Tag: acknowledgments

From The Onion, 4 Copy Editors Killed in Ongoing AP Style, Chicago Manual Gang Violence

Here’s a piece written by an E110 student in 2018 that is (a) an interesting and well-written essay in itself, and (b) offers some useful examples of how to cite sources and acknowledge support.

Citations

The main point of citing sources in a critical essay is to allow your readers to go the moment in a text you are quoting or discussing, and thus to gain a sense of context for what you are saying.

Almost all citation styles ask you to identify four aspects of texts:

• Author (Who)
• Title (What)
• Place (Where)
• Date (When)

Beyond that, the differences between the various styles tend to come down to questions of typing: the order the elements come in, the punctuation between them, etc. You should thus feel free to use any citation style in this class that you you feel comfortable with. (I know that many high school AP English classes drill students in the MLA style.) But if you don’t feel committed to a particular style, I recommend Chicago—which is simple,spare, and used broadly throughout the humanities, social sciences, and journalism (and also not all that different from MLA).

With any citation style, you need to attend to the protocol for citing pieces (1) in the main body of your essay, and (2) in the list of references (or Works Cited) at its end.

• In-text: When you quote from a film or article, or when your writing depends on a particular piece, make sure you identify (a) the article or film you are referring to, and (b) where your quotation comes from in it (either a time stamp, page reference, or other marker of where the quotation appears in the text). Generally, all you need to do is to put the number of the page you are quoting from in parentheses at the end of our sentence. When you closely summarize a particular passage from a text, also include page references.
• End-of-Text: Compose a list of references, arranged alphabetically by author (or director), at the end of your piece. These do not need to be on a separate page. Simply skip an extra line, create a subheading titled References, and type in your sources.

In pairs: Read your partner’s text carefully. Every time they refer to or quote from another text, check to make sure they have both an in-text and end-of-text citation.

Acknowledgments

Please compose a note of acknowledgements in which you recognize and thank the people—classmates, friends, family members, TAs, Writing Center tutors, teachers, and others —who have helped you research, draft, revise, and polish  your piece. This list of influences can go back as far as you feel is appropriate. It should certainly be more than a simple list of names. Say something about how various people have helped you as you thank them. Be gracious, generous. This is a space of celebration.

To Do

1. Wed, 10/23, class: I mean it this time. Post the final version of your first essay to the folder on Google Drive, and bring a print copy with you to class.