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Westchester Community College Harold L. Drimmer Library

Prof. Baskerville - SOC101 Introduction to Sociology- Annotated Bibliography: MLA Citing and Plagiarism

MLA9 Citation Examples

You are responsible for the accuracy of citations on your Works Cited page. Double check database names, capitalization and formatting when you copy + paste citations. 

Online sources: Include the URL (minus http://) or the DOI number if available.

*9th edition: provide an accessed date ONLY if there is no publication date on the website (see MLA Handbook [5.111]).

 

Journal Article in a library database:

Guilmette, Thomas J., Laurie A. Malia, and Michael D. McQuiggan. "Concussion understanding and management among New England high school football coaches." Brain Injury, vol. 21 no. 10, 2007, pp. 1039-1047. EBSCOhost, lib-proxy.sunywcc.edu:2061/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=26705688&site=ehost-live. 

 

In-Text Citation*: (Guilmette et al. 1045) 

1 author: (Currah 21)

2 authors: (author and author page) * use timestamp for audio or video

3+  authors, list the first author et al. ('and others') :  (Guilmette et al. 1045) 


Magazine Article in a library database:

Biakolo, Kovie. “The Trail of Tragedies.” Nation, vol. 314, no. 4, Feb. 2022, pp. 14–21. Academic Search Complete, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=f5h&AN=155026317&site=ehost-live.

 

Online news article:

Humphreys, Keith and Jonathan Caulkins. "Destigmatizing Drug Use Has Been a Profound Mistake." The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2023, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/destigmatizing-drug-use-mistake-opioid-crisis/676292/.

In-Text Citation: (Humphreys and Caulkins)


Print Book: 

Currah, Paisley. Sex Is as Sex Does : Governing Transgender Identity. New York University Press, 2022.

In-Text Citation: (Currah 21)


Electronic Book in a library database:

Ricke, LaCrystal D. The Impact of Youtube on U.S. Politics. Lexington Books, 2014. ebrary, lib-proxy.sunywcc.edu:2909/lib/sunywcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1809830.

In-Text Citation: (Ricke 67)


Online Video:

Fogarty, Mignon. How to diagram a sentence (absolute basics). YouTube, uploaded by GrammarGirl, 30 Sept. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=deiEY5Yq1qI.

In-Text Citation: (Fogarty)


Film (non streaming):

Miss Representation. Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Ro*co Films Educational, 2011.

In-Text Citation: (Miss Representation 00:15:32) use *hh:mm:ss format as documentary is over 1 hr long


Podcast, Radio or Television episode:

"Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving's Story Explains Why." All Things Considered, hosted by Nina Martin and Renee Montagne, 7 Dec. 2017. NPR, www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why.

In-Text Citation ("Black Mothers" 07:21)

*use mm:ss as episode is less than 1 hr long. Shorten the title for the in-text citation, but keep it long enough that it cannot be confused with another source on the Works Cited page. 

 

"Why America’s immigration system remains 'broken'." Real Voices, Real Choices, 1 Dec. 2023. ABC News,  abcnews.go.com/US/video/whyamericas-immigration-system-remainsbroken-105304037.


Government or other Report:

U.S. Census Bureau. How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty, 21 Nov. 2021. https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html.

In-Text Citation: (U.S. Census Bureau)

 

Cohn, D'vera, Horowitz, Juliana Menasce, Minkin, Rachel, Fry, Richard and Kiley Hurst. Financial Issues Top the List of Reasons U.S. Adults Live in Multigenerational Homes. Pew Research Center, 24 Mar. 2022, pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/03/24/financial-issues-top-the-list-of-reasons-u-s-adults-live-in-multigenerational-homes/.

In-Text Citation: (Cohn et al.)

 

If you are unsure of how to cite your resource,  ask a librarian for help. See the GET HELP tab for library hours and contact information.

Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when you use another person's verbal or written words or text in your own work without appropriately documenting the source of the borrowed words or text. The borrowed text could come from a variety of places, such as a book, a newspaper, a magazine, a website, or even another student's paper.

The WCC Academic Honesty Policy states:

PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research, or writing as your own.  Examples include:

  1. Copying another person’s actual words without both the use of quotations and documentation.

  2. Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without documentation.

  3. Using information that is not considered common knowledge without acknowledging the source.

  4. Using a paper writing “service” or having a friend write the paper for you.

 

Note:  The guidelines that define plagiarism also apply to information secured on internet websites.  Internet references must specify precisely where the information was obtained and where it can be found. 

You may think that citing another author’s work will lower your grade.  In some unusual cases this may be true, if your instructor has indicated that you must write your paper without reading additional material.  But in fact, as you progress in your studies, you will be expected to show that you are familiar with important work in your field and can use this work to further your thinking.  Your professors write this kind of paper all the time.  The key to avoiding plagiarism is that you show clearly where your own thinking ends and someone else’s begins.

 

No matter where the text comes from, it must be documented accurately. Accurate documentation means that you must follow the MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association) rules for documentation.

Register for Noodle Tools

NoodleTools is a web-based service that guides you throughout the research process: citation, in-text citation, note taking, outlining. Register for NoodleTools on campus to authenticate your account automatically.

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Additional MLA Citation Help

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