Types of Sources and the Works Cited Page

New ideas and new research builds on information and work done by previous writers and researchers. Essays written about creative literature such as short stories, novels, plays and poetry, strive to think critically about a work of art and point out interesting elements going on in the work. This is literary criticism, and it is practiced by serious scholars. It should not be confused with criticism that means simply to find fault in someone's writing.

Writers of papers must always give credit to sources being used in the paper to acknowledge the original material and to avoid plagiarism. But writers must also provide a service to their readers by indicating where readers can find the same sources of information for themselves. The method of documenting sources varies according to academic disciplines. For example, papers in the social sciences often use the APA style, APA means that the style has been recommended by the American Psychological Association. The style that is used most widely in the humanities is MLA style (MLA is an abbreviation for Modern Language Association).

MLA style tells readers of an essay where specific source information comes from. The sources appear in signal phrases and parenthetical messages that match a list found at the end of the essay called a "Works Cited" page.

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