MLA Style When in doubt, CITE!

First Step Change all your margins to one inch. Old word: File/Page Setup New Word: Page Layout Tab/Margins Be sure your font is size 12 Times New Roman. Double Space your entire paper. Old Word: Format/Paragraph New Word: Option available under font

Step Two - Header (old word) Go to View Headers and Footers A new box will come up. On the RIGHT - Type your last name followed by 5 spaces. Select the # symbol.

Step Two – Header (New Word) Insert page number Click on the page number Type your last name followed by 5 spaces

Step Three - Heading Your Name Mrs. Teacher English __ - Per ___ 25 May 2012

Step Four - Title Go to the NEXT LINE Center your paper Type a creative title that will catch the reader’s interest.

Common Knowledge: When you don’t have to cite. Common knowledge is information that is generally accepted by the public as the truth. Know your audience, I am your public. Of course… you don’t have to cite your own thoughts and statements.

Examples of Common Knowledge How many teeth are in the human mouth? What is the capital of New Jersey? When is D-Day? Who was the first American to walk on the moon? 32 Trenton June 6, 1944 Neil Armstrong

When do you cite? When in doubt cite… When it is not your words or ideas Direct Quote Paraphrasing: Taking information from a source and putting it into your own words. Facts/Statistics

Parenthetical Citations Internal Citations Direct Quotes Facts/Figures Paraphrased Info Where? After sentence Before punctuation What? Book: Authors Last Name 1 Space Page Number(s) Internet: Authors Last Name if present No author-website name not URL

Examples of Internal Citations It is important to acknowledge that “nothing gold can stay” before we become depressed by our present situation (Frost). Many of our ports are still at risk for terrorist attacks (Flynn 30-35). According to a study by Don McCabe, nearly 40% of students surveyed have plagiarized from the internet (Sinclair).

Embedding Quotes Use quotes to support your argument, not to replace it. Do not just find random quotes to throw in to a paper. Your paper is an argument; use quotes as evidence to prove your claim. 2. Put the quote in context. Give the context and the speaker (when needed) BEFORE or AFTER the quote Example: On Johnny’s first night away from his home, he realizes “to survive [he]had to be hard, had to watch, had to plot and plan, had to study each person he met…”(57). PRACTICE “You can judge a society by the way they treat their animals” (Ghandi).

Quote Tips Symbols Block quote … [ ] [ ] Block quote Four or more lines the entire quote is indented, no quotation marks, and citation at the end.

Works Cited Last Page of the Essay Any source used in the paper as an internal citation must be on your works cited page. Alphabetical Order Double Spaced, just like the rest of the paper. Each entry: Line 1 aligned to the left margin any additional line indented

Examples of Works Cited citations. Flynn, Stephen. “Shoring Up the Soft Spots.” U.S. News & World Report. 19 Feb. 2007: 30-35. Sinclair, Kim. Rutgers Study Finds Many Students Plagiarize. 17 Sep. 2003. Collegian Inc. 10 Nov. 2004. http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2003/09/09-17-03tdc/09-17-03dnews-02.asp Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome and Selected Stories. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2004.

For More Citations, check out: The MLA Style Guide OWL Purdue