MLA Style

What is a citation style? When writing research papers, there are rules to follow for documenting where you found your information and rules to follow when formatting your paper. These rules are called citation styles.

MLA Modern Language Association Used in most Humanities courses Emphasis placed on authorship of source There are many different citation styles APA American Psychological Association Used in most Social Sciences courses Emphasis placed on date of source creation CMS Chicago Manual of Style Used in most History courses Emphasis placed on origin of source To learn more about these citation styles visit: To learn more about how many different citation styles there are visit:

Here at GMS, we use the MLA citation style

Formatting your paper The standard MLA style of formatting is shown below but the most important thing to remember about formatting is to ASK YOUR TEACHER and FOLLOW THEIR DIRECTIONS! This is the standard MLA format for the first page of your research paper:  1 inch margins on all sides  Double spaced throughout  12 font size  Times New Roman (or other easily read font)  Title is centered with no other text features  Page numbers ½” from top on right  Last name included with page number

MLA Citations Made up of 2 parts: ‘Works Cited’ page- most 8 th graders are familiar with this. List of sources used Found at the end of an essay/paper. In-text citations- also called parenthetical citations Immediately follow cited information within the text of your essay/paper.

Works Cited Page The Works Cited page is found at the end of an essay. All sources used (or cited) within the essay should be included. Sources listed by author’s name in alphabetical order Easiest way to create a citation is to use an online citation generator!

There are a lot of online citation generators so there is no need to study the MLA Manual! Help is out there!!

Example: All sources are listed in alphabetical order Formatted with a “hanging-indent”

In-Text/Parenthetical Citations The second part of MLA citations are in- text citations, also called parenthetical citations. Their purpose is to show the reader from exactly which source any cited information was taken

In-text Citations Identify each specific idea from other people that you incorporate into your own writing. Appear within the text immediately following your use of these specific ideas and works. Generally include author’s name and page number. For websites or other sources where the author is not known, use the title of the webpage or source. (This will be the first thing listed in the citation on the works cited page.)

In-Text citation after paraphrasing If your source states: Eighteen months earlier, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had transferred the United States Fleet to Pearl Harbor as a presumed deterrent to Japanese aggression. And you paraphrase and include it in your paper like this: Roosevelt, trying to use the United States Naval Fleet as a deterrent to Japanese aggression, had transferred the entire fleet to Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is 4,000 miles from Japan… "Pearl Harbor Images." Pearl Harbor Images. Naval History and Heritage Command, 12 June Web. 5 Dec You would be plagiarizing!

Here’s that same passage with and without the correct in-text citations This is the wrong way: Roosevelt, trying to use the United States Naval Fleet as a deterrent to Japanese aggression, had transferred the entire fleet to Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is 4,000 miles from Japan… This is the correct way with an in-text citation Roosevelt, trying to use the United States Naval Fleet as a deterrent to Japanese aggression, had transferred the entire fleet to Pearl Harbor (Pearl Harbor Images). Pearl Harbor is 4,000 miles from Japan… In-text citation Now you’re not plagiarizing!!

When your source is a book There were over seven hundred organizations with eight hundred thousand members who believed that the U.S. should not get involved in the war and they were strongly represented in Congress (Bachrach 33). Include the author’s name and page number.

Remember that the purpose of in-text citations is to guide the reader to the exact source of your information! – For more information visit this link at Purdue University online writing lab (OWL). – /02/ /02/ – Or see Mrs. Lutes for more help!!