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ESSAY STYLE GUIDE
Sixth Edition
2003
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What is
Plagiarism? |
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Table of Contents
Examples of Work Cited Entries
Plagiarism is the holding up of another's opinions, writing, or thoughts as your own. Plagiarism is a serious form of intellectual theft and usually results in a severe penalty which may range from a mark of zero on the assignment to failure of the course. Plagiarism can take the form of any of the following:
- direct duplication by copying another's work, whether from a book, article, web site, another student's assignment, etc.; this includes text as well as graphics, tables, charts or any other representation which is not your creation.
- paraphrasing another's work closely, with minor changes but with the essential meaning, form and/or progression of ideas maintained.
- piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole; this is often called "cutting and pasting".
- using a translation web site or software to complete a foreign language assignment;
- submitting one's own work which has already been submitted for assessment purposes in another subject.
- producing assignments in conjunction with other people (e.g. another student, tutor) which should be your own independent work
(Iain Morrison, Melbourne University, 2000)
Essays are to be double-spaced on one side only of standard office size paper (81/2 by 11 inches). Single spacing is used for indented quotations, references, and works cited.
A title page should be placed before the essay and must include the following information:
-- all of the information is centred and in FULL BLOCK CAPITALS
-- the title of the essay is placed 5 cm. (2 in.) below the top of the page.
-- the instructor's name is 8 cm. (3 in.) below the title
-- the student's name is 2.5 cm. (1 in.) below the instructor's name.
-- the date is placed 2.5 cm. (1 in.) below the name.
-- the name of the school is placed 8 cm. (3 in.) below the date
The margins on all sides should be 2.5 cm. (1 in.).
The title of the essay should appear centred and 5 cm. from the top of the first page of the essay.
Each page, EXCEPT THE FIRST, must be numbered with the number centered at the top of each page.
The text of an essay should be left justified except for titles and headings.
The first line of every new paragraph must be indented five spaces.
The top or bottom of a page must contain more than one line of a paragraph.
Any number beginning a sentence must be spelled out and every number of less than three digits should be spelled out except for dates, page numbers and reference numbers.
If you are allowed to use Headings, Sub and Side headings in a report, please observe the following:
a) A MAJOR HEADING has 2 blank lines before and after and is in FULL BLOCK.
b) Side or Sub Headings are underlined, with 2 blank lines before and one blank line after.
There are two major methods of referencing the citations in an essay: footnotes and parenthetical references. Footnotes were once the documentation style of choice for research writers but the Modern Language Association (MLA) now endorses parenthetical referencing as its preferred method and this format has been adopted by many universities and colleges in Canada. Parenthetical referencing is the method which is used at Clarke High School.
References are used to:
a) indicate the source for any direct quote, chart, graph, graphic, table, or text.
b) indicate the source for any information which is not general knowledge
c) indicate the source of an opinion which is not yours or which is in conflict with other authorities.
Quoted material is enclosed within quotation marks.
Quoted material of five lines or more is single spaced, indented five lines on the left AND right margins and is NOT enclosed within quotation marks.
In this method the author's name, or an abbreviated version of it, and the page number are enclosed within parentheses (brackets) at the end of the citation. The complete record for the source is found in the Works Cited list at the end of the essay.
A Direct Quote:
The Milky Way is a very large galaxy and is believed to contain "about 200 billion stars, arranged in a spiral pattern 100,000 light-years across" (Couper, 36).
The term in the brackets will specifically refer to a source listed in the Works Cited.
An Indirect Quote:
You must acknowledge the source even if you re-write or paraphrase the original quote:
The Milky Way is a huge galaxy containing about 200 billion stars arranged in a spiral pattern with a diameter of about 100,000 light years (Couper, 36).
A Graphic, graph, table, illustration, chart or table:You should assign a title to a graph, table etc. Below and to the left of the object and within brackets insert the word Source followed by a colon and the name or title which will refer to a specific work in the works cited, and the page number.
