Purdue University Writing Lab Why Use MLA Format?

Purdue University Writing Lab 1. Cross-Referencing Your Sources Cross-referencing allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate your sources for their own research projects.

Purdue University Writing Lab 2. Using a Consistent Format Using a consistent format helps your reader understand your arguments and the sources they’re built on. It also helps you keep track of your sources as you build arguments.

Purdue University Writing Lab 3. Establishing Credibility The proper use of MLA style shows the credibility of writers; such writers show accountability to their source material.

Purdue University Writing Lab 4. Avoiding Plagiarism Proper citation of your sources in MLA style can help you avoid plagiarism, which is a serious offense. It may result in anything from failure of the assignment to expulsion from school.

Purdue University Writing Lab Where Do I Find MLA Format? MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. Composition textbooks OWL website: owl.english.purdue.edu owl.english.purdue.edu

Purdue University Writing Lab MLA Style: Two Parts Works Cited Page Parenthetical Citations

Purdue University Writing Lab Works Cited Page A complete list of every source that you make reference to in your essay Provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any sources cited in your essay.

Purdue University Writing Lab A Sample Works Cited Page Smith 12 Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Bleak House New York: Penguin, David Copperfield New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, Miller, J. Hillis. Charles Dickens: The World and His Novels. Bloomington: U of Indiana P, Zwerdling, Alex. “Esther Summerson Rehabilitated.” PMLA 88 (May 1973):

Purdue University Writing Lab Most citations should contain the following basic information: Author’s name Title of work Publication information Works Cited

Purdue University Writing Lab Book Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, Print. Article in a Magazine Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: Print. Article in a newspaper Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Print. Works Cited: Some Examples

Purdue University Writing Lab Works Cited List: More Examples The Bible The New Jerusalem Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, Print. A Tweet Brokaw, Tom (tombrokaw). "SC demonstrated why all the debates are the engines of this campaign." 22 Jan. 2012, 3:06 a.m. Tweet.

Purdue University Writing Lab What other types of sources might you need to list on your Works Cited page? Study the basics of MLA citation format. When something odd comes up, look it up. Works Cited

Purdue University Writing Lab When Should You Use Parenthetical Citations? When summarizing facts and ideas from a source  Summarizing means to take ideas from a large passage of another source and condense them, using your own words When paraphrasing a source  Paraphrasing means to use the ideas from another source but change the phrasing into your own words

Look up source on Works Cited… Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., Print. Bain, Julia. “How to Write a Research Paper.” RHS Times Online. Richland Times Inc. 4 Oct Web. 26 Oct Harvey, Sean. English is My Favorite Subject. Richland: Fake House Ltd., Print. Lewis, Nick. This is What Awesome Looks Like: A Memoir. Seattle: Penguin, Print. Tillman, Asia. “How MLA Saved My Life.” Richland Daily Newspaper. 23 Mar A. Print. Purdue University Writing Lab

Anderson, Curtis. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More. New York: Hyperion, Print. Malless, Stanley, and Jeffrey McQuain. Coined by God: Words and Phrases That First Appear in the English Translations of the Bible. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Print. “Biography: Ambrose Bierce.” poetryfoundation.org. Poetry Foundation Web. 14 January Achebe, Chinua. "Uncle Ben's Choice." The Seagull Reader: Literature. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Print. Purdue University Writing Lab