Constructive Comments for Correcting Composition ssays

Dr. Bridget Moore’s fourCE 2.0 1

Constructive Comments for

Correcting Composition

Essays

Bridget R. Moore, PhD

2.0 edition with MLA Step-by-Step Guide

and worksheets.


Author: Bridget R. Moore, PhD

Designer: Bridget R. Moore

The supplemental materials linked to this document are original creations of Bridget R. Moore or were found

in the Creative Commons repository, unless otherwise identified. Every earnest effort has been made to

respect any copyrighted material.

Thank you to my colleagues at Kilgore College, Portia Scott, MA, and Latasha Goodwyn, EdD, who edited Dr.

Moore’s Step-by-Step MLA Quick Reference Guide pages in Appendix B and Appendix C.

Cover photo by Daniel Cheung on Unsplash.com.

© 2019 by B. Moore Creative Productions

This publication would not be possible as a free resource without God teaching me how to live generously.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication or linked supplemental material may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by

any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written consent of the copyright holder.

ISBN: 978-1-7323088-4-8


TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Writing Process ...................................................................................................... 4

How I Grade Your Papers ............................................................................................. 7

Formatting (Comments 1-9) ............................................................................................ 8

MLA (Comments 10-38) .................................................................................................. 10

Grammar and Mechanics (Comments 39-54) ............................................................. 18

Tone (Comments 55-59) ................................................................................................. 20

Content and Organization (Comments 60-74) .......................................................... 21

Peer Feedback Form ..................................................................................................... 22

Rubric .............................................................................................................................. 24

Appendix A ....................................................................................................................... 25

Sample Paper

Appendix B ....................................................................................................................... 32

Dr. Moore’s Step-by-Step MLA Quick Reference Guide

Appendix C ...................................................................................................................... 71

MLA Worksheets

The fourCE is a multi-learning strategy tool that uses a number system to give quick and easy substantive

comments about your essay. The comment numbers on your paper correlate to the numbers in this

resource which gives brief explanations of each error.

Some students (visual learners) can gather all the corrective information that they need by reading the

comments. However, other students (audio learners and some visual learners) prefer to see and hear mini-

lessons about the error. So in addition to the text of the document, clicking on the text typed in BOLD

MAROON IN SMALL CAPS will link you to supplemental materials (such as videos and pdf documents)

designed to address the error and offer possible solutions or strategies.

The supplemental materials are there to remind you of some basic composition, grammar, and formatting

expectations.

If you have any questions about an error on your essay or a suggested strategy, remember your professor/

instructor/teacher is always your best resource.

May the fourCE help you to have a wonderful school term!


Ten Step Writing Process

Have you ever thought about everything that goes through the writing process? From online postings, to song lyrics, to commercials, to movies, to the great American novel! -- very few things are initially created in the polished end results that we see. Some of the stages in the writing process we do naturally. Those steps that are not instinctive to us, that we have to conscientiously include in our writing process, oftentimes feel unnecessary and we unfortunately have a tendency to skip them.

The writing process, like most processes, is not as daunting as you may think when you take it one step at a time, instead of trying to do the entire assignment in one sitting.

The writing process is not a linear process. Good writers repeat some of the steps in the process before they are satisfied with their final product.

Investing the time to go through each step of the process will pay off in an essay (and probably a grade) of

which you will be proud.

Step 1: Understand the Assignment

To make sure that you do not waste your time, make sure that you understand the purpose and requirements

for the assignment BEFORE you begin drafting or researching. If you are unsure of anything, ASK your

professor.

Step 2: Manage Your Time

It may seem like an unnecessary or extra step, but when you take the time to set and write deadlines for each

step of the writing process, it will help you meet your deadline.

To develop a reasonable timeline, work backwards from the due date.

Step 3: Prewrite and Organize Your Ideas

• Generate ideas.

• Jot down what you already know, even what you think you know, on the subject.

• Jot questions that will guide your research and writing. For example, asking, "What might be interesting or

useful to know on this topic?" can help focus your attention during Step 5 (Research) of the process.

• Organize your ideas.

• Focus your ideas.

• Create/Use an outline or graphic organizer such as a cluster, list, or web organizer.

Critically analyze your ideas from your prewriting step; set aside those that will not be useful to you. Not all

interesting information is useful information. Using a graphic organizer can help you identify which

information may be interesting but not useful.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yoJ8QdnrTnJOdnr1hAP0alRlqV5L0FO1/view?usp=sharing


Step 4: Write First Draft

This first draft is written BEFORE you do any research. This step is not developing an outline for your essay.

This is a first draft of your essay. It should include your thesis statement, your topic sentences, and any

supporting ideas you can think of before you do any research. Write as much of your essay, striving to reach

the word count, as you can.

Step 5: Research

Gather information from credible sources to support your opinions. It is important that you use credible,

academic sources. Your sources provide support for your essay. If your sources are weak, than the credibility

of your argument in your essay will be suspect. Learn to use the library’s database.

Using commercial search engines, such as Google, to find general, commercial sources, such as Wikipedia, is

not acceptable for college-level, academic research. Your best, academic sources will have been peer reviewed

by other experts in the field, as well as contain its own works cited or bibliography page. Again, the library’s

database is the best resource for you to find credible, academic sources.

Read/Review the assignment instructions again. Make sure that you are providing the specific sources that

your professor required.

Step 6: Draft

Write a second draft of your essay. In this second draft, you are adding information to your first draft. Now

that you have done some research and have some credible, academic sources to support your ideas, this is the

step to include that information. Any new information that you learned in Step 5 (Research) and include in this

draft of your essay, you will need to give your sources credit with in-text citations and coordinating works

cited citations.

Focus on development, organization and supporting ideas.

Remember, your thesis statement should be the last sentence of your first paragraph. Your thesis statement:

• should not be a quote

• should not be a question

• should not be a statement of fact

Your topic sentences should be your opinion and the first sentence of each body paragraph. Your topic

sentences:

• should not be quotes

• should not be questions

• should not be statements of fact

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13_VAclJoPfSaGDXBOfXqtDyyVOHQmsoS

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_qVKqDUXzmvA1S1ii810z_YjBXgEe69x




Step 7: Reflect

Set your essay aside for at least two hours.

Come back to read it after you have given your mind a break from it.

Read it aloud before proceeding to the next step. At this point, your "next step" may actually be to go back to

Step 6 and revise your draft.

Step 8: Revision

Make necessary revisions and corrections.

You might find it necessary to do some more research (Step 5) on your topic.

Use Proofreading Strategies.

Step 9: Peer Review

Get someone that you know and trust to be honest with you to read your essay and give you constructive

feedback.

If s/he is not familiar with your assignment, share the instructions, peer feedback form and /or the grading

rubric with him/her. Certainly give your reviewer some idea(s) of what to pay particular attention to as s/he

reads your essay.

After considering his/her constructive feedback, you may need to loop back in the writing process to an earlier

step. Revising is a logical step to repeat at this point in the process.

Once you are confident with your essay, then you are ready for the last step.

Step 10: Publish / Submit Your Final Draft

Be sure to submit your assignment to all required places. Some instructors require that you submit your essays to plagiarism detection services (such as SafeAssign, VeriCite, or Turnitin) in addition to submitting it in the class.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1U56TnKyvSwmL4wCBEcIqVh0lEGMMAq7V


How I Grade Your Papers

Step 1:

Open document. Look in bottom left corner, note the word count.

Step 2:

Press Control (ctrl) and End keys to jump to the bottom of the document. Assess works cited citations.

Does student have three citations?

Does student have citations for the mandated two sources?

Are the citations created using the current 2016 8th edition of MLA?

Are the citations listed in alphabetical order by first word of the each entry?

Step 3:

Press Control (ctrl) and F keys to initiate the Find/Navigation feature. Type ( . Assess in-text citations.

Does student have at least one in-text citation for each source listed on the works cited page?

Are the in-text citations created using the current 2016 8th edition of MLA?

Step 4:

Press Control (ctrl) and Home keys to jump to beginning of document.

Does student have complete heading?

Is entire document, including heading and works cited page, formatted correctly (Times New Roman,

size 12, consistently double spaced)?

Step 5:

Read the last sentence of the first paragraph (thesis). Read the first paragraph.

Step 6:

Read rest of document. This is a close reading of your essay to make sure that it is a cohesive, organized

document with transitions, clarity, and refined sentences.

Meeting the criteria for Steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 are completely within your control. Step 5 is also within your

control when you read the supplemental thesis information posted in each unit.

You are empowered with a peer feedback form and the grading rubric. You should essentially be able to

assess your own essay and determine your grade based on the rubric before you turn in your essay.


FORMATTING

Creating the correct formatting in your essay is very important. Just like people make

assumptions about others based on their appearance, your paper’s formatting is your paper’s

appearance. People will make immediate assumptions about the quality of the content of

your paper based on your formatting.

1. Incorrect heading / header. Your heading should have four lines of information typed flush left on

the top of your first page only.

Your name

Professor’s Name

Course abbreviation, course number and section information

Assignment due date (in the day month year format)

Your header should be your last name and document page number flush right at the top of each page.

You should format your header using the Header function under the Insert tab in Microsoft Word.

2. Be sure to use the Times New Roman font. Click on the Home tab. In the Font box, you should select

Times New Roman from the drop down menu. The fonts are listed alphabetically.

3. Be sure the font size is 12. Click on the Home tab. In the Font box, make sure that the font size (next

to the font style) is selected to be 12. Your entire document, including your heading, your title, your

works cited page, should be size 12.

4. Be sure your entire document is consistently double spaced. Click on the Home tab. In the

Paragraph box, click the downward triangle. In the pop-up window, make sure that your “before” and

“after” in your spacing are set at zero. Make sure your line spacing is set at double (2.0).

5. Create your works cited citations with hanging indentions. All works cited citations begin flush left. When your works cited citation is longer than one line, your second and subsequent lines are indented five spaces. This is a called a hanging indention.

Use your Ruler tool to format your works cited page. If you just hit your “Tab” key to shift or indent

the second and subsequent lines five spaces, it often loses its formatting. It is best to format your works

cited page using your Ruler tool.

6. Incorrect word spacing. You should have one space between each word. You either have at least one

extra space between your words (sometimes identified with a blue line in Microsoft Word) or you are

missing a space between your words (often identified with a red line in Microsoft Word). To add a

space, put your cursor where you want your words separated and press your space bar once. To delete a

space, use your delete or backspace keys.

7. Need tab indention and/or check your spacing for standard tab indention. The first line of each paragraph

in your essay should begin with a standard tab indention, which should be five spaces which should

equal a half inch. Press your Tab key once before typing the first line of your paragraph.

