citing sources
When providing evidence in essays, good writers cite their evidence. When you cite something, it means that you quote direct lines either said or written by another person. You cite sources and evidence to give the writer credit for any words you use. It is also good practice to give credit to any paraphrased information you use too. Paraphrased information is when you put a writer’s ideas into your own words.
Sentence Starters
The following are some sentence starters that you could use in order to cite any direct lines you use:
According to (name of article or writer) , "…."
Example: According to Junior Scholastic, “The tribes think that the government is being insensitive in how it’s looking into Indian land.”
(Name of person or article) states/said/wrote, "….”
Example: An Aztec poet wrote, “Broken spears lie in the roads; We have torn our hair in our grief. The houses are roofless now…And the walls are splattered with gore…”
Example: The article “The Cherokee and the White Man” states, “Very few women used the ancient bone awl for sewing in 1740.”
(Name of person) , from/in (Name of article/organization) , says/said/writes, "..."
Example: Francisco de Xeres, in “Narrative of Conquest of Peru,” said, “The Governor sentenced Atahualpa to death.”
In (Name of article or book) , (Name of person) writes/says/states, "..."
Example: In “Flowers and Songs of Sorrow,” Miguel Leon-Portilla writes, “We know it is true that we must perish, for we are mortal men.”
As cited in (name of article/book)...
Example: As cited in "Got Milk? Try Chocolate Milk After Your Workout," chocolate milk actually helps athletes recover after a strenuous workout.
As noted in (name of article/book).../As noted by (name of person), ...
Example:
- As noted in "Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar," many parents disagree about whether or not schools should ban chocolate milk in schools.
- As noted by Christina Hoag from Associated Press, chocolate milk is unfairly blamed for causing obesity in children.
(Name of article, person, organization) reveals that...
Example: Jamie Oliver reveals that kids consume a busload of sugar per week just from drinking chocolate milk.
Research by (name of person/organization) points to the fact that…
Example: Research by the Heart Association points to the fact that high levels of sugar lead to health problems, such as heart disease and hypertension.
(Name of person/article) highlights that…
Example: The article "Got Milk? Try Chocolate Milk After Your Workout" highlights that chocolate milk can actually be extremely beneficial to athletes.
Sentence Starters
The following are some sentence starters that you could use in order to cite any direct lines you use:
According to (name of article or writer) , "…."
Example: According to Junior Scholastic, “The tribes think that the government is being insensitive in how it’s looking into Indian land.”
(Name of person or article) states/said/wrote, "….”
Example: An Aztec poet wrote, “Broken spears lie in the roads; We have torn our hair in our grief. The houses are roofless now…And the walls are splattered with gore…”
Example: The article “The Cherokee and the White Man” states, “Very few women used the ancient bone awl for sewing in 1740.”
(Name of person) , from/in (Name of article/organization) , says/said/writes, "..."
Example: Francisco de Xeres, in “Narrative of Conquest of Peru,” said, “The Governor sentenced Atahualpa to death.”
In (Name of article or book) , (Name of person) writes/says/states, "..."
Example: In “Flowers and Songs of Sorrow,” Miguel Leon-Portilla writes, “We know it is true that we must perish, for we are mortal men.”
As cited in (name of article/book)...
Example: As cited in "Got Milk? Try Chocolate Milk After Your Workout," chocolate milk actually helps athletes recover after a strenuous workout.
As noted in (name of article/book).../As noted by (name of person), ...
Example:
- As noted in "Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar," many parents disagree about whether or not schools should ban chocolate milk in schools.
- As noted by Christina Hoag from Associated Press, chocolate milk is unfairly blamed for causing obesity in children.
(Name of article, person, organization) reveals that...
Example: Jamie Oliver reveals that kids consume a busload of sugar per week just from drinking chocolate milk.
Research by (name of person/organization) points to the fact that…
Example: Research by the Heart Association points to the fact that high levels of sugar lead to health problems, such as heart disease and hypertension.
(Name of person/article) highlights that…
Example: The article "Got Milk? Try Chocolate Milk After Your Workout" highlights that chocolate milk can actually be extremely beneficial to athletes.
paraphrasing evidence
If you are just giving credit, but not directly citing (quoting) specific lines from the text, you can still use the sentence starters above. The only difference is that instead of writing the direct quote in the quotation marks, you would just write your paraphrased words instead. For example:
- According to Junior Scholastic, the tribes are dissatisfied with the way the government is looking into Indian land.
- The article “The Cherokee and the White Man” states that the female Cherokees no longer used bone awls for sewing after the Europeans arrived.
- Francisco de Xerxes, who was the secretary of Francisco Pizarro, said that the Governor sentenced the Native American king to death.
If you would like to download a "cheat sheet" on how to incorporate sources into your writing, click on the icon below:
| citing_sources_cheat_sheet.docx |
