MLA FORMAT
What is MLA?
MLA stands for Modern
Language Association, and it is the standard format for research and term
papers. MLA format includes specific
rules for quoting authors, called citations. It
also allows for documenting source authors within the text of your research
paper, called parenthetical
citations. There
is also a specific format for creating a Works Cited
page, which is sometimes called a bibliography.
What are
Bibliography Cards?
Bibliography
cards contain
all of the publication information from
your sources. It is important to
recognize all MLA format regulations when creating your bibliography cards, which will eventually become your Works Cited page.
When you find a source that you would like to use for
your research, you should immediately create a Bib(liography) card. That way, you have
all the necessary information needed for your Works Cited page.
A Works Cited
page is what we commonly think of as a bibliography. You will put all of your bibliography cards
in alphabetical order and type the information exactly as it appears on the
cards.
The Works Cited page belongs at the end of the paper,
and lists only those authors that you have cited in your paper. If you have read other authors for
information but did not cite them, they will appear on an Additional Resources page.
Some rules for your Works Cited page are listed
below. These are a guideline only,
however, and your instructor may give you special instructions.
·
· Double space the entire page
·
· Begin the first line of an entry flush
left, and indent all other lines five spaces (this equals one tab)
·
· List
entries in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name
·
· If you
are listing more than one work by the same author, alphabetize the individual
books according to title. Do not re-type
the author’s name; use three dashes
instead
·
· Underline the titles of works published
independently (books, plays, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, films)
·
· Use quotation marks for the titles of
short works that appear in larger publications (newspaper and magazine
articles). You will underline the
publication in which these works appear (the name of the magazine or newspaper)
·
· It is important
to use the correct punctuation in between all pieces of information
Make sure you gather this information as soon as you
locate a source. If you do not, you may have a hard time
finding the source at a later date.
Without this information, you cannot use the source in your paper.
Sample Entries for Works Cited page/Bibliography Cards
Books
When citing books, provide the
following information in this order. Pay
particular attention to punctuation.
Author’s last
name, first name. Title of Book.
City of
The examples below will show
how to cite most types of publications.
Ask your teacher if your citation is not shown below.
A Book by One Author
Boorstin, Daniel J. A History of the Heroes of the
War.
Two or More Books by the Same Author
Garre, Thomas. American Literature is Dead.
1907.
---. The New Language of
A Book by Two or Three Authors
Smith, Jane, and Joshua
Landis. The Truth About
Baby Jane and the
System That Failed Her.
Albers, James, Kelly King, and
Jon Jones. The Beautiful Country of
A Book With Four or More Authors
Black, Jonathan, et al. The Way of the World and Other Short
Stories in
American Literature.
A Book With An
Editor
Smith, Don, ed. The New Look of Life.
A Book With An
Author and An Editor
Toomer, Jean. Cane and Other Stories. Ed. Darwin T. Turner.
Norton, 1988.
A Book in Several Volumes
Blottan, Jon. Mark Twain: A History. Vol. 3.
1982.
Newspaper Articles
Bennigan, Jan. “When It Rains, It Pours.”
A14.
“Children Fail at Learning.”
Magazine Articles
Willis, Drummond. “What My Years Have Taught Me.” New Yorker 17 May
1998: 49-55.
Potter, Sherman T. “How to Run A
Hospital.” Time Oct 1992: 74-75.
Magazine Articles With
No Author
“My Story: The Jack Tripper Saga.” TV Guide Dec 1982: 46-53.
Web Pages
Try to find all available
information. If information is missing,
skip to the next item. Place information
in the following order (if available)
Author’s last name,
first name. “Article Title.”
Publication /Last Updated
dates <www.url.com>
Smith, Joe. “My
Time in the
“Training Mom and Dad for
Baby.”
<www.dataforparents.org>
Houlihan, Margaret. “I Was a War Time Nurse.” www.mash.com
Personal Interviews
Dickinson, Carol. Telephone interview.
