PLAGIARISM & MLA A “Workshop” Brought to You by Ms. MacCartney

What is Plagiarism? Essentially, plagiarism is not giving credit where credit is due.

Top Ten Ways To Avoid Plagiarism 10.Don’t Procrastinate (Yeah Right!) and Start Early 9. Create an Outline 8. Include Ideas From Other Sources Only When They Add Weight to Your Argument 7. Use Index Cards or Notebook to Keep Track of Your Sources 6. Be Aware of Some Internet Sources ( 5. Don’t Borrow the Structure of Another Author’s Phrases or Sentences Without Crediting That Author 4. Use Quotation Marks When Reproducing the Exact Words of a Printed Source 3. DO NOT USE Another Writer’s IDEAS Without Proper Citation 2. DO NOT USE Another Writer’s WORDS Without Proper Citation 1. You Have a Brain, So Write YOUR OWN Paper

What Happens If I Plagiarize?  You will most likely receive a zero on your paper  You may fail the entire class  Some institutions will expel you  It may be on your permanent record

Using MLA Format  MLA (Modern Language Association) is a commonly used method for documenting sources in a written work.  For the beginner, MLA can be daunting, but there are many resources for you to use, and in time, this method will become a piece of cake.

Why use MLA format?  Provides consistent format within a particular discipline  Gives you credibility as a writer  Protects you from plagiarism  Allows readers to cross reference your sources easily

Where do I find MLA? MLA Handbook for Writers of Research, 7 th ed. Textbooks (Writers Inc., A Writer’s Reference, etc.) Purdue OWL Handouts The library Teacher website The teacher??

GENERAL FORMAT/THINGS TO NOTE Paper must be typed on standard white paper. Text of paper must be double-spaced, including the heading. Margins are set at 1 inch for left, right, top, and bottom (older versions of Microsoft Word will set the margins at 1.25 inches for left and right – go in and reset manually). 12 point font, Times New Roman Do Not use abbreviations or contractions EVER Book titles are italicized (unless you are handwriting) and short stories are in quotes. If you are not sure, ask!

MORE TO NOTE A proper essay consists of at least five paragraphs A full paragraph must have at least five sentences Indent each paragraph one tab Pick a tense (past, present, or future) and stick with that tense. Past or present tend to work best Using “you” is incorrect in an essay -use “one” Don’t end a sentence with a preposition

MORE? YEP Quotations Remember that a comma or period at the end of a direct quotation is tucked inside the ending quotation marks. Semicolons and colons are place outside ending quotations marks. If the quotation itself ends with a question mark, the question mark appears inside the quotation marks; if the entire sentence is a question, then the question mark appears outside.

ANNNNDDDD MORE When writing numbers: From one to ten, write out the numeral. Example: I have four cats and one dog. From 11 on, write the number. Example: There are 650 people living in that township. However, do not begin a sentence with a numeral. Example: Twenty members belong to the group.

An MLA Title Page ► Do not make an MLA Title Page unless specifically requested to by your teacher. ► Title (Approximately 1/3 down from the top of the page)  Brief Title  Center text on page and double space. ► Author’s Name (this is you!) (1” under the title) ► Identification (1” under author’s name)  Teacher’s Name  Subject Course # (ex. Honors English 11)  Date: Day Month Year (ex. 10 May 2008) Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.. New York: MLA Association of America, 2003.

An MLA First Page  Upper Left Hand Corner  List your name, instructor’s name, course number, and date; remember to double space your lines Ex. Joe Smith Ms. MacCartney Honors English August 2012 The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.

An MLA First Page ► Title  Double space after the date and center your title. Do not use quotation marks or underline the title. Only use quotation marks or an underline when recognizing another piece of work. Ex. 11 August 2009 The Brick is Red: A St ory of the Three Little Pigs The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.

A MLA First Page ► Header  Create a header ½” from the top of the page with your last name and the page number in numerical form. Ex. Williams 1 Williams 1 The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.

Heading and Title Drew 1 Stephen Drew Ms. MacCartney Honors English October 2011 Edgar Allen Poe’s Manipulations in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Allen Poe is renowned for his spooky tales and haunting plotlines. One of the reasons that his stories work so well is the manner in which Poe layers manipulation into his tales. Throughout his works, including “The Cask of Note: header to the right This is the correct order for information The title of published stories are in quotation marks, but not the title of the paper

Two Parts of MLA PARENTHETICAL NOTATION WORKS CITED

Parenthetical Notation (In-text Citations) The Two Basic Features Always Used When Citing a Source In Your Paper:  The last name(s) of the author (or authors)  The page number(s) where the information is located, unless the source is online or only one page long Do not include the abbreviation “p.” (or “pp.”) or the word page or pages

Parenthetical Notation (Examples)  One Author, named in your introductory phrase According to Jane Leeves, there are too many rules when it comes to writing a research paper (21).  Author not named in the text In the last ten years, the guidelines for writing an “A” paper have become very stringent and selective (Leeves 17-18).  Two or more authors: (Leeves and Smith 71). Work in an anthology: (Hemingway (author, not editor)25). Work cited indirectly in another source: (qtd. in Smith 91).

What is the format for a long quote? If a quotation is four lines or longer, indent each line of text ten spaces on the left; quotation marks are omitted; no period after citation: When Ambrose asked Tom Hanks if he is an optimist, Hanks replied: Shamelessly so. I apologize to my friends and family because I say it all the time, but if you had told me in 1966 that I’d be an actor and make movies, I would have thought you were insane. If you told me in 1966 I’d be married and have four great kids, I could never have imagined it. (68)

How do I paraphrase?  Original Text: The amazingly fast recovery of the cancer patient baffled the doctors and scientists. The cancer patient’s amazingly fast recovery surprised the scientists and doctors.  Acceptable Paraphrasing When they were informed about the speedy recovery of the cancer patient, neither doctors nor scientists could provide a reasonable explanation.  Unacceptable Paraphrasing

Documentation ► Refers to the Works Cited page at the end of the paper ► The List  is labeled Works Cited (centered, no font changes)  starts at the top of a new page  continues page numbering from the last page of text  is alphabetical  is double spaced  uses a hanging indent (1/2 inch – can be formatted from the Paragraph dialog box in MS Word) The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.

Questions??