Electronic Resources
Many electronic resources such as Internet web sites and CD-ROMs do not have an author and they usually do not have page numbers. In this case, the reference within the brackets will include another identifier which will point clearly to an entry on the Works Cited page. For example:
Throughout the novel Marlowe uses symbolism to accentuate the novel's theme and "provide visceral images which stay with the reader long after the novel has been put down" (Rayser).
The term Rayser in brackets will specifically refer to a web site listed in the Works Cited. See Works Cited below for the correct format.
Works Cited is the term which the MLA has adopted to replace the term Bibliography. A Works Cited list is a list of the materials which you have actually cited in your essay rather than a list of the materials which you consulted.
The Works Cited is placed on a separate sheet of paper at the end of the essay.
Each entry begins at the left margin with the second and subsequent lines indented five spaces from the left margin. Use single spacing within each entry.
The entries are arranged alphabetically by the authors' and/or editors' last names and also contain the place of publication, publisher, and the date .
Page numbers are omitted unless they refer to the pages of an article in a periodical or anthology.
EXAMPLES OF WORKS CITED ENTRIES
.A book with a single author
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1954.
A book with only an editor or translator.
Morrison, Van, ed. Tupelo Tales. New Orleans: Winston, 1995.
A book with two authors.
The authors are listed as they are listed in the book. The first author's name is given surname first to ease the alphabetical listing of the works cited. The names of the remaining authors are listed in their normal order.
Norton, Edward, and Jerry Garcia. My Life With the Dead. Toronto: Amorto, 1995.
A book with a single author and an editor or translator.
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Ed. Alan Pritchett. Boston: Penguin, 1956.
A work in several volumes.
Instead of the volume number, the entry will indicate the total number of volumes.
Willey, Basil. Major British Writers. ed. John Ward. 5 vols. Cambridge: Hotsley, 1987
A play, poem or short story which is part of a book with an editor, such as an anthology of plays or poems.
Pope, Alexander. "The Rape of the Lock." The Norton Anthology of
English Literature.
ed. Alan Abrams. New York: Norton, 1988.
A graph, graphic, chart or table.
Beneath and to the left of the object insert the word Source followed by a colon and a name or title which will point to the work cited and the page number where the object appeared. The Works Cited entry is the same as for any other material.
Heilbroner, Robert L. and Lester C. Thurow. Economics Explained. Toronto: Touchstone, 1987.
An encyclopedia where the author is known
Kramden, Ralph. "Marriage." Canadian Encyclopedia. Toronto: McLelland and Stewart, 1992.
If there is no author, then use the editor of the encyclopedia:
Norton, Tom, ed. "Westminster Abbey." The Gage Encyclopedia. Hamilton: Gage
Publishing, 1995.
A magazine article.
Norton, Edward. "My Life in the Drain." Maclean's, 30 September 1996, 40-48.
A newspaper.
The entry is essentially the same as for a magazine, unless it is an unsigned article or editorial. When the place of publication is not part of the newspaper's title, it is added in square brackets after the title.
If no author is named:
The Globe and Mail. "Stop the Madness." The Globe and Mail [Toronto]. 3 October 1996, A6.
A government document.
Canada. Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. Lewis Mines and
Development Potential. Ottawa: Supply
and Services Canada, 1995.
A radio or television program
CBC. "Uganda Revisited." The Journal. Toronto: CBC, 30 September 2000.
CD-ROM Database.
Bloom, Jeff, ed. "Horses." World Book Information Finder. (CD-ROM). World Book Inc., 1993.
Jones, Frank. "It's Time to Stop the Spread of Dumps." Toronto
Star. Canadian Newsdisc (CD-ROM).
August 23, 1995.
Britannica Incorporated. "Nevada." Encyclopedia Britannica (CD-ROM). 1999.
An Internet Database or Encyclopedia
The reference should include:
Phillips, Charles. “A Day to Remember.” American History, May 25, 2003: 16-20.
EBSCOhost. 24 May, 2004
<http://search.epnet.com>.
Beasley, Maurine H. "Roosevelt, Eleanor." World Book Online
Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc.
20 Jan. 2004. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar474780>.
Internet --the world wide web (WWW)
Try to include as many of the following as possible:
Brown, David. The Joseph Conrad Home Page. 15 Sept. 1999. Oct. 12, 1999
<http://www.utep.edu/conrad.htm>.
