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]).
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: (Marks 21)
2 authors: (author and author page)
3+ authors, list the first author et al. ('and others') : (Guilmette et al. 1045)
Archival document accessed online
Jay, John. "Address to the People of Great Britain." 21 Oct.1774, Founders Online, n.d., founders.archives.gov/documents/Jay/01-01-02-0071. Accessed 12 September 2022.
*9th ed.: provide an accessed date if there is no publication date on the website (see MLA Handbook [5.111]).
In-Text Citation: (Jay)
Article on a website (with no author):
"Public Agrees on Obesity's Impact, Not Government's Role." Pew Research Center, 12 Nov. 2013, www.people-press.org/2013/11/12/public-agrees-on-obesitys-impact-not-governments-role/.
*delete http:// from all URLs
In-Text Citation: ("Obesity's Impact")
Use course name for in-class lecture, title of lecture in quotes for other events.
DuBose, Carla. Lecture. Colonial History to 1800, 22 Sep. 2022, Westchester Community College.
** for live online lectures include online: ...Westchester Community College, online.
In-Text Citation: (DuBose)
Centrone, Brian. Lecture. "Queering British Literature." 12 Oct. 2022, Westchester Community College.
In-Text Citation: (Centrone)
Recorded Lecture in Course Shell:
Jackson, Gregory. "Peoples, Gods and Empires,1700-500 BCE." Brightspace,13 Sep. 2022, mylearning.suny.edu/d2l/le/content/241353/ viewContent/9329522/View
In-Text Citation: (Jackson)
*If the content link opens on an external website (e.g. YouTube), cite only the website.
Content in a Course Shell (created by the Professor):
"Food Production and Biodiversity." Global History to 1684, taught by Gregory Jackson, BrightSpace, Westchester Community College, 9 Sept. 2022, mylearning.suny.edu/d2l/le/content/241363/viewContent/9138393/View
In-Text Citation: (Jackson)
*If the content link opens on an external website, cite only the website.
Print Book:
Ronson, Jon. So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Riverhead Books, 2015.
In-Text Citation: (Ronson 62)
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)
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)
Statistical Table:
U.S. Census Bureau. "HI:01: Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Status by Selected Characteristics, 2015." Current Population Surveys for Health Insurance Coverage, 25 August 2016. www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/cps-hi/hi-01.html.
In-Text Citation: ("Current Population Survey" Table 7)
The SnoBahr That Writes [@snobarh]. "The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular they back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf." Twitter, 27 Oct. 2021, twitter.com/snobahr/status/1453522751034036227.
In-Text Citation (The Snobahr That Writes)
*see also MLA's advice on copying emojis in social media posts
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.
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:
Copying another person’s actual words without both the use of quotations and documentation.
Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without documentation.
Using information that is not considered common knowledge without acknowledging the source.
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.
