Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

But First... What is a research paper? What is a thesis statement? Why is citation important? What is paraphrasing? What does MLA format require?

Paraphrasing Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz5Iff22n04

MLA Format: The Basics Double-spaced Times New Roman 12 point font (This is not Mrs. Howlett’s first rodeo - no trickery) Set margins of the paper to 1-inch on all sides (see above statement) Indent each paragraph (tab key) Last name and page number on the top right corner of each page Italicize the titles of longer works

First Page Do not make a title page unless specifically requested by your teacher In the upper left hand corner of your paper, list your name, your teacher’s name, the course, and the date (This must be double-spaced as well) Double space again and centre the title of your paper Do not underline, italicize, or place quotation marks around the title of your paper Double space between the title and the first line of your text Begin the name/number tally at the top right corner of your page (ex. Howlett 1)

In-Text Citations: The Basics MLA Format involves the use of parenthetical citations, which involves placing source information in parentheses after a quotation or paraphrase MLA format follows the author/page method of in-text citation, which means that the author’s last name and page number(s) from which the information is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference must be included on your Works Cited page

In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style - The author’s name may appear in the sentence itself, for example: Elfiki then shares his thoughts on Mrs. Howlett: “She is my favourite teacher” (74). Elfiki makes it abundantly clear that his favourite teacher is Mrs. Howlett (74). - Or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, for example: An opinion of Mrs. Howlett is then given by saying, “She is my favourite teacher” (Elfiki 74).

Block Quotations For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented ½ inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

Block Quote Example

In-Text Citations: Multiple Authors For a source with two authors, list their last names in text or in parentheses, for example: Best and Marcus argue that one should read a text for what it says on its surface, rather than looking for some hidden meaning (9). The authors claim that surface reading looks at what is “evident, perceptible, apprehensive in texts” (Best and Marcus 9). - For a source with three or more authors, list only the authors last name and replace the additional names with et al., for example: According to Franck et al., “Current agricultural policies in the U.S. are contributing to the poor health of Americans” (327). The authors claim that one cause of obesity in the United States is government-funded farm subsidies (Franck et al. 327).

In-Text Citations: Non-Print & Internet Sources Firstly, ensure that it is a credible source (Evaluating Sources on Purdue Owl) Include the first item in the Works Cited Page that corresponds to the citation: Ex: author name, article name, website name, etc.) You do not need to give paragraph or page or page numbers based on your computer’s print preview function in your citation Do not include URLs in text Only provide partial URLs as when the name of the site includes a domain name, like CNN.com as opposed to writing out http://www.cnn.com

Non-Print & Internet Sources Examples “Several studies show that you have a greater chance of dying on Christmas, the day after Christmas or New Year’s Day than any other single day of the year” (Christensen). The term Nittany Lion was coined by Penn State football player Joe Mason in 1904 (All Things Nittany). “With his wife Melinda, Bill Gates chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation” (Forbes.com).

Works Cited Page: The Basics Begin your Works Cited Page on a separate page at the end of your paper; it should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper Label the page Works Cited and centre it (do not italicize, underline, quote, etc.) Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed… if you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as 225-250 If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an online database, you should type the online database name in italics. You do not need to provide subscription information in addition to the database name.

Works Cited: Order of Citation Author. Title of Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

Author. Title of Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

Purdue Owl

Understanding MLA Style https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjbMfL92b7g