Need help with making a bibliography, citing sources, how to get started, how to take notes and outline, plagiarism, intellectual honesty, finding the best resources? This is the place to find help.

INTELLECTUAL HONESTY

"Academic honesty and integrity are important to our school community. The values of honesty and integrity are the cornerstones of academic success and life-long learning habits. To this end, students have the responsibility to acknowledge the work of others, and to take credit only for work that is solely their own. Using words or ideas of others without giving them credit (plagiarism), cheating on tests or attempting to cheat, not crediting the work of each participant in a group project, copying assignments, or sharing work in any way not directly permitted by the teacher are forms of academic dishonesty. Giving or receiving help on tests or projects unless specifically permitted by the teacher are also forms of cheating. Plagiarism, cheating, attempts at cheating and falsification of materials (including written, audio-visual, Internet, and other computer technologies) will meet with serious consequences." From the ARHS Student and Family Handbook 2004-2005.

Signs are posted over the photocopier explaining what can and cannot be legally copied, and for what uses. Printing from the internet must conform with copyright and intellectual honesty regulations.

HOW TO CREATE AN MLA BIBLIOGRAPHY

General Information

• Capitalization
• Do NOT capitalize:
• Articles (a, an, the)
• Prepositions (from, before, under, because, etc.)
• Conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet)
• The to in infinitives (as in ôHow to Wash Your Carö)
• Do capitalize:
• The first and last words of the title and the subtitle, which follows a colon, question mark, exclamation point, or period (even if they are articles, prepositions, or conjunctions)
• All proper nouns and other principal words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.)
• Author and editor names (note capitalization and punctuation)
• One author/editor: Last name, First name Middle name. If there is a suffix (for example Jr. or III., etc.) use Last name, First name Middle name, Suffix.
• Two authors/editors: Last name, First name Middle name, Suffix and then First name, Middle Name Last name.
• Three or more authors/editors: List only the first author/editor, et al. (ex: Jackson, Mark, et al.) ôet al.ö means and others
• Punctuation
• Carefully place periods, commas, and colons according to examples
• Arrangement on a page
• Arrange in alphabetical order by beginning of entry
• The first line of each entry should be along the left margin.
• The second, third, fourth, etc. lines of each entry should be indented one tab (this is called a hanging indent and can be done easily in Microsoft Word by pressing Ctrl+T)
• Date Format
• Type dates with number first, abbreviated month second, year third
• Example: 20 Jan. 2005
• URLs û Uniform Resource Locator (the webpageÆs address, starting with http://)
• If the URL to the content on the webpage is unique and can be used by your reader to locate the same content and the URL is not impractically long, provide that specific URL. (more info on length of URL)
• Otherwise, provide the URL of the database/website’s search page or home page
• Publishing Companies
• Omit articles (a, an, the); business abbreviations (Co., Corp., Inc., Ltd.); and descriptive words (Books, House, Press, Publishers)

HOW TO CITE...

How to Cite a Book

Information to Collect and Where to Find It:

• Author(s) or editor(s) û title page
• Title and subtitle of book û title page
• City of publication û title page, enter the first city given
• Publishing company û title page
• Year of publication û copyright page
• Edition (may not apply) û title or copyright page

Format and Punctuation:

Author(s). Title. Edition. Editor(s). Total Number of Volumes. Volume Number. Series Name. Series Number. City of Publication: Publishing Company, Year of Publication.

Example:

King, Martin Luther. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? 2nd ed. Boston:

Beacon, 1989.

How to Cite a Webpage

A website is a collection of webpages like a book is a collection of pages.

Information to Collect and Where to Find It:

• Author (may not apply) û often at beginning or end of article
• Title of Website û usually in blue bar across very top of web browser or at top of page
• Title of Article û at beginning of article, sometimes same as title of website
• Sponsoring Organization or Institution (who is responsible) û homepage of website or bottom of webpage (sometimes requires some digging)
• Date the Page Was Last Updated û often at very bottom of page, sometimes unavailable
• Most Recent Date of Access
• URL û copy the unique URL from the browserÆs address box or use websiteÆs search page

Format and Punctuation:

Author. "Title of Article." Title of Webpage. Date Last Updated. Sponsoring Organization.

