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Where to Find Sources | Citing Sources Overview | Verb List and Sample Sentences | Student Samples 

Let's start with two definitions

Primary Source: The actual literary text you are writing about.  In an essay on John Updike's "A&P," the primary source would be "A&P."  In an essay on Hamlet, the primary source would be Hamlet.

Secondary Source: In literature, this refers to letters, notes, or journals from the author, essays or books by critics, historical documents, etc., which are used when writing a research paper to support your ideas. The primary source would be the work (Hamlet, "My Last Duchess," "Everyday Use," etc.) itself.

Broadly, you have two choices for secondary sources: literary criticism (professor's interpretations of the work -- much like your own work) or non-literary sources which are connected to your topic -- the work itself.

What kind of/Where to add a source . . . .

Keep focused on your goal: finding support for a specific argument in a specific paragraph -- which usually entails searching for terms that reference a specific division or thesis word.

For example, if writing about "Shiloh," you could use an essay on the role of communication in relationships which never even mentions "Shiloh," but helps prove your point and works well in your essay.

Likewise, a secondary source for "Cathedral" may address the role of physical contact in human behavior.

The takeaway? Use divisions and thesis NOT the subject ("Gimpel the Fool," The Things They Carried) as search terms.

Instructions on citing sources are in your textbooks, on the Citing Sources link, and on the How to Add a Secondary Source page.


Where to Find Sources
For most academic writing, general online sources from the open web are generally not scholarly and should not be used.

Let me repeat that: for most academic writing, general online sources from the open web are generally not scholarly and should not be used.

In case you misunderstood the previous two sentences . . . .

To make it clear, do not use quotes from the open web (as in sources found through an open web search via Google, etc.). Wikipedia is not considered a scholarly source nor are general encyclopedias (Britannica, etc.) and dictionaries. If you choose to use these sources, the highest grade you can receive is a D.

Whew!

What to use instead of Google? For information on psychological topics (communication in "Shiloh;" coping on the battlefield; narrative's role in easing stress, etc.), see Academic Search Premier, PsycARTICLES, Psychology Collection.

Two fine online databases from our library for historical information are Facts on File and the Oxford Reference Collection.

For specific essays on the literary work, try the Literature Resource Center and Literary Reference Center (in that order) from the Library Links to the left.

Textbooks (Intro to Socoiology, Intro to Anthropology, Intro to Psychology) are an often overlooked but very good source.

So . . . to recap resources for secondary sources:

  1. Academic Search Premier; PsycARTICLES, Psychology Collection (OCC library database): general essays on a variety of topics (role of humor, effects of communication, coping with violence, what's needed for love, etc.)
    Here's a great video that walks you through how to narrow down your search and effectively use this database.
  2. Oxford Reference Collection (OCC library database): short descriptions/definitions of social science, phsychological, economic, etc. terms 
  3. Facts on File (OCC library database): for historical information -- use instead of wikipedia or an encyclopedia
  4. Literature Resource Center (OCC library database): specific information on particular literary works
  5. Literary Reference Center (OCC library database): specific information on particular literary works
  6. Textbooks (particularly psychology, sociology, anthropology and history)
  7. Other print sources associated with your topics

Sources to not use unless you want an automatic D, the open internet (i.e. Wikipedia,


Citing Sources Overview

Citing Sources Quiz (PDF)

"When do I cite a source?"
Whenever you include a word, phrase, or idea from a source, it needs to be cited. That source can include a web page, classroom lecture, an interview with your Uncle Pete, quote or summary from a book, magazine, etc. And note that I wrote "a" word -- singular. Even a single word from someone else, when included in your own essay, needs to be set off with quotation marks and then cited.

"How do I cite using MLA?"
The number two is important to remember when using MLA citation because it consists of two parts: an in-text citation (which includes the author and page number) and works cited entry, as shown in the examples below:

1) Sample In-Text Citation (the part that goes in your essay)

Significantly, Sammy makes this decision, and according to Ronald E. McFarland, "achieves a certain degree of heroism" (61), at an A&P, an American institution which symbolizes the kind of mindless obedience that Sammy is fighting.

Note that the author's name and page number is enclosed in parenthesis (no p. or page is needed) and that the period goes to the right. If this was an HTML based source, no page number would be cited.

2) Sample Works Cited Entry (the part that goes on a separate page at the end) for In-text Citation above

McFarland, Ronald. "Updike and the Critics: Reflections on

'A&P'.""A&P". Ed. Wendy Perkins. Harcourt Brace College

Publishers, 1998, pp.  56-62.

Together, these two parts let the reader know who wrote your article, where they can find it, and approximately how long the article is.

This two part citation method works like a code. In general, the reader looks for the author's name and page number in the in-text citation, and then goes to the works cited entry for additional information. Your job is to supply the correct parts of the code in the correct order. You have to be sure that the name/word you include in your in-text citation will match the first word of one of your works cited entries. Thus, the word "McFarland" in the in-text example above matches the word "McFarland" in the sample works cited entry. Get it? Readers would know that the information before the citation is from a writer named "McFarland." If they wanted to check your source, they would turn to the Works Cited page and scan the first word of the alphabetically arranged list of Works Cited entries until the word "McFarland" appeared. 

