Avoiding Plagiarism / Documenting Sources see Dodds 363-369

MLA In-Text (Parenthetical) Citations see Dodds 355-357 , 371-376 and 377-408
There are 5 parts
1. A signal statement (sometimes called a signal phrase)
2. The quoted material, paraphrase or summary
3. The parenthetical citation (author page) where you document the borrowing
4. An explanation as to how the quoted material advances your argument.
5. The works cited page.
The first four parts can be remembered by the mnemonic:
Suzanne Somers

Quit Making

Diet Books and

Exercise Videos

Signal Statement / Quoted Material / (Document the Borrowing) / Explain the quoted material
1. Signal Statement
A signal statement introduces the quoted material (or paraphrased or summarized material)
The proper choice of a signal statement can do two things:
1. it can indicate the source of the quote and their credentials.
For example:
Researchers at MIT have observed,
Smith, a Harvard psychologist, notes:
A more recent study claims,
In a much disputed study, Smith argues,
2. it can also more precisely position the quoted material through signal verb choice:
acknowledges
adds
compares
confirms
declares
defines
denies

admits
advises
describes
disputes
emphasizes
grants
hints

agrees
argues
hopes
illustrates
implies
insists
notes

asserts
believes
objects
observes
points out
refutes
reports

claims
comments
responds
reveals
suggests
urges
warns

2. Quoted Material (or paraphrased, or summarized)

when to quote directly see Dodds 349
Key points
Expert Opinions
Powerful Passages
Subtle ideas
Concise passages
Making modifications to Quoted material
Use ellipsis points to signal omissions
. . . for words within a sentence
. . . . for entire sentences
Use brackets [ ] to insert your words into a quotation
Use [sic] to indicate an error in the original source
when to paraphrase see Dodds 351
paraphrase what might otherwise be misunderstood
re-state in your own words
Do not simply substitute synonyms and copy the sentence structure
If you quote key words or phrases be sure to add quote marks
a paraphrase is usually about as long as the original
when to summarize see Dodds 350
A summary condenses the original passage to its main idea
2. Document the Borrowing In Text (Parenthetical) Citation and Works Cited
See Dodds 371-376 for the most commonly used formats.
Place parenthesis after the borrowing following the quotation marks, but before the period at the
end of the sentence.
Example 1.
If the signal statement mentions the authors last name, only the page number is given in
parenthesis. For example,
John Smith, expert on soporific discourse, writes, blah, blah, blah (20).

Example 2.
If the signal phrase does not mention the authors last name, the last name and page number is
given in parenthesis. For example,
One expert on soporific discourse writes, blah, blah, blah (Smith 20).
Example 3.
How to Handle an Indirect Source see Dodds 374 Citing an indirect source
A writer whose words appear in a source written by someone else is called an indirect source.
In a signal statement always name the writer who actually said the words you are quoting. Then
include the source and page where you found the quotation preceded by qtd. in (quoted in).
As John Smith notes, blah, blah, blah (qtd. in Jones 58).
In other words, blah, blah, blah written or said by Smith, was quoted in an article
written by Jones that you found in your research.
Example 4. How to handle Block Quotes see Dodds 360 - 361
If the quoted material is longer than four lines, set the quoted material off as a block
quote. Place a colon after the signal phrase, then begin the quote on the next line after
indenting 10 spaces.
John Smith notes:
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. (20)
Note: there are no quotation marks used in this case AND the parenthetical
citation comes AFTER the final punctuation.
These four examples by no means exhaust the possibilities, but are commonly used
and are a good starting point.
4.

Explain how a quotation supports your claim or how it relates to your discussion or
how it should be interpreted.

5.

Works Cited page see Dodds 377- 393.

Center Title Works Cited (no quote marks, no underlining, no bold font)
Begin each entry at left margin, indent each line after the first line five spaces.
Arrange entries in alphabetical order by authors last name. See Dodds for
the correct format for the type of source you are including in your Works Cited.