Grammar and Citation Research papers, essays, and any other written assignment can make a student feel like they’ve stepped

through a portal to the underworld and into the presence of Hades himself. Citation is complicated,

detailed and can be overwhelming when you don’t fully understand what’s going on.

What is interesting is that most citation errors have nothing to do with the citation, but the grammar

contained within the body of the work. Let’s review some common mistakes and help you learn what to

be on the lookout for.

Citation As I mentioned above, many of the mistakes in a research paper

have nothing to do with the citations in the bibliography however,

there are a few things you want to be aware of. First, an

annotated bibliography does not count as a works cited page or a

bibliography for your actual research paper. They are a completely

separate work. Every research paper requires a works cited page

regardless of whether or not you are also doing an annotated

bibliography.

When you are working on citations, refer back frequently to your

handbook to make sure you are using the correct format and style

for citing. Your citations in-text and in the bibliography are

important and even missing a simple thing like a period can cause

you to miss points if your professor is feeling particularly

pernicious. Be detailed in your study of the citation style noting

things like line spacing, margins, page numbering, and font size.

Grammar Here is where we get down to the nitty gritty details of where most points are missed or docked in a

research paper. Most professors will be lenient with occasional mistakes, but if they catch too many of

them, they’ll start to dock points for every single one.

First, we’ll discuss commas and apostrophes. Commas are the bane of Grammar Nazis everywhere.

Most people use them too little or too much and quite frequently in the wrong places altogether. The

only way to fix this is to study a reliable resource or ask someone who knows and then truly internalize

the rules for comma usage. Now to apostrophes; never use an apostrophe to indicate a plural. Ever.

Apostrophes are used to denote a contraction, or the combination of two words where some letters are

removed like ‘they’re’ for ‘they are’, and to denote possession as in, ‘that is Mary’s book.’ Additionally,

remember that possessive pronouns never take the apostrophe. (his, hers, theirs, yours, ours, and its)

Read, Proofread, Re-read, and RE-proofread your paper. Keep

an eye out for the above mentioned faux pas and watch for

capitalization and punctuation mistakes. Again, refer to your

handbook for the capitalization and punctuation rules for any

citations. Be aware of any mis-used homonyms like ‘their’,

‘they’re’, and ‘there’ or ‘to’, ‘two’, and ‘too’. Avoid slang terms

and use only proper academic English.

As you work to learn these rules and others, you will find

yourself able to implement them without thinking about it rather than having to pour over some

handbook to make sure you are following the rules. Persistence pays off and the professors at your

college in National City will be pleased with your progress.

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