Plagiarism, Paraphrasing

and MLA Citations

8th Edition (2016)

What is a citation?• A way to give credit to the author or source of your

information and to tell the reader where to find the

source

Almost 90 000

people died in the

2008 earthquake

in Sichuan.Where did you

get that

statistic? Is it

reliable?

I read it in an article by

Kenneth Pletcher in

the Encyclopedia

Britannica.

No citations = Plagiarism“…Taking and passing off as one’s own someone else’s

work or ideas (from Latin plagiārius, kidnapper,

literary thief).”

~ Macmillan Dictionary

Plagiarism is CHEATING

So what if you plagiarize?

• Receive a zero on the assignment

• Get kicked out of a college / university course

• Be put on academic probation, suspended, or expelled from college / university

• Lose your job

• Be sued by the person whose idea you “borrowed”

Instead of plagiarizing,

PARAPHRASE

• Explain the main ideas of

something you read

• Write completely in your own

words

• Show that you understand the

information

• Cite the source using an in-text /

embedded citation and including

the source in the Works Cited

List

How to Paraphrase1. Read actively.

a. Stop after each paragraph.

b. Ask yourself, “What did I just read?”

2. Take point-form notes.

a. Write a list of the main facts.

b. Write ONLY things that relate to your topic.

c. Don’t write in full sentences.

3. Paraphrase.

a. Put the source away.

b. Referring to your point form notes, write about

what you have read in YOUR OWN WORDS.

c. Pretend you’re explaining to a friend.

d. Don’t put anything in your paper that you don’t

understand.

Original Article Point-form notes

A Colossal Quake

Recovery efforts continue after a massive

earthquake rocks Nepal

APRIL 27, 2015

By Zachary Humenik with AP reporting

The ground shook on Saturday in the South

Asian country of Nepal when the region was

hit by a massive earthquake. The quake

registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, a 10-point

system developed to measure the magnitude,

or force, of earthquakes. It was the largest

earthquake to strike Nepal since 1934.

While the epicenter of the earthquake was

located 50 miles northwest of Nepal’s capital

city, Kathmandu, it was Kathmandu that

suffered significant damage. In much of the

countryside, it was worse. The earthquake

caused buildings to collapse and triggered an

avalanche on Mount Everest, the world’s

tallest mountain. It was strong enough to be

felt all across parts of India, Bangladesh,

China’s region of Tibet, and Pakistan.

• April 2015 - earthquake in Nepal

• 7.8 on Richter scale

• Strongest since 1934

• Originated 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu

• Buildings fell down

• Avalanche on Mount Everest

Paraphrase

In April 2015, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter

scale struck. The earthquake originated about 50 miles

northwest of Kathmandu. It caused buildings to fall and

Mount Everest to have an avalanche. It was the strongest

earthquake in the region since 1934. (Humenik)

Works Cited

Humenik, Zachary. "A Colossal Quake Recovery Efforts

Continue after a Massive Earthquake Rocks Nepal." Time for

Kids. Time Inc., 27 Apr. 2015,

www.timeforkids.com/news/colossal-quake/23582608.

Accessed 5 Oct. 2016.

Your Task: Paraphrase the following.

Original Article Point-form notes

Toronto's most unique

neighbourhood, Kensington Market

retains its charm and wonderful

diversity through its eclectic mix of

vintage clothing stores, Latin

American grocers, fresh produce,

cafes and watering holes. Defiantly

independent and progressive,

Kensington hosts street festivals like

Pedestrian Sundays in the Summer

months and December's annual

Festival of Lights. Often overlooked

but not to be missed is the stretch of

Nassau street between Augusta and

Bellevue, home to spots like I Deal

Coffee, Kid Icarus and This Ain't the

Rosedale Library.

Paraphrase

Your Task: Paraphrase the following.

Original Article Point-form notes

Toronto's most unique

neighbourhood, Kensington Market

retains its charm and wonderful

diversity through its eclectic mix of

vintage clothing stores, Latin

American grocers, fresh produce,

cafes and watering holes. Defiantly

independent and progressive,

Kensington hosts street festivals like

Pedestrian Sundays in the Summer

months and December's annual

Festival of Lights. Often overlooked

but not to be missed is the stretch of

Nassau street between Augusta and

Bellevue, home to spots like I Deal

Coffee, Kid Icarus and This Ain't the

Rosedale Library.

Paraphrase

• Unique

• Diverse

• Many clothing and food stores, cafes

• Independent

• Street festivals in summer and winter

Kensington Market is a one-of-a-kind

community that has many different,

independent stores and cafes. Street

festivals occur in the summer and winter.

To Cite Your Sources in MLA Style

Works Cited List

• Alphabetical list of all

the works you used

• Appears at the end of

your paper

In-Text / Embedded Citation

• Short reference to

sources in Reference list

• Appears throughout

paper

• MLA = Modern Language Association

• Commonly used in liberal arts and humanities (e.g.

English, Visual Arts, Music, etc.)

• When possible, use author and page #:

(Johnson 5)

• For websites and sources with no page number:

(Lee)

• For websites and sources with no author or page number,

use the page title:

(“Where Earthquakes Occur”)

How to Make an In-Text

Citation

Like a puzzle, the Earth’s

surface is made up of many

pieces called plates.

Earthquakes and volcanoes

occur when these plates come

together or move apart (Van

Rose 10).

What does an in-text citation for a

book source with an author look like?

Kensington Market is a one-of-a-kind community that has many different, independent stores and cafes. Street festivals occur in the summer and winter. (“Neighbourhoods:KensingtonMarket”).

What does an in-text citation for an internet

source with no author look like?

http://www.blogto.com/kensington

• List sources alphabetically.

• Double space your sources.

• Use a hanging indent.

• NOTE: As of Nov. 2016, there are significant formatting errors in CitationMachineand EasyBib.

How to Make a

Works Cited List

Works Cited

Baldissera, Lisa. “Emily Carr: Life and Work.” Art Canada Institute. 2013, www.aci-

iac.ca/emily-carr/biography. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.

“Canadian Artists Research Project.” Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School. York Region

District School Board, 2016,

www.yrdsb.ca/schools/trudeau.hs/library/Documents/En%20-

%20Visual%20Arts/AVI1O%20-%20Websites%20-

%20Canadian%20Art%20Research.htm. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.

“Emily Carr." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Sep. 2016,

school.eb.com/levels/high/article/20475. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.

Mastin, Catharine M., et al. The Group of Seven in Western Canada. Key Porter Books,

2002.

Newlands, Anne. Clarence Gagnon. Firefly Books Ltd., 2005.

Ruurs, Margriet, and Katherine Gibson. A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted

Harrison. Pajama Press, 2015.

Shadbolt, Doris. “Emily Carr.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 28 Aug.

2015, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/emily-carr/. Accessed 17

Oct. 2016.

General Format:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Sample Citations:

Bick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer

Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications

for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Utah State UP, 2004.

How to Cite Books in Works Cited List

General Format:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of article.” Title of Encyclopedia,

Publisher, Publication date. Url. Date of Access.

Sample Citations:

"Jane Austen." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Sep.

2016. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/11303. Accessed 16 Nov. 2016.

Shadbolt, Doris. “Emily Carr.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 28

Aug. 2015. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/emily-carr/.

Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.

How to Cite Online Encyclopaedias in Works Cited List

Sample Citations:

Felluga, Dino. "General Introduction to Marxism." Guide to Literary and Critical

Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003, www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/.

Accessed 10 May 2006.

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow,

www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July

2015.

How to Cite Webpages in Works Cited List

General Format:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Webpage.” Website Name. Publisher (if

different from website), Publication Date, URL. Date of Access.

• Common to have no author. Leave it out.

• “Page Title” and Site Title are different.

• All sites have a publisher. Look for the organization that made the site.

• If the publisher and Site Title are the same, only include the Site Title.

• You need the “last updated” date, not the copyright date.

• Not all sites have a date. Leave it out if it is unavailable.

• When citing websites, include the URL, but leave out the https://

Helpful Hints for Citing

Online Resources