Avoiding Plagiarism Parenthetical Citations

What is plagiarism?  Using someone else’s ideas or words without telling your reader where you took it from  Essentially, it is like you are lying to your reader.

What are Parenthetical Citations  When a writer directly puts into the text a note from where he or she got the information  Parenthetical or “in-text” citation allows your reader to know from what source each idea/fact came  “In 2007, 37 percent of American adults sought medical information from the internet regarding a health problem they were experiencing before consulting a doctor” (Smith 38).

How to Punctuate Citations  Use quotations to surround all text that you are taking directly from the passage  “When the sun comes back and the first quail calls, / Follow the drinking gourd”  Use parenthesis to surround the source information (author/title and page number)  “When the sun comes back and the first quail calls, / Follow the drinking gourd” (Follow the Drinking Gourd)  Then finish with the period  “When the sun comes back and the first quail calls, / Follow the drinking gourd” (Follow the Drinking Gourd).

What does this mean for us?  Use direct quotes as your story examples  “For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom / If you follow the drinking gourd” (Follow the Drinking Gourd).  Every time you quote a passage using quotation marks, you MUST follow it with your own words explaining how it supports your answer  This line tells the listener that if he/she follows the North Star, which is located in the big dipper, then it will take them to the person who will lead them to freedom.

Homework  How does the use of allusion affect the meaning of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”?  Use the chorus and one verse (of your choosing) to answer the prompt  Remember…paragraph format  Topic sentence (answers the prompt)  At least 3 textual examples with explanation of how they support your answer (use the parenthetical citations)  Clincher sentence