Writers must be credited for their work and their writing.
Not to do so is to plagiarize.
Plagiarism is defined as intentionally or unintentionally using the ideas, language, or work of another without acknowledgement that such material is not one's own.
Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you are required to cite its source. In research papers, any source information that you provide in an in-text citation must correspond to a source in your Works Cited page.
The databases often provide the citation information for the articles in all formats. Look for it!
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In addition, note that some research databases, such as ProQuest, and free online resources, such as Wikipedia, offer suggested citations in a variety of styles.
you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you are required to cite its source. There are several common systems in use. At Otis, the most common style is MLA (which is short for Modern Language Association), but you may come across others. There are style manuals for each style that you can use.
Includes a section on how to cite different types of sources, including oral histories and YouTube comments.
Annotations done the Otis Way are a detailed explanation of your evaluation process. They may be required for some assignments.
Always check over auto-generated citations! Sometimes they make odd mistakes or capitalize all of the words. For instance, this auto-generated citation has parsed the author's name incorrectly.
Auto-generated version:
Megan, Thee S. "Why I Speak Up for Black Women: [Op-Ed]." New York Times, Oct 14, 2020. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/why-i-speak-up-black-women/docview/2450610941/se-2?accountid=25324.
Correct version:
Megan Thee Stallion. "Why I Speak Up for Black Women: [Op-Ed]." New York Times, Oct 14, 2020. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/why-i-speak-up-black-women/docview/2450610941/se-2?accountid=25324.
Some of our databases -- such as EBSCOhost, ProQuest, JSTOR, and Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints -- provide pre-formatted citations! Look for a link or button called "Cite" or "Citation."
Example: ProQuest databases
Many of these services also offer browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
Use this FORM to help you write your annotations.
It is designed to help remind you what needs to be included.
In addition to this guide, the Library offers a variety of information literacy instruction.
You may also visit the Library for citation help, or use the Ask a Librarian form on the Library website.
See also:
Need help signing up or using it? Visit the Grammarly@EDU Guide.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL) has excellent online manuals for these commonly used citation styles:
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