1. Editing Your LOTF Paper

2. Editing for MLA

3. Any questions on MLA format?
Visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab
OWL
Any questions on MLA format?

4. Your name Instructor’s Name (ex. -C. Waite) Course Number (ex
Your name Instructor’s Name (ex.-C. Waite) Course Number (ex.-Period 1) Date (ex.-10 December 2016)
Upper Left Hand Corner

5. Create a header in the upper right hand corner Some instructors may ask you to leave the header off of the first page Your header should contain your last name and the page number (e.g. – Waite 2) How to do this: In Word, click on “Insert” Click on “Header” Choose “Slice 1” Type your last name over “Page” and erase “Page”
Header

6. Center the title
DO NOT italicize, underline, bold, put it in all caps, or make it a fancy font
Use Title Case (standard capitalization)
Use quotation marks or italics for works in your title as applicable (ex.- Fear in Lord of the Flies)
Title

7. Make sure you have 1” margins
Use 12 point Times New Roman font
Double space, but don’t have that weird double, double space between paragraphs
Paper Formatting

8. Works Cited List – how it should look
Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. The Putnam Publishing Group, 1954.
Works Cited List – how it should look

9. How to do it more easily… page 1
At end of essay, click “Insert” then “Page Break”
Click on “References”
Choose “MLA”
Click “Manage Sources”
Choose “New”
Fill in the appropriate fields
(Don’t fill in “city” and “medium” – that’s for MLA 7th edition and we’re in the 8th edition)
How to do it more easily… page 1

10. How to do it more easily… page 2
Close the Source list
Click on “Bibliography”
Choose “Works Cited” and it will automatically insert it in the appropriate format
How to do it more easily… page 2

11. In-Text Citations Always, always, always use page numbers
If you’re using a different edition, use the page numbers for your book
You can do this in one of several ways:
On page 32 Ralph says, “Yes.”
Golding reveals this to the reader when Ralph says, “Yes” (32).
Ralph responds to Jack by saying, “Yes” (Golding 32).
Ralph says, “Yes” (32), but doesn’t really mean it.
In-Text Citations

12. Problems I Saw…

13. “I think…” “I disagree…” “I’m going to prove…” “I chose the quote…”
Highlight in yellow
Later – take this out. It weakens your paper and is appropriate in tone for a critical literary essay.
“I think…” “I disagree…” “I’m going to prove…” “I chose the quote…”

14. “you” “we” “our” “us” “my” “your”
In a critical literary essay, the tone should be academic and elevated.
You shouldn’t address the reader personally.
Circle any of these pronouns. (But leave them in if they are part of your quotes.)
“you” “we” “our” “us” “my” “your”

15. Examples on how to re-write this part…
We need rules in order to stay civilized.
People need rules in order to stay civilized.
Rules are needed in order to stay civilized.
Fear is your imagination making you think everyday things aren’t ordinary.
Fear is the imagination making the everyday seem extraordinary.
Fear is imagination making one think everyday things aren’t ordinary.
We are all scared of something.
Everyone is scared of something.
We don’t realize that being civilized impacts our actions.
Most people don’t realize that being civilized impacts their actions.
We see a change in Ralph as the book progresses.
Ralph changes as the book progresses.
There is a change in Ralph as the book progresses.
Examples on how to re-write this part…

16. Quotes from the book that were complete, stand-alone sentences.
One example from the book is when the boys try to make rules. “’We’ll have rules! he cried excitedly. ‘Lots of rules!’”
Underline in red
I’ll show you how to fix this next class period.
Quotes from the book that were complete, stand-alone sentences.

17. Many, many, many times there was too much summary in your introduction paragraphs or in your body paragraphs.
Assume your reader is familiar with the story.
Underline in pencil if you have too much
Too much summary

18. Starting your body paragraphs with a quote (Not good)
Highlight
Later – go back and fix this by adding in a topic sentence for your body paragraph. Your evidence should NOT be the first sentence in your body paragraph.
Starting your body paragraphs with a quote (Not good)