MLA Citation Style

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MLA Citation Style
In your research paper you are required to find
textual evidence to help you prove your thesis.
This means you will have to incorporate quotes,
paraphrases, and summaries of your primary and
secondary sources into your writing. Using
textual evidence puts you in conversation with
other scholars on your topic. It also puts the
expertise of other scholars to work for
you. Exercises and examples in this
powerpoint are partly derived from the following
sources Jane Aaron, The Little Brown Compact
Handbook, fifth ed. Muriel Harris, Prentice Hall
Reference Guide, sixth ed. Purdue University
writing center http//owl.english.purdue.edu/hando
uts/general/gl_sentvar.html The Writing Center
at the University of Wisconsin http//www.wisc.edu
/writing/.
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• You will use three kinds of textual evidence in
  your research paper
• 1 Quotations must be identical to the original,
  using a narrow segment of the source. They must
  match the source document word for word and must
  be attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from
  source material into your own words. A paraphrase
  must also be attributed to the original source.
  Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the
  original passage, taking a somewhat broader
  segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s)
  into your own words, including only the main
  point(s). Once again, it is necessary to
  attribute summarized ideas to the original
  source. Summaries are significantly shorter than
  the original and take a broad overview of the
  source material.

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How to Summarize Use summaries to describe work
your reader hasnt read so that they will
understand your argument. Summaries condense an
extended idea or argument into one or more
sentences written in your own words. Use
summaries to report the gist of an authors
idea.
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Exercise 1. On a separate sheet of paper,
summarize in one or two sentences the point that
Whitt makes about the significance of the bull in
the final paragraph of her essay.
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Exercise 1. On a separate sheet of paper,
summarize in one or two sentences the point that
Whitt makes about the significance of the bull in
the final paragraph of her essay. Margaret
Earley Whitt reads Greenleaf as a religious
allegory. As Whitt argues, Mrs. Mays fatal
encounter with the bull at the end of Greenleaf
is a symbol of Mrs. Mays encounter with Jesus
Christ at the moment of her death, an encounter
that forces Mrs. May to recognize her own faults
(1389).
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HOW TO PARAPHRASE Many of your pieces of textual
evidence will be in the form of quotes, which we
will discuss next week. However, you do not want
to quote everything that you cite. As a general
rule, quotes should never take up over 1/3 of a
paragraphalthough sometimes they may. When you
want to cite a specific passage of a story or
article but do not want to quote it then you must
paraphrase it, which means write the passage in
your own words. When we quote a passage, we do
so in order to analyze how a specific effect
works in the text. If there is no clear effect
that we wish to discuss, we may want to simply
paraphrase the key incidents or details of a
passage so as to avoid slowing down our own
writing with the words of someone else.
Paraphrasing is most useful when you want to
present or examine an authors line of reasoning
but dont feel the original words merit direct
quotation.
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We need to be careful when we paraphrase, though.
We have to create sentences that use a different
structure and language than the original. If our
paraphrase contains elements that are a
word-for-word match to the source text or so
close that it is difficult to tell the
difference, we could be charged with plagiarism
because it looks like we are trying to steal the
words or ideas of someone else.
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HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is the
presentation of someone elses ideas or words as
your own. Every summary and paraphrase that you
write must be in your own words. If you are using
someone elses words, you must quote them. In
the passage plagiarized from Jessica Mitfords
book, identify the copied terms Original The
character and mentality of the keepers may be of
more importance in understanding prisons than the
character and mentality of the kept. (From
Jessica Mitfords Kind and Usual Punishment, page
9). Plagiarized But the character of prison
officials (the keepers) is more important in
understanding prisons than the character of
prisoners (the kept).
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HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is the
presentation of someone elses ideas or words as
your own. Every summary and paraphrase that you
write must be in your own words. If you are using
someone elses words, you must quote them. In
the passage plagiarized from Jessica Mitfords
book, identify the copied terms
(underlined) Original The character and
mentality of the keepers may be of more
importance in understanding prisons than the
character and mentality of the kept. (From
Jessica Mitfords Kind and Usual Punishment, page
9). Plagiarized But the character of prison
officials (the keepers) is more important in
understanding prisons than the character of
prisoners (the kept).
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Exercise 2. On a separate sheet of paper, write
a sentence-by-sentence paraphrase of the
paragraph on page 57 of Walkers essay that
begins What I feel at the moment
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Exercise 2. On a separate sheet of paper, write
a sentence-by-sentence paraphrase of the
paragraph on page 57 of Walkers essay that
begins What I feel at the moment Walker is
enraged when she knocks on OConnors front door.
Even though OConnors house is now abandoned, it
has a professional caretaker and is still kept in
good condition. Walkers house, however, is in a
state of decay and no one is caring for it.
OConnors house becomes a symbol for Walker of
how her past has been stripped from her, a
realization that leaves Walker furious with
OConnor. Her long-held appreciation of OConnor
decreases immensely, even though she doesnt want
it to (57).
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Exercise 3. On a separate sheet of paper, write
a paraphrase of the paragraph in Walker on page
59 that begins We walk about quietly
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Exercise 3. On a separate sheet of paper, write
a paraphrase of the paragraph in Walker on page
59 that begins We walk about quietly As
Walker and her mother are strolling the grounds
of Andalusia, Walker recognizes how perfectly
OConnor wrote about the very things she now sees
around her, the hills, the trees, the sky and
the road. She recalls OConnors bravery and how
much she has learned from her. OConnor made
southern writing unsentimental, representing her
white characters as full of a laughable sense of
superiority and writing about her black
characters with humility and restraint. She
admires the skill with which OConnor wrote, and
realizes that the way OConnor wrote will
continue to be something that she admires.
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Exercise 4. On a separate sheet of paper, briefly
summarize Hoffmans argument in two or three
sentences. The first sentence should mention the
authors name and the title of his essay,
followed by a statement that sums up what you
think the purpose of his essay is. The following
sentence or sentences should then summarize some
of the main points he makes. Focus your summary
on what Hoffman does as well as on what he says.
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Exercise 4. On a separate sheet of paper, briefly
summarize Hoffmans argument in two or three
sentences. The first sentence should mention the
authors name and the title of his essay,
followed by a statement that sums up what you
think the purpose of his essay is. The following
sentence or sentences should then summarize some
of the main points he makes. Focus your summary
on what Hoffman does as well as on what he
says. In his essay, The Search for Redemption
Flannery OConnors Fiction, Frederick J.
Hoffman explains OConnors method of writing
religious fiction. Drawing on a lecture that
OConnor gave at the College of Saint Teresa,
Hoffman discusses how OConnor had to write about
grotesque and exaggerated situations in order to
show how the figure of Jesus haunts almost all
of her characters (1379). Hoffman argues that
OConnors characters are much like her largely
secular readers all desire contact with God in
some way or another, despite the fact that many
of them dont believe in religion.
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Exercise 5. On a separate sheet of paper, write
a paraphrase of the paragraph in Hoffman on page
1377 that begins Miss OConnor writes about
intensely religious acts
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Exercise 5. On a separate sheet of paper, write
a paraphrase of the paragraph in Hoffman on page
1377 that begins Miss OConnor writes about
intensely religious acts OConnor focuses on
religion in her stories during a period in
history when most people are unsure what religion
means. Readers are suspicious of any attempts to
define religion, seeing statements that do so as
simplistic or ignorant. Thus, OConnor has to
write about religion in her stories in a much
more shocking way that goes beyond what readers
expect (Hoffman 1377).
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HOW TO QUOTE Use direct quotes from your primary
text to illustrate and support your analysis. Use
direct quotes from your secondary sources only
when the words of your own paraphrase would not
be as effective or meaningful. In English 1102
you must cite all of your sources using a form of
documentation called MLA (Modern Language
Association) documentation style. This means that
you will have to cite your quotes and paraphrases
within your essay a specific way. You will also
have to write a Works Cited page, on a separate
page after your essay, in which you write
bibliographic entries for your two stories in a
specific way.
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Heres how to cite your sources in MLA
style ?? Use parenthetical citation to document
your quotes and paraphrases. At the end of each
quote or paraphrase, write the source authors
last name and the page number the cited passage
is from, like this (Davis 91). ?? Incorporate
quotes grammatically within the body of your
paragraphs. ?? If a quote is over four lines
long, then you must left-indent the entire quote
within your paragraph. Each line of the quote
must be left-indented ten spaces. ?? The first
time that you cite from a source, you must cite
the authors name either in the body of your
paragraph or in the parenthetical citation. ?? If
you have already mentioned the authors name in
your paragraph or in a previous parenthetical
citation, then you need only write the page
number in parentheses, not the authors already
mentioned name.
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For example, here is a quote from an essay by
Flannery OConnor used in a sentence Like many
modern authors, Flannery OConnor has a very
stern view of human affairs, claiming that
modern life is seriously distorted (225). And
here is the same quote in a sentence that does
not mention OConnor, and thus we must supply the
authors name in the parenthetical
citation Many modern authors have a very stern
view of human affairs, claiming that modern life
is seriously distorted (OConnor 225).
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When using direct quotes from your sources you
must incorporate them into the grammatical flow
of your own writing. You do this by using signal
phrases that often include helping verbs One
common error a lot of people make when they
include a quote is that they tend to put the
quote in a sentence by itself. Unfortunately, we
cannot do this because we are then giving the
quote without a specific analytical context. We
need to use a signal phrase to introduce the
quote and give our readers a context for the
quote that explains why we are taking the time to
include it in our paper.
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Take, for example, this section from a paper on
Flannery OConnors short story, A Good Man is
Hard to Find, written by a critic names Houston
A. Baker, Jr. We can see the grandmothers lies
about the hidden compartment as an assertion of
her own will over her sons. The story about the
hidden compartment overpowers the sons protests
in the car" (Baker 170). In the above example,
the quote from an essay by the critic Houston A.
Baker, Jr. thrusts itself into the flow of the
paper, disturbing readers because there is no
warning that the quote is coming.
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Yet, with a signal phrase (in bold), we can make
the use of the quote seem more natural to
readers We can see the grandmothers lies
about the hidden compartment as an assertion of
her own will over her sons, as the critic
Houston A. Baker, Jr. argues in his essay, The
Morality of OConnors narrative The story
about the hidden compartment overpowers the sons
protests in the car" (170). By including a
reference to Baker and his essay in the sentence
before giving the quote, we let the reader know
that we are using someone's opinion to support
our own, giving the quote a context that the
reader finds relevant to our overall point.
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There are three main ways to set up a signaling
phrase 1. With a complete sentence followed by
a colon. The effects of the grandmothers story
are quite profound for her son he immediately
swerved the car off the road and refused to say
another word" (OConnor 29). 2. With a partial
sentence ending in a helping verb, followed by a
comma. OConnors narrator describes the effects
of the grandmothers story as being quite
profound for her son, writing, he immediately
swerved the car off the road and refused to say
another word" (29). 3. With a statement that
ends in that. The effects of the grandmothers
story on her son are clear when her narrator
states that he immediately swerved the car off
the road and refused to say another word" (29).
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You can, however, build your own signal phrases
by mixing these three basic styles with helping
verbs that describe your source's attitude
towards the subject of the quote. Here is a list
of such verbs, as well as other phrases you can
use admits agrees argues asserts believes
claims compares confirms contends declares
denies emphasizes insists notes observes
points out reasons refutes rejects reports
responds replies suggests thinks writes In
_____'s words According to ____'s (notes, study,
narrative, novel, etc.). Exercise 6. Using a
signal phrase and making reference to your source
(Lyman, a critic), revise the following quote on
a separate sheet of paper so that it fits better
with the flow of the writers sentence While
many scholars think that it is hard for readers
to understand the religious subtext of OConnors
grotesque stories, one scholar disagrees with
this view and a good reader can read between the
lines and see it clearly for themselves (Lyman
53).
