Embedded References and Works Cited Lists:
- A Guide -

 In writing an essay or research paper you must document or reference the source of all words or ideas that you have borrowed from another work, otherwise you are guilty of plagiarism--a form of intellectual dishonesty.

 There are several systems in use to document sources.  The style used in the humanities has been set out by the Modern Language Association (MLA).  In the social sciences writers often use the style set out by the American Psychological Association (APA).  In the natural sciences several styles are used, varying with the discipline.

 At the point in your writing where you cite an author’s work, such as in using a quotation from the source or expressing the author’s ideas in your own words, you insert or embed a small notation in brackets in the text. This embedded reference refers the reader to a list of works cited which is placed at the end of the research paper. The sections below will show you how to make embedded references and create the Works Cited list.

There are two ways to use the words and ideas of an author in an essay or a research paper.  The first way is to take an author’s ideas and to paraphrase them (put them into your own words).   The second way is to take a direct quotation from the text.  The six example references that follow are from a book entitled Victims of War by Robin Cross, published in 1993.  The references are meant to direct the reader to an entry which would be listed in a Works Cited list.  Here is the entry which would be used for Cross’s book:

 

PARAPHRASING

 Example 1: Author’s Name Not Used in the Text

 The embedded reference (Cross 9) gives the family name of the author and the page number where the paraphrased information was taken from.  The reference should be placed just before the punctuation mark--in this case a period.

Example 2: Author’s Name Used in the Text

 The use of Cross’s name in the text changes the embedded reference to only the page where the information was taken from (9), which should follow directly after the author’s name.   

 DIRECT QUOTATIONS

 Example 3: Author’s Name Not Used in the Text

 As in Example 1 above, the embedded reference appears at the end of the sentence just before the punctuation mark.  The embedded reference (Cross 9) contains the author’s family name and the page number where the quotation can be found.

Example 4: Author’s Name Used in the Text

In this example, the page number where the quotation can be found in Cross’s book is placed in parentheses at the end of the sentence, just before the punctuation mark.

Example 5:  The Sentence Fragment

 In this example, the direct quotation is a sentence fragment  (only a part of a sentence).  The three dots at the beginning of the quote (“. . . battle fatigue) indicate to the reader that only a part of the full sentence was used in the quote.

 

Example 6:  The Block Quote

Block quotations are used when the text to be quoted is longer than 3 to 4 lines.  The block quotation is indented one inch from both the left and right margins, and single spaced, thereby setting it apart from the rest of the text.  Quotation marks are not used and the embedded reference appears at the end of the quotation after the mark of punctuation. 

A FEW FINAL WORDS

Writers of essays and research reports usually use a mix of the six different styles of  embedded references.  The choice of whether to paraphrase an idea or to use a direct quotation is usually a judgment call on the part of the writer.  You should, however, remember to use direct quotations with restraint.  Your research paper ought to be much more than a patchwork arrangement of direct quotations.  As much as possible, you must absorb the ideas that you have read about and express them in your own words. 

Also, it is not easy to draw the line between paraphrases which need to be referenced and those which do not.  A rule of thumb is that if a fact or idea is generally known, then it is not usually necessary to acknowledge a specific source of information.