8. Standard margins. Microsoft Word should default to the correct margin setting, which is one inch at the

top, one inch on the right, one inch at the bottom, and one inch on the left. Click on the Layout tab, in

the top ribbon, then select the Margins option. This will allow you to select Normal and/or adjust your

margins.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15387eTlPk5shW8sfmxxTt4rXkdcNjg09

https://drive.google.com/open?id=18oCNehqnNmzZ_kLP2d_Pg2V7_m6gMQvP



https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xoczBVndHU9Gj8DHh3Pk5JygOM66TuSp


9. The title of your essay should be centered on the first line after your heading. You do not need quotation marks around your title. Think of your title like a headline for an article. Your title should be relevant to the content of your essay; it should not be a general title acknowledging a mode of writing. (“Persuasive Essay” would not be an appropriate title for an essay.)


MLA

Acknowledging your sources is imperative in every academic paper. By acknowledging your

sources, you prevent one form of academic dishonesty (plagiarism). To acknowledge your

sources, you must create a works cited page and in-text citations. For each source that you list

on your works cited page, you must have at least one coordinating, in-text citation in your

essay.

• Your works cited page lists at the end of your essay the secondary sources that you used to

develop your essay.

• In-text citations immediately acknowledge within your essay the information that you

included from the sources.

Any new information that you learn and use in your essay – whether you paraphrase it,

summarize it, or directly quote it – you must give your source credit with a works cited

citation and an in-text citation.

10. Missing works cited citation(s).

11. Incorrect works cited citation.

a. Article from an online news agency

b. Article from a print periodical

c. Article from an online periodical

d. Article from a periodical in a database

e. Blog

f. Book

g. E-mail

h. Episode from a television series

i. Live lecture or performance

j. Personal interview

k. Sacred text

l. Social media post

m. Song

n. Television program or film

o. Video on a website

p. Work from an anthology


12. Missing in-text citation(s). In-text citations are sometimes referred to as parenthetical citations. Remember for each source listed on your works cited page, you must have at least one in-text citation in the text of your essay. In-text citations have a direct correlation to the beginning information of your works cited citation.

13. Incorrect in-text citation.

a. Article from an online news agency

b. Article from a print periodical

c. Article from an online periodical

d. Article from a periodical in a database

e. Blog

f. Book

g. E-mail

h. Episode from a television series

i. Live lecture or performance

j. Personal interview

k. Sacred text

l. Social media post

m. Song

n. Television program or film

o. Video on a website

p. Work from an anthology

14. You did not provide enough information in your works cited citation for me to guide you to an

appropriate example of a citation for you to model for your source.

15. Certain words and phrases are abbreviated when used in MLA citations. The most common

abbreviations are:

All months except May, June and July are abbreviated in a works cited citation.

January Jan.

February Feb.

March Mar.

April Apr.

August Aug.

September Sept.

October Oct.

November Nov.

December Dec.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vCQiINoLQcxxiLhbzqGDLmjecxKMBt36


Other common abbreviations:

And others et al. (notice et is not followed by a period)

Community College Com. Coll.

Edition ed.

Junior College Jr. Coll.

Number / issue no.

Page / Pages p. / pp.

Press P (notice this abbreviation is not followed by a period)

Quoted in qtd. in

Revised rev.

Section sec.

Translation trans.

University U (notice this abbreviation is not followed by a period)

University Press UP

Volume vol.

Omit business words and abbreviations, such as Company (Co.), Corporation (Corp.), Incorporated

(Inc.), and Limited (Ltd.), from a publisher’s name in a works cited citation.

Be sure to include a period, when appropriate, to recognize that the word is an abbreviation.

The following words are not abbreviated in a works cited citation:

created by creator directed by

director edited by editor

episode expanded illustrated by

introduction by narrated by performance by

performer/s photographer season

translated by updated version

16. Works Cited citations should be alphabetized by first word of each citation. If any of your citations

begin with symbols (@ or #) or numbers, list those first on your works cited page, respectively, before

any citation that begins with a word. If you have a citation that begins with quotation marks, list that

source in alphabetical order by the first word in the quotation. As you alphabetize, ignore A, An, and

The. If/When a works cited citation begins with A, An or The, alphabetize by the following word in the

title.

17. Capitalize the first letter of each major word in your citation. However, do not capitalize the following,

unless they are at the beginning of a title

• Articles (a, an, the)

• Coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

• Prepositions (about, on, in, to, etc.)

18. Be sure your date information is in the correct order – day month year – in your works cited citation.

19. All works cited citations end with a period.



20. In your works cited citation, the punctuation mark (comma, question mark, or period) belongs inside

the quotation marks.

21. This is a block quote. When your quote will take more than four lines in your essay, set the entire quote

off with an inch left margin. Do not use quotation marks around the quote. Close the quote with a

period followed by the in-text citation. Having the parenthetical in-text citation after the end

punctuation mark is different from standard quotes that are less than four lines when the in-text citation

which comes before the period.

22. This is a quote within a quote. When you have a quote within a quote, begin the quote using double

quotation marks. Set the second, or inner, quote off using single open and closing quotation marks (the

apostrophe key). Remember, quotation marks are used in pairs. Be sure to close your outer, or larger,

quote with double quotation marks.

23. This is an indirect quote. An indirect quote is when your source quotes someone else. It is important to

give both sources credit. You can handle this in one of two ways:

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said that he “saw no other option but to use our bomb robot” (qtd. in Nicas).

Or -

The Dallas police department “saw no other option but to use [their] bomb robot” for the safety of the officers

(Brown qtd in Nicas).

Your works cited citation would be:

Nicas, Jack. “Dallas Police Believed to be the First to Use Robot Lethally.” The Wall Street Journal, 8 July

2016, www.wsj.com/articles/dallas-police-believed-to-be-first-to-use-robot-lethally-1468001810.

You did not talk to Chief Brown directly. Your source for the information is Jack Nicas; so he is your

source on your works cited. You used Brown’s quote that Nicas wrote. Brown was quoted in Nicas’

article.

24. In print sources, especially in magazines and newspapers, the article is not always printed on

consecutive pages. If the article begins on one page and then skips at least one page before its

conclusion, put the first page number and a plus sign. [One way to create the plus sign is by hitting the

plus sign on the number pad. Another way to create the plus sign is to hold the Shift key while you also

hit the equal sign key on the numbers row of your keyboard. The plus sign is NOT created with the T

key. Creating the plus sign on your phone or tablet may require different steps.]

You only use the plus sign (+) in a works cited citation. Your in-text citation, should note the specific

page number where you found your information. You should never include the plus sign in your in-text

citation.

Even though some online articles hyperlink to other web pages, the plus sign is only used for print

sources.

25. When citing an article from a newspaper source, print or online, you should include the city

information in square brackets when the city’s name is not a part of the newspaper’s name or masthead.

For example, if the newspaper’s name was simply The Herald, you would need to include the city’s

name, which is not italicized, in square brackets immediately following the newspaper’s name in the

works cited citation.


Marchant, Bristow. “Former Carolina Panther Ends Race for York County Sheriff.” The Herald [Rock Hill] 4

June 2016. http://www.heraldonline.com/news/politics-government/election/local-election/

article81798602.html.

26. Your in-text citation end punctuation is in the wrong place. Unless it is a block quote, the sentence’s

end punctuation belongs after the closing parenthesis of your in-text citation.

27. When you have more than one source by the same author, the second and subsequent works cited

citations do not begin with that author’s name. For second and subsequent sources by the same author,

type three hyphens in place of author’s name and continue the citation.

Draper, James. “Fraud Audit Begins at SISD.” Kilgore News Herald, 15 July 2016, kilgorenewsherald.com/

stories/fraudauditbeginsat-sisd,99357.

---. “Trustees Vetted Attorney in Private Meetings.” Kilgore News Herald, 15 July 2016,

kilgorenewsherald.com/stories/trustees-vetted-attorney-in-private-meetings,99370.

28. Most in-text citations begin with the author’s last name. When you use information from different

sources by the same author, you must include more than just the author’s last name to distinguish

between the sources in your in-text citation.

You would include the author’s last name, followed by a comma, then the title of the work (shortened

if necessary), and page number (for print sources).

(Draper, “Fraud Audit”).

(Draper, “Trustees Vetted”).

Notice in the above examples of the works cited citations (#27), the “Trustees Vetted” citation begins

with three dashes. For your in-text citation, you should include the author’s name, not three dashes.


29. If you have works by authors who have the same last name and different first names, you need to distinguish between the sources in your in-text citations. Your in-text citation would include the author’s last name, followed by a comma, followed by the first initial and a period to indicate that it is an abbreviation.

If by chance, your authors share the first initial as well, continue letter by letter, up to the first three letters. If the first names are similar past the third letter, write the complete first name.

(Anderson, A.) for Amy Anderson (Anderson, L.) for Leslye Anderson (Jones, Jen.) for Jennifer Jones (Jones, Jes.) for Jessica Jones (Williams, And.) for Andrew Williams (Williams, Ant.) for Anthony Williams (Smith, Terrelle) (Smith, Terrence)

Note: According to different web sites, the appropriate way to create in-text citations for authors with the same last name varies. Some websites suggest putting the first name initial first, followed by a period to indicate that it is an initial, and then follow with the full last name. (i.e. A. Anderson)

Other sites suggest to begin the in-text citation with the author’s last name, followed by a comma, and then the first initial followed by a period to indicate that it is an initial. (i.e. Anderson, A.)

You may also give your source credit as a part of your sentence text. In which case, you would spell the first then the last names completely.

Consult your professor as to how you should handle it in your class.

30. Most credible, academic authors will provide at least first initial and full last name. However, you

might have a rare occasion where you need to create a citation for a source that used a pseudonym or

an Internet username.

When a source does not have an individual’s name, do not use anonymous. Begin the citation with the

next piece of information, such as the title of the article.

The exception to this rule is when a governmental agency or committee is the “author” of the bill or

report. In such cases, begin the citation with the geographic location, followed by the name of the

agency.

State of Texas, Health and Human Services Commission. Diabetes Self-Management Education Pilot Report.

81st Legislature, Oct. 2012, H.B. 1990. www.hhsc.state.tx.us/about_hhsc/reports/search/

search_type.asp.

United States, Congress, Senate, Report of the Secretary of the Senate: October 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015.

114th Congress, S.Doc. 114-4. www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action ?collection

Code=CDOC&browsePath=114%2FSDOC%2F[*-*]&isCollapsed=false&

leafLevelBrowse=false&isDocument Results=true&ycord=0.


31. Do not include courtesy titles (Dr., Mr., Rev., Mrs., Honorable, etc.) in your works cited citations or the

text of your sentence. When necessary and appropriate, you may include titles that identify a position

(President, Judge, Bishop, Pastor, etc.) upon first reference to the person in the text of your essay.

Local M.A.D.D. Chapter President Sarah Green told the city council that the organization would provide free

car services New Year’s Eve.

Do not include post-nominal credentials (PhD, DMin, Esq, EdD, JD, MD) in your works cited

citations. However, you may include post-nominal credentials as a part of the sentence text, when

necessary and appropriate.

