MLA Check list

The bibliography or list of sources  is referred to as Works Cited under MLA rules.

1. Direct quotations

   Quote directly from your source if the original words are unique and distinctive or if they add authority to your point.

2. Ideas that are summarized or paraphrased

   Paraphrasing or summarizing a source is often preferable to quoting, for it allows you as the author to use your own style and voice in your research paper. Always remember to use parenthetical citations for such sources. just as you would if you were quoting them.

3. Ideas and opinions associated with a particular person 

   If you refer to specific concepts adhered to by one person, you must include a reference to this person.

4. Data that, in context of your paper, may be open to dispute

   If you cite statistics you need to include a reference to your source.

5. Results of surveys you have conducted as part of your research

   If interviews are personal, you may mark them "personal communication" in your bibliography.

6. Avoiding plagiarism

   Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic ethics and is grounds for severe penalty. To avoid plagiarism you must cite work that is not your own. For example, a student taking class notes, might omit to add quotation marks to a direct quote. Weeks later when they are working on their paper they may forget which words and phrases are their own and which come directly from the original source. Check with your professors which as to whether or not to cite them as sources for ideas. The individual professor might consider his ideas as part of the public domain of the class, in which case you could cite them without attribution.

7. Works cited: Books The order is Author, Title, Publication Information:
8. Arrange the entries alphabetically by the author's last name or, when there is no author name, by the first significant word in the title.

   One author

   McDonald, David Francis. Cyber crime on the net. New York: Harper 2002

   Two authors

   Cranley, Janet F., Shamika M. Brown. Freedom on the Internet. Miami, Uinversity of Miami Press, 2001

    

9. Works cited: Article in a magazine or newspaper

   Mrad, Grace. "Cyber crime - Miami second in the nation" El Nuevo Herald 28 January 2002  

10. When citing internet sources, be sure to give credit;  

The University of Florida's IT department has developed a Website that provides information about Cyber crime ( "Cyber crime is constantly increasing")

 Good luck

Last updated: Thursday December 01, 2005 11:55 AM