You must correctly document your sources to receive a passing grade. I'm more than willing to help you with this: just check with me.


List of Verbs and Example Sentences

See the Citing Sources link on the course site for detailed instructions on citing sources for held by OCC library.

Below you'll find a list of verbs which are often used to incorporate quotes into sentences and a list of sentences including sources.

Use both as tools to help you work quotes into your own prose.

These verbs can also come in handy when providing context and for shifting into arguments.

add
agree analyze answer argue

believe charge
claim comment conclude consider

criticize declare describe define discover emphasize

explain
feels illustrate imply indicate
list

maintain mention |note observe object
offer

point out reinforce report
reply respond reveal

show
stress suggest support think
write

What follows are a series of sentences which successfully incorporate an outside source. Review these to get a sense of the rhythm and cadence involved in setting up a quote and how the verb list above can help "launch" a quote. These sentences conclude with a works cited page which would be needed if these quotes were included in a single essay.

From the beginning of the text, Bradford sets the Puritans apart from others. He writes that "many became enlightened by the Word of God and had their ignorance and sins discovered" (157). Separating the "enlightened" from what seems to be the unenlightened makes a clear "us v. them" distinction.

The power of O'Connor's "The Revelation" is derived from its moral tenacity. As the writer Joyce Carol Oates observes, the story "questions the very foundations of our assumptions of the ethical life" (52). Since Mrs. Turpin's "foundation" was based upon a shallow and limited view of religion, she was ripe for a fall.

Although some critics argue that surrealism began in 1924 after the publication of the Surrealist Manifesto by Andre Breton (Kershner 52), Kafka's work, published a decade earlier, shares many qualities of surrealist art, and should be considered a precursor to the later movement.

The critics David Boxer and Cassandra Phillips also note Carver's seeming lack of style. They write that "what seems to be casual talk, virtually empty of communication, is really very deliberately and finely wrought" (99). This emphasis on the craft of his fiction -- it is "deliberately and finely wrought" -- underscores the nature of Carver's oxymoronic talent: he made conversation seem so natural that it seems to merely record what is being said.

As Dickens wrote in an essay published in the same decade as Hard Times, "It is probable that nothing will ever root out from among the common people an innate love they have for dramatic entertainment in some form or other" (305-306). That Lousia and Tom, members of the upper-class, would also find amusement in the circus shows that the differences between classes -- between people -- is not as well defined as we would think.

F. R. Leavis argues that the circus performers are symbols of "human spontaneity" (344). As such, they operate according to emotions rather than from the slow and measured intellect of Gradgrind.

Mitchell Domhnal notes that "some critics allege that to read Dickinson in any standard typographic edition is effectively to read her in translation." This suggests that the usual method of reading a poem in a textbook isn't the best way to read Dickinson.

Leypoldt Gunter argues that there are "two types of Carver stor[ies]," with one being realistic and the other more experimental (320).


Instructions on how to set up these entries are found on the Citing Sources link (on the left).


Student Samples

Example 1
Rachel Bertholf shows how a non literary source can help readers understand Gimpel's" prudence."

Throughout the story Gimpel exhibits prudence, an attribute of wisdom. To have prudence means to go about practical matters with caution, a characteristic lacking in a fool. An example of Gimpel's prudence is when he heard a dog barking on his way home from school. He thought to himself, "I'm not afraid of dogs, but of course I would never want to start up with them. One of them may be mad" (278).  So Gimpel turned tail and ran, taking the precaution that the dog had rabies without ever setting eyes on the dog. Gimpel was not running from the dog itself, but was running from the deadly disease, rabies, that the dog might have been carrying.  Is his reaction really foolish? As sociologist Ken Flieger notes, "The cry 'mad dog' has long been a warning literally to run for your life, because mad dog meant rabies and rabies meant death." Despite the fact that it was not a real dog barking, Flieger's comment suggests that Gimpel's reaction is not foolish because there might have been a real dog with a deadly disease in the market place. Gimpel's sprint for life shows that he is serious and cautious about such a deadly disease and takes the necessary precautions to protect himself.

Example 2

Physical touch is a strong communicator. It can make a person feel cared for, violated, or a number of emotions in between. Scientist Alberto Gallace believes that touch plays an important role in our well-being. He argues that "even the briefest of touches from another person can elicit strong emotional experiences" (247). The reaction to touch is predicated on your perception of the touch, so had the narrator still felt uncomfortable with Robert the reaction would have been negative. Instead he is open and willing to participate in drawing because his perceptions have already been altered.