Joycelyn Keyes, JD, said legislation needs to evolve to address more white-collar, corporate crimes.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., PhD, said, “Scores of people are killed everyday in the name of differences ascribed

only to race” (6).

Or -

“Scores of people are killed everyday in the name of differences ascribed only to race” (Gates 6).

Even though Henry Louis Gates, Jr., earned his PhD degree from Clare College, his academic

credentials are not included in the works cited citation.

Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., editor. “Race,” Writing and Difference. U of Chicago P, 1986.

Keyes, Joycelyn. Personal interview. 17 May 2004.

32. Copy URL addresses in their entirety from your web browser. Do not include http:// or https://.

However, you should include www. when the source page has it.

33. Failed to cite secondary material / information. You have utilized information from secondary sources,

which is good. However, be sure to give all your sources credit with attribution for their ideas and

information. Any new information that you learn and use, whether you directly quote it, paraphrase it

or summarize it, you must give your source credit. Be sure that this source has an in-text citation, as

well as a works cited citation.

34. Failed to use required sources. For each assignment, you must use certain types of sources as identified

in the assignment instructions. You may use additional sources but you must use the ones that are

required, as per the assignment.

35. Source not listed on works cited page. In-text citations have a direct correlation to the beginning

information of your works cited citations. This in-text citation does not have a coordinating works cited

source listed. Either you neglected to list this source on your works cited page; or, either your in-text

citation or works cited citation is incorrect.

36. Overlooked the use of this source in your essay. You have listed this source on your works cited page,

which indicates that you used information from this source in your essay. For each source listed on

your works cited page, you should have at least one in-text citation in your essay to identify what

information you used from that source. You neglected to include an in-text citation for this source in

your essay.


37. Your works cited citation is incorrect; therefore, your in-text citation is incorrect. Your in-text citation

does reflect the beginning information of your works cited citation; unfortunately, your works cited

citation is incorrect. Double check your works cited citation. This error most frequently happens when

a student begins the works cited citation with a person’s first name followed by the person’s last name.

Knowing that an in-text citation has a direct correlation to the beginning information of a works cited

citation, the student erroneously uses the person’s first name as the in-text citation. This is incorrect. A

works cited citation begins with the person’s last name, when it is known; therefore, the in-text citation

should contain the person’s last name as well.

38. Works Cited page should begin its own page. Move your cursor to the end of your essay. To create a

page break on a PC, press your Ctrl (control) and Enter keys simultaneously. This will create a new

page at the end of your document in Microsoft Word. Your works cited page should be the last page of

your document, not a separate document.



GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS

When your professor is looking at the grammar and mechanics of your essay, she is reading

your essay for sentence-level errors. She is making sure that each individual sentence makes

sense. Using the incorrect word or having punctuation errors, can make a difference in the

message you are trying to communicate. If you have incomplete sentences or fused

sentences, your important message will easily be lost in those types of sentence-level errors.

Your instructor is a wonderful source to help you identify such errors, but you should also

consider working with someone in the writing lab.

39. Sentence fragment. Make sure that this sentence has a subject (noun or pronoun) and a predicate (verb)

and expresses a complete and coherent thought.

40. Fused or run-on sentence. You are expressing too many ideas in this one sentence. Carefully read the

sentence and identify the place(s) where one idea ends and another idea begins.

41. Missing punctuation. Periods, commas, quotation marks, question marks, apostrophes, colon,

semicolons, hyphens, and ellipses are the most common punctuation marks in academic papers. Each

mark is used for a different and a specific purpose.

42. Incorrect punctuation mark. Oftentimes, students make this mistake simply as a typographical

error. Make sure that you typed the punctuation mark that you intended: for instance, a comma and not

a period, or quotation marks and not an apostrophe, and so forth. Be sure that you understand and can

justify why you used the punctuation mark that you used.

43. You do not need a punctuation mark here.

44. Titles of short works (such as titles of articles, songs, and webpages) belong in quotation marks.

To create double quotation marks, hold your Shift key down while also striking your apostrophe key.

45. Titles of larger works (such as titles of books, magazines, journals, databases, newspapers,

albums, and websites) are italicized. On a PC, press your Control (Ctrl) and I keys simultaneously to

initiate the italics feature. Do the same thing to turn the feature off.

46. Spelling error. In Microsoft Word, the F7 key will initiate the spell check function in the document.

You can also find the spell check function under the Review tab in the top ribbon. However, do not

completely rely on spell check. You should also use online and/or printed dictionaries. Make sure that

you are using appropriate academic language and not text or social media language.

47. Incorrect word choice. In this case, you have spelled the word correctly but you have chosen the

incorrect word. This frequently happens with homonyms (words that sound similar but have different

meanings like effect and affect). Look up the word you used and make sure that it is conveying the

meaning you intend.

48. Capitalization error. Either you have capitalized a common noun or failed to capitalize something

that should be capitalized.

49. Missing word(s). This sentence is missing at least one word. Read the sentence aloud one word at a

time. It may even help to point to each word as you read it. Oftentimes our minds read articles (a, an,

and the) or prepositions that we neglect to write in our essay. Sometimes when we revise or rewrite a

part of a sentence during the editing process, we neglect to continue to read to make sure that the rest of

the sentence is still coherent. Other times our brains are working faster than our fingers and our fingers

“skip” typing in order to catch up with our brains.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SUVFf3tPQR32DYafE-6J328VEU16DA_p

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SUVFf3tPQR32DYafE-6J328VEU16DA_p

https://drive.google.com/open?id=100gR7uUL2oQ6QMEVfG9eMZxXWPsbDcwG

https://drive.google.com/open?id=100gR7uUL2oQ6QMEVfG9eMZxXWPsbDcwG

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EvYtOdPcoQuem5imdGJDegdXlHdc1sKg

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EvYtOdPcoQuem5imdGJDegdXlHdc1sKg

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rLfGO0HKEAd-nE-UKhZtput88vY_JQIq


50. Pronoun error (an error in noun / pronoun agreement, subjective/objective case or singular/plural

reference).

51. Verb error (an error in verb tense or subject / verb agreement).

52. Awkward/incorrect/unclear phrasing or sentence structure. Read the sentence aloud one word at a time.

It may even help to point to each word as you read it. It may also help to copy that one sentence and

ask a friend to read it. Encourage your friend to ask questions to help you think through and clarify

what you are trying to communicate.

53. Spell numbers ten (10) and less and/or if the number begins a sentence.

54. Do not use the ampersand sign (&). Spell the word and.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1unQK776DzF14EJJJ9lXFX9oQljLcbSCk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1O8HHxCTKdM6pRwFpH0pX1kysxH62vAkM


TONE

The tone of your essay is reflected in the formalness of your paper. When we speak, we can

infer information by listening to the speaker’s tone. We can usually guess whether the person

is being sarcastic or if the person is serious. When someone says, “I’m alright,” listening to the

person’s tone gives us deeper insight into how that person maybe truly feeling. Your word

choices are crucial in establishing the tone of your paper, which impacts how your readers will

receive, or “hear,” your message.

55. You may not use first person, unless in a direct quote, or explicitly allowed in the assignment

instructions. First person uses pronouns: I, me, my, mine, our, ours, we and/or us. Use the Find feature

(on a PC, press the Control [ctrl] and F keys, simultaneously) to search for those words. Academic

papers should be written using third person objective voice.

56. You may not use second person, unless in a direct quote, or explicitly allowed in the assignment

instructions. Second person uses pronouns: you, your, and yours. Use the Find feature (on a PC, press

the Control [ctrl] and F keys, simultaneously) to search for those words. Academic papers should be

written using third person objective voice.

57. You may not use contractions. Contractions combine words and omit at least one letter. In

academic papers, you should completely spell each word. As an example: “don’t” is a contraction; spell

the words “do not.” Multiple-contracted words (i.e. wouldn’t’ve [would not have] or who’d’ve [who

would have]) are never acceptable in an academic paper.

58. Too informal of language. Take a minute to identify the audience for your paper; write to respect

them.

59. You may not ask questions, unless in a direct quote. Students often use rhetorical questions in their

essays to emphasize a point. Rhetorical questions are not effective in academic writing. As the author

of an academic essay, you should be anticipating and answering questions, not asking them. Use the

Find feature (on a PC, press the Control [ctrl] and F keys simultaneously) to search for question marks.

When you identify your interrogatory statement, rewrite it to affirm the point you are trying to make.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OB2RLJ5sS7dJ9GhyWCmPSK5OjVuN9EU6





CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION

When your paper is well-organized, it is easier for your reader to follow and understand the

good points you are making in your essay. When a paper is not organized, it is difficult for the

reader to understand and appreciate your points. Your reader trusts you to organize and

present the information in the most logical manner. A well-organized paper will flow and build

on presented information to culminate into a strong, persuasive message.

60. Inappropriate / unacceptable essay topic. In order to possibly do well on the essay, you must write in

the appropriate mode and on the appropriate topic. Please read the assignment parameters again. If you

have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. It is imperative that you understand the assignment

expectations.

61. Essay lacks organization. Consider using an outline or graphic organizer.

62. Ineffective thesis statement. Review the Constructing Strong Thesis Statement video.

63. Missing or ineffective topic sentence. When your paragraph lacks an effective topic sentence,

your paragraph is also likely to lack organization, focus, and purpose.

64. Inaccurate statement. Please double check the accuracy of your quote and/or statement of fact.

65. Your paragraph’s topic sentence introduces a good idea but the paragraph needs further

development. Consider giving relevant, specific examples to support your idea. Think of ways you can

provide further explanation of your idea.

66. This paragraph includes more than one relevant point. It would strengthen your paper if you separated

these points into more than one paragraph and developed each idea fully.

67. While this information is interesting, it does not seem to support your paragraph’s topic sentence. As

you review and revise, determine if this information should be included at some other point in your

essay or if it is relevant at all based on your thesis. Including it as it is, where it is, weakens the strength

of your paper.

68. Make your supporting ideas relevant by providing additional explanation of your thoughts.

69. Need transitional words or phrases. Transitional words and phrases help the fluidity of your

thoughts and essay.

70. Be specific. Your word choice or example is vague; it needs clarity.

71. Unnecessary word(s). Take time to proof your essay for sentence level errors. One way to do this is to

begin at the end of your essay and read each sentence one at a time.

72. May not use “there” as a subject. Revise sentence to remove “there.”

73. Ineffective paragraph organization. You have good ideas within the paragraph. Align and

organize your ideas so that they flow in a logical manner.

74. Failure to follow instructions (which may include, but not limited to: failure to meet the word count;

failure to provide information from and cite the required sources; failure to write on the appropriate

topic; or failure to respect your audience by failing to use the appropriate language registry). After

reviewing the assignment instructions again, please contact your professor if you have further

questions. It is important that you understand the assignment expectations so that you can do well on

the assignment.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yoJ8QdnrTnJOdnr1hAP0alRlqV5L0FO1




https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Peq2Yi9uhVV4JGICEsAGWM_GFbHZnyh5

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g9aK_nPTWu7wdW7tDMIkvNin5_mHR_TS

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yoJ8QdnrTnJOdnr1hAP0alRlqV5L0FO1


Peer Feedback Form

I, (Your name) _____________________________________________, am going to help (peer’s name) _________________________________________ earn an A on this paper. Heading: Is the first line the student’s first and last name? yes no Is the second line the professor’s name? yes no Is the third line the class information? English 1301 - ____ Is the fourth line the assignment due date in the day month year format? yes no Is the entire essay typed using Times New Roman ( yes no), size 12 ( yes no), and consistently double space ( yes no)? The next line should be the title of the essay. The title should not be the assignment. Is it an effective title? yes no Thesis: Write the last sentence of the first paragraph. _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Is this a complete sentence? yes or no Is this a statement of fact or opinion ? Is this a question? yes or no Is this a quote? yes or no If it is a fact, question, or quote, the student author needs to revise it. Works Cited This essay’s required sources are: (1) ____________________________, (2) __________________________, (3) ______________________________ Does the student utilize information from the required sources? yes or no Are the sources listed alphabetically on the works cited page? yes or no Is the first works cited citation correct, including formatting (hanging indention)? yes or no Is the second works cited citation correct, including formatting (hanging indention)? yes or no Is the third works cited citation correct, including formatting (hanging indention)? yes or no Highlight any error or area in any of the works cited citations that the student author should correct. In-text Citations Find the first source’s in-text citation. Highlight it in the essay. Write it here: (_________________________) Look at works cited page again. What is the first word of that source on the works cited page? ______________________ What type of source is it? Is it a print, electronic, video, or oral source? _______________________

If the works cited citation indicates it is a print source, does the in-text citation have a page number? yes or no If the source is a video, does the in-text citation have a time stamp? yes or no


Find the second source’s in-text citation. Highlight it in the essay. Write it here: (_______________________) Look at works cited page again. What is the first word of that source on the works cited page? ______________________ What type of source is it? Is it a print, electronic, video, or oral source? _______________________


Find the third source’s in-text citation. Highlight it in the essay. Write it here: (_________________________) Look at works cited page again. What is the first word of that source on the works cited page? ______________________ What type of source is it? Is it a print, electronic, video, or oral source? _______________________


Topic Sentences: Write the first sentence of the second paragraph: ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Is this a complete sentence? yes or no Is this a statement of fact or opinion? Is this a question? yes or no Is this a quote? yes or no If it is a fact, question, or quote, the student author needs to revise it. Write the first sentence of the third paragraph: ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Is this a complete sentence? yes or no Is this a statement of fact or opinion? Is this a question? yes or no Is this a quote? yes or no If it is a fact, question, or quote, the student author needs to revise it. Write the first sentence of the fourth paragraph: _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Is this a complete sentence? yes or no Is this a statement of fact or opinion? Is this a question? yes or no Is this a quote? yes or no If it is a fact, question, or quote, the student author needs to revise it. Did the student author use first person pronouns (I, me, my, we, our, us, mine)? yes or no Did the student author use second person pronouns (you, your)? yes or no Did the student author use any contractions? yes or no Highlight usage of any of these in the essay. Put a question mark in a box in the left margin beside any sentence that was confusing to you. Put a smiley face beside at least two things that you learned as a result of the essay or that the student author did well in the essay.


Grading Rubric The following rubric is used to grade each of your essays. Empowered with this information, you have an idea of what you will earn on your essay even before I grade it. Notice that the Works Cited and In-Text Citations are weighted / valued more than other criteria. Some students focus on the word count criteria. It is possible to earn an A on an essay meeting the lowest word count, if all other criteria are met.

Formatting 5 pts

Complete heading/header,

correct essay formatting

and works cited formatting

4 pts

Incorrect heading or

header; other items

correctly formatted

3 pts

Incorrect works cited

formatting; other items

correctly formatted

2 pts

At least two items are

incorrectly formatted

Works Cited

Citations

20 pts

Correctly cited at least

three secondary required

sources

16 pts

Correctly cited two

secondary required

sources

14 pts

Correctly cited one

secondary required source

0 pts

Failed to correctly cite

any required secondary

source

In-Text Citations 20 pts

Correctly cited at least 3

correlating in-text citations

16 pts

Correctly cited two

correlating in-text

citations

14 pts

Correctly cited one

correlating in-text citation

0 pts

Failed to correctly cite

any correlating in-text

citation

Word Count 10 pts

1300-1600 words

8 pts

1299-1000 words

7 pts

999-800 words

5 pts

Less than 800 words

Grammar and

Mechanics

15 pts

Demonstrates an excellent

understanding and usage of

grammar and mechanics

13 pts

Demonstrates a proficient

understanding and usage

of grammar and

mechanics

10 pts

Demonstrates a

moderately proficient

understanding and usage

of grammar and

mechanics

5 pts

Fails to demonstrate an

understanding of proper

usage of grammar and

mechanics

Tone 10 pts

Respects the formality of

the essay by avoiding first

person, second person,

contractions and questions

8 pts

Seldom uses first person,

second person,

contractions and/or asks

questions

6 pts

Occasionally uses first

person, second person,

contractions and/or asks

questions

4 pts

Uses first person, second

person, contractions and/

or asks questions too

often

Content and

Organization

15 pts

Essay is well-organized

using effective topic

sentences and opinions are

supported with specific

examples

13 pts

The majority of the essay

is organized and cohesive.

Needs more directing

topic sentences and/or

supporting evidence

10 pts

A substantial part of the

essay lacks organization

and/or substantiation

8 pts

The essay lacks

organization. Too many

ideas are not clearly

established and/or lack

supporting evidence

Thesis 5 pts

Effective thesis in the

proper location

2 pts

Missing effective thesis in

proper location

0 pts 0 pts


Appendix A

The following sample paper is a former student’s process analysis paper, in which

students were allowed to use second person. While the paper has minor errors, it

was included to highlight its positive attributes. It is a sample of an A essay.


Appendix A-2


Appendix A-3


Appendix A-4


Appendix A-5


Appendix A-6


Appendix A-7


Appendix B

Dr. Moore’s MLA Step-by-Step Guide

The following pages (Appendix B and Appendix C) were originally published in Dr. Moore’s Step-by-Step MLA

Quick Reference Guide (2017). The citation examples are based on the 8th edition of MLA Handbook (2016).

As such, some of the examples may deviate a little from other well-respected MLA authorities. For instance,

according to the MLA Handbook including the date a website was accessed, including the original publication

date for a reprinted book, identifying an unexpected type of source (such as transcript or lecture) and other

certain pieces of information are optional to include in a works cited citation.

The following pages are designed to help you learn how to correctly create works cited citations for various

types of sources. Using a computer citation generator is NOT acceptable or appropriate. Often times the

citation generator will not accurately create a citation based on the latest MLA standards. Using a citation

generator is a form of academic dishonesty in that you are depending on a computer to do part of your work.

As a reminder, clicking on the citation in maroon text links you to videos that will demonstrate where to find

the necessary pieces of information in order to create each works cited citation.


MLA Citations

In the eighth edition of the Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook released in the spring of 2016, MLA restructured the way academic works are to be documented. In an effort to simplify and synthesize citations, MLA recommends knowing and utilizing nine basic pieces of information:

Author

Title of smaller work

Title of larger work

Other contributors

Version

Number

Publisher

Publication date

Location

When to Give Your Source Credit

For any new information that you learn and use in your essay, you must give your source credit, whether you summarize, paraphrase or directly quote the source. Information that is considered “common knowledge” does not need a citation. For instance, you would not need sources for the following if in your essay you wrote:

In America’s Pledge of Allegiance, people of all nationalities commit to one God each time they say, “… one nation under God.”

Or In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong declared, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Because these two original pieces of information are common knowledge in American culture, you would not need to cite a source for the Pledge of Allegiance nor for Neil Armstrong’s quote. This would be knowledge that you could write in your first draft before you did any research. However, you still must give your source credit (ie Neil Armstrong declared) but you do not have to provide a works cited source where you found that he said those words. To avoid plagiarism, write a draft of your essay before doing any research. In that draft, write everything that you know about the subject. As you develop subsequent drafts of the essay, you will be able to see the new information that you learned during the research step of the writing process. It is difficult to identify what we “already knew” once we read and add new information to our working knowledge base. Most cases of plagiarism are unintentional, but still warrant consequences. To avoid such mistakes, you must give your sources credit for any new information that you learn and use in your essay. So as you edit and add information to your drafts, you will be able to see that new information from your first draft and you will need to cite your sources, on your works cited page, as well as with in-text citations.

Appendix B-3


Articles from Online News Agencies

Sample Works Cited Citations

Specktor, Brandon. “15 Fascinating Facts You Never Learned about America.” Reader’s Digest, MSN News, 1

June 2016, msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/15-fascinating-facts-you-never-learned-about-

america/ss-BBtKoXH.

Some general news agency websites, like MSN News, Yahoo News and AOL News, repost news stories from other websites. When possible, you should always use the most direct source (original published source). The above citation indicates that the article was originally posted on Reader’s Digest website and reposted on MSN News web page. The citation below is for the article posted on its original site. Specktor, Brandon. “15 Fascinating Facts You Never Learned about America.” Reader’s Digest, 1 June 2016,

rd.com/culture/america-fascinating-facts/1/.

You should always cite the source where you found the information. Note: If the article’s date is acknowledged in “hours ago,” a date in the day month year format is still needed, not “hours ago.”

Explanation of Works Cited Citation Formation

1. Author’s name

a. begin with the author’s last name, follow with a comma, then the author’s first name, follow

with a period

i. if you have two authors, follow the first author’s first name with a comma and the

conjunction – and – then continue with the second author’s first name first then last

name.

ii. if you have three or more authors, follow the first author’s first name with a

comma and – et al. – which means “and others.”

b. put a period

2. Name of article

a. open quotation marks at the beginning;

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in the title

c. put a period after the title of the article before the close quotation marks

3. Name of website

a. italicize the name of the website

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in the website’s name

c. follow with a comma

4. Date it was posted

a. follow the day month year format

i. all months, except May, June and July, are abbreviated

b. follow with a comma

Appendix B-4

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Yav5d8feOPsqbs0IlrVxxhz9xE-cD9tu

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Yav5d8feOPsqbs0IlrVxxhz9xE-cD9tu


5. URL/web address

a. type the complete URL/web address

b. conclude with a period

This is the basic works cited citation for an article found on an online news agency site. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

In-Text Citation

“[O]ne in three of us has his or her fingerprints on file with the FBI” (Specktor).

Appendix B-5


PERIODICALS

Publications that are consistently published periodically (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, annually) are considered periodicals. Magazines, journals and newspapers are the most common periodicals.

Journals Magazines Newspapers

Accountability (Helps determine the credibility of information)

Peer review Provides bibliographies

Editorial review Does not provide

bibliographies

Editorial review Does not provide

bibliographies

Advertisements Few or no ads; those that are included are related to trade / profession

Several ads Several ads

Appearance Plain / Matte paper Basic cover Minimal pictures Usually black and white Articles often require

several pages Articles often are

sequentially paginated

Glossy Eye-catching cover Article titles tease on

cover Pictures Often in color Articles are often short Articles often skip pages

Matte Articles begin on front

page Often have separate

sections Information organized by

sections Articles are often short Articles often skip pages

Audience Professionals in the field General population General population

Content Specific Special Interest Editions often have limited

focus

General interest General interest Coverage of several,

diverse topics Broad issues

Contributors Experts/Researchers in specific field

Contributing authors

Journalists Staff writers Freelance writers

Journalists Staff writers

Frequency Monthly, quarterly, annually

Monthly, bi-monthly Daily, weekly

Appendix B-6


Articles from Periodicals


Journals

Bérubé, Michael, et al., “Community Reading and Social Imagination.” PMLA, vol. 125, no. 2, Mar. 2010, pp.

418-425.

Del Vitto, Carol. “Cross-Cultural ‘Soft Skills’ and the Global Engineer: Corporate Best Practices and Trainer

Methodologies.” Online Journal for Global Engineering Education, vol. 3, no. 1, art. 1, Feb. 2008, pp.

1-9. www.digitalcommons.uri.edu/ojgee/vol3/iss1/1.

Sanchez-Flavian, Patricia. “Language and Politicized Spaces in U.S. Latino Prison Poetry: 1970-1990.”

Bilingual Review, vol. 27, no. 2, May-Aug. 2003, pp. 114-124.

Magazines

Gore, Rick. “Wrath of the Gods: Centuries of Upheaval along the Anatolian Fault.” National Geographic, vol.

198, no. 1, July 2000, pp. 32-51.

Newspapers

Evans, Glenn. “2,000 Vote Early in County.” Longview News Journal, 21 May 2016, pp. A1+.

Marchant, Bristow. “Winthrop Drops Idea of an Eagles Football Team.” The Herald [Rock Hill], 10 June

2016, www.heraldonline.com/news/local/education/winthrop-news/article83090747.html.

Wagner, Meg. “Grandma, Four Grandchildren Killed While Trying to Flee East Texas Flooding.” Daily News

[New York], 30 Apr. 2016, www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-grandma-grandkids-killed-

flood-article-1.2619861.

Explanation of Works Cited Formation

1. Author’s names

a. begin with the author’s last name, follow with a comma, then the author’s first name



name.

ii. if you have three or more authors, follow the first author’s first name with a comma and

– et al. – which means “and others.”

Appendix B-7

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1W24fK-8zbPtUfsdbZcW-yhi9g3d33fCq

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mq4gWLH5gPbR8ZLIz7J96zIriUmpt-_B

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GmenlfbFN_Gh6gsLNeyFi4AQm1P62uEd


b. put a period

2. Name of article

a. open quotation marks at the beginning


c. put a period after the title of the article before closing quotation marks

3. Name of periodical (journal or magazine or newspaper)

a. italicize the entire name of the periodical

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in the name of the periodical

* note the city’s name follows in square brackets, when the city’s name is not a part of the

newspaper’s name; it is not italicized. (See #25 on page 13.)


4. Volume

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – vol. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the

period to indicate that it is an abbreviation

b. the actual volume number

c. a comma follows the volume number

5. Number (sometimes referred to as issue or edition)

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – no. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the


b. the actual edition or issue number

c. a comma follows the number

6. Article

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – art. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the


b. the actual article number


7. Date of publication

a. in the day month year order


b. a comma follows the year

8. The page numbers for the article

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – p.– or – pp. – all lowercase letters; be sure to

include the period to indicate that it is an abbreviation

b. the actual page numbers for the article

i. if the entire article is more than one page but is not on consecutive pages, (if the article

skips a page) then write the first page number and a plus sign

c. follow with a period

9. URL/web address



Appendix B-8


This is the basic formation for an article in a periodical citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next. Note: Look again at the magazine and journal citations on page 37/B-7. At a quick glance, the citations may look like they have commas between the day and month in the date format; however, those commas are actually inserted to separate the volume number from the date information (see Steps 4-7). The day and month are not separated by commas in the date format.

In-Text Citations

“The ‘collectivity’ is in fact of major importance in Latino culture; it may well be one of the primary aspects

that distinguish it from other ethnicities” (Sánchez-Flavian 116).

“[R]eading is a powerful vehicle from community building, for democratic deliberation and for imaginative

reinvention of seeming inevitabilities” (Bérubé et al. 418).

“The theoretical foundations of cross-cultural training have evolved over time, as delivery of cross-cultural

concepts have been tailored to fit the business world” (Del Vitto 4).

“’A gap of $3 million in costs versus benefits,’ [according to] Winthrop President Dan Mahony, on what

football costs and what it makes” (Marchant).

“Two seats on the state’s highest criminal court also are on the Republican runoff ballot” (Evans 5A).

“Most [archeologists] agree that earthquakes, and especially titanic volcanic eruption around 1600 B.C. on the

island of Thera, led to the decline of the powerful Minoan culture on the nearby island of Crete” (Gore 70).

Appendix B-9


Articles from Periodicals in a Database


Packham, Jeff. “Improved Customer Service Skills Recommended for Oklahoma Employers.” The Journal

Record [Oklahoma City], 6 June 2005, EBSCO, web.a.ebscohost.com.tjc.idm.oclc.org/ehost/ detail/

detail?vid=6&sid=83f50e22-37e0-4de8-97a6a8ad3e2bafc1%40sessionmgr4003&hid=

4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3 QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=L54125998JROK&db=bwh.

Palser, Barb. “Coping with Jerk Swarms.” American Journalism Review, vol. 28, no. 2, Apr. / May 2006, p.

70. Literary Reference Center Plus, web.b.ebscohost.com.tjc.idm.oclc.org/ lrc/detail/detail?

vid=4&sid=736f75a4-eaff-4cd0-247fbdd7a04b2b8%40sessionmgr106&

hid=102&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLXBsdXM %3d#AN=20411312&db=lkh.

“Revisiting Welfare Reform.” America, vol. 214, no. 10, 21 Mar. 2016, p. 5. Academic Search Complete,

web.b.ebscohost.com.tjc.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid= b119a330-f5a3-444f-

bbc8-9d2dbded3829%40sessionmgr104&hid=102.


1. Author’s names

a. begin with the author’s last name, follow with a comma then the author’s first name



name


– et al. – which means “and others”

b. put a period

2. Name of article



c. put a period after the title of the article before closing quotation marks

3. Name of periodical (journal, magazine, or newspaper)

a. italicize name of periodical

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in the name of the periodical

i. some journals will be titled with an acronym (ie MELUS or JAMA); you do not need to

spell out the acronym; therefore, use the acronym as given


Appendix B-10

https://drive.google.com/open?id=180GVhpwrpomk3TkTb889CXdLS1P58Kty


4. Volume information

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – vol. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the


b. the actual volume number

c. a comma follows the volume number

5. Number (sometimes referred to as issue or edition) information

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – no. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the


b. the actual number or issue number

c. a comma follows the number / issue number

6. Article

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – art. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the


b. the actual article number


7. Date of publication


i. magazines and journals often will only have month and year, or season and year

1. if it has a season and year, capitalize the first letter of the season; the seasons are

not abbreviated (eg. Spring)

ii. newspapers should have the day month year

b. all months, except May, June and July, are abbreviated

c. a comma follows the year

8. Page number(s) for the article




i. if the entire article requires more than one page but is not on consecutive pages, (if the

article skips at least one page) then write the first page number and a plus sign


9. Name of database

a. italicize name of database


10. URL / web address



This is the basic citation for an article in a periodical in a database. If your source does not have a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

Appendix B-11


In-Text Citations

“The high-demand occupations included pharmacists, home health aides, medical assistants, sales managers,

customer service representatives, and computer systems analysts. The projected growth occupations included

medical assistants, personal and home care aides, fitness trainers and aerobics instructors, and medical records

and health information technicians” (Packham).

“Jerk swarm is a problem because it diminishes the value of a site for the majority of visitors who aren’t

jerks” (Palser 70).

“TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] should also be supplemented with – and not replaced by –

child care assistance for those who can find work, as well as training programs for those whose skills do not

match employer demands” (“Revisiting Welfare Reform” 5).

Appendix B-12


Blog

Sample Works Cited Citation

Chiquillo, Julieta. “Richardson ISD Recruiting Families to Solve Challenge of Lake Highlands Crowding.”

The Dallas Morning News, Richardson Blog, 2 Feb. 2016, richardsonblog.dallasnews.com/2016/02/

richardson-isd-recruiting-families-to-resolve-challenge-of-lake-highlands-crowding.html/.


1. Author’s names


b. put a period

2. Name of blog entry

a. open quotation marks at the beginning;


c. put a period after the title of the article before the closing quotation marks

3. Name of host website

a. italicize name of website

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in the name of the website


4. Name of blog

a. which is not italicized


5. Date of publication / posting



b. a comma follows the year

6. URL / web address



This is the basic formation for a blog citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

Appendix B-13

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dDLqL1VaW8B58l0FBFDDHT6ZkXFBujzl


In-Text Citation

“Even though Lake Highlands is well established, an abundance of apartments and the exodus of empty-

nesters have drawn many young families to this Dallas area in recent years” (Chiquillo).

Appendix B-14


Books


Courts, Patrick. Multicultural Literacies: Dialect, Discourse, and Diversity. Peter Lang, 1997.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. Harper Perennial, 2005.

Miller, Alyson. Haunted by Words: Scandalous Texts. Peter Lang, 2013. ProQuest E-book,

site.ebrary.com.tjc.idm.oclc.org/lib/tjc/reader.action?docID=10722844&ppg=101.

MLA Handbook. 8th ed. Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

Sadoff, Dianne F. and William E. Cain, editors. Teaching Contemporary Theory to Undergraduates. Modern

Language Association of America, 1994.


1. Author’s names

a. begin with the author’s last name, follow with a comma then the author’s first name



name.



b. put a period

2. Name of book

a. italicize name of book


i. if the book has a subtitle, separate the main title from the subtitle with a colon and one

space


3. Edition information

a. number if it is an edition other than the first. (If it is a first edition, do not include edition

information.)

b. followed by the abbreviation ed.

