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Citation Guide - MLA9

Why we Cite

Why We Use Citation

We use citation at UWC CSC to demonstrate ethical use of information by citing our sources. If we don't use citation, then we are presenting the works of other people as our own. This is academic misconduct. Citation is a way of showing clearly what words and thoughts are our own, and what words and thoughts belong to other people. 

  • Provides evidence for our arguments
  • Allows readers to trace ideas, concepts, and research back to original sources
  • Required by IBO and UWC CSC
  • Required by all universities 

 

Thief!Paley, Nina. "Thief." Mimi and Eunice, 30 July 2010, mimiandeunice.com/2010/07/30/thief/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023. Cartoon. CC By-SA 3.0

When to cite

When to Cite

  • When we use someone else's exact words or other creative work (such as music, art, data)

  • When we rewrite someone else's ideas using our own words (summarizing or paraphrasing).  

 

Citations consist of 2 parts:

In-Text Citation  A basic in-text citation should be included in the assignment at the point in which the source is used. For example, an in-text citation should be used in the sentence in which an idea was paraphrased, or under the table to show the source of a table's data.
Works Cited List Entry A Works Cited list should be included at the end of the assignment providing full source information for all sources cited in-text.

REMEMBER! Every in-text citation must have a corresponding entry on the Works Cited list.

 

When NOT to cite

When NOT to Cite

  • Common knowledge - The IB defines common knowledge as: "Accepted, basic or common knowledge within a field or subject that does not need to be acknowledged" (Effective Citing and Referencing). An IB example of common knowledge is that Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, this is common knowledge so wouldn't need a citation (Effective Citing and Referencing).
  • Your own ideas/thinking - Your thoughts, ideas, and analysis do not require citations.

Works Cited

Effective Citing and Referencing. International Baccalaureate Organization, Apr. 2022. IBO, www.ibo.org/contentassets/76d2b6d4731f44ff800d0d06d371a892/effective-citing-and-referencing-en.pdf. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Paley, Nina. "Thief." Mimi and Eunice, 30 July 2010, mimiandeunice.com/2010/07/30/thief/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023. Cartoon.