PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION

Parenthetical documentation in research is one thing that consistently

gives students problems. Many students view this practice as more difficult
than it really is. The lack of understanding comes from two things: not paying
attention to lecture and not reading and following directions (
). If students would read directions, listen to lecture, and follow instructions,
parenthetical documentation would be a breeze.

The rule on documentation is “first is first” ( ). The

first word of the citation on the Works Cited page is what is used in
parentheses. For example, if a paper source with an author is cited, use the
author’s last name and the page number in parentheses with no comma (
). If the source uses the author’s name in the text, as is mentioned in the
Chirico book, use only the page number ( ). If the source is a work in a
paper without an author listed on the works cited page, use the first word or
first few words of the title. If you use only a few words of the title and not the
entire title, follow the words with an ellipses, and three dots (
). If the source is a source without a page number (Internet, Electric Library,
television show, etc.), use the author’s last name or the title or first few
words of the title following the guidelines citing a title (see above) (
).

By following these simple rules, documenting cited sources will

become much easier. The dependence on documented sources to support
what you say becomes more and more important as education progresses (
). Do it right by following the rules given.

Supply the correct parenthetical documentation in the essay above following lecture
instructions and the guidelines given above. Use the sources listed on the Works Cited page
provided and fill out the parenthetical documentations according to the guidelines listed
below. Make sure to fill in an appropriate page number where necessary.

1st documentation – Use the 5th source

2nd documentation – Use the 2nd source
3rd documentation – Use the 9th source
4th documentation – Use the appropriate source
5th documentation – Use the 7th source
6th documentation – Use the 8th source
7th documentation – Use the 1st source

Works Cited

Alabama. Dept. of Education. Guaranteed Success. 23 Dec. 1997: 3-5.

Bettington, Jack. “First Things First.” WCHS Monthly 28 Feb. 1999: 80-

88.

Chirico, Jean. Write it Right. New York: Norton, 1998. 25-29.

Documentation. New York: Dover, 1994.

Qualls, Becky. Students Make me Crazy. Webb City: High School Pres,

2000.

24-26.

Raymond, Paul, and Stanley Sadie, ed. Writing Across Disciplines. 20

vols. San

Francisco: Macmillan, 1990.

“Renewed Decade of Perfection.” Newsweek 9 June 1995: 150-152.

Student Guidelines for Writing Research. Ed. Allen Collins. Oct. 1996.

University

of California Library. 10 Oct. 2000

http://sks.sirs.com/write/guidelines.

Wallede, Isabel. Documentation is Fun! Writing Rules for Anyone with

Sense 3.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. 109-110.