Appendix B-15

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1opUGuJ9t1sW0_f85fCP0WyoPCu6415RH


4. Editor’s information

a. introduce this information with – edited by – all lowercase letters

b. provide the editor’s first name and then last name

i. if you have two editors, follow the first editor’s last name with a comma and the

conjunction – and – then continue with the second editor’s first name first then last

name.

ii. if you have three or more editors, follow the first editor’s first name with a comma and


c. a comma follows

5. Publisher’s name

a. include the publishing company’s name

i. if the publisher’s name includes University and/or Press, abbreviate to U and P,

respectively

ii. do not include business words and abbreviations, such as Company (Co.), Corporation

(Corp.), Incorporated (Inc.), and Limited (Ltd.) in the publisher’s information


6. Year

a. use the latest copyright year


7. Hosting site

a. the name of the site is italicized

b. follow with the word – E-book – E is capitalized; the phrase is hyphenated


8. URL/web address



This is the basic formation for a book citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next. If your book has an editor, instead of an author, your citation will follow the same format, except your citation will begin with the editor’s last name, follow with a comma, follow with the editor’s first name, follow with a comma, follow with the word – editor – which is completely spelled out.

In-Text Citations

“With the advent of the Internet, imposture has become increasingly problematic,” Miller writes. “Indeed,

anxiety about distinguishing between truth and fiction in the virtual world is regularly expressed in public

debates concerned with the possibilities of the cyber-realm and the creative opportunities it offers” (100).

Note: The author—Miller– is acknowledged as a part of the sentence text therefore her name is not repeated in the in-text citation.

Appendix B-16


“I don’t wonder that the army was so glad to get my brother that they turned him into a Marine. He was built

like a brick outhouse anyway,” thought Lyman (Erdrich 185).

“In a learning-centered classroom, however, students must be helped to realize that their mistakes are a

perfectly normal part of the learning process” (Courts 135).

College professors are exploring different methods to teach undergraduates contemporary literary theories

(Sadoff and Cain).

Note: According to the works cited citation, Teaching Contemporary Theory to Undergraduates, edited by Dianne F. Sadoff and William E. Cain, is a print source. As a general rule, the in-text citations for print sources should contain a specific page number. In this case, the author of the essay was summarizing the entire source and therefore did not have a specific page number. Also note: Sadoff’s and Cain’s position as editors is NOT included in the in-text citation. That information is included in the works cited citation.

Appendix B-17


E-mails


[email protected]. “BIC Welcome Packet.” Received by Bennie Moore, 9 Aug.

2014.

Baptiste, Joshua. “Re: Upcoming fundraiser.” Received by Ashley Blessings, 30 Jan. 2016. LendingTree.com. “You have been approved.” Received by Trey Foxx, 6 July 2014.


1. Sender’s name

a. begin with the sender’s last name; follow with a comma; then the sender’s first name

b. follow with a period

Note: You would not have an occasion to cite an e-mail that you sent. You would only cite information

from an e-mail sent to you.

2. Subject line

a. begin with open quotation marks

b. put the information from the subject line


d. close quotation marks

3. Name of person the e-mail was sent to, which should be you

a. introduce this information with the phrase – Received by – capitalize Received

b. the receiver’s first name then the last name


4. Date

a. include the date that the e-mail was sent

i. follow the day month year format

1. all months, except May, June and July, are abbreviated


This is the basic formation for an e-mail citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

When to Use

E-mails can be helpful resources when the expert you need to speak with has a busy schedule or lives in a different time zone. More than likely a corporate sender, like LendingTree.com, will probably not be a credible, academic source for student paper but if you were writing an essay about how credit card companies entice students to take out credit cards, maybe you would use such an e-mail as evidence. Begin with the sender’s corporate name, which is not reversed.

Appendix B-18

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FPREZ3m62Be2CxZMYWFqjiiFnHnbXegs


In-Text Citations

“Last year, our 5K run raised over $8,000 for mental health awareness” (Baptiste).

“Get your FICO score free with a new credit card” (LendingTree.com).

Appendix B-19


Episode on Television Series


“House of Secrets.” Dateline NBC, hosted by Lester Holt, season 24, episode 41, NBC, 1 May 2016.

“Too Tough to Die.” CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, performances by William Petersen and Marg

Helgenberger, Esquire Network, 2001.

“The Passion of Reverend Ruckus.” The Boondocks, created by Aaron McGruder, voiceovers by Regina King,

John Witherspoon, and Cedric Yarbrough, season 1, episode 15, Sony Pictures, 2006.


1. Title of episode

a. open quotation marks

b. title of episode, capitalize the first letter of each major word in title

c. follow with a period and closed quotation marks

2. Name of television program

a. italicize

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in title


3. Creator’s information

a. introduce the information with - created by - all lowercase letters

b. next put the person’s name (first name first, last name second – it is NOT in reverse order)


4. Additional relevant individual information

a. performer, narrator, director, host

i. performance by – all lowercase letters

ii. narrated by – all lowercase letters

iii. directed by – all lowercase letters

iv. hosted by – all lowercase letters

v. voiceover by – all lowercase letters (this would be used for animated work)

Next put the person’s name (first name first, last name second – it is NOT in reverse order)


5. Season information

a. introduced with – season – all lowercase letters

b. season number


6. Episode information

a. introduced with – episode – all lowercase letters

b. episode number

Appendix B-20

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13tJl4-ctFwgY0322LraQa-rimcVQhXZv



7. Production company

Do not include business words and abbreviations, such as Company (Co.), Corporation (Corp.),

Incorporated (Inc.), and Limited (Ltd.) in the publisher’s information

a. follow with a comma

8. Date information (the date it aired or the year it was produced)



b. follow/conclude with a period

Note: If your source is being streamed, then include the following additional relevant information. 9. Name of streaming host

a. italicize


10. URL/ web address

a. conclude with a period

This is the basic formation for an episode from a television series citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next. Examples of streaming hosts include: Hulu®, Netflix®, Yidio®, Amazon Prime®, and other types of services.

When to Use

For example, in the case of writing a sociology paper exploring the conditions under which children commit patricide (children killing own fathers), you might be tempted to use a Sophoclean play, such as Oedipus the King, but consider more relevant and realistic situations. Expository news programs, such as Dateline, will often cover the crime, the investigation, the motivation, and the outcome.

In-Text Citations

When the information is available, give the hours, minutes, and seconds as displayed on your media counter to

mark where the quoted material begins. Use a dash and the end-count time-stamp to give the duration of the

cited material. (See Video on a Website in-text citation example.)

Charles Tan, a Cornell University student, was tried for killing his father, Jim Tan. His mother, Jean, said that

he did it to protect her from his abusive father (“House of Secrets”).

Note: Although this is a video source, since the sentence is a summary of the episode and not a direct quote, it is not necessary to have the time code that would be expected in an in-text citation. Sarah Sidle, one of the crime scene investigators wonders, “What kind of [judicial] system rewards the suspect

when the victim is too tough to die?” (“Too Tough”).

Note: Although this is a video source, since it was airing as a rerun on a television network, and not streaming, it did not have the time code that would be expected in an in-text citation.

Appendix B-21


Live Lectures or Performances


Burks, Martha. “Jazz at the Muse.” TBAAL, 17 June 2016, Clarence Muse Café Theatre, Dallas.

Gordone, Charles. “Developing Your Characters.” ENGL 385. Texas A&M U, 21 Sept. 1989, Reed-

McDonald, College Station.

Reardon, Texas E. “Connect to Your Students Through Video.” 2016 NETnet Summer Distance Learning

Conference. 15 June 2016, Robert M. Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center, Tyler.


1. Speaker’s names

a. begin with speaker’s last name, follow with a comma and then the speaker’s first name.

i. if you have a two-speaker panel, follow the first speaker’s first name with a comma and

the conjunction – and – then continue with the second speaker’s first name first then last

name.

ii. if you have three or more speakers, follow the first author’s first name with a comma

and – et al. – which means “and others.”


2. Title of speech or address


b. title of speech, capitalize the first letter of each major word in the title

c. include a period


3. Name of course or session

a. follow with a period

4. Event sponsor


5. Date of speech/presentation




6. Location

a. building


7. City


This is the basic formation for a live lecture or performance citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

Appendix B-22

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xIEKbqcKa9SitKGssXqFZP3MqUxSNVmG


In-Text Citation

When you create videos for your students, you should have movement on your screen and/or screen changes at

least every five seconds in order to get and keep their attention (Reardon).

Appendix B-23


Personal Interviews


Harris, Sam, Jr. Telephone interview. 3 June 2016.

Wilson, Homer. Personal interview. 28 Mar. 2016.


1. Interviewee’s name (the person to whom you are directly talking)

a. begin with the interviewee’s last name, follow with a comma, the interviewee’s first name


2. Type of interview

a. type of interview – Personal, Telephone, Skype® or FaceTime® – which would be capitalized

i. do not include the registered trademark symbol in your citation

b. follow with the word – interview – which is not capitalized


3. Date

a. day month year format

i. all months except May, June and July, are abbreviated


This is the basic formation for a personal interview citation.

In-Text Citation

“Even though we are a global and mobile society, people are often under-prepared to assimilate into socially-

closed rural communities” (Harris).

Note: You would not need to include Jr. in your in-text citation, unless it was necessary to distinguish it from another individual with the same last name.

Appendix B-24

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1j8i8EfUJ_mHfA0S7lC8Xut45IwH-onEt


Sacred Texts


The Master Study Bible. Containing the Authorized King James Version. Cornerstone, 2001.

The Noble Qur’an. Translated by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

www.noblequran.com/translation/.


1. Title of book

a. begin with the title of the text, which is italicized


2. Identifying description

a. include any information that can help identify the specific source

3. Publisher

a. name of publisher


4. Year

a. include the latest copyright year


5. URL / Web address



This is the basic formation for a sacred text citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations for sacred texts are the only in-text citations that do not follow the “direct correlation to the beginning information of a works cited citation” rule. The in-text citation for a sacred work would be the specific location where the information is found within the sacred text, typically book, chapter and verse.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness” (1 John 1. 9).

“So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the

repentance and forgives” (Surah An-Nasr 3).

Appendix B-25


When to Use

If you were writing an essay on how to forgive or the benefits of forgiving, you might be tempted to use a sacred text as a source. While it is commonly accepted that sacred texts are the greatest authority on many topics, unless your topic is a religious topic, using sacred texts as sources in your academic essays is generally not acceptable. Please consult with your professor before using these sources in your academic essay.

Appendix B-26


Social Media Posts


@ivanibr. “beyoncé brought two fans onstage and they knew the choreo perfectly.” Twitter, 28 Apr. 2016,

12:30 a.m., pic.twitter.com/yqU4ucZM1y.

Begich, Mark. “Fed student loan reform: loans need to be structured based on ability to pay. Working on that.

#begichtownhall.” Twitter, 9 Oct. 2012, 7:54 p.m.


1. Author’s name


i. if the author’s Internet moniker begins with a symbol, such as @ or #, include the

symbol

b. put a period

2. Content of post


b. content of post, exactly as it was posted

c. include a period


3. Social media

a. social media host – Twitter®, Facebook®, Pinterest® – which would be capitalized and

italicized

i. do not include the registered trademark symbol in your citation


4. Date




5. Time

a. be sure to include a.m. or p.m.

