The English teacher in me writes: "Proper" citation depends upon the discipline involved and the specific reading audience. The two main styles used throughout the U.S. are those of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). The two are similar and also significantly different. Every English department uses MLA and social sciences use APA. Each style differs because of the type of sources used and what aspects of those sources are more important. For example, for an in-text citation, MLA requires name and page number but APA requires name and year of publication. MLA is more interested in exactly where the citation came from and APA is more interested in how current the information is. MLA requires a "works cited" page that provides full publication information in a particular order and APA requires a "references list" with information in a different particular order. There are several other styles in use as well.
"How do I cite . . . ?" depends on what audience you're writing for. Regardless of audience, you know some things need to be available for your reader: - The source you used for the information you cite. For a general audience, a simple "signal phrase" at the start of the sentence telling readers where you got it is sufficient. In terms the information frommy grandfather's birth registration, that I read the physical record book in the Horta archives, accessed the same page online via the CCA site, and had Vanda Fraga, a notary in Madalena, Pico, get a certified record for me doesn't really make any difference in terms of the information. All three provided me the same basic information. If I just say where I got it in the sentence, that's probably good enough. - What should the reader be able to do with your source? If the reader should be able to duplicate your method and find the exact same information, then you need to tell the reader exactly where you looked. If there is no reason for the reader to duplicate your effort, there's no need for a formal citation. - If you are publishing an article in a professional journal, your readers have specific expectations of how you cite your sources. Follow those guidelines. Without researching the point at all, I have a hunch genealogy falls within the general umbrella of social sciences, so journals would use APA. Posts to this list would not. Can you tell I'm teaching Freshman Composition online while spending the summer here in the Azores? :-) Tomás Leal -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores.