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Exercise 6. Using a signal phrase and making
reference to your source (Lyman, an critic),
revise the following quote on a separate sheet of
paper so that it fits better with the flow of the
writers sentence While many scholars think
that it is hard for readers to understand the
religious subtext of OConnors grotesque
stories, one scholar disagrees with this view and
a good reader can read between the lines and see
it clearly for themselves (Lyman
53). Revised While many scholars think that it
is hard for readers to understand the religious
subtext of OConnors grotesque stories, one
scholar disagrees with this view, maintaining
that a good reader can read between the lines
and see it clearly for themselves (Lyman 53).
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Exercise 7. Using a signal phrase, revise the
following quote on a separate sheet of paper so
that it fits better with the flow of the writers
sentences In Flannery OConnors novel, The
Violent Bear it Away, Rayber rejects the idea
that Tarwater must always do what his uncle wants
him to do. You are a free human being with an
independent will (252).
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Exercise 7. Using a signal phrase, revise the
following quote on a separate sheet of paper so
that it fits better with the flow of the writers
sentences In Flannery OConnors novel, The
Violent Bear it Away, Rayber rejects the idea
that Tarwater must always do what his uncle wants
him to do. You are a free human being with an
independent will (252). Revised In Flannery
OConnors novel, The Violent Bear it Away,
Rayber rejects the idea that Tarwater must always
do what his uncle wants him to do, telling him
that You are a free human being with an
independent will (252).
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Exercise 8. Often, you must tell your reader how
to interpret your quote. For instance, the quote
below actually contradicts the point made in the
first sentence. You have to explain this
difference to your readers with a well-wrought
signal phrase. Revise the following sentences so
that the quoted material isnt just dumped
after the first sentence. You will have to add
signal phrases and transitional words to do
so. Many OConnor scholars maintain that it is
impossible to keep personal opinions from
influencing their interpretation of OConnors
stories. True, OConnors readers, like everyone
else, form impressions of what they see and hear.
However, a good reader does not fail to separate
opinions from the events they see on the page
before them (Lyman 52).
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Exercise 8. Often, you must tell your reader how
to interpret your quote. Revise the following
sentences so that the quoted material isnt just
dumped after the first sentence. You will have
to add signal phrases and transitional words to
do so. Many OConnor scholars maintain that it
is impossible to keep personal opinions from
influencing their interpretation of OConnors
stories. True, OConnors readers, like everyone
else, form impressions of what they see and hear.
However, a good reader does not fail to separate
opinions from the events they see on the page
before them (Lyman 52). Revised Many OConnor
scholars maintain that it is impossible to keep
personal opinions from influencing their
interpretation of OConnors stories. Yet not all
critics agree with this view. One critics grants
that OConnors readers, like everyone else,
form impression of what they see and hear. But,
he insists, a good reader does not fail to
separate opinions from the events they see on the
page before them (Lyman 52).
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USE QUOTES, PARAPHRASES, AND SUMMARIES
TOGETHER Writers frequently intertwine
summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part
of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book,
a writer might include paraphrases of various key
points blended with quotations of striking or
suggestive phrases as in the following
example In her famous and influential work,
Mystery and Manners, Flannery OConnor argues
that her characters are emblamatic of the modern
condition" (12), expressing in coded imagery
their unfulfilled wishes in imagery that may
appear grotesque" (95). According to OConnor,
actual but socially unacceptable desires are
censored internally and denied before emerging in
an explosive act of violence (66).
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Write a specific thesis
In this paper, I will show how OConnors stories
are more than they seem. This thesis is too
general. It does not tell the reader what point
the author will make in his paper. In this
paper, two of OConnors stories will be analyzed
with the help of scholarly essays by Margaret
Whitt and Richard Mueller. This thesis
statement is incomplete while it states what the
author will do, it fails to state the specific
point the author will prove in his paper. Also,
it should be written in the active voice, not the
passive voice. In this paper, I will analyze two
of OConnors stories with the help of scholarly
essays by Margaret Whitt and Richard Mueller. I
will show that while OConnors stories may
appear grotesque and overly violent, they really
are religious allegories that foreground
spiritual distortions in modern society. This
is a good, specific thesis. It describes the
point that the author will prove in her paper,
namely that OConnors stories are religious
allegories about our spiritually distorted
society.