MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing by
Reorganized and revised, the third edition of the MLA Style Manual offers complete, up-to-date guidance on writing scholarly texts, documenting research sources, submitting manuscripts to publishers, and dealing with legal issues surrounding publication.
MLA Handbook by
The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Works are published today in a dizzying range of formats. A book, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to in an audio version. On the Web, modes of publication are regularly invented, combined, and modified. Previous editions of the MLA Handbookprovided separate instructions for each format, and additional instructions were required for new formats. In this groundbreaking new edition of its best-selling handbook, the MLA recommends instead one universal set of guidelines, which writers can apply to any type of source. Shorter and redesigned for easy use, the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook guides writers through the principles behind evaluating sources for their research. It then shows them how to cite sources in their writing and create useful entries for the works-cited list. More than just a new edition, this is a new MLA style.
The MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021) is the recommended style manual for French Studies. Check the print version in Stauffer Library - Reference Collection (Ref LB2369 .M52 2021) or MLA Handbook Plus online. Additional style guide examples are listed under Citing sources.
Check out these Queen's Library sites and libguides for other information on citing sources:
The Queen's Writing Centre provides help with brainstorming ideas, creating outlines, improving grammar and style, and thesis statements. Students are advised to book an appointment for one-on-one consultations. The Centre is located in the Stauffer Library as part of Queen's Student Academic Success Services (SASS), which also comprises Learning Strategies.
See the SASS links for Learning Topics and Writing Topics and Writing Handouts/Tip Sheets, including Writing Critical Book Reviews.
Reflective Writing
Reflection means taking some time to examine your thoughts, beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions about your understanding of a topic, a situation or problem. The key questions in reflective thinking are how? and why? rather than just what? In reflective writing, students are asked to write down their personal thoughts.
Reflective Writing (University of Leeds)
Reflective Writing (Royal Roads University)
A bibliography avoids plagiarism and gives credibility to research. Pay attention to details when creating citations. Strive for consistency and accurate information, so interested readers can follow up on citations for reading or further research.
Consider these criteria in evaluating sources:
Level: Do you need an overview of principles, basic terminology, or details? Books and encyclopedias provide an introduction. Articles provide more focused analysis.
Authority: We construct authority as part of our academic culture. For example, peer-review is a mark of work that is acknowledged as authoritative. However, there are other forms of authority such as that of Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers, musicians, artists, and performers. Consider the context of the information to determine whether it can be deemed authoritative.
Context: In what context is the information written: historical, social, political, cultural, musical development, etc. You may be seeking information from multiple contexts.
Perspective: Whose voices are represented? A primary source presents information written by individuals from another time. Is it a secondary source written by a historian interpreting the past? Is it written by a member of the group under examination such as a specific Indigenous nation, types of musicians, or performers from a specific locale. For more: Cooke, N. A. (2017). Posttruth, truthiness, and alternative facts: Information behavior and critical information consumption for a new age. The Library Quarterly, 87(3), 211-221.
Also check: Evaluating Sources Checklist -- Scholarly and Popular Sources -- Evaluating Web Sources -- Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals.