Library Blog

Citations and Bibliographies made easy

I've been a librarian at Roosevelt University for over two years, but I'm also a graduate student. I'm working on a Master's Degree in English along with a Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies here at Roosevelt and like many students I'm often doing research and writing papers.

I came across a citation tool quite awhile ago and have been using it ever since, so I thought it would help if I shared this tool with you. It's called knight cite and is put out by Heckman Library at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Knight Cite creates citations in MLA, APA, and Chicago style and all you have to do is fill in the information.

*click here for other helpful information about citing*

Don't get too excited - Knight Cite won't do all of the work for you. You do need to understand the difference between the journal title and the article title, you need to know whether your source is print or electronic, and whether it's a magazine or a journal. You get the idea. Here is a helpful hint: If you find an article on one of Roosevelt's databases, make sure to choose Electronic for the type of source, and then either magazine, journal, encyclopedia article etc. And when Knight Cite asks "Was this source found using a database?" choose YES, and then fill in the correct database name and URL.

Here are two examples; can you identify all the parts of this MLA citation?

"Milk, Harvey (1930 - 1978)." World of Criminal Justice, Gale. Farmington: Thomson Gale, 2002.Credo Reference. 04 December 2008 <http://www.credoreference.com/entry/4827961.

Is this source print or electronic?
What is the title of the source?
What is the title of the article?
Who is the author?
What type of source is it? Book, journal, dictionary, newspaper...

How about all the parts of this APA Style Citation?

Gerdes, L. (2008, November 10). Food Costs Rise for College Students. Busincess Week Online, 7. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from Academic Search Premier.

Is this source print or electronic?
What is the title of the source?
What is the title of the article?
What type of source is it? Book, journal, dictionary, newspaper..
Who is the author?

Click 'continue reading' for the answers.

New MLA Style Guide

There is a new edition of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, which was just published last month (May 2008).  Most students are aware of the format they should use for their papers, which is usually MLA, APA, or Chicago Style.  (For more information on the styles, click here). But you may not know that these style guides actually help dictate the format of your entire paper from how to create a title page, numbering your pages, the voice you should use in writing, to how to paraphrase or introduce quotations. 

The MLA (Modern Language Association) actually has two different style manuals. There is the more familiar MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers which is a guide for undergraduate students.  This new edition is the guide for graduate students, faculty, and other writers for scholarly publications. The new edition of the Style Manual has many new features, including (from the MLA website):

• a significant revision of MLA documentation style
• simplified citation formats for electronic sources
• detailed advice on the review process used by scholarly journals and presses
• a fully updated chapter on copyright, fair use, contracts, and other legal issues
• guidelines on preparing electronic files
• discussion of the electronic submission of a dissertation
• a foreword by Domna C. Stanton on the current state of scholarly publishing
• a preface by David G. Nicholls on what is new in the third edition

If you have any questions about using this guide, ask for help.  The library has a copy in the reference section in the Schaumburg and Auditorium Building libraries. Click here for the library listing for this book.

How to turn your research into a paper

It's the end of the semester and many students are busy writing papers.  Roosevelt has a great resource for you in the writing center : "Tutoring sessions involve a wide variety of tasks, but at the heart of every session is conversation—a conversation about your ideas and the best ways to make your ideas clear. Students can work with a tutor on any aspect of their writing" (from the writing center website).

The library has a number of good books to get you started as well , and here are some suggestions:

How to write a lot : a practical guide to productive academic writing (2007)
"In this practical, light-hearted, and encouraging book, Paul Silvia explains that writing productively does not require innate skills or special traits but specific tactics and actions. Drawing examples from his own field of psychology, he shows readers how to overcome motivational roadblocks and become prolific without sacrificing evenings, weekends, and vacations. After describing strategies for writing productively, the author gives detailed advice from the trenches on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit articles, how to improve writing quality, and how to write and publish academic work"
("APA Books." APA Online.  APA. 29 Apr. 2008 <http://books.apa.org/books.cfm?id=4441010>)

How to Write a Philosophy Paper
"How to Write a Philosophy Paper is a handbook which provides students with a ready arsenal of analytical and compositional techniques. It is intended for undergraduate students in any type of philosophy course and is written and organized in a user-friendly manner. The first half includes discussions of the nature of philosophy and a variety of basic and essential techniques of philosophical enquiry and argumentation. The second half takes the student step-by-step through the writing process, from choosing a suitable topic, to developing his or her thought, to preparation of the final draft. Includes an index and bibliographical material."
("How to Write a Philosophy Paper (Paperback)." Amazon.com.  Amazon.com. 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.amazon.com/Write-Philosophy-Paper-James-Stramel/dp/0819197785> )

