MLA Workshop

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MLA Workshop

• Liza Palmer, Randall Library
• November 18, 2008

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Lizas Contact Info

• Office Hours
• Randall 2080 T 11am-1pm
• CAB 1048 W 4-5pm R 10-11am
• Email palmerl_at_uncw.edu
• Phone [phone]
• AIM lizajpalmer

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Overview of Workshop

• MLA Style
• MLA Paper Format
• MLA References
• Quotations
• Works Cited List (Works Consulted)
• Questions

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Caveats

• MLA manual (6th edition) is always chief source
  of information
• Your professor grades your work not me
• Recommendation that you work also with the
  University Learning Center

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MLA Style

• Created by the Modern Language Association
• 6th edition
• Tends to be the default citation system
• Offers guidelines on the entire writing process

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MLA Handbook

• Randall Library has multiple copies at the
  Reference Desk
• Call Number LB 2369 .G53 2003
• Link http//uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/recordb1852
  441
• Randall Library has some copies to check out
• Online guides
• http//library.uncw.edu/web/research/citation/mla.
  html
• http//www.uncw.edu/stuaff/uls/Writing-MLA.htm

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MLA Paper Format

• Chapter 4 of 6th edition
• Word process or type paper
• use standard font (like Times New Roman) and font
  size (12 point)
• do not justify your paper at the right margin
• turn off automatic hyphenation feature
• print paper on one side only
• Use 8.5 x 11 paper

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MLA Paper Format, cont.

• Margins
• one inch all the way around (N.B. this is not the
  default in Microsoft Word)
• indent the first word of every paragraph by
  one-half inch (or five spaces)
• indent off-set quotes by one inch (10 spaces)
• Spacing
• double spaced throughout, including works cited
  page
• leave one space after a period (unless prof
  specifies two)

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MLA Paper Format, cont.

• Heading Title
• no title page
• instead, put name, instructors name, course
  number, and date at top of page flush with left
  margin double spaced
• after a double space, center your title do not
  underline or put in quotes unless referencing a
  title
• Page Numbers
• flush with right margin
• last name page number (i.e. Smith 1)
• Example

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MLA References

• Chapter 6 of 6th edition
• Parenthetical references in text (as opposed to
  endnotes or footnotes)
• Used when PARAPHRASING and when DIRECTLY QUOTING
• Must clearly point to works listed in
  bibliography or works cited page

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MLA References, cont.

• Use following format
• (author name page number)
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/02/
  
• Remember, direct relation between your text and
  the parenthetical reference no need to
  duplicate info
• Place them where a pause would naturally occur

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MLA References, cont.

• Examples from handbook (240-241)
• Tannen has argued his point (178-85).
• This point has already been argued (Tannen
  178-85).

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MLA References, cont.

• Examples from handbook (240-241)
• Others, like Jakobson and Waugh (210-15), hold
  the opposite point of view.
• Others hold the opposite point of view (e.g.
  Jakobson and Waugh 210-15).

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MLA References, cont.

• Examples from handbook (240-241)
• It may be true, as Robertson maintains, that in
  the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of
  the observer is of primary importance (136).
• It may be true that in the appreciation of art
  the attitude of the observer is of primary
  importance (Robertson 136).

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Quotations

• Chapter 3 of 6th edition (start page 109)
• Punctuation
• If quote formally introduced, use colon
• If quote is integrated into a sentence, use comma
• Use double quotation marks for main quotes
• Use single quotation marks for quotes within
  quotes
• Short quotes vs. long quotes
• If quote is more than four lines long, offset it
• Maintain double spacing
• Indent 10 spaces from left margin
• Do not use quotation marks
• In this instance, the period will come before the
  parenthetical reference

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Quotations, cont.

• Ellipsis
• Use when deleting words or truncating quotes
• Be fair to the original work (do not pervert its
  meaning)
• But also pay attention to the grammatical
  integrity of your work
• Adding words
• Place new word or words in brackets
• sic

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Works Cited Page

• Chapter 5 of 6th edition
• ALWAYS want to credit works that have directly or
  indirectly influenced your work or paper
• Works Consulted Page
• Acknowledge influence of a work, whether you have
  directly quoted from or paraphrased it or not

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Works Cited Page, cont.

• Format
• Alphabetize by authors last name (or by title of
  work, if no author)
• Use letter-by-letter system (not word-by-word)
• Descartes, Rene
• De Sica, Vittorio
• Begin at left margin, one inch in
• If the citation goes onto a second line, indent
  the second line by five spaces
• Double space within and between entries
• Underline or italicize titles

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Understanding citation components

• Randall Library catalog record
• http//uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/recordb1727512
• Database record
• Academic Search Premier
• http//0-www.nclive.org.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/cg
  i-bin/nclsm?rsrc210

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Book by single author (nonperiodical)

• Format
• Authors name. Title of book. Publication
• information.
• Chief source of information
• Title page
• Example
• Vogel, Michelle. Gene Tierney A Biography.
• Jefferson, NC McFarland, 2005.

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Chapter from a book (nonperiodical)

• Examples from handbook (159)
• Franco, Veronica. To the Painter Jacopo
• Tintoretto. Poems and Selected Letters.
  Ed.
• and trans. Ann Rosalind Jones and Margaret
  F.
• Rosenthal. Chicago U of Chicago P, 1998.
  35-
• 37.
• Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Black
  
• Theater A Twentieth-Century Collection of
  the
• Work of Its Best Playwrights. Ed. Lindsay
• Patterson. New York Dodd, 1971. 221-76.

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No information available

• Use these abbreviations
• n.p. No place of publication given
• n.p. No publisher given
• n.d. No date of publication given
• n. pag. No pagination given
• Punctuate accordingly to differentiate

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Scholarly Periodical (continuous pagination)

• Format
• Authors name. Title of the article.
  Publication
• information.
• Example from handbook (183)
• Mann, Susan. Myths of Asian
• Womanhood. Journal of Asian Studies
• 59 (2000) 835-62.

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Scholarly Periodical (non-continuous pagination)

• Example from handbook (184)
• Albada, Kelly F. The Public and Private
• Dialogue about the American Family on
• Television. Journal of Communication
• 50.4 (2000) 79-110.

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Article from a magazine

• Example from handbook (187)
• Mehta, Pratap Bhanu. Exploding Myths.
• New Republic 6 June 1998 17-19.
• NOTE
• If article is not printed on consecutive pages,
  list only start page number, followed by a plus
  sign (e.g. 50)
• Do not give volume and issue number, even if
  listed

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Article from a database

• Example from handbook (229)
• Cooling Trend in Antarctica. Futurist May-
• June 2002 15. Academic Search
• Premier. EBSCO. City U of New York,
• Graduate Center Lib. 22 May 2002
• .

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Website

• Format
• Title of site (underlined). Name of the editor
  of
• site (if given). Electronic publication
• information, including version number, date
• of last update, and name of sponsoring
• organization. Date of access and URL.
• Example from handbook (216)
• CNN.com. 2002. Cable News Network. 15
• May 2002 .

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Further information

• 6th edition of MLA Style Guide
• Randall Library online guide
• http//library.uncw.edu/web/research/citation/mla.
  html
• University Learning Center Writing Services
• http//www.uncw.edu/stuaff/uls/writing.htm
• NCSU Citation Builder
• http//www.lib.ncsu.edu/lobo2/citationbuilder/cita
  tionbuilder.php
• OWL at Purdue
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_
  mla.html

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Any questions?