Most Recent Date of Access Unique URL>.

Example:

"Women and Drugs." Drug Facts: Office of National Drug Control Policy. Office of

National Drug Control Policy. 20 Jan 2005 http://www.

whitehousedrugpolicy/gov/drugfact/women/index.html>.

How to Cite an Online Magazine or Journal Article from a Subscription Database

Information to Collect:

• Author(s)
• Article Title
• Name of Magazine (Original Print Source)
• Date Published
• Volume Number (may not apply)
• Issue Number (may not apply)
• Page Number
• Name of database within subscription service (ex: Student Resource Center, General Reference Center Gold, ProQuest Platinum, Facts.com, SIRS, Newsbank)
• Name of subscription service (ex: Thompson Gale or ProQuest Information & Learning)
• Name & city/state of library that provides service
• Most recent date of access
• URL û unique URL or databaseÆs search page (ex: http://infotrac.galegroup.com/)

Format and Punctuation for Magazine/Journal with NO Volume and Issue Numbers:

Author. "Article Title." Name of Magazine Date of Publication: Page Numbers. Name of

Database. Name of Subscription Service. Amherst Regional High School Lib.,

MA. Most Recent Date of Access URL>.

Example of Magazine/Journal with NO Volume and Issue Numbers:

Perrottet, Tony. "Lost Coast, Found." Outside Winter 2005: 70. ProQuest Platinum.

ProQuest Information and Learning. Amherst Regional High School Lib., MA. 20

Jan. 2005 http://proquest.umi.com/login>.

Format and Punctuation for Magazine/Journal WITH Volume and Issue Numbers:

Author. "Article Title." Name of Journal Volume Number.Issue Number (Date of

Publication): Page Numbers. Name of Database. Name of Subscription Service.

Amherst Regional High School Lib., MA. 20 Jan. 2005 http://infotrac.galegroup.

com/>.

Example of Magazine/Journal WITH Volume and Issue Numbers:

Laudan, Larry. "Wealth and Health." Consumer’s Research Magazine 79.11 (Nov. 1996):

36. InfoTrac Student Edition. Thomson Gale. Amherst Regional High School

Lib., MA. 20 Jan. 2005 http://infotrac.galegroup.com/>.

How to Cite a URL

Here are some guidelines to follow when supplying the network address (URL) of an online source.

1. Unless the URL is too long (see item #2), supply the full URL, including the access mode (http, ftp, gopher, telnet, news, etc.).



2. When a URL is very long and complex, you may provide the URL of the site’s search page, if there is one. If you do this, be sure that the reader can find the specific Web page you are citing with a logical search from the search screen (for example, by searching on the author’s name or the document’s title). Alternatively, if no such search page exists, cite the home page of the site instead, and then provide the path (sequence of links to click on) to the content you are citing.

   Example: American Memory

   Here is a URL of a source retrieved from American Memory:
   
   http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?dukesm:1:./temp/~ammem_vPwm::@@@mdb=manz,eaa,aap,aaeo,rbaapcbib,aasm,ftvbib,aaodyssey,hh,gottscho,mharendt,bbpix,bbcards,magbell,berl,lbcoll,rbpebib,calbkbib,tccc,lhbcbbib,cdn,cic,cwband,cwnyhs,gmd,mtaft,cwar,cola,consrvbib,bdsbib,coolbib,coplandbib,curt,dag,musdibib,fsaall,mfd,papr,aep,fine,fmuever,dcm,cmns,flwpabib,afcreed,cowellbib,toddbib,lomaxbib,ngp,afcwwgbib,haybib,raelbib,gottlieb,mtj,alad,wpa,mal,scsm,mcc,mymhiwebib,mmorse,aipn,ncpm,ncpsbib,afcwip,fawbib,omhbib,pan,afcpearl,vv,wpapos,psbib,pin,presp,lhbprbib,qlt,ncr,relpet,mussm,dukesm,mesnbib,llstbib,denn,amss,uncall,fpnas,svybib,runyon,wtc,detr,hlaw,lhbumbib,upboverbib,varstg,horyd,mgw,hawp,nawbib,suffrg,awh,awhbib,nfor,sgp

   In this case, you could either refer the reader to the search page where they could search for the source by the author’s name or keywords from the title, or you could refer them to the home page, giving them a path to the source: Collection Finder; Performing Arts; Sheet Music ~ 1850-1920; Name Index; Frisco; Frogs; May Irwin’s Frog song. 1896.