6. URL/web address



This is the basic formation for a social media post citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

Appendix B-27

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YJYdXYLfSdzUfPRIB-JpWZkn5yMMmvQ1

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YJYdXYLfSdzUfPRIB-JpWZkn5yMMmvQ1


In-Text Citations

Beyoncé’s spontaneous, personal interaction with her fans helps to make her a cultural icon (@ivanibr).

At least one United States senator is concerned about the current structure of federal student loans (Begich).

Appendix B-28


Songs


Bruno, Jimmy. “Chesapeake Blues (Live).” Live at Birdland II. Concord, 1999.

Prince. “What Do U Want Me 2 Do?” Musicology. NPG Records, 2004.

Swift, Taylor. “Today Was a Fairytale.” Valentine’s Day (Soundtrack). Watertown Records, 9 Feb. 2010. tay-

lorswift.com/releases#/release/11063.


1. Artist’s name

a. begin with the last name, a comma, then the artist’s first name


2. Title of song


b. title of song

c. follow with end punctuation mark


3. Title of album

a. title of album is italicized



a. name of production company

i. do not include business words and abbreviations, such as Company (Co.), Corporation

(Corp.), Incorporated (Inc.), and Limited (Ltd.) in the publisher’s information


5. Date

a. date it was released

i. follow the day month year format


6. Web/URL address



This is the basic formation for a song citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

Appendix B-29


In-Text Citations

When the information is available:

• Give the hours, minutes, and seconds as displayed on your media counter to mark where the refer-

enced material begins

• Use a dash and the ending-count time-stamp to give the duration of the cited material

Oftentimes in jazz pieces, an individual musician is afforded the opportunity for improvisation during a solo

(Bruno 00:02:33-00:03:29).

Most people remember Prince for his sexually explicit lyrics; however, many of his later, less popular songs

carried unapologetic political messages:

Your thousand years are up, now you gotta share the land Section 1, the 14th Amendment says "No state shall deprive any person of life Liberty or property, without due process of law" Mr. Man, we want to end this letter with three words We tired a-y'all. (Prince)

“I used to be a damsel in distress” (Swift).

When to Use

If you were writing about a particular musical rift or instrumental passage, for instance a particular guitar solo or a specific sung pitch, you would need to include the timeline in your in-text citation. That will enable your readers to focus their attention on the example that you are citing.

Appendix B-30


Television Programs and Films

When to Use

When your essay is focusing on the contributions or work of an individual, begin with that person’s name and role.


Fishburne, Laurence, performer. Othello. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1995.

Rhimes, Shonda, creator. Grey’s Anatomy. ABC Studios, 2005-2016.


1. Individual’s name who is the focus of your essay

a. begin the citation with the person’s last name, follow with a comma, then the first name, follow

with a comma

b. follow with the individual’s relevant role

i. performer, narrator, director, host, voiceover, etc.

ii. this position / role is not capitalized


2. Name of film or television program

a. italicize




4. Year(s)

a. if it is a film, the year it was released

b. if it is television program the years the program aired

c. conclude with a period


a. italicize


6. URL/ web address



In-Text Citation

Othello is a complex character to portray (Fishburne).

Appendix B-31

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TyV8ABGe12ajgbO3dJY2a4LXBD7MiXUM


When to Use

If you are using the film or television series as text in its entirety, not focusing on the contributions of an individual, then begin with the title of the film or program, which is italicized. Follow the title with a period. You may then include additional relevant information, such as the director, creator, narrator, and/or performer. Indication for these roles are not abbreviated.


Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Performances by Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives, Turner Classic

Movies, 1958.

Grey’s Anatomy. Created by Shonda Rhimes, performances by Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey, ABC

Studios, 2005-2017.


1. Name of television program or film

a. italicize

b. capitalize the first letter of each major word in title


2. Creator’s information

a. introduce the information with – Created by

b. next put the person’s name (first name first, last name second – it is NOT in reverse order)


3. Additional individual information

a. introduce the information with appropriate role

i. performance by - all lowercase

ii. narrated by - all lowercase

iii. directed by - all lowercase

iv. hosted by - all lowercase

Next put the person’s name (first name first, last name second – it is NOT in reverse

order.)


4. Network it aired or name of film production company


5. Year it was produced or duration of years of airing



a. italicize


Appendix B-32

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tUThKRGTfnEu64qxSniFKKReXFsERCn7


7. URL/ web address

a. type the complete URL/web address b. conclude with a period

This is the basic formation for a film or television program citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

In-Text Citation

Hospitals saw a resurgence as popular backdrops for dramatic television programs in 2005 (Grey’s Anatomy).

Appendix B-33


Videos on a Website


“Beyoncé – Lemonade (Best Moments).” YouTube, uploaded by James Porter, 24 Apr. 2016, youtube.com/

watch?v=fqEbtg5DH9Y.

Hamilton, Lewis. “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Breaking the Mold in Formula One Racing.” YouTube,

26 Oct. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ziYN8RDt2g.

Sabatini, Riccardo. “How to Read the Genome and Build a Human Being.” TED, Feb. 2016, ted.com/talks/

riccardo_sabatini_how_to_read_the_genome_and_build_a_human_being.

World Economic Forum. “Employment Skills and Education.” YouTube, 5 Feb. 2016, www.youtube.com/

watch?V=7g8OpiWR83Y.


1. Presenter’s names

a. begin with the presenter’s last name, follow with a comma, then the presenter’s first name

i. if you do not have an individual’s name, but have a company’s name, use the company’s

name

b. put a period

2. Name of video and/or episode

a. begin with open quotation marks

b. name of program, which is italicized inside the quotation marks

c. colon

d. name of episode

e. period

f. close quotation marks

3. Name of website where program is hosted

a. italicized


4. Person responsible for uploading information

a. introduce this information with – uploaded by – all lowercase letters

b. first then last names of the person who uploaded the video


5. Date

a. date the video was uploaded


Appendix B-34

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1W5Daj7bpHoDUY61RI5Rd81heoYr6gpyV


6. URL/ web address



This is the basic formation for a video hosted on a website citation. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

In-Text Citations

When the information is available:

• Give the hours, minutes, and seconds as displayed on your media counter to mark where the quoted

material begins

• Use a dash and the ending-count time-stamp to give the duration of the cited material

• A growing number of websites are beginning to provide timed transcripts to accompany the video.

After having “welcomed” Dr. Craig Venter to the stage, which was represented by several volumes (262,000

pages) of books containing his specific DNA code, Sabatini reads the DNA sequence for Chromosome 14

from book 132. “‘ATT, CTT, GATT’” [after a short pause to let the information resonate with his audience,

Sabatini continues,] “This human is lucky, because if you miss just two letters in this position – two letters of

our three billion – he will be condemned to a terrible disease: cystic fibrosis” (00:03:11-00:05:19).

Note: The presenter’s name is provided as part of the sentence text, therefore it is not included in the in-text citation. Formula One race car driver, Lewis Hamilton, said he was shocked when Tommy Hilfiger wanted to

collaborate on a fashion project with him. “I really took it on as an internship really, because I get to learn

from an icon like Tommy” (Hamilton 00:07:31-00:07:33).

Note: The entire video clip is more than nine minutes. The time stamp duration in the in-text citation reflects the exact time of the quote.

Appendix B-35


Works from an Anthology or Chapter from a Book


cummings, e.e. “pity this buys monster,manunkind.” Literature and the Writing Process, 11th ed., edited by

Elizabeth McMahan et al., Pearson, 2017, p. 539.

Dunn, Jennifer E. “The Critical Reception of Toni Morrison’s Work.” Critical Insights: Toni Morrison, edited

by Solomon O. Iyasere and Marla W. Iyasere, Salem P, 2010, pp. 56-77.

web.b.ebscohost.com.tjc.idm.oclc.org/lrc/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=4d819372-9a06-4fe0-84b8-

b9acc56ec718%40sessionmgr104&hid=109.


1. Author’s names




name.



b. put a period

2. Title of short story, essay, poem, or chapter (if the chapter is given a specific name)



c. put a period after the title of the short story, essay, poem, or chapter and before the closing

quotation marks

3. Title of book

a. italicize



4. Edition information

a. number if it is an edition other than the first

i. if it is a first edition, do NOT include the edition information

b. followed by the abbreviation – ed. – all lowercase letters, be sure to include the period to

indicate it is an abbreviation






Appendix B-36

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hoTTdWINvO2HpGp7U75HS58lEiur6dOE



name



c. a comma follows

6. Publisher information

a. if the publisher’s name includes University and/or Press, abbreviate to U and P, respectively


7. Year of book publication

a. a comma follows the year

8. The page numbers for the shorter work





9. Hosting site

a. the name of the site is italicized

b. follow with the word – E-book – E is capitalized; the phrase is hyphenated


10. URL/web address



This is the basic formation for an essay, poem, or chapter in a larger work. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

In-Text Citations

“Since the late 1970s, however, there has indeed been a strong focus on Morrison’s representation of African

American experience and history” (Dunn 65).

When you quote more than three lines of verse, or the visual spacing is relevant to the poem, treat it as a block quote. E.E. Cummings is known for his unique structure of his poetry:

We doctors know

A hopeless case if – listen there’s a hell

Of a good universe next door; let’s go (13-15).

Note: In poems, oftentimes the line spacing and line breaks are relevant to the work. In such cases, when you quote more than one line, try to recreate the line spacing and line breaks as closely as possible in your essay. Also notice that the numbers in the in-text citation indicate lines of text, not page numbers. The line that ends with “know” is line 13. Then the poem has a blank line; line 14 ends with “hell” and line 15 ends with “go.”

Appendix B-37



Angelou, Maya. All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes. The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou,

Modern Library, 2004, pp. 881-1051.


When the work inside the larger collection is large enough to be its own book, which is often the case for plays in anthologies, italicize the name of the inside work as well as the name of the larger collection. In the example above, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes is a large enough work to be its own book and is found in the collection of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies.

1. Author’s names




name.



b. put a period

2. Name of inside work

a. capitalize the first letter of each major word in the title

b. italicize the entire name of the work

3. Name of book

a. italicize the name of the book








name




5. Publisher information

a. if the publisher’s name includes University and/or Press, abbreviate to U and P, respectively


6. Year of book publication

a. a comma follows the year

Appendix B-38


7. The page numbers for the shorter work

a. indicate and precede with the abbreviation – pp. – all lowercase letters; be sure to include the


b. the actual page numbers for the shorter work

c. conclude with a period

This is the basic formation for a work that is large enough to be a book but is included in a larger work. If your source does not include a particular piece of information, skip that piece of information and move to the next.

In-Text Citation

“[Grace said,]’Sister Maya, this is my dear friend Abatanu.’ Now the man smiled for me. His teeth were white

as if they had just been painted” (Angelou 958).

Appendix B-39


You probably will not have an occasion to quote lines of poetry or drama in English 1301.

However, you probably will have reasons to do so in English 1302.

Your works cited citation will follow the appropriate example in the previous pages.

