MLA DOCUMENTATION Adapted from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 6 th Edition

Format Chapter 4 of MLA Handbook Printing/Typing –Times New Roman or Arial –12 point –Print on one side of the page only –White, 8 1/2 X 11 paper –Margins = 1” on all sides –Double-spaced throughout

Heading and Title Do not use a title page Top of the first page give your full name, your instructor’s name, course title, and date each on their own line Center the title that you created (do not underline, put in quotes, type in all caps, or use bold print) Header should appear ½” from the top edge of the page and 1” from the right edge. It should include your last name and the page number. The Works Cited page will be the last page of your paper. Josephson 1 Laura N. Josephson Professor Bennett Humanities 8 May 2003 Ellington’s Adventures in Music and Geography In studying the influence of Latin American, African, and Asian music on modern American composers, 1” 1/2”

In-Text Citations Chapter 6 of MLA Handbook References in the text must clearly point to a specific source in the list of Works Cited. Keep parenthetical references as brief and clear as possible. All parenthetical references must be placed at the end of the sentence.

In-Text Citations Format Place the author’s last name, if given, and the page number from where the quote was taken. If there is no author given, give the first key word(s) in the title. Remember to keep it brief and punctuate correctly.

Example of entry with author/editor It may be true that “in appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary importance” (Robertson 136). It may be true, as Robertson maintains, that “in appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary importance” (136).

Example of entry without author/editor The nine grades of mandarins were “distinguished by the color of the button on the hats of office” (“Mandarin”). A New York Times editorial called Ralph Ellison “a writer of universal reach” (“Death”). A presidential commission reported in 1970 that recent campus protests had focused on “racial injustice, war and the university itself” (Report 3).

Formatting Quotations Chapter 3 of MLA Handbook Quote only words, phrases, lines and passages that are interesting, vivid, unusual. Keep all quotes as brief as possible.

Examples Joseph Conrad writes of the company manager in Heart of Darkness, “He was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect.” OR “He was obeyed,” writes Joseph Conrad of the company manager in Heart of Darkness, “yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect.”

Quotation that is more than 4 typed lines (Blocked Quotes) At the conclusion of Lord of the Flies, Ralph and the other boys realize the horror of their actions: The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. (186)

Ellipsis Used to omit a word, a phrase, a sentence, or more –In surveying various responses to plagues in the Middle Ages, Barbara W. Tuchman writes, “Medical thinking... stressed air as the communicator of disease, ignoring sanitation or visible carriers” (101).

Brackets If you need to add a word or words to a quotation to clarify the information, put the added word(s) in brackets. –He claimed he could provide “hundreds of examples [of court decisions] to illustrate the historical tension between church and state.”

Punctuation When ending the sentence with a period, the period is placed outside the (). –He attacked “taxation without representation” (32). When a quotation ends with a ? or an !, the ? or ! is placed inside the “ “, and the period is placed outside the (). –Did he attack “taxation without representation?” (32).

Works Cited Chapter 5 of the MLA Handbook It appears at the end of the paper on a new sheet. It is the final page of your document. Center the title Works Cited in plain text on your page. The entire document should be double-spaced just like the essay. Each entry should be formatted for hanging indention. The entries should be arranged alphabetically by the first word in the entry.

Works Cited Sample Josephson 15 Works Cited Burnett, James. “Ellington’s Place as a Composer.” Gammond Duke Ellington Estate of Mercer K. Ellington. 3 June Ellington, Duke. The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse Fantasy, ½” 1”

Plagiarism Chapter 2 of MLA Handbook Definition: “the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and the presenting it as one’s own” (Alexander Lindey). Students' Guide to Preventing and Avoiding Plagiarism (created by Long Island University Library)Students' Guide to Preventing and Avoiding Plagiarism All examples taken from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 6 th edition