Microsoft Corporation. Using Windows 95. 22 January 1999 <http://www.microsoft.com/win95.htm>.
The following is a portion of a sample essay written by a Clarke High School student. It is intended to illustrate the most common format for layout and citing references and works cited.
************************
Together Forever?
There are always problems in every relationship, in every marriage. With strong communication, acceptance, and a love for one another, these challenges can be overcome. In Margaret Laurence's Manawaka Cycle, the characters all have enormous problems in their relationships. In the books The Stone Angel, The Fire-Dwellers, and The Diviners, the all of the characters' marriages all varying degrees of trouble; however, through hard work and perseverance, the partners survive and grow. Each relationship in these books has two or three problems, that when combined, become daunting but the characters' real problem is that they are alone in their marriage. Margaret Laurence states that "men and women suffer equally; the tragedy is not that they suffer, but that they suffer alone" (Hamilton, 580). These men and women are alone, not communicating nor respecting each other, which leads to personal problems and a collapse in their confidence in themselves and each other.
In Laurence's The Stone Angel, Hagar Currie, a girl from town, marries Bram Shipley, a widowed country farmer. From the time of their marriage ceremony until Hagar leaves Bram, Hagar's sense of pride hurts her, Bram, and their marriage. Hagar gives the appearance to Bram and the community that she hates his looks, and is disgusted with him. Even at the dance where they first meet, Hagar reveals her contempt.
As we went spinning like tumbleweed in a Viennese waltz, disguised and hidden by the whirling crowd, quite suddenly he pulled me to him and pressed against my thigh. Not by accident. There was no mistaking it. No one had ever dared in this way before. Outraged, I pushed at his shoulders, and he grinned. I, mortified beyond words, couldn't look at him except dartingly. But when he asked me for another dance, I danced with him. (Stone, 47)
Hagar often claims to be "mortified beyond words" but she always feels a strong attraction. Hagar wants to give the world the impression that she has a strong sense of pride and that she is a lady of a high class. However, her pride is not sincere. The reality is that she likes Bram, and is unable and unwilling to express her feelings. She is unable to show him any appreciation, acceptance or approval throughout their entire marriage. Only after Bram has died and Hagar is an old woman is she able to admit how she liked Bram's looks, yet he endured their entire marriage with her disapproval.
I have no picture of Brampton Shipley, my husband. I never asked for one, and he was not the type to have his picture taken unasked... I wouldn't mind now, having a photograph of him as he was when we were first married. Whatever anyone said of him, no one could deny he was a good-looking man. It's not every man who can wear a beard. His suited him. He was a big-built man, and he carried himself so well. I could have been proud, going to town or church with him, if only he'd never opened his mouth. (Stone, 69)
What would have happened had Hagar asked Bram for a picture, or if she had told him that he had a fine looking beard? The inability to express not her love for Bram but her constant disapproval hurts him deeply.
Works Cited
Gray, John. Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992.
Hamilton, Robert M. and Dorothy Shields, eds. The Dictionary of Canadian Quotations and Phrases. Toronto:
McClelland and Stewart, 1979.Laurence, Margaret. The Diviners. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1974.
Laurence, Margaret. The Fire Dwellers. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1969.
Laurence, Margaret. The Stone Angel. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1964.
In the event that there is a question of style which is not dealt with in this reference, an additional source may be consulted. The following texts were referred to in the preparation of this guide and should be consulted for more detailed discussions and examples..
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: Modern
Language Association, 1999.Morrison, Iain. DIS Plagiarism Policy for Undergraduate Courses, University of Melbourne. 24
June 2001. <http://www.dis.unimelb.edu.au/courses/plagiarism.asp>.Riggs, D.A. Undergraduate Style Sheet. 4th ed. Guelph: University of Guelph, 1977.
Strath, Lucille, et. al. eds. Notes on the Preparation of Essays in the Arts and Sciences. 4th ed.
Peterborough: Academic Skills Centre, Trent University, 1993.Omissions or errors in this guide should be referred to Mr. R. Saitz, Clarke High School.
