How to Do EVIDENCE & CITATIONS in Essays | In-Text Citations MLA & APA

Summary

This video guides viewers through the essential skill of adding evidence to essays, focusing on its importance in academic writing. The tutorial explains how evidence supports ideas, with tips on sourcing reliable information, paraphrasing, and quoting. The speaker highlights the importance of citing sources in MLA or APA style and provides specific strategies for incorporating evidence effectively. Practical examples are given, including how to handle statistics, quotes, and web articles. The video concludes with reassurance, encouraging students to practice and overcome challenges in using evidence to strengthen their essays.

Takeaways

• 😀 Evidence is information that proves something is true, similar to how evidence is used in a courtroom to support claims.
• 😀 Reliable sources are key when finding evidence for your essays; textbooks and reputable articles are good places to start.
• 😀 Evidence should support your ideas in essays, but it should not overwhelm the content. Aim for 25-50% of a paragraph to be evidence.
• 😀 When adding evidence, you must decide whether to paraphrase or quote. Paraphrasing is generally preferred, but quoting is acceptable in certain situations.
• 😀 Paraphrasing means putting the idea in your own words, while quoting means copying the sentence word-for-word with quotation marks.
• 😀 Use quotes if the language is special or beautiful, if the sentence is from a famous person, or if the terminology is too complex to paraphrase.
• 😀 Always provide a citation when using evidence to show where the information came from. Citations differ based on style (MLA or APA).
• 😀 In MLA style, citations include the author's last name and page number. In APA, they include the author's last name and the year of publication.
• 😀 When citing online sources, if there's no author, use the name of the organization. If no date is listed, use 'n.d.' for 'no date'.
• 😀 MLA style is typically used in humanities classes, while APA style is common in science courses like biology. Each requires a different format for citations.
• 😀 Make sure to list all sources in the Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) page at the end of your essay, following the appropriate citation style.

Q & A

What is the importance of adding evidence to essays?

Adding evidence to essays strengthens your arguments by supporting your ideas with reliable information. It makes your writing more credible and helps you get better grades, especially in academic settings like high school, college, or university.

What is the definition of evidence in the context of essay writing?

Evidence is information that proves something is true. In essay writing, it supports your arguments and makes your ideas more convincing, similar to how evidence is used in a courtroom to prove someone's innocence or guilt.

How do you determine if a source is reliable for evidence?

Reliable sources are those that are trustworthy and provide accurate information. Textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, and expert-authored materials are examples of reliable sources you can use in your essays.

When should you use evidence in an essay?

Evidence should be used to support your ideas within your paragraphs. While most of the paragraph should be your own discussion of the topic, evidence (about 25% of the content) can help to back up your arguments and make them stronger.

What are the two ways to incorporate evidence into an essay?

You can either paraphrase or quote the evidence. Paraphrasing involves rewriting the idea in your own words, while quoting involves copying the sentence exactly as it is from the source, with quotation marks.

In what situations is it better to use a quote instead of paraphrasing?

You should use a quote if the sentence is beautifully written, if it is spoken by a famous person, or if the sentence contains difficult terminology that would be hard to paraphrase without changing its meaning.

What are the differences between MLA and APA citation styles?

MLA style typically includes the author's last name and page number in parentheses, while APA style uses the author's last name and the year of publication. Additionally, MLA is often used in the humanities, while APA is common in sciences like biology.

How do you cite a source when you use evidence from the internet?

For internet sources, if the author is not listed, you use the title of the article or the organization as the author. Since internet articles don't have page numbers, citations will not include a page number, and in APA, you need to include the publication year, or 'n.d.' for no date.

What is the purpose of a citation in an essay?

A citation shows where the evidence came from, allowing readers (like your professor) to trace the original source. It also gives credit to the original author and helps to avoid plagiarism.

What is the significance of creating a list of sources at the end of an essay?

The list of sources, called 'Works Cited' in MLA or 'References' in APA, is essential for providing a detailed account of all the sources you used in your essay. It allows your professor and others to locate the sources you referred to in your writing.