1. parenthetical, in-text citations
a mini lesson for research

2. author-page format
MLA follows an author-first, page-or-paragraph- last format
the author's last name (or title if no author) will appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase
the page or paragraph number should always appear in parentheses, not in the text of your sentence
a complete citation for readers should be accessible on your work cited page

3. what information you need
source's corresponding work cited
whatever single word/phrase in the citation must be the first word(s) on the left-hand margin of the Work Cited list
consider if your citation will have the authors name or if there is not author, how you will cite the title of the article/chapter/webpage
source medium--the type of source (ie web, print, etc.)
consider if there are page numbers (ex. Eisner 24) or if you will need to use paragraph numbers (ex. Eisner par. 24), or if you use a non-traditional source ("The Education Innovator" par. 30)

4. ima goodwriter examples for
Eisner, Elliot W. "Standards For American Schools." Phi Delta Kappan (1995): 758.
MasterFILE Premier. Web. 12 Apr
author last name/page in parentheses
Embedded in "high" standards that Kohl discusses is another idea, the idea of “high expectations” and “rigor” (Eisner 1).
author in sentence (first time in paper)/page in parentheses
Standards seem like the logical answer to reverse that decline. Without expectations for students it is difficult to outline objectives to actually measure if the students can do the skills or if they are deficient, as Eliot Eisner, Professor Emeritus at Stanford's School of Education asserts, so by creating clear standards, lawmakers were sound in their thinking (1).
author last name in sentence (later in paper)/page in parentheses
Opposite of positive reform, Eisner further argues that SBE actually distracts teachers from the deeper problems in schools asserting " It distracts us from paying attention to the importance of building a culture of schooling that is genuinely intellectual in character, that values questions and ideas at least as much as getting right answers” (1).

5. different scenarios no author more than one author (three or less)
"The Education Innovator Newsletter." U.S. Department of Education. Ed.gov. 29 Feb Web. 12 Apr
A national poll shows that a majority of U.S. voters agree that "building students' imagination is important to innovation and to their future success in the global, knowledge-based economy" ("The Education Innovator" par. 30).
more than one author (three or less)
Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). OR
The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).

6. different scenarios (cont.)
more than three authors- et. al. (Latin for "and others")
Legal experts counter their argument by noting that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (Jones et al. 4).
two works by the same author in work cited
author's name in text
Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for small children ("Too Soon" 38), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year ("Hand-Eye Development" 17).
author's name in parentheses
Visual studies, because it is such a new discipline, may be "too easy" (Elkins, "Visual Studies" 63).

7. different scenarios (cont.)
work quoted in another work: qtd.=quoted
Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd. in Weisman 259).
other scenarios? check out:
Stolley, Karl, et al. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The OWL at Purdue. 10 May Purdue
University Writing Lab. 5 May 2013.
Here's the link:)

8. recap
double check that all citations match the first word/words you see in your work cited
all sources in your paper must be represented in your work cited
all paraphrases/quotations must be cited to avoid plagiarism