Grammar Workshop

Table of Contents
 

 

 

 

Documentation

The basic rule for documentation is: if you didn't know it before you read it, then you must use a parenthetic note to show where you read (or heard) it. The basic purpose of documentation is to allow your reader to go back to your sources to double check the information you present and discover more about it.

You MUST use a parenthetic note for each idea or piece of information that you present, showing where you found it. Never go beyond the end of the paragraph before noting the source(s) for the information in that paragraph. If you use the same source in more than one paragraph, you still must cite it by the end of each paragraph.

Each note should indicate the last name of the author and either the date of the publication (Hubbard, 1996) or, for a "direct quote," the author and page number (Hubbard, p. 407). If no author is mentioned, use a short form of the title ("Cupboard," 1996). If you use more than one work by an author, indicate that by numbering or dating the entries (Hubbard, 1996; Hubbard, 1997) or (Hubbard 1, 1996; Hubbard 2, 1996).

The purpose of the parenthetic note is to allow your reader to find the cited article in your "List of Works Cited." This list goes at the end of your paper, and it is where you include the entire bibliographic reference for each source.

 

Last Update: 12/06/2006
Copyright by Diane Thompson, NVCC,
ELI