The Little, Brown guide to writing research papers
"Well written guide that helps students master the library and write intelligent, strong, accurately documented research papers one step at a time.  Guides students through each stage of the research-writing process.  Subjects range from how to find information and present it effectively to how to streamline a broad subject.  Two sample papers:  one APA and one MLA style."
("Useful Resources for Research-Informed Writing." San Jose State University College of Social Sciences.  SJSU. 29 Apr. 2008 http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/SocialSciences/researchinformed.htm)

Communicating in science : writing a scientific paper and speaking at scientific meetings

"A concise book on writing papers, speaking at meetings, preparing a manuscript, a chapter for scientists whose first language is not English and information about dictionaries, style books and other literature ("Books on Research Skills." University of Westminster Library Services.  University of Westminster. 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-3682>)".

Using sources effectively : strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism

"A major strength of this book is its plentiful use of specific examples of proper use of quotations, paraphrase, summary, and citation. The sections on selecting, evaluating, and preparing sources for use will be very helpful for students. Both ALA and MLA citation styles are referenced ("Book Reviews." Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics. 24 Mar. 2008. JSWVE. 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/content/view/75/55/>)".

Also, be sure to check out last semster's post I don't know how to cite this for my paper for information about how to cite using APA, MLA, and Chicago Style.

I don't know how to cite this for my paper

Ms. Information answers your questions

Everyone is working on final papers with the end of the semester quickly approaching and many students ask how to cite something for their paper, or how to create a bibliography.  There are a number of sources that can help you figure this out.

Your first order of business is to determine which style your professor requires. The most popular styles are MLA, APA, and Chicago Style. These are three different styles that a writer uses to guide his or her editorial style, which extends to the bibliography.

• MLA is the style developed by The Modern Language Association as "The style recommended by the association for preparing scholarly manuscripts and student research papers"*. MLA style is often used in English and other Humanities. FAQ about MLA style.

• APA style was developed by The American Psychological Association. The expectation to write in APA Style refers "to the editorial style that many of the social and behavioral sciences have adopted to present written material in the field".** FAQ about APA Style.

• Chicago Style or Turabian is not how students who live in this city are expected to write, but rather a style manual that "had its origins in the 1890s as a single sheet of typographic fundamentals drawn up by a University of Chicago Press proofreader".*** Quick Guide Here.

If all of this sounds like nonsense to you, and you've never heard of a 'citation style', you'd better ask your professor which style he or she prefers before completing that bibliography!

You can find copies of all these style guides at the library, and if you can't find them please ask a librarian for help.  We have also put together a list of resources to help you figure out how to create these citations, with links to other sites which you can access here. Many of our article/journal databases provide an option to automatically create these different styles of citations for an article you find on that database (although you should double-check these). For help with this, ask a librarian.

Also, get in touch with The Writing Center  at Roosevelt's Downtown campus for more help with your papers.

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue also has excellent resources.

Wishing you luck with your research,
Sincerely,
Ms.Information

Do you have a question for Ms. Information? Ms. Information welcomes your questions about research, libraries, and how to find all kinds of information.  Submit your question to mhaller [at] roosevelt [dot] edu.

*        "What is MLA Style?." Modern Langauge Association.  MLA. 5 Dec. 2007 <http://www.mla.org/style>.
**        "APA Style." APA Online.  APA. 5 Dec. 2007 <http://apastyle.apa.org/>.
***    "Preface." The Chicago Manual of Style Online. 15th ed. n.d. 5 Dec. 2007 <http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/isbn_0226104036_pref.html>.

Fair Use

Every now and then I bump up against copyright law. It’s just a professional hazard. Currently, I’m trying to decide if I have a right to upload recordings of university music ensembles to a local area network for the listening enjoyment of all the RU campus community. Ugh. The set of federal regulations that comprise copyright law is very complex, and many of us shy away from really getting into it. But, I think every organization that deals with the creation and dissemination if information, like a university, should have a few things well understood. One thing in particular is fair use.

Fair use essentially asserts that even though a “work” (book, article, musical score, etc.) is protected from copying under copyright law, you might have a right to make a copy for certain purposes. Normally, you have to pay or ask permission to make copies of protected works. Fair use says you don’t have to pay or get permission to make a copy – if you can meet a set of conditions. Theses conditions are called tenets, and get at the purpose of the copying. There are four tenets of fair use:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

To make a fair use argument (an argument that says “under fair use I can make a copy without payment or permission”), all tenets must be considered. It’s a great balancing act. One can’t simply say that the copying is for educational purposes, for instance, and be done with it. There are three remaining tenets to look at. You have to look at them all. To make it little easier, when considering the tenets ask yourself these questions: