MLA Format Rules for Writing Research Papers

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MLA Format Rules for Writing Research Papers

• Learn it, live it, love it!

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First page

• Double spaced, Times New Roman or Calibri font
  size 11 or 12, One inch margins on all sides
• Four line heading, upper left corner
• Your name
• Teachers name
• Title of the course
• Date due 8 December 2014
• Double spaced
• Title of paper centered on next line after
  heading

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Running head

• Upper right-hand corner of each page of your
  research paper including your Works Cited page.
• Includes YOUR last name and the page number of
  the paper
• Page number changes for each consecutive page of
  your paper
• Go to Insert headers and footers to input your
  running head in the header of your pages.

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Typical citation for including research in your
writing

• Direct quote
• Lines to be directly quoted (taken word for word
  from your source) must be placed inside quotation
  marks.
• For direct quotes of less than four typed lines,
  you must place the citation directly after the
  quote. You need to include the authors last
  name/editors last name/keyword from the source
  and the page number that the information appears
  on from your source.

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Example of a citation for a direct quotation

• Arthur Millers The Crucible forces a revolution
  in our perception and definition of reality
  (Martin 73).
• The period for the end of the sentence goes after
  the parentheses.
• If there is no author, use the editor of the
  source inside the parentheses.

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Block Quote

• To be used for direct quotes only.
• Must be at least 4 lines or more.
• Quotation is introduced by a colon ()
• Entire quotation starts on a new line and is
  indented 10 spaces (tab 2x) from left-hand
  margin.
• The citation must come immediately after the
  quotation and no quotation marks are needed for a
  block quote.
• The period comes before the parentheses in a
  block quote.

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Example of Block Quote

• Wages are so low, and jobs were so few, that
  thousands of migrants were driven to desperate
  poverty. The extent of the desperation is made
  clear in a report written in 1939, the year that
  The Grapes of Wrath was published
• The State Relief Administration estimates the
  most
• agricultural workers only have employment for
  six
• months in the year of less and that the
  average yearly
• earnings per familywere 289 in 1935. In
  the same
• study the S.R.A. estimated that each
  familyshould
• have had at least 780 to eke out an
  existenceIn 1932
• there were 181 agricultural workers for every
  100 jobs
• offered in 1934, 142. (McWilliams 48)
• Then continue the paragraph as you normally would
  on a new line.

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Works Cited Page

• The works cited page lists only sources that you
  actually used (there are citations for) in the
  text of your research paper.
• https//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12
  /
• The sources are listed in alphabetical order
  based on whatever comes first in the citation.
• A very credible website for MLA format
  information
• https//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/1/

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Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing means that you are putting the
  information from the source into your own words.
• You still need to cite where the information came
  from even if you are paraphrasing.
• The citation is the same for direct quote.
• You will cite after you are finished paraphrasing
  from a particular source at that point in your
  paper. This does not mean that you cant use it
  somewhere else in your paper, but you need to
  cite it again, each time you use it, paraphrased
  or directly quoted.

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Reminders

• Each time you use a particular source, the
  citation for it must be the same except the page
  number may change.
• There is no need to use a p. or pg. in front
  of the page number in the parentheses. Just use
  the number alone.
• Avoid overquoting. It is important to use your
  own voice.
• Please no cover pages or report covers needed.
  Your work is beautiful enough without this extra
  stuff!!!

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So, use in-text documentation to cite a source
whenever you

• Use an original idea from one of your sources,
  whether you quote or paraphrase it.
• Summarize original ideas from one of your
  sources.
• Use factual information that is not common
  knowledge
• Quote directly from the source.

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Use quotations when

• You want to add the power of an authors words to
  support your argument
• You want to disagree with an authors argument.
• You want to highlight particularly eloquent or
  powerful phrases or passages.
• You are comparing and contrasting specific points
  of view.

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Little reminders for research simulated tasks

• Underline or italicize book/play titles/magazine
  titles. Once you choose one method, stick with
  it.
• Quotation marks go around articles titles.
• Never use a quotation as a topic sentence!
• Avoid I think/I believe and the worst offender,
  You!
• Your thesis statement should answer the question.
  Make sure this sentence is something arguable.