Advice from McKinze: Finding Sources, Evaluating Sources, Citing Sources in MLA

No two appointments, students, or class assignments are alike. Each variation brings with it some unique questions and challenges. A reoccurring trend that I have noticed this semester has been students requesting help with finding and citing sources, particularly in MLA format. I had one student come in requesting help on an assignment that required her to use sources outside the classroom. She did not know how to use the RSU databases or how to even begin to look for sources. So we started from the very beginning, and I helped her figure out which database would offer the best sources and how to search for sources within the database. I explained that using the RSU databases is the quickest and most efficient way to find academic sources. After we were able to find some sources she could use and integrate into her paper, we discussed how to cite the sources properly.

Source

I have encountered many students who do not understand that different sources require different forms of citation. For example, this student believed that citing an article from a database is the same as citing an article from a web page, which is incorrect. After going over some basic MLA citations in The Everyday Writer, she was able to figure out how to cite the source with very little help from me. She also discovered that the MLA formatted citations that accompany many of the database articles and sources are incorrect. It is very important to never trust a citation that is digitally generated without double-checking for accuracy. This specific appointment made me realize that many students may be unaware that their every source must be cited in a particular way, and it is vital to understand exactly what they are working with in order to create an accurate citation. Although it might be the easy way, it is never a good decision to trust a citation that accompanies a source.

For more help, check out pages 420-447 in the RSU Edition of The Everyday Writer 5th edition, or go to this Purdue University Online Writing Lab link and click through the tabs on the left for information on how to cite specific sources.

-McKinze