M.C.I. Style Guide for Referencing or Documenting Research

CONTENTS:
Introduction
Title Pages
In-Text Citations
Print Material
Non-Print Material
Electronic Sources
Conclusion

This Style Guide is based on the Modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation. Its inclusion in the Student Handbook makes it portable and accessible. Since the Student Handbook is annually produced, further revisions, adaptations and modifications will be able to be done more frequently as times, technologies and methodologies change. Every effort has been made to include citations from our own collection so that examples given will prove to be meaningful for M.C.I. students. Staff at M.C.I. support the methods used in this guide, but students must always remember to tailor their work to accommodate the instructor and the subject.

DOCUMENTATION

To research effectively, you need to summarize the work of others, analyze it, assimilate and build on it and then you will arrive at your own understanding of the subject.

It is essential that you provide information about the sources used in the preparation of your essay. Proper documentation allows the reader:

  • to verify the accuracy of your work,
  • to locate and read works in their original context,
  • to seek further information, and
  • to check for plagiarism.

PLAGIARISM

When you copy words or ideas from other people without giving them credit, you are cheating them and yourself. Cite for both.

Academic dishonesty will result in a mark of zero for the submitted work. The name of a student who plagiarizes will be kept on file in the event of further incidences..

RECORD YOUR SOURCES

Keep track of your sources as you go along! Take the bibliographic information from the title page and verso page of a book, from the actual article in a periodical, from the label on a piece of software (or sometimes the first screen shown) and from the specific type of document found on online databases (including URLs or command – pathway structures, etc.).

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TITLE PAGE

A research paper, either an essay or a report, must have a title page which gives the following information:

  1. Title of Paper
  2. Student's name
  3. Teacher's name
  4. Course
  5. Date

Example:


The Use of the Metaphor
in Anita Diamant's
The Red Tent










by
Gloria Bacci









Mr. Kirkwood
ENG0A1
April 1, 2002




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IN-TEXT CITATIONS

When you quote someone exactly, or when you want to give credit immediately for an idea, a concept, or some statistics, these brief references are called in-text citations. In-text means that it is within the body of your essay. It is not a separate footnote at the bottom of the page or a separate endnote at the back of your essay. The reader does not have to go looking for the reference. In-text citations should not interrupt the flow of the paper or its readability. The complete bibliographic information for each source is listed only at the end of your paper.

Generally, "all you have to do is put the author's last name and the page number in brackets after the statement you wish to document" (Birch 71).

Examples:
Name Mentioned Already
Birch indicates that if " you mention the author's name within the text, you need only give the page number" (71).
More Than One Work by the Same Author
Give a shortened title of the work and the page number.
(Jurassic 87).
No Author

Give the title of the article or book and the page number.
("The Decade of the Spy" 26).
Shorten subsequent citings.
("Decade" 27).
Play
Give author, act, scene, lines.
(Shakespeare 2.4.7-10).
Encyclopedia

Give author, or title if no author and the page number.
("Vegetarian" 934).
Lecture/Speech
Give speaker.
(Ecker).
Internet
Give author and the page number, if available.
(Tong 12).
With no author, use the first word of the title and page number.
("Using" 21).

Page numbers are generally meaningless for Web documents because the size of a document's display or printout depends on your browser's settings. If the Internet source has no page numbers, you may use another internal division (part, heading, chapter, section or a subsection). (Hoemann "Introduction")

Students may choose instead to use a signal phrase, or a previewing sentence to clarify Internet citations that have no page numbers. Signal phrases and previewing sentences give authority to your paper and give credit where it's due.

Example of a Signal Phrase:

According to Steven E. Landsburg, "If you know you're going to treasure something, you don't hesitate to buy it."

WORKS CITED

The following general rules apply:

  • use a seperate sheet of paper,
  • put it at the back of your essay,
  • use the same format as the paper,
  • centre the title,
  • single space inside the citation,
  • double space between citations,
  • alphabetize by author's last name or by first word in the title of the article if no name,
  • indent the second line and subsequent lines of a citation 5 spaces,
  • underline book titles, and
  • put article titles in quotes.

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PRINT MATERIAL

Book - One Author

Koelsch, Frank.  The Infomedia Revolution.  Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson,
     1995.
Book - Two Authors
Middleton, Susan and David Liittschwager.  Witness:  Endangered Species of
     North America.  San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.
Book - Three Authors
Melina, Vesanto.  Brenda Davis, and Victoria Harrison.  Becoming
     Vegetarian.  Toronto:  Macmillan, 1994.
Book - More than Three Authors
Weier, T. Elliot, et al.  Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology.  New York:
     Wiley, 1982.
Book - Author Unknown
Spotlight on Drama: A Teaching and Resource Guide to Canadian Plays.
     Toronto: Writer's Development Trust, 1981.
Book - Government, Institution, Association, etc. as "Author"
Canada.  Statistics Canada.  Annual Demographic Statistics, 1997.  Ottawa:
     Ministry of Industry, 1998.
Book - Corporate Author
Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.  CICA Handbook.  Toronto:
     Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.  1992.
Book - Editor or Compiler in Place of Author
Megyery, Kathy, ed.  Women in Canadian Politics:  Toward Equity in
     Representation.  Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1991.
Book - Component Part by One Author in a Critical Work Edited by Another Person
Klassner, Michael.  "Horror on Film and Television."  Horror Literature: A
     Reader's Guide  426-449.  Ed. by Neil Barron.  New York: Garland,
     1990.
Book - Edition Other than the First
Turabian, Kate L.  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers.  Theses, and
Dissertations. 5th ed. Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Book - More than One Volume

(a) Separately titled volume from a multivolume work with a general title and one author.

Tremblay, Hélène.  Families of the World; Family Life at the Close of the
     Twentieth Century.  Vol.2:  East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
     Camden East, Ontario: Old Bridge Press, 1990.


(b) Seperately titled volume from a multivolume work with a general title and editor.

Magill, Frank N. ed.  The Nobel Prize Winners: Literature  3 vols.  Pasadena:
     Salem Press, 1987.  vol. 3:  1962-1987.
Book - Translation
Flaubert, Gustave.  Madame Bovary.  Trans. Francis Steegmuller.
     New York: Random House, 1957.

Play
Follow the same style used for books, then add, act, scene, and line numbers instead of page numbers. Include edition information if provided.

Bible, Qur'an and other Sacred Scriptures
Use the same format for Christian and non-Christian works.

(i) Cite

(a) the book from which the reference is taken
(b) chapter: verse or Sura: Ayat

(ii) Use abbreviations

(iii) Cite the version of the work consulted e.g. The Jerusalem Bible (JB) or New English Bible (NEB), etc.

Dictionary
Cite edition number only if given on title page.
(a) General dictionary

"Feminist."  The Oxford Paperback Dictionary.
(b) Subject Dictionary, Annual, Yearbook
"Fitzgerald, Ella."  Larousse Dictionary of Women.  1996.
Encyclopedia
Cite either the date of publication or the edition number after the title of the encyclopedia.
(a) Signed article
Bergquist, William H.  "Expectations of the Opposite Sex."  Encyclopedia of
     Personal Relationships - Human Behaviour.  1990 ed.
(b) Unsigned article
"Melanoma."  Encyclopedia of Family Health.  1998 ed.
Journal Article
Include volume number (date): page(s).
Omit abbreviations "vol." and "p." or "pp." in both journals and magazine articles.
Pearson, Sheryl S. " 'Is There Anybody There?' Graham Greene in Mexico."
     Journal of Modern Literature 9  (May 1982): 277-290.

Magazine or Periodical

(a) Signed article

Shapiro, Laura.  "Beyond an Apple a Day."  Newsweek  Spring/Summer
     1997: 52-56.
(b) Unsigned article
"Eat Light to Block Skin Cancer."  Chatelaine  May 1997: 141.

Newspaper

(a)Signed Article

Doran, D'Arcy.  "Whiz Kids Wired for Wealth."  The Toronto Star
    26 June 1999: A1.
(b) Unsigned article
"Natural Disasters Produce Majority of Refugees."  The Globe and Mail
    25 June 1999: A15.
(c) Editorial
"Financial Reforms Good for Consumers."  Editorial.  The Toronto Star
     26 June 1999: A20.

Pamphlet/Government Publication
Cite in the same manner as a book. Often they lack full bibliographic data.

(a) Signed pamphlet

Laughren, Floyd.  Preparing for the Ontario Budget 1994.  Toronto:  Queen's
     Printer for Ontario, 1994.
(b)Unsigned pamphlet
Banking 101 - A Student's Guide to Managing Money.  Toronto: Scotiabank, 
     1994.

Review

(a) Book

Hume, Stephen.  Review of Seeing the Ocean Through the Trees, by Ecotrust
     Canada.  Canadian Geographic  May/June 1997: 83-85.
(b) Play
Follow the same style used for books, except that act, scene, and line numbers are given instead of pages. Cite specific edition as necessary.
Pinter, Harold.  The Caretaker.  London:  Eyre Methuen, 1960.
(c) Film/Videocassette
Johnson, Brian D.  Review of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
     dir. Jay Roach.  Maclean's  5 May 1997: 66-67.
Published Interview
Rae, Bob.  Interview.  "Returning Fire: Ontario's Bob Rae Defends his
     Record."  Maclean's  30 Sept. 1991: A42.
Personalized Letter
Jackson, Marguerite.  Personal Letter.  Director of the Toronto District School
     Board.  21 June 1999.
Two or More Works by the Same Author
Use a series of 5 dashes for the author's name in second and subsequent bibliographic entries.
Atwood, Margaret.  Cat's Eye.  Toronto: Seal Books, 1989.
-----The Handmaid's Tale.  Toronto: Seal Books, 1986.
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NON-PRINT MATERIAL
Include additional information as appropriate and available e.g. number of pieces, specific terms, duration, sound, colour, size, speed, recording mode, accompanying material.

Study Print/Picture/Chart
Historical Reconstructions of Rome.  Picture.  History Series.  Chicago:
     Encyclopedia Britannica Films.  1965.  8 study prints. col., 33 X 45 cm.
Filmstrip
Looking at Our Earth: A Visual Dictionary.  Sound filmstrip.  National
     Geographic Educational Services, 1992.
Kit
A kit is composed of two or more significant pieces of different media e.g., filmstrip with cassette.
World War I - The Home Front.  Kit.  Boca Ratan:  National Archives
     and SIRS Inc., 1978.  1 booklet.  47 documents, posters, charts and
     photographs.
Motion Picture Film
Electrostatics:  Part 2.  Motion Picture.  U.K.:  1985.  1 reel.  17 min.  Col.
     16mm.

Radio or Television Program
Cite the name of the program, the network, and the date.

The Secret of Life.  Narr. David Suzuki.  8 episodes.  PBS.  WETA,
     Washington.  26-29 Sept. 1993.

Sound Recording
Indicate the medium (neither underlined nor in quotes) before the manufacturer's name.

(a) Record

Ellington, Duke.  cond. Duke Ellington Orchestra.  First Carnegie Hall
     Concert.  23 Jan 1943.  L.P.  Prestige, 1977.
(b) Audiocassette
Marsalis, Branford.  Romances for Saxophone.  English Chamber Orchestra.
     cond. Andrew Littou. Audiocassette.  CBS, 1986.
(c) Compact Disc
Kun, Jessica V.  Range of Sight.  Compact Disc.  NBH Records, 1995.
Video Recording
Ready for the Road...Earning Your Driver's Licence in Ontario's Graduated
     Licensing System.  Video Recording.  National Film Board of Canada,
     1994.
Lecture/Speech
Colon, Tina.  "The Future of UNICEF."  Global Hot Spots Conference,
     Martingrove Collegiate Institute, Toronto.  16 April 1999.

Interview

(a) Personal or Telephone

Pereira, Theresa.  Personal Interview.  Martingrove Collegiate Institute.
     Toronto, Ontario.  30 November 2001.
(b) Radio/Television
Cite the name of the program, the network, and the date.
Updike, John.  Interview with Scott Simon.  Weekend Edition.  National Public
     Radio.  WBUR, Boston.  2 Apr. 1994.

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ELECTRONIC SOURCES

1. INTERNET
Online sources include:

Subscription Databanks
WWWeb Sites
E-mail
Linkage Data
FTP Sites
Telenet Sites
Gopher Sites
Listservs
Newsgroups
Synchronous Communication Sites (MOOs, MUDs, Chats)

Some are more useful for scholarly research than others. Students need to apply critical thinking skills when determining which sites to use. Databanks are a good way of retrieving current, safe, reliable research. Many of the databanks are linked to relevant WWW sites. E-mail has become a quick and efficient way for students to gather information. Many government agencies, companies, individuals and institutions will assist students with research via E-mail.

Electronic file transfers are commonplace. Students working in groups and teams readily share knowledge and discoveries via E-mail. Students may get information from any of the online sources listed above.

Current MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines focus on the World Wide Web. Most students at Martingrove search online one of two ways. They either search the entire WWW using a favourite search engine or they take advantage of the online databanks to which the Resource Centre subscribes.

By visting the Resource Centre's Web Site at, http://mci.iwarp.com students can choose Reference Sites to tap into the databanks. Current books, magazines, journals, newspapers and encyclopedia are available to students via this method. This is a smart way of researching. Searches can be very specific. Less time is required to search a databank than the entire Web. Commercial sites are totally avoided, as are inappropriate sites which are not educationally sound. A password sheet to access the databanks is available in the Resource Centre and is updated regularly.

a. How to Cite a Databank

The more sophisticated the search, and the deeper the databank, the longer the URL. Sometimes they are impossible to provide because of their length. Copying them with any degree of accuracy would be impossible and so students should provide the URL of the subscription service.

Format:

Author's Last Name, First Name.  "Article Title."  Publication Title
     Volume number.  Issue number.  Date of publication:
     Page range or Numbers of pages.  Subscription.  Medium.
     Publisher.  URL  (Date of Access).
Example:
Gibbons, Rick. "Mel being Mel."  Ottawa Sun. 24 June 2001.
     Electric Library Canada. Online. Rogers Media 1999.
     http://www.elibrary.ca/s/edumarkca/  (26 June 2001).
b. How to Cite from the World Wide Web
Because WWW documents can be altered, moved, or deleted by the author or by computer system managers with any publically-accessible trail of evidence, students need to:
  • make a hard copy of the document for their portfolios
  • keep track of the date of access (when they visited the site)
  • keep track of how they got there (the electronic address - URL)
Format:
Author's Last Name, First Name.  "Document Title."  Title of
     Complete Work (if applicable).  Date of last revision.  URL
     (Date of Access).
Example:
McQuigge, M.S.  "Notice to Hospitals & Physicians."  Bruce Grey Owen
     Sound Health Unit.  21 May 2000.
     http://www.srhip.on.ca/bgoshu2/Walkterton/NoticetoPhysicians.html
     (9 June 2000).
c. E-mail

Format:
Author's Last Name, First Name.  "Subject Line."  Description of
     message that includes recipient.  Date sent.
Example:
Harnack, Andrew.  "How to Cite Information from the Web."  E-mail to
     Laura Parsonson.  10 January 2000.

d. Listserv

Format:

Author's Last Name, First Name.  "Subject Line."  Phrase online posting.
     Date of posting. Name of Listserv.  URL. (Date of Access)
Example:
Klaes, Larry.  "Lawyers Threaten to Sue Astronomers Over Light Pollution."
     Onlines Posting.  8 January 1999.
     Owner-asrto@brickbat12.mindspring.com (25 June 1999).

e. Newsgroups

Format:

Author's Last Name, First Name.  "Title."  Date of Posting.  URL
     (Date of Access).
Example:
Bond, Peter.  "Venus Assists Cassini on its Space Odyssey to Saturn."
     24 June 1999.  alt.sciplanetary  (29 June 1999).
2. COMPUTER SOFTWARE
These portable, electronic databases are distributed on CD-ROMs. Fewer CDs are being purchased by the Resource Centre because they stale-date very quickly, and they need to be loaded on the computer which further delays their accessibility to students. Some are still available for use in the Resource Centre and citation methods are provided.

(a) Magazines, Newspapers, Journals on CD-ROM
These are periodically published databases.

Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name (if signed article).  "Title."
     Publication  Pub.Date: Section  Page #.  Title of Database.
     CD-ROM.  Vendor Name.  Electronic Publication Date.
Example:
Leary, Warren.  "NASA's Ion-Drive Spacecraft Tests Sci-FI Notions."
     The Globe and Mail  10 October 1998: D5.  The Globe and Mail 1998.
     CD-ROM.  Information Services.  1999.
(b) Encyclopedias and Books on CD-ROM
These are not frequently updated.

Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. (if signed article)
     "Title of the Part of the Work."  Title of the Product.  Edition,
     Release, or Version.  CD-ROM.  City: Publisher, Date.
Examples:
"Bronte, Emily."  Discovering Authors. Ver. 1.0.  CD-ROM.  Detroit: Gale,
     1992.

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CONCLUSION

For more details about citation methods students are encouraged to visit:

http://www.mla.org/

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/albertcampbell/library/referencing.html

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/

See next section for a sample of how to do a Works Cited page.

Works Cited

Birch, Ann. Essay Writing Made Easy:  Presenting Ideas In All Subject Areas.
     Markham, Ont.: Pembroke, 1993.

"Documenting Sources from the World Wide Web." MLA Style.  1999.
     http://www.mla.org/style/sources.htm  (15 June 2000).

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 4th ed.
     New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1995.

Harnack, Andrew and Kleppinger, Eugene. "Citation Styles." Online! A
     Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources.  2000.
     http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html (15 June 2000).

Hoemann, George H. Electronic Style. 14 Sept. 1998.
     http://funnelweb.utcc.edu/~hoemann/style.html (26 June 1999).

----- "Elements of Citation". Electronic Style. 14 Sept. 1998.
     http://funnelweb.utcc.edu/~hoemann/elements.html (26 June 1999).

Hudspeth, Lee and Lee, T. J. "Search Engine Secrets." PC Computing
     July 1999: 174-184.

McKee, L. "Referencing or Documenting Your Research."
     Albert Campbell C. I.
     http://tdsb.on.ca/albertcampbell/library/referencing.html (16 June 2000).

Tong, Josie and Philip, Brenda. Citation Style Guides for Internet and 
     Electronic Sources. 21 Dec. 1998.
     http://www.library.ualberta.ca/library_html/help/pathfinders/style/index.html
     (26 June 1999).

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and
     Dissertations, 5th ed. Chicago Press, 1987.

"Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format." Perdue OWL
     OWL Handouts. 1999. http://owl.english.perdue.edu/Files/33.html
     (26 June 1999).

Walker, Janice R. and Taylor, Todd. The Columbia Guide to Online Style.
     1 Sept. 1998.
     http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_compare.html (26 June 1999).

© Martingrove Collegiate Institute Resource Centre, 2001
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