Example 3

Flawed coping mechanisms can also lead to problems in marraiges.  And with the death of Randy at the beginning of their marriage, both Leory and Norma are confronted with a catostrophic emotional loss.  Throughout the story Mason, shows the fallout from their problematic coping. Men tend to grieve through actions rather than words.  Leroy, faced with the death of his son, takes to the road and spends 15 years behind the wheel of a semi as a cross country trucker.  Other common coping strategies include self medication to numb themselves to the pain, often with recreational drugs or alcohol.  Following this pattern, the narrator notes that "Leroy likes to lie on the couch and smoke a joint" (69).  Norma reacts differently to the grief; she uses body building to feel strong and in control to compensate for the lack of strength and control she has over her life.  In addition to strengthening her body, she begins attending night school to improve her mind. 

The problem with both of these coping methods is that Norma and Leroy should be working as a couple to improve their relationship. Instead, they are suppresseing their feelings. Psychologists have noted this is common when people deal with an infant's death. In Recovering from the Loss of a Child  Katherine Fair Donnelly writes "After a child has died, there is an underlying need to find out the why? Because no satisfactory answer is found, a parent often directs this anger toward the spouse. This is how the parent uses grief in the most negative way" (88). Leroy and Norma Jean have no answer to the death of Randy; instead they follow the common negative script noted by Fair Donnelly and direct their hostility and resentfulness towards each other.  This anger, long suppressed through their flawed coping strategies, is a critical part of the problems in their relationship. Instead of dealing with their loss as a couple, they went off to lick their wounds and heal on their own.

Incorporating literary criticism into your work

The examples below are from student essays.

Rough Draft: Example 4

Sammy is an everyday hero because his character is flawed. Traditionally, a hero is a supreme being who always achieves in defeating adversaries and providing a happy ending. In reality, heroes of such epic proportions do not exist. Sammy is a realistic hero because while his intentions are righteous and he acts gallantly, he still fails in getting the girl. A traditional hero would have whisked the girl away, defeated the defeated the bad guy, Lengel, and become the new and most celebrated manager of the A&P. The flaws in Sammy's character are seen clearly when in sticking up for the girls Sammy falters and instead of saying something great he mumbles, "I started to say something that came out 'fiddle-de-do'." (18). When Sammy finally makes it outside the girls are gone. Now it is evident that Sammy is a realistic hero because the guy does not always get the girl, and can become tongue-tied just like everyone else.

Final Draft with Source: Example 5

Sammy is an everyday hero because his character is flawed. Traditionally, a hero is a supreme being, always succeed in defeating adversaries leaving readers with a happy ending. In reality, heroes of such epic proportions do not exist. Instead, Sammy is a more realistic hero because while his intentions, on the surface, are righteous -- he Lengel "You didn't have to embarrass them" (18) -- his behavior -- calling a customer a "witch" (14), focusing on the girls' body parts -- reveals not a hero but a stereotypical young adult male who has no patience for others and who views women as sex objects. His flaws are also seen when he tries to respond to Lengel's "It was they who were embarrassing us" (18). Instead of a clever come back, he falters, and mumbles "something that came out 'fiddle-de-do'" (18). This response humanizes him: we've all had that moment when we need a great come back, but become tongue-tied. These flaws invest his actions with a realism that fits the situation: a young man whose conscience has awakened and who, as the critic Gilbert Porter suggests, "has chosen to live honestly and meaningfully" (66). In the tradition of the classic unsung America hero who rides out of town, Sammy makes his stand at an American institution -- A&P -- and, according to Ronald E. McFarland, "achieves a certain degree of heroism" (61).

Works Cited

McFarland, Ronald. "Updike and the Critics: Reflections on  'A&P'." "A&P," edited by Wendy Perkins,  Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. pp. 56-62.

Porter, M. Gilbert. "John Updike's 'A&P'; The Establishment and an Emersonian Cashier."  "A&P," edited by Wendy Perkins,  Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. pp.62-66.

Updike, John. "A&P." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, edited by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, Longman, 2002, pp. 14-19.

Note how the revision both refocused the paragraph on Sammy's flaws, and then added an outside source to support the idea in the paragraph.

Final Draft Example 6

Sammy is an everyday hero because his character is flawed. Just like everyone else in the world, Sammy has imperfections. For instance, his chauvinistic view of women marks him as a character in need of an attitude adjustment. When he poses the question "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)" (15), it's clear that Updike is fashioning a character who is burdened, much like others, with prejudices. This shows that, just like everyone else in the world, Sammy has imperfections. Updike, choosing a first person narrator that allows readers to "hear" Sammy's thoughts, puts these imperfections on display. Yet it is these same flaws that make him a realistic hero. His heroism is not of the rescue-a-woman-from-a-burning-building variety. Instead, he is an ordinary boy with an ordinary job whose courage forces him to quit his job because of Lengel's treatment of the girls. In fitting with his ordinary character, he decides to speak against an action that, as Updike notes in an interview "seems suddenly cruel and unethical," (qtd. Murray 34). In choosing to quit a job over the treatment of people he does not know, Sammy joins the long line of everyday heroes who stand up for others, regardless of the consequences.

Works Cited

Murray, Donald. "Interview with John Updike." "A&P." A&P," edited by Wendy Perkins,  Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. pp. 33-37.

Updike, John. "A&P." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, edited by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, Longman, 2002, pp. 14-19.