ELibrary/SIRS sources
When using these sources, list
the primary source on your
bibliography cards and your Works Cited Page.
This will be the book, newspaper, magazine, transcript publication
information. This information is
provided on these sources.
On-line Database
“Photographer.” Career Cruising. 2001. <www.careercruising.com> (
FACTS.com Databases
Provide the following
information:
“Title of the
Article.” The Print
Publication and issue date.
FACTS.com. <www.2facts.com> (Date site was accessed).
“Healthy Kids.” Parenting Monthly April 2000. FACTS.com.
<www.2facts.com> (
There are literally hundreds
of additional resources that can be included in your Works Cited. If your particular resource is not mentioned
above, see your teacher for help.
When you find a source, always
make a bibliography card. This
eliminates the need to re-check books or to find the source again when you type
your Works Cited page. You will write everything on the bibliography
card exactly the way it will appear on your Works Cited Page.
What Are Notecards?
Once you find a source, you
will begin reading that source for information that will eventually help you
write your research paper. The best way
to store this information is on notecards.
Notecards will contain information from
your sources. On your notecards, you may paraphrase the information (in your own
words, that is), citing the author and page number. You may also copy the information from the
book directly, word for word. If you do this, use quotation marks,
so you are aware that it is a direct quote.
If you copy all of your notecards word for word, there is no need for quotation
marks.
Notecards will also contain the
author’s last name and the page number on which you found the information. This goes in the lower right hand
corner. There should not be a comma in
between the last name and the page number.
(Smith 479)
Your notecards
can contain one or two pieces of information or may contain longer sections
from your source.
What Do I Do With My Notecards?
After gathering all of the
needed information on notecards, you will be ready to
begin writing your paper. Your next step
is to design a Working
Outline. This will be a basic
roadmap for your paper. It will also
keep you organized.
Organize your notecards according to major divisions on your Working
Outline ( I’s, II’s, III’s, etc). Next, put all of your notecards
in the proper order within the divisions.
These smaller divisions will be the minor points (A’s, B’s, and C’s) on
your Outline.
Once all of your notecards are in order, you are ready to begin
writing. It is recommended that you
handwrite your rough draft, rather than simply sit at a computer and begin
typing. You will begin writing in your
own words, and will use the information on the notecards
to support your statements. When you use a notecard
in your paper, it is called a citation, and must be followed
by a parenthetical
citation.
What are citations?
When you use information from
a notecard in your paper, it is called a citation. It must be followed by a parenthetical citation. You can quote the author directly (word for
word) or indirectly, where you put things into your own words, but each
citation (quote) must be followed by a parenthetical citation. This gives the reader the author and the
page number where the original quote can be found. All of this information
should be on your notecard. For example,
Many people enjoy reading short stories more than
novels. “Most short stories are works of
substance and subtlety,” (Sohn 14).
This quote can be found on
page 14 of the book written by Sohn. All
parenthetical citations must include the author’s name (if known) and a page
number. If the author is not known,
use a key word from the title.
This rule only changes when
you are using information from the internet.
Pages on the internet are often not numbered; if page numbers are
present, use those numbers. With other
information used from World Wide Web pages, ELibrary
sources, or SIRS sources, simply omit page numbers. DO NOT NUMBER THE PARAGRAPHS unless they are
numbered by the author. If paragraphs
are numbered by the author, your parenthetical citation should include the
author’s last name (or key word) and the paragraph number. For example,
“It is often the case that high school students who were
average in their classes are those who become exceptional adults,” (jobhunting para. 4).
This quote can be found on the
jobhunting website in paragraph four, as numbered by
the creator of the cite.
Types of Citations
Direct Citations
These are word for word quotes from the author, taken directly from your notecards. These
must be included in quotation marks, and must be followed by a parenthetical
citation. The order for punctuation
must be followed exactly as follows:
“Longfellow’s last decades were uneventful, save for
the fatal burning of his wife, which eventually led to her death,” (Baym 578).
It is important that you do
not “close” the sentence with its ending punctuation until you have given the
parenthetical citation. This way the reader knows who
said this about Longfellow before the end of the sentence.
Indirect Citations
Indirect citations also come
from your notecards, but you do not incorporate them
into your paper word for word. With
indirect citations, you keep the author’s basic idea, but you put it in your own words. You do not put indirect citations in
quotation marks, because you are not “quoting” the author word for
word. It is still important, however, to
give the author credit for his idea, so
each indirect citation must be followed by a parenthetical citation.
One of my notecards
contains the following information:
In order to be clourophobic,
one must, as a child, have
experienced a
traumatic clown encounter. Herring 39
To indirectly cite this author, you must take the main idea and put it
in your own words:
There are many different causes
listed for clourophobia. One major cause insists that the victim must
have had a traumatic clown experience as a young child (Herring 39).
In the above example, Herring
made a statement that all clourophobics had to have a
certain experience as a child. Although
you haven’t quoted him directly, this is still his idea. He must get credit. This is why you must have a parenthetical citation
after the indirect quote.
Note that the parenthetical
citation still must come before the ending punctuation, just as with direct
citations. This format must be followed
exactly.
Extended or Long Quotes
If the information on a notecard is more than four typed lines, it is called an
extended or a long quote. Long quotes
must be treated differently.
·
· Long quotes are typed so that each line
is double tabbed
·
· Long quotes are always direct (word for
word)
·
· Long quotes do not need quotation
marks; the indent at the start of each line indicates a direct quote
·
· The ending punctuation goes directly
after the quote, before the parenthetical citation
Below is an example of a long
quote in a paper:
Plays in Shakespeare’s time were performed at a much
swifter pace than what we would be able to follow. While most plays all consisted of five acts,
they didn’t take as long as would be expected.
The pace of a performance was rapid;
Shakespeare’s plays
were put on in two
hours. There was no scenery, no
lighting,
few props, and no
curtain on the main stage. As a result,
the
action moved quickly
from one scene to the next. (Akley 132)
There were also very few
costume changes in Shakespeare’s plays.
The actors usually wore their own clothing.
After you have written your
paper, you must update your outline.
Include and add any additional divisions. This will become your Final Outline.
A Word About Plagiarism
Plagiarism is
defined as using another writer’s words or ideas without crediting him or
her. Plagiarism is a serious
offense. At LCHS, the penalty for
plagiarism is outlined in Limestone’s Plagiarism Policy, and will be
enforced. Penalties include failure of
the paper, losing double the points that the paper is worth, and Saturday
detentions.
What Needs To Be Cited?
P P Direct
Quotations. Any time you quote word for
word, you must include a parenthetical
citation.
P P Indirect Quotations.
When you paraphrase (restate in your words) another writer’s ideas, you must give him credit
with a parenthetical citation.
P P Facts or Statistics that are not common knowledge. Historical dates, general biographical
information, general truths do not need to be cited. Specific information should be followed by a
parenthetical citation.
Get help with plagiarism issues before you
run into trouble. Talk to your teacher
if you are worried about plagiarism before you turn in your paper.
Now It’s Written; What Comes Next?
Once your
paper is written (preferably by hand), you must format it correctly. There are some specifics you must follow when
formatting your paper:
¨
¨ You must provide a title page
¨
¨ You must have a final outline
¨
¨ Page numbering should begin on
page two of the body of the
paper; numbers should go in the upper right hand corner
¨
¨ The page numbering continues
onto your Works Cited page; that number belongs in the bottom middle of the page
¨
¨ Use size 12 font; Times New Roman, Courier, or other standard
fonts are the only acceptable fonts;
print in black ink only
¨
¨ Do not place additional spacing
between paragraphs. Your entire paper is
double spaced; it is not necessary to return twice between paragraphs.
When you turn in your final
paper, it must contain the following items in this order:
Title Page
Final Outline
Body of Paper
Works Cited
Additional Resource Page (optional)
Sample
Term Paper
Theories of the Sinking Titanic
Frank Burns
English 5,6
Miss O’Conner
Theories of the Sinking Titanic
A.
