Adult Upgrading - English Fall 2024 Richard Volk

Remember to cite all sources in which you used direct or paraphrased quotations, ideas you learned from your readings and research, images, etc. If done correctly, this will help you avoid plagiarism. 

• A direct quotation is when you take another person’s words and enter them into your paper or presentation. You need to cite when you use more than 3 consecutive words in a sentence. 

• In MLA, short quotations are four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse placed in double quotation marks ("...") in the body of the essay. 

• In MLA, long quotations are greater than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse. They are placed in a free-standing block of text and without quotation marks. 

  • Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented  1.27 cm (1/2 inch) from the left margin while maintaining double spacing.

  • Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

  • When quoting verses, maintain the original line breaks. 

  • Include all sources that you paraphrased 

  • Cite sources you borrowed - ideas from, images, charts, data, etc.

  • Common knowledge, such as the sky is blue, does not need to be cited.  

    Remember the golden rule: When in doubt, just cite.