We cite sources for several reasons:
-to impress our teachers by showing the awesome research we've done
-to prove that we haven't just made stuff up (like facts or statistics)
-to prove our opinions or ideas are awesome (who will disagree with you if your information is published by NASA?)
-to give credit to the authors you may have borrowed ideas or words from
-to PROTECT yourself!
-to help readers who want to know more find your sources
It's also just what people in schools and universities do to show they are using information ethically. When you get your driver's license, you will follow the rules, right? You will agree not to run a red light. Well, when you are a student, this is just what you do. It's part of the rules.
DO:
-keep track of your sources as you go along
-use NoodleTools to create citations and SAVE YOUR WORK!
-use MLA consistently (make all your citations looks the same)
-export a Bibliography to Googledocs (let NoodleTools do the formatting for you!)
DON'T:
-list a URL as a citation. URLs change all the time. Your reader might not be able to find it.
-create citations on your own. There is too much room for error.
-copy and paste citations one-at-a-time. You will lose consistency!
Basic Format for Citations (remember to indent the second and subsequent lines):
Website:
Last name, First name. “Title of article." Name of Website, Publisher, date, URL. Date of access.
Example:
Lonely Planet. "Weather in Scotland." Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet, 2011, www.lonelyplanet.com/scotland/weather. Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.
Book:
Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.
Example:
Reiter, Chris. The Blue Whale. MyReportLinks.com Books, 2003.
Video:
Author’s Name. “Title of Image or Video.” Name of Website, Name of uploader(if different from author's name), date of posting. URL.
Example:
McGonigal, Jane. “Gaming and Productivity.” YouTube, uploaded by Big Think, 3 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdzy9bWW3E.
Image (including a painting, sculpture or photograph): Where information is not available, provide as much as you can.
Provide the artist's name, the work of art italicized, the date of creation, the institution and city where the work is housed. Follow this initial entry with the name of the Website in italics, and the date of access.
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Museo Nacional del Prado, www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74. Accessed 22 May 2006.
Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive, www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.