f)
g)
h)
government site might not be the same as the name of the agency that operates the site. The
FBI’s site, for instance, says “Federal Bureau of Investigation” at the top of every page in big
letters. But the title of the site itself is FBI.gov, a fact that you’ll discover only by scrolling to the
very bottom of a page and studying the tiny print.
Italicize the title of an entire Web site or database. End this item with a period.
Name of the agency or branch of government that sponsors or maintains the site. The only
way to know is to check. Click every “Home” and “About” and “Contact” link. If you leave this
information out of an entry that should have it, your instructor may assess a penalty for
botched documentation. End this item with a comma.
Date of publication or date of most recent revision or update. Check the beginning and end of
the document. End this item with a period.
Medium of publication. Web. Period.
Date of access; the date on which you used the site. End the entry with a period.
Example:
b)
a)
c)
United States. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI: A
c), continued
d)
e)
f)
Centennial History, 1908–2008. FBI.gov. Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2008.
g)
h)
Web. 17 Mar. 2010.
2. Entries for Signed Works
A signed work names the author or authors; it has a byline. In the case of a government document or
publication that names the author, the MLA permits this method: ―If known, the name of the document’s
author may either begin the entry or, if the agency comes first, follow the title and the word By or an
abbreviation (such as Ed. or Comp.)‖ (MLA 176 – 77).
Construct the entry like this:
a) Name of government. End this item with a period.
b) Name of agency or names of agencies responsible for the document. End this item with a
period.
c) Title of document. End this item with a period.
d) The word “By” followed by the author’s name. If the work names an editor rather than an
author, use “Ed.” followed by the editor’s name. End this item with a period.
e) Title of entire Web site or database. Italicize the title of an entire Web site or database. End
this item with a period.
f) Name of the agency or branch of government that sponsors or maintains the site. End this
item with a comma.
g) Date of publication or date of most recent revision or update. End this item with a period.
h) Medium of publication. Web. Period.
i) Date of access; the date on which you used the site. End the entry with a period.
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
Example:
b)
a)
c)
United States. Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Access to Counsel.
d)
e)
f)
By Judith P. Jones. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Office of Justice
g)
h)
i)
a)
Programs, June 2004. Web. 17 Mar. 2010.
B. In-Text Citations
When you use a parenthetical citation for a .gov source, provide the information that will let a reader
quickly locate the source in the Works Cited list.
 If you have only one Works Cited entry that begins with United States, then the parenthetical
citation is (United States). The same rule applies when you have only one entry that begins
with the name of a state.
 If two or more entries begin with United States, then you need to need to provide the next
level of information in each parenthetical citation. For instance, your parenthetical citations
might look like these:
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
(U.S. Department of Justice).
(U.S. Department of Agriculture).
 If you have two or more items from the same government agency, then each parenthetical
citation should name the agency and the title of the document. Use an acronym or abbreviation
for the name of the government agency.
(NIH, “Elbow Disorders”).
(NIH, “Diseases of the Earlobe”).
(NIH, Questions and Answers about Ailments of the Big Toe).
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
Troublesome Sources: Documenting Information from .com and .org Web Sites
A. Works Cited
1. Entries for Works by Corporate Authors
You may regard an article or other work on the Web site of a company, organization, association,
private institute, or club as a work by a corporate author, as long as the work names no author other than
the company, organization, association, private institute, or club. To document such works, you need to
find the following information:






Name of the corporate author.
Title of the article, essay, or page.
Date when the article, etc. was posted, revised, or updated.
Name of the entire site (this might not be the same as the corporate author).
Name of the sponsor or publisher (this might not be the same as the corporate author).
Your date of access (the date you used the site).
Construct the entry this way:
a) The name of the corporate author. Period.
b) The title of the work. If the work is a page or article that is part of the entire site—and it
usually will be—put the title in quotation marks. Period.
c) The title of the entire Web site, italicized. Period. Use the “Home” link to be sure that you
have the correct title of the whole site.
d) The name of the sponsor or provider of the site. Use the “About Us” or “Contact” link to be
sure that you have the correct name. Follow the name with a comma.
e) The date of publication or revision. If no date is supplied, type n.d. Period.
f) The word Web. Period.
g) Your date of access. End the entry with a period.
Examples:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Trout Unlimited. “Pathogens.” Trout Unlimited. Trout Unlimited, n.d. Web.
g)
17 Mar. 2010.
a)
b)
c)
Ecological Research and Development Group. “About the Species.” The Horseshoe Crab.
d)
e)
f)
g)
Ecological Research and Development Group, 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2009.
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Documenting Sources in a Paper for an English Class
2. Entries for Signed Works
When you know the name of the person who wrote something, you cite that person. The entry for a
signed work begins with the name(s) of the author(s), even if the work is on the Web site of a
corporation, organization, association, institute, or club.
The parts of a signed article, essay, or Web page on the site of a corporation, organization,
association, institute, or club are, in order:
a) The author’s name. Period.
b) The title of the work. If the work is a page or article that is part of the entire site—and it
usually will be—put the title in quotation marks. Period, unless the title ends with a
question mark or exclamation point (see the example below).
c) The title of the entire Web site, italicized. Period. Use the “Home” link to be sure that you
have the correct title of the whole site.
d) The name of the sponsor, publisher, or provider of the site. Use the “About Us” or “Contact”
link to be sure that you have the correct name of the sponsor, publisher, or provider. Follow
the name with a comma.
e) The date of publication, revision, or most recent updating. If no date is supplied, type n.d.
Period.
f) The word Web. Period.
g) Your date of access. End the entry with a period.
Example:
a)
b)
Novitsky, Thomas J. “How Does the Horseshoe Crab Protect the Public Health?”
c)
d)
e)
f)
The Horseshoe Crab. Ecological Research and Development Group, 2009. Web.
g)
17 Mar. 2010.
B. In-Text Citations
The first thing in the Works Cited entry is what goes inside the parentheses. If the entry begins with
the name of a person, cite the person. If the entry begins with the name of a corporate author, cite the
corporate author.
If you use two articles from the same corporate author, your in-text citations for each item provide
the corporate author and the title of the article, with a comma between the two: (Name of Corporate
Author, “Title of Article or Page”).
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Works Cited
Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: The
Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Print.
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