English 1 –CP Plumb

 MLA is the format in which academic essays are written in high school and college.  MLA uses a set of rules for consistency in formatting and citing resources.  MLA helps prevent plagiarism.  MLA helps YOU in your research.

 MLA Heading—1 st page  MLA Headers—from 1 st page forward. Do not put a P. or Pg. in front of page number—only your last name and number Example: Plumb 1  Double –space the ENTIRE paper  Font—Time New Roman, 12-point  Margins—one inch on left and right sides, top and bottom of the page.

1. ALWAYS keep a back-up copy on disk or zip drive as well as a hard copy of your paper. It’s a good idea to create a folder on your hard-drive to store papers.

Heading must be in the upper LEFT corner and includes: Your first and last name Teacher name and block (i.e. 1A) Name of class (i.e. English 1-CP) Date-European style ( i.e.11 June 2012)

*Double-space heading *Double-space one time then CENTER the title of your essay. *Indent (hit tab) for the first line of EACH paragraph. Double-space between each paragraph

 Double-space throughout the entire paper, including quotations, notes, outline, and the works cited page

This is your introduction The paragraph should have at least 3- 4 complete sentences. The last sentence in the introduction is your thesis statement. This sentence lets the reader know what your paper is about.

 Your thesis statement will have three points in it. These three points organize the body paragraph of essay.  Your thesis needs to be specific  Your thesis should only cover what you will be writing about in your essay.

 The topic sentence is the first sentence of each of the body paragraphs of your essay.  Follow the 3 points in your thesis statement to create your topic sentences.  Topic sentences are important because they tell the reader what to expect in your body paragraphs.

 Focus on a main point.  Aim for a one-sentence summary of what your paragraph will be about.  Keep your point clear to the reader.  Let the reader know what to expect in your paragraph.  All the sentences in your body paragraph must relate to your topic sentence.

 Your essay is required to have three body paragraphs.  Each body paragraph should be about one of the three points in your THESIS statement.  Your body paragraphs need to be presented in the same order as the points in your THESIS, so you do not confuse your reader.

 This is the fifth and final paragraph in your five-paragraph essay.  The conclusion should recall the main ideas presented in your essay.  Think of the conclusion as a summary for your essay.  Look back to your introduction for ideas for your conclusion.

Text evidence means using quotes form your sources to “back up” your own good ideas in your essay. Quotes must always be introduced in to your essay. Quotes must be cited properly: you give credit to the author(s). Quotes may be direct or indirect.

Direct quotes are “lifted” word- for-word from you source. The author’s last name and the page number are in parenthesis at the end, followed by a period.

 For a direct quote, enter the words exactly as they appear in your resource or book.  In the parentheses at the end of your quote, there is no comma between the author’s last name and the page number.  Punctuation (usually a period) goes after the closing parentheses. i.e. (Smith 5).

 An indirect quote is when you put the author’s words in YOUR own words.  This is called paraphrasing.  To avoid plagiarism, you must cite the words you have used.

The list of works cited is the last page of your paper. This is a separate page numbered consecutively with your other pages using an MLA header.( i.e. If you have a ten-page paper, the works cited page is page eleven). Center the title--Works Cited--1 inch from the top margin. No underlining, quotes, or fancy fonts Double-space throughout the ENTIRE page (each line, not each entry).