Dimensions of Titanic
B.
Creating the Titanic
C.
Titanic timeline
II. Theory I--Brittle
Steel
A.
The hull fractured; would not bend
B.
Temperature and pressure
III. Theory II--Faulty Rivets
A.
Unusually high slag content
B.
Speedy sinking process
IV. Other Theories
A.
Rudder too small
B.
Fast boat speed for icy waters
1. Moonless night
2. No wind/waves
C.
Faulty water-tight compartments
1. Only functioned horizontally
2. Open top design
V. Conclusion
A.
Summarize theories
B.
Inevitable finale
Because the
Titanic has spent so many years on the bottom of the ocean, proving one theory
about why it sank is virtually impossible.
The Titanic was an amazing engineering and nautical phenomenon, mainly
due to its size, speed, beauty, and the many luxuries she offered her
passengers. This astounding ship is and
was the greatest ship to ever sail the waters of the world, and the reason why
she rests under two miles of water is still a mystery.
One reason the Titanic was so
incredible was the dimensions of the boat.
According to Ruth Blanchard, once a passenger on the Titanic, “The
Titanic seemed so big, there at the pier.
I’ll never forget how it took my breath away. What a grand sight for a twelve year old
girl,” (Ballard 9). Anyone who saw the
ship was mesmerized by her length of approximately 882 feet, her gross tonnage
ranging from 45,000 to 50,000 tons. The
twenty-nine boilers aboard the Titanic lit the two reciprocating engines. These powerful engines forced three enormous
propellers, each with a center blade diameter of sixteen feet and right and
left wings spanning twenty-three feet (Broad 35). Despite the tremendous weight that the
Titanic carried, she could still reach speeds of 21-23 knots--the equivalent of
18 miles per hour. A ship weighing that
much moving at that speed coming into contact with any object would be
equivalent to an airplane flying into a stationary building. The damage would be enormous (Macintyre 28).
In 1909, construction began on the
Titanic in
By
By
lookout
Frederic Fleet, squinting into the dark, noticed
the
horizon directly ahead becoming less clean, slightly
hazy.
. .And then he began to make out a black mountain.
“Iceberg dead ahead!” he
shouted, and quickly rang the
wheelhouse
bell. The officer in charge immediately
signaled
full
speed astern. (Gannon 52)
At approximately
In the days after the sinking,
investigators began searching for reasons why she might have struggled so
against the iceberg. Theories were
formed, proven illogical, and re-formed.
Scientists reenacted possibilities with
miniatures, trying to discover what, exactly, was at fault. The question still exists today.
One theory that survived the initial
battery was the idea that the ship was constructed of brittle steel, which led
to the extensive damage. “It was full of
sulfide occlusions called ‘stringers’, and it would
never get out of the shipyard by today’s standards. It wouldn’t even make good rebar, which is
pretty lousy steel,” (powerup 2). Failure of brittle steel occurs under
comparatively low stress conditions, the material cracking at the slag
occlusions (Szczepanski 141).
The paper continues on for six more pages; it is not necessary to reprint
it. See the
Works Cited page.
Works
Cited
Alda, Alan. Titanic:
A Comedy of Errors. Frank Pierce,
ed.
Ballard, Robert
D. “A Long Last Look
at Titanic.” New York Times
Broad,
William J., and Jane Smith. “Failure Analysis”. German Voice Monthly.
Gannon, Robert, ed. What Really Sank the Titanic.
Macintyre, Donald,
et al. The Sinking
of the Titanic.
Brothers Printing,
1915.
Naumann, Friederich K. New
Titanic Expedition Settles Key Questions.
“Sometimes Things
Go Wrong.” Time July 1988: 66-79.
“The
Titanic Timeline.”
<www.gil.dalgarry/timeline.com>
---. I Know The Cause.
<www.Powerup.com>
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