Citing Notebook Entries

Notebook entries become sources in some kinds of papers, like the Mystery Story course's Reading Process Paper. If you refer in your paper to your own notebooks, you must cite them as sources, both in the body of the paper, and in the reference list at the end. This is true whether you quote the exact words of your notebooks, or just summarize or paraphrase them. If this surprises you, you may want to look at my web page on avoiding plagiarism.

How to Cite Your Notebooks in the Body of Your Paper

The theory

MLA format follows the author-page method of citation. Your notebook does not have page numbers, so this method of citation means that the author's last name and the date of the notebook must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in your works-cited list (see How to List a Notebook Entry in Your Reference List, below).

Example

In my notebook on Sayers, I discuss the personality of Miss 
Clemson (Thury, July 23, 1999).

How to List a Notebook Entry in Your Reference List

The theory

     Author(s). Course Number "Notebook Entry." Date of Entry. 

Example

     Thury, Eva. LIT xxx Notebook Entry. July 23, 1999.

If your notebook has parts or sections, you will want to indicate this in your citation. In this case, you need an entry for each section of your notebook cited:

     Thury, Eva. HUM 105 Notebook Entry to GBWD screen pool1. October 24, 2001.

       ------    HUM 105 Notebook Entry to GBWD screen sex1. October 24, 2001.