3. On some Web sites, individual screens do not necessarily have a unique URL. If the URL of the Web page ends in ".html" or ".htm", then the URL will usually be unique. However, other pages like those ending with ".asp", ".jsp", or ".php", are quite likely not unique. You can determine whether or not a URL is unique to the content cited by navigating to the page you are trying to cite, and then cutting and pasting the URL that appears in the browser’s address field into a different browser window. If the page that you are citing loads in the new window, then you know that the URL is unique to that page. If not, cite the home page of the site instead, and then provide the path (sequence of links to click on) to the content you are citing.

"Citing Your Sources." Amherst Regional High School Library. 8 Apr. 2005. Amherst

Regional High School. 2 May 2005 <http://www.arps.org/hs/Library/Master.php?

category=Research%20Assistance>.

How to Cite a Reference Source from a Subscription Database

Information to Collect:

• Author (may not apply)
• Title of Article/Entry
• Title of Original Print Source (may not apply)
• Page Numbers û for example, 120-4. Do not add "p." or "pp." -- type only the numbers. Not necessary if reference source is arranged alphabetically.
• Editor(s) (only necessary if the source is not well-known)
• Edition û abbreviate to ed., leave blank if citing a first edition
• Total Number of Volumes û abbreviate to Vols.
• Volume Number û do not add "vol." -- type only the number. Not necessary if volumes are arranged alphabetically.
• Series Name (may not apply)
• City of Book Publication -- Only necessary if the source is not well known, especially if it has only appeared in one edition. For cities outside of the U.S., add a comma and an abbreviation of the country (or province) after the name of the city. When there is more than one city of publication listed, enter the first city given.
• Publishing Company of Book
• Year of Book Publication û list most recent year
• Most Recent Date of Access
• Name of Subscription Service (ex: Thompson Gale or ProQuest Information & Learning)
• Name of Database Within Subscription Service (ex: Student Resource Center, General Reference Center Gold, ProQuest Platinum, Facts.com, SIRS, Newsbank)
• Name and City/State of Library Providing Service
• Unique URL

Format and Punctuation:

Article Author. "Article Title." Title of Original Print Source. Edition. Editors. Total Number of Volumes. Volume Number. Series Name Series Number. Book Publication City: Book Publisher, 2000. Page Numbers. Name of Database. Name of Subscription Service. Amherst Regional High School Lib., MA. Most Recent Date of Access http://infotrac.galegroup.com/>.

Example:

"Ice Ages." Gale Encyclopedia of Science. 3rd ed. 6 vols. Gale, 2004. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Amherst Regional High School Lib., MA. 19 Jan. 2005 http://infotrac.galegroup.com/>.

ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHY GENERATORS

EasyBib

Works Cited For You

Noodletools: Noodlebib Express (free version)

Source Aid: Citation Builder

PARENTHETICAL REFERENCES

What is a parenthetical reference?

A parenthetical reference is a reference within the body of your paper to one of the sources listed in your Works Cited list. It indicates to your reader exactly what you derived from the source, and specifically where they can find it. You need to write a parenthetical, or "in-text" reference, whether you quote the material directly from the source, paraphrase it in your own words, or refer to an idea derived from the material.

What typically goes in an MLA-style parenthetical reference?

The information that you need to include depends on what type of source the material comes from. For printed material, you normally only need to include the author(s) (or title if there is no author) and page number(s) in your reference. For multi-volume works like encyclopedias, you may also need to include a volume number (see Rules 6 and 7 below). For Internet sources, sometimes paragraph numbers are provided.

The information described above can be either included in the sentence that you write, or added in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

What other rules do I need to know to write a parenthetical reference?

Rule 1: Placement

The parentheses are usually placed at the end of a sentence, between the last word and the period. If you are quoting material directly, the parentheses should go between the closing quotation mark and the period:

Rule 2: Sentence vs. parentheses

Only information that is not already contained in your sentence is necessary in the parenthetical reference. For example, in the following example the author’s last name, Smith, is already stated, so only the page numbers are necessary within the parentheses:

Rule 3: When author names are similar or the same

Information you provide in the parenthetical reference should distinguish exactly which work in your source list you are referring to. Add a first initial or whole first name if the last name is not unique in your source list, or add the title of the work if there is more than one work by the same author. For example:

Rule 4: When to cite the title

If the work is listed and alphabetized in your source list by its title (no author), then you should refer to it in the parenthetical reference by its title as well. The title may be shortened to just the first word (not including articles like "The" and "A"), and should be quoted or underlined if it is quoted or underlined in your source list. For example:

Rule 5: Page numbers and other numbering systems

Sources sometimes use alternate numbering systems like sections (sec.), chapters (ch.), books (bk.), parts (pt.), verses, lines, acts, or scenes. Online sources sometimes provide paragraph numbers. If an alternate numbering system is used, include that information in your reference. Note that a comma is used after the author (or title) in this case.

Occasionally, you may find that page numbers are available in addition to these other numbering systems. In this case, it is helpful to include both; provide the page number first, followed by a semicolon, and then the other identifying information. An example follows:

An exception to this rule is that when you are citing a classic verse play or poem, it is standard to omit page numbers even if they are given, and instead cite by division (act, scene, canto, book, part) and line. Divisions and the line number(s) are separated with periods, as in the following examples:

Rule 6: When to cite the volume number

If you are referring to a multi-volume work like an encyclopedia AND you used more than one volume of that work in your paper, then your parenthetical reference should include the volume number you used, as in the following example where we are referring to pages 2-4 of the third volume:

Rule 7: Referring to an entire work

If you are referring to an entire work (like an opera or an entire novel) and not a specific section of the work, state the author and/or title within the sentence, and do not add any further information in parentheses. For example:

An exception to the rule above is that if you are citing an entire volume of a multi-volume work, you should include the volume number (either within the sentence, or in parentheses as shown below). Note that we use the abbreviation vol. when page numbers are not provided, unlike the example for Rule 5.

Rule 8: Quoting or paraphrasing a quotation

If what you quote or paraphrase in your paper is itself a quotation in the source, add the phrase "qtd. in" to the parenthetical reference as shown here:

...and here is more on in-text parenthetical citations

Single author named in parentheses.

The tendency to come to terms with difficult experiences is referred to as a "purification process" whereby "threatening or painful dissonances are warded off to preserve intact a clear and articulated image of oneself and oneÆs place in the world" (Sennett 11).

Single author named in a single phrase.

Social historian Richard Sennett names the tendency to come to terms with difficult experiences a "purification process" whereby "threatening or painful dissonances are warded off to preserve intact a clear and articulated image of oneself and oneÆs place in the world" (11).

Two or more authors.

Certain literacy theorists have gone so far as to declare that "the most significant elements of human culture are undoubtedly channeled through words, and reside in the particular range of meanings and attitudes which members of any society attach to their verbal symbols" (Goody and Watt 323).

Corporate author (organization, association, etc.).

The federal government has funded research concerning consumer protection and consumer transactions with online pharmacies (Food and Drug Administration 125).

Works with no author.

Several critics of the concept of the transparent society ask if a large society would be able to handle the complete loss of privacy ("Surveillance Society" 115).

Two or more works by the same author.

In his investigation of social identity, The Uses of Disorder, Sennett defines adulthood as a stage where people "learn to tolerate painful ambiguity and uncertainty" (108).

In a surprising move, Richard Sennett combines the idea of power with that of virtue: "the idea of strength is complex in ordinary life because of what might be called the element of its integrity" (Authority 19).

Work found in an anthology or edited collection.

(For an essay, short story, or other document included in an anthology or edited collection, use the name of the author of the work, not the editor of the anthology or collection, but use the page numbers from the anthology or collection.)

Lawrence Rosenfield analyzes the way in which New YorkÆs Central Park held a socializing function for nineteenth-century residents similar to that of traditional republican civic oratory (222).

Bible passage.

Unfortunately, the president could not recall the truism that "Wisdom is a fountain to one who has it, but folly is the punishment of fools" (New Oxford Annotated Bible, Prov. 16-22).

As Erickson reminds us, the early psychoanalysts focused on a single objective: "introspective honesty in the service of self enlightenment" (qtd. in Weiland 42).

Web page.

Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace was designated as a National Historical Site in 1959 (National Park Service). Note: Internet citations follow the style of printed works. Personal or corporate author and page number should be given if they exist on the website.

Kelley A. Lawton and Laura Cousineau
Duke University Libraries
Van E. Hillard
The University Writing Program
Guide to Library Research
Last Update: Wednesday, 12-Feb-2003 16:24:52 EST
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/temp1.htm

HOW TO READ A URL (UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR) OR WEB ADDRESS

The first step in evaluating a web page is to examine the url. This will give you clues to the source of the material. As a rule, the most credible web documents will be those posted by an educational institution, by the government, or by a nonprofit organization. Many commercial sites are excellent sources, but the reader must view them somewhat more critically. Some commercial sites may be trying to "sell" something to the reader.

First Look For:

• a header or footer showing affiliation.
• the URL. - http://www.fbi.gov
• the domain. .edu, .com, .uk, .org, .net
• the file extension

Another part of the Internet address is the "host" name. This is the name of the computer server that is storing the document or the Web page.

Examples:

www.pbs.org (PBS broadcasting)
www.loc.gov (Library of Congress)
www.llbean.com (LL Bean catalog)
www.umass.edu (University of Massachusetts)

A file name can also be attached to the URL/address. It tells you what part of the site you are in.

Example:

http://www.hgtc.edu/library/index.html

A file extension tells you what kind of a file you are looking at.

Examples:

• html, htm - Hypertext Mark-up Language ( a web page)
• gif, jpeg - A picture
• wav, au, aif - A sound file
• mov, avi, mov, mpg, qt - a video clip
• exe - An executable program for DOS/Windows (might be a self extracting archive)
• zip - A compressed archive based on pkzip (commonly used for DOS/Windows)

A tilda(~) means that the page was written by an individual. It is often seen in association with an edu host and means an individual student or teacher has written the page. Be sure to check the credentials of the writer to see if the page is accurate, unbiased, etc.

HOW TO EVALUATE A WEB SITE

Content:

• Does the site cover the topic comprehensively? Accurately?
• Can you understand what is being said? Is it written above or below your level of understanding? What is unique about this site? Does it offer something others do not?
• Are the links well-chosen? sufficient?
• Currency: Can you tell: the date the information was created? the publication date? the date the material was last revised? Are these dates meaningful in terms of the subject matter?
• Would you get better information in a book? an encyclopedia?

Authority/Credibility:

• Who is responsible for this site? Who sponsors it? Hint: truncate each section of the URL back until you are able to find the sponsor. What are his/her credentials?
• Have the authors of the site cited their own sources? Are the sources documented appropriately?
• What is the domain name? Does it end in .com, .gov, .edu, .org, .net? Is it a personal page?
• Is that a meaningful clue in evaluating the site? (You can’t always judge a web page by its suffix. Some commercial sites provide solid information. Some university sites offer less-than-serious personal pages to students.)
• Who else links to the site? (You can perform a link check in AltaVista or Google by entering "link:webaddress" in the search box. Is it linked to by reliable sites? What do other sites say about this one?

Bias/purpose:

• Why was this site created? (to persuade, inform, explain, sell, promote, parody, other?)
• Is it a personal, commercial, government or organization site?
• Is there any bias? Is only one side of the argument presented? Does it appear that any information is purposely omitted? Is there a hidden message? Is it trying to persuade you or change your opinion? Is the bias useful to you in some way?
• Can you distinguish facts from opinion?

Usability/design:

• Is the site easy to navigate (user-friendly)?
• Is there a well-labeled contents area?
• Do all the design elements (graphics, art, buttons, etc.) enhance the message of the site? Is there consistency in the basic formats of each page?
• Are there any errors in spelling or grammar?
• Do the pages appear clean, uncluttered?
• Do the links on the site work?