How to Cite a Telegraph

By today’s standards of electronic speed in communication, it sounds almost quaint: Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph in 1844, and it took less than one full day to transmit the message. Still, thousands of telegraphs remain an important part of American history. To quote one in a research paper, don't forget to cite it -- giving credit to the author -- by following the dictates of the Modern Language Association, which governs papers in the arts and the humanities.

Instructions

    • 1

      Signal your reader that the forthcoming information comes from a source -- rather than you, the researcher -- for an in-text citation: “American politicians often borrow American author Mark Twain’s most famous quote, which Twain actually used in a telegraph he sent from London in 1897: ‘The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.’”

    • 2

      Create the “Works Cited” page at the end of the research paper in a double-spaced format. Make the first line of each documented source flush left and indent every subsequent line of the source five spaces.

    • 3

      Cite the title of author of the telegraph: “Twain, Mark.” Note the period at the end.

    • 4

      Provide an overview of the telegraph so that it can be identified and/or distinguished from others. In this case, “Reports of my death…” might be appropriate. Place these words in italics.

    • 5

      Include the city of origin and the date and/or year of the telegraph next: “London, 1897.”

    • 6

      Clarify the type of source; in this case, it's a telegram: "Telegram."

    • 7

      Put all of the information together: “Twain, Mark. Reports of my death… London, 1897. Telegram.”

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