HCCSNE Electronic Resource Center Research Paper Workshop

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HCCS-NE Electronic Resource Center Research Paper
Workshop

• HCCS-NE Pinemont ERC
• 1265 Pinemont Drive
• Houston, Texas 77018
• phone- 713-718-8443
• Presented by- Jennifer Boudreaux Stidham, Public
  Services Librarian

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Site for Demonstrations

• I would like to thank Indiana University South
  Bend for giving me permission to use their
  website at http//www.iusb.edu/sbwrite/mlaformat.
  shtml
• in order to create this workshop.
• You can go to the above site and click on the
  buttons labeled Show Me in order to see
  different functions being done.

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Main Workshop Objective

• Participants will learn how to use
• MS Word 2003 to
• - Correctly format a research paper in the
  MLA (Modern Languages Association) style as shown
  in the 6th edition of the MLA Handbook for
  Writers of Research Papers.

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Why Learn the MLA Style?

• The MLA style is used by many of your instructors
  as a guide to formatting research papers,
  particularly in the arts and humanities.

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Is the MLA the Only Style I Will Ever Need to
Learn?

• Probably not! Other disciplines use other styles
  such as the APA (American Psychological
  Association) style, often used in psychology and
  social sciences, or the Chicago (Turabian) style,
  often preferred in History.

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What Elements Are Included in a Citation Style?

• Margins
• Headers/Footers
• Footnotes
• Endnotes
• Works Cited Pages
• In-text Citations

• Font types, sizes and styles
• Line Spacing
• Page Numbers
• Title Page (optional, not standard with MLA)

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• So, basically there are two types of elements to
  pay attention to- formatting issues and citation
  standards. The format guidelines eliminate any
  questions about the minute elements of a paper-
  margins, fonts, etc. You dont have to spend
  hours choosing fonts!

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• Using uniform citation standards helps students
  and researchers around the world locate materials
  that are cited. The proper use of MLA style also
  shows the credibility of writers by showing
  accountability to their source material. Most
  importantly, the use of MLA style can protect
  writers from accusations of plagiarism--the
  purposeful or accidental use of source material
  by other writers without giving appropriate
  credit.

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Microsoft Word 2003

• If you need extra help in using this word
  processing software program, we do offer an
  introductory MS Word class. Please ask at the
  circulation desk for a current schedule. For
  today, it should be ok if you havent used the
  program very much. You will learn some basics
  today just in learning to use the MLA style in
  your research papers.

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Lets Get Started!

• Each of you has a copy of this MS PowerPoint
  presentation in print. MS Word sample papers are
  included on the floppy disk so that you can see
  examples of the MLA style in use. First, lets go
  ahead and work with MS Word and actually work on
  MLA elements.
• We will use a file on your disk called
  PracticeMLAbefore

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• Opening Microsoft Word
• Double click on the Microsoft Word icon on the
  desktop.
• If there is no icon
• Click on the "Start" menu button, usually found
  on the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
• Go to "All Programs."
• Click "Microsoft Office."
• Click on "Microsoft Word 2003."
• This is what you will see if there is no icon.

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• Opening a Document in Microsoft Word
• If you have already started writing your paper,
  then go to the next step.
• If not
• Go to "File, Open."
• Choose the documents location- drive, disk, etc.
• Locate your document (ours is PracticeMLAbefore)
  
• Click on "Open", after selecting your document.

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• Setting Margins in Microsoft Word
• Go to "File, Page Setup."
• Make sure the "Top" and "Bottom" margins are set
  to 1".
• Make sure the "Right" and "Left" margins are 1"
  also.
• Click the "OK" button.

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• Setting Font Type, Style, and Size in Microsoft
  Word
• Note  If you have not started typing your paper,
  skip step number one.
• Highlight the entire body of your research paper
• Go to "Format, Font."
• Set font to "Times New Roman."
• Set font style to "Regular."
• Set size to "12."
• Click on the "OK" button.

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Research Paper Heading

• Most MLA formatted research papers will not have
  a separate title page.
• At the top left of your first page, you will have
  4 separate, double-spaced, left justified lines
  just before the title of the paper, one inch from
  the top of the page-
• Your name
• Your professor/instructors name
• The class title
• The date

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Your Research Paper Titleand First Line

• After the heading, double-space and center your
  title
• Double-space between lines of the title
• Double-space between the title and the first line
  of the text
• Always indent the first word of each new
  paragraph ½ inch (5 spaces)

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• Making a Title Page in Microsoft Word
• Note This is not required, but your
  instructor may want one.
• Click "File, New."
• Start at the beginning of the paper and hit the
  "Enter" button 20 times.
• Click the "center justify" button on the
  toolbar.
• Type the title of your paper in all capital
  letters.  Then, hit the "Enter" button.
• Hit the "Enter" button 20 more times.

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• Click the "right justify" button on the toolbar.
• Type your name, then press the "Enter" button.
• Type your instructor's name, then press the
  "Enter" button.
• Type the name of the course you are doing this
  paper for, then press the "Enter" button.
• Type the date the paper is due, then press the
  "Enter" button.
• Your title page should look like the pictures
  shown.

