Drzava

I wrote a paper last year detailing (well, not much detail) the war in Kosovo in 1999. It was an extra credit assignment in school run amok and joking with my teacher I said I'd turn in a 20 page thesis on the subject, and I did. I didn't cite any sources throughout the paper but instead used a bibliography at the end where I listed every book and website. I know this is wrong because in books I read there are little numbers that refer to the sources. My question is, how does this work? I want to add another paper about the Balkans to my repertoire, and I want this one to be done right, do any of you have any advice or links on what must be done?

If any of you want to see it: http://www.hoggatt.net/kosovo/kosovopaper.htm It took me one rushed Saturday to write and Sunday morning to read, this time I have a couple months buffer so I can explore more sources and have more info.

Talia_Brie

There are lots of different referencing methods, and the one I used was MLA. You can get hold of the MLA Refencing Handbook at a good school library or university bookshop.

In brief, when you use a quote in text, or are referencing a specific work, you need to acknowledge the author, and the page you drew the information or text from.

It sounds more complicated than it is. The in-text referencing works in conjunction wth the bibliography. So, for example you're using a book called Kosovo on five dollars a day (which is underlined because it's a stand-alone volume. If it was an article it would be in inverted commas), written by Joe Bloggs, Tony Smith, Albert Collins and B. B. King. In the bibliography that would be listed under the authors names, like this:

Bloggs, Joe et al. Kosovo on Five dollars a day, Blues Publishing, London, 1998 (I'm not sure if this format is exactly right, it's been a while, but I know you should include auther, title, publisher and year of publication. You include all this information so that if anyone wants to check up on you, they can find the exact volume you used).

In the text you would use a quote like this:

"I did what I did before love came to Kosovo" (Bloggs et al. 205).

This refers to the author, and the page number from which you drew the quote.

You can also use a quote like:

In Bloggs et al, B. B. King says "The thrill is gone from Kosovo" (123).

Becuase you are using the reference to the authors in the sentance, the brackets at the end note the page number only.

It can become reasonably complex after that because you use different methods to reference magazine articles, and internet publications. If you are using two references from the same author, then there are other issues (in text you need to refer to the year of publication to differentiate between them), and the list goes on.

MLA is a method that is reasonably widespread now, but Harvard referencing is also a highly used method with slight differences (not sure what they are becaus I used MLA).

Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you need any more explanation of this.

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Drzava

Cool, thanks for that. I've done papers where I document quotes, but how does it work if it is not a quote? Is it done based on information the author has gone through a lot of effort to uncover?

"Kosovo is historically important to Serbia." That would remain undocumented whereas, "Kosovo is important to Serbia, but very few people also realize that there is underlying Brasilian and Greenlandic interest in the region as is proven in papers uncovered beneath an alter". This statement, as it is not widely known, would receive a little number next to it, right?

What does MLA stand for, by the way?

Talia_Brie

Yep, a reference and number, even if it's not a direct quote so: (Bloggs, 123).

No idea. Modern Language Association?[/quote]

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Capulet

I'd say use Chicago Style.

Use a citation whenever you're pulling from the thoughts of another, or when you're referencing material from a source they have written.

If you haven't done the research yourself, be sure to cite the person that did. Common knowledge does not need to be referenced. If you find yourself asking, "is this common knowledge?" best to cite it.

here's a link to help you out

http://writing.colostate.edu/referen...cago/index.cfm

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It's not opression when you are protecting the voice of the majority.

-Shawn

Demiurgos

You got that right.

This is a very good paper, and I mean in a sense that it's objective and straightforward - something you'll not find too much around here, concerning the subject. Great job.

NoWorries

I use MLA's arch nemesis, the APA (American Psychological Association) format, which by no means is a better format. I just happen to have been a lover of psychology before english and therefore was indoctrinated in the bureaucracy that is APA format.

MLA is generally used for Writing/Reading subjects and APA for Sociology.

Either is difficult to use, and I wish you could just put, "Bob says...." and be done with it.

Drzava

Thanks Since I am by no means an expert on the matter, I like to browse websites and books, and it is so hard to find non biased sources. Everything is either talking about the plight of the Muslims living there and the evil racist Serbs, or by Serbs saying foreigners are destroying their country and taking it over. As with American politics, it seems like the most vocal are also the most misinformed and the ones with an agenda.

NoWorries, I completely agree. We used the form "according to..." in debate, and if it is good enough for that why not paper? It seems like if anyone cares to check up they could just reference the bibliography.

americanwriter

Get a copy of "The Research Process: A Complete Guide and Reference for Writers" (Second Edition) by Martin Maner. It is a small book, compared to some reference books, and it is packed with lots of stuff on researching and writing, and will give you the precise format to use for your paper, bibliography, including addition of footnotes, etc. It covers the basics of the main styles, APA, CBE, Chicago Manual, and MLA. It tells you how to cite the sources within the document as well and shows what they're supposed to look like.

It gives clear advice about paraphrasing as opposed to direct quotes, and attribution for another's work, how to inset quotes of text more than four lines in length, etc.

If you use it as a guide to help you during the research and writing phase, you'll find the process becomes simpler and actually enjoyable. Good luck with your paper. I wish I had found this book ten years ago.

You can probably find a used copy at Amazon for next to nothing (plus shipping). Definitely worth the price new though.

__________________
To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive -- Robert Louis Stevenson

http://oneamericanlife.blogspot.com

Capulet

If you're getting serious I'd suggest the 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. It's going for pretty cheap on Amazon et al. It'll help you in soooooooooooooooooooo many ways, including documentation.

__________________
It's not opression when you are protecting the voice of the majority.

-Shawn