Why Are Citations Needed?
Citations are not merely technical devices added at the end of a research paper; they are foundational to the very structure, ethics, and epistemology of academic writing. In the context of Chapter 4 of the MLA Handbook, which focuses on the formal presentation of research, citations function as both ethical markers and structural components that transform a written document into a scholarly text. They signal responsibility, accountability, intellectual positioning, and methodological transparency.
1. Citations as Ethical Accountability
At the most fundamental level, citations are required to acknowledge intellectual debt. Academic research is cumulative; every argument, theory, or interpretation emerges within a field shaped by prior scholars. When a writer incorporates another author’s ideas—whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or conceptual influence—citation ensures that credit is properly assigned.
Without citation, borrowed material becomes indistinguishable from original thought, resulting in plagiarism. Chapter 4 emphasizes the consistent and visible placement of in-text citations and corresponding entries in the Works Cited page precisely because academic integrity depends on clarity of authorship. In this sense, citation is an ethical practice: it publicly recognizes that knowledge production is collaborative rather than individualistic.
2. Citations as Intellectual Transparency
Research writing requires transparency. Readers must be able to see how claims are constructed and on what foundations they rest. Citations function as evidence trails: they show the sources from which data, arguments, or interpretations are drawn.
This transparency serves two qualitative purposes:
It allows readers to evaluate the credibility and authority of sources.
It makes the research process open rather than concealed.
Chapter 4’s emphasis on formatting—clear parenthetical references and precise Works Cited entries—ensures that this transparency is not disrupted by ambiguity or inconsistency. The formal system of documentation therefore supports intellectual clarity.
3. Citations as Participation in Scholarly Dialogue
Academic writing is dialogic. It is not an isolated expression of opinion but an intervention within an existing scholarly conversation. Citations demonstrate how a writer positions their work relative to other scholars—whether by supporting, extending, challenging, or revising previous interpretations.
Through citation, a research paper becomes part of an ongoing discourse. It acknowledges that knowledge is historically situated and socially constructed. Chapter 4’s formatting rules are significant here because they standardize this participation. By adhering to MLA conventions, the writer ensures that their work is legible within the academic community.
Thus, citation is not only about avoiding plagiarism; it is about situating oneself within an intellectual tradition.
4. Citations as Structural Organization
In Chapter 4, citations are closely linked to the formal structure of the research paper. The relationship between in-text citations and the Works Cited page creates coherence between the body of the paper and its documentation.
This structure performs several qualitative functions:
It reinforces logical flow by linking claims to sources.
It enhances readability by providing concise parenthetical references.
It ensures systematic organization of scholarly material.
The formatting conventions—such as alphabetical arrangement, hanging indentation, and standardized entry components—are not arbitrary. They create uniformity and accessibility, enabling readers to locate information efficiently. In this way, citation contributes to the formal integrity of academic writing.
5. Citations as Epistemological Responsibility
Beyond ethics and structure, citations reflect a deeper epistemological principle: knowledge must be verifiable. A claim without a source remains assertion; a claim with citation becomes evidence-based argumentation. Academic disciplines value replicability, verification, and critical examination. Citations allow others to revisit sources, reinterpret evidence, and continue the conversation.
In this sense, citation sustains the continuity of scholarship. It ensures that research remains accountable to standards of proof and reasoning rather than personal belief.
Conclusion
Citations are needed because they perform multiple interrelated functions: they uphold ethical responsibility, provide intellectual transparency, situate the writer within scholarly discourse, organize the formal structure of the paper, and sustain the verifiability of knowledge. In the framework of Chapter 4, citation is not an optional decorative feature but a defining characteristic of academic research writing.
A research paper without citation lacks legitimacy and authority. With proper citation, however, it becomes part of an accountable, structured, and intellectually rigorous academic tradition.
Short note MLA Style
MLA Style refers to the system of documentation and manuscript preparation recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA) for scholarly writing and student research papers. It provides detailed guidelines concerning the mechanics of writing, including punctuation, quotation practices, formatting, and especially the documentation of sources.
What Is the MLA?
