<p>Hello, I would like to know how it is you use parenthetical citations when quoting an online dictionary. I can’t find a clear cut answer out of my book and the rest of the web was no help. Here’s the example.</p>
<p>According the Merriam-Webster dictionary, success is defined as “a favorable or desired outcome” and “the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.” (merriam-webster.com).</p>
<p>Is this correct or do I even have to include the source in parenthesis?</p>
<p>It’s redundant to include a parenthetical citation if you reference them when introducing the source, which you have done here.</p>
<p>If this is for a college essay, keep in mind that many of my English teachers have said citing the dictionary is a horrible idea; Especially as a hook/introduction sentence. </p>
<p>Starting your essay off by defining a word is an absolutely hackneyed technique. Rest assured, by the time the admissions officers read your essay, they will have seen this technique hundreds of times. </p>
<p>I would recommend that you do something new should you wish to get noticed…</p>
<p>And, there is no need for parenthetical citations (I won’t even go into that as it’s already mentioned above). </p>
<p>This isn’t something that’s likely to set you apart. I’m guessing you’re going somewhere in the direction of “The dictionary defines success as _<strong><em>, but the reality of success is actually more along the lines of _</em></strong>.”</p>
<p>If you do decide to stick with this theme, I don’t think you’d even really need to ‘cite’ anything. You could just as easily say that “success is defined as ___________” and omit any kind of citation at all. It’s not necessary. People understand that definitions come from dictionaries. That aside, if you include a leading citation in the text, you don’t need to cite it a second time after the definition. Depending on the format, you’d use a parenthetical to specify a page number (for a paper source). But even that would be redundant with a dictionary. There is more than one version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and the page numbers surely are not going to line up across all of them. Luckily, the dictionary is alphabetized. ;)</p>
<p>As others have said, citing the dictionary in an academic paper is typically considered a no-no. </p>