Essays and MLA citations

Many of your essays are almost complete but only one person cited a source in their essay for where they got the information for their essay. Borrowing some one else's ideas or words is perfectly fine in writing if you give the author credit. If you put someone else's ideas in your own words it's called paraphrasing and you don't need to use quotes, but you must give the author credit.

Some studies have shown that teens have problems that can cause them to do bad in school (wikipedia).

Then in your works cited page at the end of the document you need to list the website or URL where you got your information from. The MLA style guide on electronic sources by Purdue University can show you how to cite a web site correctly.

"Teen Issues."wikipedia.com. 25 May 2007. 3 Jan. 2008 <http://www.wikipedia.com/teenissues>

If you use more than one entry of a site like wikipedia, cite the article title in the parenthetical quotation, ie (Teen Issues)

If you want to use the text directly from a website, you must put it in quotes.

"Studies reveal that teens face a host of complex, emotional issues that can increase stress and lead to negative performance in school work" (Teen Issues).

Please go back through your essays and cite the sources where you got your information. Try and be a thorough as possible. If there are any sentences that are not paraphrased, put them in quotes. There is absolutely no point in plagiarizing someone else's writing, and it can result in failure, suspension, and even expulsion from classes in college. It is very easy to tell when your writing isn't in your own words. It is also very easy to search for text from your essays and find the original source.

Final drafts of the essays are due for grading this Friday the 11th. Papers must include a works cited page at the end of the document. Please refer to the MLA style guide for the basic format of a works cited page The link at the top of the page also explains how to cite the websites where you got your information.