Founded in 1883, the Modern Language Association is a major academic organization in the United States dedicated to the study and teaching of languages and literature. In addition to organizing annual conventions and publishing academic journals such as Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, the MLA produces authoritative style guides.
Its key publications include:
The MLA Handbook – primarily for high school and undergraduate students.
The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing – especially intended for graduate students and scholars.
Who Uses MLA Style?
MLA style is widely used in the humanities, particularly in fields such as:
English Language and Literature
Foreign Language and Literature
Literary Criticism
Comparative Literature
Cultural Studies
It is less common in disciplines like psychology and education, where formats such as APA style are preferred.
Core Features of MLA Style
MLA style provides a system of cross-referencing between:
In-text (parenthetical) citations
Works Cited page
This system allows readers to identify and locate the complete publication details of any source cited in the text.
In-Text Citation Format
When quoting or paraphrasing a source, MLA uses a parenthetical reference that includes:
(Author’s Last Name Page Number)
Example:
“I am an invisible man” reflects the narrator’s social invisibility (Ellison 3).
If the author’s name appears in the sentence, only the page number is included in parentheses.
Works Cited Entry Format
Each in-text citation corresponds to a full entry on the Works Cited page. The general format for a book is:
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example:
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. Vintage International, 1995.
Conclusion
MLA style is a standardized system designed to ensure clarity, consistency, and academic integrity in scholarly writing. By providing structured rules for citation and formatting, it enables writers to acknowledge sources properly and allows readers to verify and consult the referenced materials efficiently.
Choose a topic of your choice and create an annotated bibliography containing at least 8 varied qualitative source types pertaining to that topic.
Annotated Bibliography: The Ethics of AGI (Corrected)
1. Book
Bostrom, Nick. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford UP, 2014.
Bostrom provides a foundational philosophical inquiry into what happens when AI surpasses human intelligence. He argues that an "intelligence explosion" could lead to a goal-alignment problem, where an AGI’s objectives conflict with human survival. This source is crucial for understanding the "existential risk" framework. Bostrom (115) emphasizes that we only have one chance to get the initial conditions of AGI right, making the qualitative analysis of "will" and "motivation" in machines a central ethical concern.
2. Journal Article
Cave, Stephen, and Seán S. ÓhÉigeartaigh. "Bridging Near-Term and Long-Term AI Ethics." Nature Machine Intelligence, vol. 1, no. 1, 2019, pp. 5-7.
This peer-reviewed article seeks to reconcile the divide between researchers focusing on immediate AI harms (bias, privacy) and those focusing on future AGI risks. The authors argue that these two fields are deeply interconnected through the lens of "accountability." By analyzing the qualitative shifts in how we define machine agency, Cave and ÓhÉigeartaigh suggest that today’s algorithmic biases are precursors to the much larger control problems presented by future AGI systems.
3. Book Chapter
Russell, Stuart. "The Purpose Put into the Machine." Possible Minds: Twenty-Five Ways of Looking at AI, edited by John Brockman, Penguin Press, 2019, pp. 20-32.
In this chapter, Russell re-evaluates the standard model of AI—where machines optimize a fixed objective. He proposes a new qualitative approach where the machine is explicitly uncertain about human preferences. Russell (28) posits that an AGI must be "humbly" designed to observe human behavior to learn our values. This source is vital for its focus on the "Human-Compatible" design philosophy, shifting the ethical focus from absolute machine control to human-value alignment.
4. News Article
Klein, Ezra. "The Alarming Anticipation of A.I." The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2023,
Klein explores the societal "vibe shift" following the release of Large Language Models (LLMs), moving from skepticism to a sense of inevitability regarding AGI. He interviews industry leaders to capture the qualitative sense of "acceleration" currently felt in the tech sector. The article is valuable for documenting the psychological impact on the public and the growing demand for regulatory pauses, highlighting the tension between corporate competition and global safety.
