English Composition

English Composition Study Guide

3.6 Citing Sources Most writing assignments require formal documentation, which means following a style sheet appropriate to the discipline being researched. The following table lists the documentation method most appropriate to each college subject area: Subject Documentation Method Physical Sciences Council of Biological Editors Humanities Chicago Manual of Style and Modern Language Association (MLA) Manual of Style Social Sciences and Business American Psychological Association (APA) For the English Composition exam, the MLA format is the most commonly used method. The MLA format uses in-text citations (also called embedded annotations or parenthetical citations). MLA format uses an author-page method of in-text citation, meaning that the author's last name and the page number from which the quotation or paraphrase appears within the text is included. No additional commas or words are needed, just the last name and the page number. The complete reference appears on a works cited page at the end of the essay (although the for English Composition essay a works cited page is not needed). The author's name can be included in either the sentence itself or parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase. The page number should always appear in parentheses. When citing a poem, the author’s last name and the line number are used.

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