Parenthetical citations:
* Appear within the body of your paper.
* Provide brief information about the source. This typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication, sometimes followed by a page number if you're quoting directly.
* Signal to the reader where you've borrowed information.
* Act as a "roadmap" to the full citation on the Works Cited page.
Works Cited page:
* Appears at the end of your paper.
* Contains a complete list of all sources cited in your paper.
* Provides detailed information about each source, allowing readers to easily locate and verify the information you've used.
* Is organized alphabetically by the first word of each entry.
The relationship:
* Parenthetical citations are like breadcrumbs. They give your reader a taste of the source and point them to the full citation on the Works Cited page.
* The Works Cited page is like the bakery. It provides a comprehensive list of all the sources used in your paper, allowing your reader to see the full information about each one.
Example:
* In the text: "Social media has become a powerful tool for political activism (Smith 2022)."
* On the Works Cited page:
* Smith, John. "The Impact of Social Media on Political Activism." *Journal of Communication*, vol. 72, no. 3, 2022, pp. 455-478.
In essence:
* Parenthetical citations are short and within the paper, while Works Cited is full and at the end.
* Together, they ensure proper attribution and allow readers to find and verify your sources.
Why they are important:
* Avoiding plagiarism: By properly citing your sources, you avoid presenting others' work as your own.
* Building credibility: Accurate citations demonstrate that you've done your research and are using reliable sources.
* Helping readers: Providing a complete and accurate Works Cited page allows your readers to learn more about your sources and potentially use them in their own work.