However, the way you treat the quotation in your essay and in-text citation may differ.

Poetry Citation

When you quote three lines or fewer of verse, include them in your sentence text, set them off with quotation

marks, and mark the line breaks with single forward slashes. If a stanza break occurs within the quote, indicate

the stanza break with two forward slashes.

“we have no ability / to delay gratification // i only want to reclaim myself” (Giovanni 53).

Note: we and i are intentionally not capitalized to respect the artistry of the original text.

Giovanni, Nikki. Black Feeling Black Talk: Black Judgement. Morrow Quill, 1979.

If you are quoting more than three lines of verse, treat it as a block quote (#21), with each line of the poem beginning its own line in your essay.

See also the e.e. cummings example on page 67 (Appendix B-37).

Drama Citation

When you quote more than two lines of dialogue in a play or screenplay, set it off from your paragraph’s text. Indent each part of the dialogue a half inch from the left. Type the speaker’s (character’s) name in all capital letters, followed by a period, then the spoken dialogue. If the dialogue is more than one line for that speaker, second and subsequent lines are indented three spaces. Treat each speaker the same.

Although Of Love and Dust begins with Marcus seeking Jim, Jim was not prepared for Marcus’ lack of

work ethic:

JIM. See that rake and that broom by the fence there? That’s what you work with. If you want any

water, there’s a hydrant round the back. You hear me?

MARCUS. Sure. The rake, the broom, the hydrant.

JIM. You can start working.

MARCUS. You the boss. (Gaines 60-61)

Gaines, Earnest. Of Love and Dust. Draft 1, screenplay. Manuscript.

In cases of classical plays, the playwright usually divided the text into five acts. If the play is divided into acts, scenes and lines, then your in-text citation should reflect that with a reference such as (Sophocles 3.2.71-76) - representing Act 3, Scene 2 and lines 71 through 76- all in Arabic numbers and separated by periods.


Appendix C

Source Worksheets

Use the following worksheets to help you organize relevant information from your sources.

Remember any new information that you learn and use in your essay – whether you directly quote it,

paraphrase it or summarize it – you MUST give your source credit.

You must list that source on your works cited page.

You must give that source credit in your essay as either a part of your sentence text or with an in-text citation.


Article from a Journal in a Database

__________________________, _____________________. “____________________________________.” Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” __________________________________ vol. __________, no. _________, art. ________,

Name of publication (which is italicized) volume issue or edition article _______________________. pp.____________. _______________________________, Date (day month year) page numbers. Name of database (which is italicized) ________________________________________________. Copy URL/web address This is the basic citation for an article from a journal in a database. However, remember if you have more than one author, you need to include both authors’ names. If you have more than three authors, use the term et al. If your article skips at least one page, put the first page number and then a plus sign. Refer to your handbook.

Summarize the article in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the article? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the article do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this article challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this article that you might be able to use in your essay. “_______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________” (________________). Author’s last name

*If you have more than one author listed in your works cited citation, your in-text citation needs to reflect that as well. List both authors’ last names, or use et al. when appropriate.

Appendix C-3


Book

_______________________, ____________________. _______________________________. Author’s last name, Author’s first name. Title of book. (which is italicized) _____________________________, ____________________. Name of publisher Year book was published This is the basic works cited citation for a book. However, remember if you have more than one author, you need to include both authors’ names. You might also have an editor or edition, as additional information. E-books follow a similar format. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the book in no more than five sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the book? ________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which points in the book do you disagree with? ________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this book challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this book that you might be able to use in your essay. “_______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________” (___________________________). Author’s last name and specific page number where you found the quote *If you have more than one author listed in your works cited citation, your in-text citation needs to reflect that as well. List both authors’ last names, or use et al. when appropriate.

Appendix C-4


E-mail

__________________________, ________________________. “__________________________________.” Author/Sender’s last name, Author/Sender’s first name. “Subject of e-mail.” Received by______________________________________, _________________. Name of person who received e-mail Date (day month year) This is the basic works cited citation for an e-mail source. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the content of the e-mail in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the e-mail? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. What information in the e-mail do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this e-mail challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this e-mail that you might be able to use in your essay. “_______________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________” (___________________). E-mail sender’s last name

Appendix C-5


Article from Print Journal

_____________________________, _____________________. “__________________________________.” Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” _________________________________________ vol. ________, no. __________, Name of publication (which is italicized) volume issue or edition

art. _____________, _______________________, pp.____________. article Date (day month year) page numbers.

This is the basic citation for an article from a journal. However, remember if you have more than one author, you need to include both authors’ names. If you have more than three authors, use the term et al. If your article skips at least one page, put the first page number and then a plus sign. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the article in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the article? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the article do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this article challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this article that you might be able to use in your essay.

“_______________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________” (_____________________________). Author’s last name and specific page number where you found the quote *If you have more than one author listed in your works cited citation, your in-text citation needs to reflect that as well. List both authors’ last names, or use et al. when appropriate.

Appendix C-6


Lecture or Address or Sermon or Concert or Spoken Word

__________________________, _____________________. “__________________________________.” Speaker’s last name, Speaker’s first name. “Title of Speech.” ___________________________________. ___________________________________, Conference session or class. Event or Sponsoring agency _______________________, _________________, ___________. ________________. Date (day month year), Location (building), City. Format. This is the basic works cited citation for lecture, address or sermon where you were physically in the audience to hear the speaker. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the lecture in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the lecture? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the lecture do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this lecture challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Write a direct quote from this lecture that you might be able to use in your essay. “_______________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________” (_____________________). Speaker’s last name

Appendix C-7


Article from Print Magazine

__________________________, ______________________. “__________________________________.” Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” ___________________________________, ___________________, pp.____________. Name of publication (which is italicized) Date (day month year) Page numbers. This is the basic works cited citation for an article from a magazine. However, remember if you have more than one author, you need to include both authors’ names. If your article skips at least one page, put the first page number and then a plus sign. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the article in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the article? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the article do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this article challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this article that you might be able to use in your essay. “_______________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________” (_________________________). Author’s last name and specific page number where you found the quote *If you have more than one author listed in your works cited citation, your in-text citation needs to reflect that as well. List both authors’ last names, or use et al. when appropriate.

Appendix C-8


Article from Print Newspaper

____________________________, _____________________. “__________________________________.” Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” ______________________________________________, __________________, Name of newspaper (which is italicized) Date (day month year) pp____________. Section letter and page number(s). This is the basic works cited citation for an article from a newspaper. However, remember to include the section letter and page number(s). If your article skips at least one page, put the section letter and first page number of the article and then a plus sign. If the city’s name is not included in the newspaper’s name, remember to include it in square brackets. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the article in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the article? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the article do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this article challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this article that you might be able to use in your essay. “____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________” (__________________________). Author’s last name and specific section letter and page number where you pulled the quote *If you have more than one author listed in your works cited citation, your in-text citation needs to reflect that as well. List both authors’ last names, or use et al. when appropriate.

Appendix C-9


Posting or Article Online

(journals, magazines, newspapers)

__________________________, _____________________. “__________________________________.” Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” _____________________________________ _______________________, Name of website (which is italicized) Date (day month year) ________________________________________________________________. Copy URL/web address. This is the basic citation for an article or posting from a website. However, remember if you have more than one author, you need to include both authors’ names. If you have more than three authors, use the term et al. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the article/posting in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the article/posting? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the article/posting do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs to introduce the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this article/posting challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this article/posting that you might be able to use in your essay. “____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________” (______________). Author’s last name *If you have more than one author listed in your works cited citation, your in-text citation needs to reflect that as well. List both authors’ last names, or use et al. when appropriate.

Appendix C-10


Personal Interview

________________________, _____________________. ________________________________ interview. Interviewee’s last name, Interviewee’s first name. Type of interview (Personal, Telephone, FaceTime) ____________________. Date (day month year) This is the basic works cited citation for an interview. Refer to your handbook. What is your opinion about your essay’s topic? ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Summarize the interview in no more than five sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the interview? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which points in the interview do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this interview challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Write a direct quote from this interview that you might be able to use in your essay. “________________________________________________________________” (_______________). Interviewee’s last name

Appendix C-11


Essay, Short Work or Chapter in a Book

(Selection from an Anthology)

__________________________, ______________________. “___________________________________.” Essay author’s last name, Essay author’s first name. “Title of short work.” (essay, short story, poem) ________________________________________, _________ ed. Title of book, (which is italicized) number of edition (edition is abbreviated to ed.) edited by _____________________ _________________________, ___________________,

Editor’s first name Editor’s last name, Name of book publisher _____________________. pp. _____________. Year book was published Page numbers for duration of short work

This is the basic works cited citation for an essay, short work or chapter in a book. However, remember if you have more than one author for the short work, you need to include both authors’ names. You might also have an edition and/or editor(s), as additional information. Ebooks follow a similar format. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the essay, work, or chapter in no more than five sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the short work? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which points in the short work do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this short work challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this short work that you might be able to use in your essay. “____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________” (______________________). Author’s last name and specific page number where you found this quote

Appendix C-12


Video on a Website

__________________________, _______________________. “__________________________________.” Presenter’s last name, Presenter’s first name. “Title of video.” ___________________________________, ______________________________, Name of website (which is italicized) Date (day month year) video posted ___________________________________________________________________. Copy URL/web address. This is the basic works cited citation for a video on a website. Refer to your handbook. Summarize the video in no more than three sentences. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What did you already know that was confirmed in the video? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: validates, confirms, supports. Which point in the video do you disagree with? __________________________________________________________________________ If you use this point in your essay, consider using the following verbs with the material: disagrees, contradicts. What point(s) in this video challenged your opinion? __________________________________________________________________________ Copy a direct quote from this video that you might be able to use in your essay. “____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________” (______________________ ___:___:___ - ___:___:____). Presenter’s last name and time duration for the quote

Appendix C-13


Bridget R. Moore earned her BS in journalism from Texas A&M

University (College Station); her MAIS in English from the University of

Texas at Tyler, and her PhD from Texas A&M University at Commerce.

She joined the faculty at Tyler Junior College in 2005. She has more than

20 years of experience working with private and public colleges in Texas

and Arkansas. She has taught at career-focused, two-year, four-year, and

university-level institutions of higher education. She has taught online, as

well as traditional face-to-face classes.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is currently working an a

text critically analyzing the images of race, gender and class as portrayed

in popular films.

Latasha Goodwyn is Director of Adult Education and Literacy at Kilgore

College. She holds an EdD from the University of the Cumberlands, and a

MSEd from the University of Tennessee. She has taught adult basic

education (ABE); developmental writing, which included integrated reading

and writing; and freshman composition and literature courses.

Portia Scott earned her MA from Texas State University. She has more than

ten years of teaching experience. She is currently assistant department chair

and professor of English at Kilgore College. Her inspirational writings can be

found in select East Texas and Austin-area magazines.

Documents

Constructive Comments for Correcting Composition ssays