MLA Unit Pittsford Mendon High School

What is the MLA? MLA stands for: Modern Language Association The MLA is a “style guide” which we use when we write papers

MLA Format

Why Use MLA Format? Allows readers to find your sources easily Provides consistent format Gives you credibility as a writer Protects you from plagiarism

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.

Font Times New Roman Double spaced 10-12 point Final papers will be one-sided Header – last name and page number on every page. ½ inch upper right corner Nazarian 2

Heading Your Name Teacher’s name Class name Date – (November 5, 2013) Heading should be on the top, left margin of your first page

Title You need a title for every research paper. Titles should be centered, only doubled spaced before and after. Tom Thumb Mr. Boardman 9 Honors 31 October 2007 The Effects of Studying A student may believe that studying is a matter

MLA Format MLA Heading Name/Page ½ inch margin 1 inch margin Title Times New Roman 10-12pt. font Double Spaced

Where Do I Find MLA Format? MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. www.mla.org OWL website: owl.english.purdue.edu

What is MLA Style?

What is MLA Style? The style recommended by the association for preparing student research papers concerns itself with the mechanics of writing such as: punctuation quotation documentation of sources

PUNCTUATION

Important Rules of Punctuation Titles of Works within a Research Paper A title should be underlined/italicized if: It is a work published independently Ex. Books, plays, periodicals, films, television shows, CD’s, operas, etc. A title should be in quotation marks if: It is a work published within a larger work Ex. Articles, chapters of a book, short films, short stories, song titles, individual episodes of a television show.

Important Rules of Punctuation Using Numbers within a Research Paper General Rule: Anytime you use a number that could be spelled out with just one or two words, write the word out: Ex. One, twenty-two, one hundred Anytime you use a number that would be spelled out with more than one or two words, write the number: Ex. 101(one hundred and one), 1,055 (one thousand and fifty-five) 2½ (two-and-a-half)

Important Rules of Punctuation Names of Persons within a Research Paper General Rule: The first time you introduce someone in your paper, use their full name: As Mark Twain once stated… Thereafter, refer to that person only by their last name: As Twain once stated… Note: For literary essays, you may use the most common name each time.

Important Rules of Punctuation Some basic punctuation rules to live by: 1. Good writers mix both simple and complex sentences in their papers. 2. Never use exclamation points! 3. If something is spelled more than one way, pick one and stick with it throughout the paper. 4. No contractions. 5. No personal pronouns. 6. No slang, colloquialisms or abbreviations. 7. Keep your tenses consistent.

Documentation of Sources

MLA Style: Two Parts Parenthetical Citations Works Cited Page

What is parenthetical citation? Functions of parenthetical references within a paper: They signal places in your paper where you have paraphrased, summarized, or quoted material from another source. They say exactly where that material is located in the source. They give information enabling a reader to find the source in the list of references that appears at the end of your paper. (This list is called Works Cited in MLA documentation style.)

When Should You Use Parenthetical Citations? When quoting any words that are not your own Quoting means to repeat another source word for word, using quotation marks

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

Does that mean…? 1. …that every sentence in my paper with have a parenthetical citation after it? Not necessarily. If you have several sentences in a row that are from the same source and page number, you need only place a parenthetical citation at the end of the group. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz caters to an American need to define and give voice to those qualities believed to be distinctly American (O’Connor 162). In the guise of a "modern fairy tale," L. Frank Baum undertook the literary categorization of those traits, hiding in myth and fairy tale qualities that every citizen possessed or wanted to possess (Templeton 12). The storyline of The Wizard of Oz is simple (Templeton 12). Dorothy is whisked away somewhere far to the south of the United States in a cyclone, across an expansive desert to the fantasy realm of Oz (Templeton 16).

Keys to Parenthetical Citations Readability Keep references brief Give only information needed to identify the source on your Works Cited page Do not repeat unnecessary information

Handling Quotes in Your Text Author’s last name and page number(s) of quote must appear in the text Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).

Handling Parenthetical Citations Sometimes more information is necessary: More than one author with the same last name (W. Wordsworth 23); (D. Wordsworth 224) More than one work by the same author (Joyce, Portrait 121); (Joyce, Ulysses 556) Different volumes of a multivolume work (1: 336)

Handling Parenthetical Citations If the source has no known author, then use an abbreviated version of the title: Full Title: “California Cigarette Tax Deters Smokers” Citation: (“California” A14) If the source is only one page in length or is a web page with no apparent pagination: Source: Dave Poland’s “Hot Button” web column Citation: (Poland)

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.