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• Creating a Header in Microsoft Word
• Choose "View" from the menu bar.
• Select "Header and Footer."

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• After the floating toolbar and header box opens
• Click the "right justify" button.
• Type your last name, with a space after it.
• Select the "insert page number" button, on the
  floating toolbar.
• Click on the "Close" button.

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• NOTE YOUR INSTRUCTOR MAY ASK YOU TO OMIT THE
  HEADER FROM THE FIRST PAGE.
• If so
• Click the "page setup" button.
• Click in the "different first page" box.
• Click on the "OK" button.

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• Setting the Line Spacing in Microsoft Word
• Starting at the top left corner of the body of
  your paper-
• Hold the left mouse button down and drag it
  straight down. Do this until the entire body is
  selected.
• Once you have selected your text, right click
  your mouse button in the highlighted area.
• Choose the "Paragraph" option.

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• After the dialogue box opens
• Under the "Indents and Spacing" tab, find the
  text that says, "Line Spacing."
• Select "Double" from the drop down box.
• Click on the "OK" button.

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• Formatting a Block Quote in Microsoft Word
• Highlight any quote that is four lines or
  longer.      NOTE Make sure that it is the only
  text that you have highlighted.
• Drag the bottom arrow on the ruler bar, at the
  top of the document, to 1".
• Drag the top arrow on the ruler bar, at the top
  of the document, to 1" also.

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• Setting up a Works Cited Page in Microsoft Word
• Note- the Works Cited page should begin on a
  new page
• Go to the end of your paper.
• Click on the end of your paper.
• Click "Insert, Break" from the toolbar.
• Choose "Page Break."
• Click "OK."
• Click the "center justify" button.
• Type "Works Cited."

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• Hit the "Enter" key.
• Make sure the line spacing is set to double. (See
  Line Spacing lesson.)
• Click the "left justify" button.
• Start typing your works cited.
• The second line of a source should be indented
  1/2".
• Click on first line of a source.
• Drag the bottom arrow on your ruler bar to the
  1/2" mark.      NOTE Your source must be
  written in one continuous line for this to work.

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Why So Much Worry About Citations?

• From http//www.answers.com/citationr67
• Citations permit readers to put the claims to a
  better test by consulting the earlier work.
  Authors often engage earlier work directly,
  explaining why they agree or differ from earlier
  views. Ideally, sources are primary (first-hand),
  recent, with good ethos, credentials, and
  citations.
• Some have questioned the authority assumed or
  conferred by citation, considering it endlessly
  recursive, the authority of a work resting on its
  citations, the authority of which in turn rely on
  their citations.

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Types of Citations

• Works Cited page (Bibliography, Literature Cited)
• In-text/Parenthetical
• Notes- endnotes and footnotes

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Parenthetical/In-Text

• The MLA guidelines require that you cite the
  quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and other
  material used from sources within parentheses
  typically placed at the end of the sentence in
  which the quoted or paraphrased material appears.
  The parenthetical method replaces the use of
  citational footnotes. These in-text parenthetical
  citations correspond to the full bibliographic
  entries found in a list of references at the end
  of your paper. (Note that the titles of works are
  underlined rather than placed in italics.) 

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Some Basic Examples

• Single author named in parentheses-
• The tendency to come to terms with difficult
  experiences is referred to as a "purification
  process" whereby "threatening or painful
  dissonances are warded off to preserve intact a
  clear and articulated image of oneself and ones
  place in the world" (Sennett 11).

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• Single author named in a signal phrase.
• Social historian Richard Sennett names the
  tendency to come to terms with difficult
  experiences a "purification process" whereby
  "threatening or painful dissonances are warded
  off to preserve intact a clear and articulated
  image of oneself and ones place in the world"
  (11).

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Citations- Notes

• There are two types of notes used in research
  papers- endnotes and footnotes.
• The only difference between the two is their
  placement.
• Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page and
  endnotes have their own separate section at the
  end of the body of the paper, similar to the
  Works Cited section.
• These features arent used very much at HCC. If
  you need help with notes, please ask a librarian
  at any HCC library or ERC.
• You can also refer to the file on your disk
  called Endnotes and Footnotes for detailed help
  in using MS Word to do MLA style notes.

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MLA Help

• Consider buying a copy of the MLA Handbook for
  Writers of Research Papers, 6TH edition.
• There are many helpful websites on the WWW. I
  would make sure that the site is current and that
  it expressly uses the MLA 6th edition.

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More MLA Help

• There are software programs and websites out
  there that can help with MLA formatted citations.
  Some of these are ProCite, ScholarWord, EndNote,
  etc.
• Some are free, others cost money.
• We would strongly recommend that you first learn
  to do citations yourself.

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HCCS MLA Help

• The HCCS Library website at http//library.hccs.ed
  u/
• has links to useful sites for both MLA and
  APA styles.
• There is another link here-
• http//www.hccs.edu/system/library/InfoUse/sample
  papers.htm
• And here are a few more for additional help-
• http//www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/humanities.html
  
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/55
  7/01/
• http//citationmachine.net/index.php?new_style1
  reset1here