Presented by Adam Wright Basics of MLA Style Presented by Adam Wright

Objectives: Familiarize Brent Faculty with the MLA style for crediting sources. Explain the rationale for requiring MLA Style for all student writing at Brent Baguio.

What is MLA Style? MLA Style (or MLA Format) was first developed by the Modern Language Association in 1951 in order to create a set of rules and procedures for written work (Raynor). These rules now function as an international and standardized way for writers to present their writing and give credit to source material.

Reasons for Using MLA Format to Credit Source Material: It is the most common and universally recognized format for crediting sources. It reinforces the importance of intellectual property and giving credit to source material. It helps teachers. They can evaluate how students have incorporated research into their writing. Additionally, they can differentiate between source material and ideas or analysis that originated with the student. It provides readers an opportunity to explore a topic further by giving the reader precise details about the sources that the writer consulted. Students in college or university who fail to do this will face consequences including an automatic failing grade in a course, academic probation, and even expulsion.

MLA Citation: The Basics MLA Citation has two main parts:  A Works Cited or Bibliography Page Parenthetical In-Text Citations

First things first. When should I give credit to a source? The Purdue OWL provides guidance on how to credit sources when quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing. Furthermore, the Purdue OWL offers the following guidance: “Bottom line, document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you” (Stolley).

The Works Cited Page This is a list of all the source material that was used in a piece of writing. It is placed at the end of a piece of written work. General Format: Author, Title of Source, Publication Information Individual entries are listed in alphabetical order.

Why not just use EasyBib? N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2103.   BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. “History of Fire Safety.” History of Fire Safety. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013

Practice!

Parenthetical Citations Writers use parenthetical citations to credit source material in the body of an essay. This is much more precise than a Works Cited page alone, and it makes readers aware of the origin of a specific idea or piece of information.

Basic Rules of Parenthetical Citations Any material that is quoted directly should be placed in quotation marks. The writer should signal the use of any source material, whether it is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, with a parenthetical citation. The basic format is: (author page number). For example: (Wright 17) If no page number is available, which is common with internet sources, this part of the parenthetical citation is not used.  If the author is not known, the most specific information known about the source is used in place of the author.

More Practice!

A little help… Sample first sentence: It is also important to consider the contribution of women in Filipino literature. OR  Throughout the history of Philippines, women have filled different roles in Filipino society.

Expectations for MLA Citation at Brent School: Grades 6-8: A Bibliography Page with complete MLA style entries at the end of any assignment where source material other than the textbook is used. Any material that has been copied directly from a source should be placed in quotation marks. Grades 9-12: MLA style Works Cited page and in-text parenthetical citations for any paraphrased or directly quoted source material.

Finally, Plagiarism: What happens when students present another’s work as their own and/or does not give credit to source material? Address the behavior with the student, and decide on an appropriate consequence. Inform Mr. Wyks using the “Academic Honesty Incident Report”.

Closing Thought All of us are writing teachers. In the effort to prevent plagiarism, we’re all in this together. Thank you for your support!

Works Cited Ludeke, Charles. Shooting a Free Throw. Digital image. Columbia Missourian. Columbia Missourian, 11 Dec. 2009. Web. 04 Aug. 2013. Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers: 7th Edition. New York: MLA, 2009. Print. “Raynor Memorial Libraries: MLA Tutorial.” Marquette University. Marquette University, 2011. Web. 4 August 2013. Stolley, Karl, Allen Brizee and Joshua M. Paiz. “Is is Plagiarism Yet?” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Aug. 2013.