5. Video
"The A.I. Dilemma." YouTube, uploaded by Center for Humane Technology, 9 Mar. 2023,
Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, the creators of The Social Dilemma, present an argument regarding the "Second Contact" of AI. They draw qualitative parallels between the way social media algorithms eroded democracy and how AGI could erode the "language-based" fabric of reality. This video source is essential for visualizing the speed of AI development and understanding the argument that AGI doesn't need to be "sentient" to be profoundly transformative or destructive to human institutions.
6. Encyclopedia Entry
Müller, Vincent C. "Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, Summer 2020 ed., Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2020, plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-ai/.
This comprehensive entry provides the theoretical and historical context for AI ethics. It distinguishes between "Narrow AI" and "AGI," tracing the qualitative debate from Alan Turing to modern functionalism. This source is highly useful for grounding contemporary ethical fears in long-standing philosophical traditions, such as the "Chinese Room" argument, which questions whether a machine that simulates understanding can ever truly possess moral status or genuine "consciousness."
7. Webpage
"The Asilomar AI Principles." Future of Life Institute, 2017, futureoflife.org/open-letter/ai-principles/.
This webpage outlines 23 principles for the safe and ethical development of AI, signed by thousands of researchers including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. It categorizes ethics into "Research Issues," "Ethics and Values," and "Long-term Issues." It serves as a qualitative benchmark for international consensus on AGI, emphasizing that "superintelligence should only be developed in the service of widely shared ethical ideals." It is a primary source for the policy and governance side of AI ethics.
8. Image
The AI Index 2024: Technical Performance. Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered AI, 2024. Infographic. AI Index Report 2024, aiindex.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Stanford-AI-Index-Report-2024_Summary.pdf.
This infographic visually maps the rapid closing of the gap between AI and human performance across benchmarks like reading comprehension and visual reasoning. Qualitatively, the image communicates the "plateauing" of human superiority in cognitive tasks. It helps the researcher visualize the "acceleration" mentioned in other texts, providing a data-driven visual that serves as a warning for how quickly the transition from Narrow AI to AGI is occurring in real-time.
Choose a research article on any one of the following identities: refugees, immigrants, women writers, queer poets, tribal communities. Study the introductory section of that article and identify whether the section adheres to one or more of the 7 principles of inclusive language as discussed by the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook. Justify your observations.
Here, I’m choosing this article on Tribal Communities.
Barnes, Stuart J., and Jan Mattsson. “Building Tribal Communities in the Collaborative Economy: An Innovation Framework.” Prometheus, vol. 34, no. 2, 2016, pp. 95–113. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1080/08109028.2017.1279875 . Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
The Introduction section of the article largely adheres to the Seven Principles of Inclusive Language discussed in the MLA Handbook (9th ed.). The evaluation is as follows:
First, the section uses bias-free language. It does not contain discriminatory or stereotypical references to gender, race, class, nationality, or any other identity category. Terms such as “individuals,” “organisations,” “consumers,” “participants,” and “entrepreneurs” are neutral and professional.
Second, the text avoids the use of generic masculine pronouns. It does not use “he,” “his,” or “man” to represent all people. Instead, it uses plural and neutral expressions like “participants” and “unknown parties,” which align with MLA’s recommendation to maintain gender neutrality.
Third, the section respects self-identification by not imposing identity labels on any group. Since the article focuses on economic and business models rather than identity categories, there is no problematic naming or misrepresentation.
Fourth, the language does not imply superiority or deficit. No group is portrayed as inferior or less capable. Even when discussing “unknown parties,” the term is used in an economic context and does not carry negative judgment.
Fifth, the article avoids unnecessary labels. It does not mention social, cultural, or demographic categories that are irrelevant to the topic. All terms used are directly related to the research focus.
Sixth, the section uses generally culturally neutral and global language, referring to “societies,” “economies,” and “global scale.” Although one example focuses on Austin, Texas, the language itself does not exclude or marginalize other regions.
Seventh, the writing is precise and avoids generalizations. The claims are supported by citations, and careful phrases such as “one purported alternative” and “a recent study suggests” show responsible academic writing.
In conclusion, the Introduction section strongly adheres to the principles of inclusive language outlined in the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), particularly in maintaining neutrality, avoiding bias, and using gender-inclusive expressions.
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