Works Cited vs. Bibliography A complete list of every source that you make specific reference to in your essay A complete list of every source that you looked at as research for your essay

A Sample Works Cited Page Smith 12 Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. New York: Penguin, 1985. Zwerdling, Alex. “Esther Summerson Rehabilitated.” PMLA 88 (May 1973): 429-439.

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

Works Cited: Some Examples Book Byatt, A. S. Babel Tower. New York: Random House, 1996. Article in a Magazine Klein, Joe. “Dizzy Days.” The New Yorker 5 Oct. 1998: 40-45. Web page Poland, Dave. “The Hot Button.” Roughcut. 26 Oct. 1998. Web. 28 Oct. 1998.

Works Cited List A newspaper article Tommasini, Anthony. “Master Teachers Whose Artistry Glows in Private.” New York Times 27 Oct. 1998: B2. A source with no known author “Cigarette Sales Fall 30% as California Tax Rises.” New York Times 14 Sept. 1999: A17.

How parenthetical documentation and works cited are used Step 1: The grader of the paper reads a specific line or set of lines and wants to check the information. The grader then looks at the parenthetical documentation located at the end of the line. The last item that a true Biblical researcher must examine is the reason behind the story of the Tower of Babel (Byatt 26).

How parenthetical documentation and works cited are used Step 2: The grader of the paper looks at the parenthetical documentation (Byatt 26). This information tells the grader that the specific information was taken from page 26 of the book by the author with the last name “Byatt.” The grader goes to the works cited entry to find the title of the book. Byatt, A. S. Babel Tower. New York: Random House, 1996.

How parenthetical documentation and works cited are used Step 3: The grader now knows that the title of the book by the author with the last name “Byatt” is Babel Tower. The grader may now retrieve the book and check page 26 for that information.

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.

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

Works Cited 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.

QUOTATIONS

Using Quotations Quotations are a way for you to strengthen the arguments that you are trying to make, and enhance the facts that you want to explain to the reader. Which of these statements is stronger in its arguments? John F. Kennedy was killed by a conspiracy within the United States Government. or According to Scott Fiske, an expert in the assassination who testified for the Warren Commission, “the assassination of John F. Kennedy could only have been by a conspiracy within the United States Government.”

When do I use Quotations? Use quotations to reproduce distinctive or admirable wording--that is, when a paraphrase would be an inadequate representation. “In his Introduction to Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare denies that the play is a ‘hoard of applied horror and mayhem.’” Use quotations when the speaker or writer is an expert on the subject or an otherwise famous person whose specific words might be newsworthy or of general interest. Samuel Clemens, an expert on Shakespeare called Romeo and Juliet “one of the best plays that ever I saw on the stage.”

When do I use Quotations? Use quotations to reproduce important statements of information, opinion, or policy. According to the Code on School Affairs, “No absence from class is excused.” Use quotations to reproduce exactly a phrase or passage that you are explaining or interpreting. Corrigan refers to the world of comedy as a “protected realm.”

Handling Long Quotations Rule: If a quotation runs to more than four lines in your paper, set it off from your text by beginning a new line, double-indenting from the left margin, and typing it double spaced without quotation marks. David becomes identified and defined by James Steerforth, a young man with whom David is acquainted from his days at Salem House. Before meeting Steerforth, David accepts Steerforth’s name as an authoritative power: There was an old door in this playground, on which the boys had a custom of carving their names. . . . In my dread of the end of the vacation and their coming back, I could not read a boy’s name, without inquiring in what tone and with what emphasis he would read, “Take care of him. He bites” (Dickens 68). For Steerforth, naming becomes an act of possession, as well as exploitation. Steerforth names David for his fresh look and innocence, but also uses the name Daisy to exploit David's romantic tendencies (Dyson 122).

Academic Honesty Cheating Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism? “Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s ideas as your own.” (Writer’s Inc.) “The false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and presenting it as one’s own.” (Plagiarism and Originality)

Types of Plagiarism Word for word plagiarism – a researcher (you) repeats the exact words of a source without giving the necessary credit. Paraphrase plagiarism – when a researcher says basically the same thing as the original source with just a few words changed. Spot plagiarism – a researcher uses only a source’s key words or phrases as his or her own without giving credit.

What is Common Knowledge? Information is considered “common knowledge” if most people already know it, or if it can be found in nearly any basic reference book on the subject ex. The fact that there are 365 days in a year IS common knowledge The fact that it rained 210 days in Seattle in 1990 is NOT Good rule of thumb: “Better safe than sorry”

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.