Parenthetical Citation

Question

I have this crazy High School Senior English teacher who thinks that she is always right. Well, she assigned us a research paper. When talking about the rules of parenthetical citation, she said, "When you cite a source of information you must not use the exact information, you must put it in your own words. If you don't, this is called plagiarism." Now, in my mind, this doesn't make sense. I thought the whole reason for parenthetical citation was to quote a source of information; this is the way that we have been doing it since middle school. Now, I need you "grammar nerds" out there to prove my teacher wrong. I need help finding some websites, so I can correct her mistake.

Enoon · Accepted Answer

What do you mean by "parenthetical citation"? I know of it as a style of documentation, but you seem to think it has something to do with the material being referenced.

KodakCamera · Answer

I mean it such as finding a source of information, quoting that source, crediting that source in the research paper with parenthesis, then crediting the source on a works cited page.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Apparently, you feel that calling people 'grammar nerds' is a good way to motivate volunteers to help you.
Without even a 'please', either.

Clive

KodakCamera · Answer

I'm sorry, it's just that I'm a little angry with my teacher. As for the "grammar nerds" pun, it was meant to entice the reader to answer my question.

Please and thank you to all!

Enoon · Answer

I suspect you misunderstood your teacher. You certainly do not understand what parenthetical citation means if you think that the term refers to a way of paraphrasing or quoting.

You can normally quote material verbatim, but only short snatches that express an idea succinctly or are notable in themselves in some other way, for instance, Lincoln's "last true measure of devotion." The material quoted must be inside quotation marks and must be credited to the source. You can also, of course, use block quotes for excerpts if that is called for, but if you try to pad your word count that way, you will get spanked.

Paraphrasing is plagiarism. You can't just take a paragraph and change some words. You have to have digested the material and then put it in your own words without having the original passage open in front of you. Your citation is not for the words but for the facts. Document only surprising or controversial facts. You don't document that the sun rises in the east. You do document that Washington's favorite dog was Sweet Lips.

Enoon · Answer

Ahem. "Last full measure ...."

Ivanhr · Answer

enoonParaphrasing is plagiarism. You can't just take a paragraph and change some words.

I think you can still do that (and not be called a plagiator) if due credit is given to the author.

Enoon · Answer

Ivanhr enoonParaphrasing is plagiarism. You can't just take a paragraph and change some words.I think you can still do that (and not be called a plagiator) if due credit is given to the author.

No, you can't. You are the author. (The word is plagiarist, by the way.)

Parenthetical Citation

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions