MLA Style Format and CitationsResearch ProjectJanuary 16, 2014

The Format of the Paper…0 Your paper must be typed

0 Size 12, Times New Roman font0 Must be double spaced

0 No extra space is needed0 i.e., Dead Space

0 Do not skip lines between paragraphs

0 To double space…0 “Control-F2” on a PC0 “Command-F2” on a Mac

0 Justify the margins0 1.25” margins

0 This is done automatically on Microsoft Word

Heading and Title0Proper MLA formatting should be set-up as follows:

Using Your Sources

0A General Rule:0 Ideally, no more than 25 percent

of your paper should be direct quotations

0 Paraphrase as much as you can0 Use direct quotations when

citing a statistic or original theory

0 Use author’s words if they capture a point exactly

When to Give Your Source…You must acknowledge in your paper the source of:

0A direct quotation0A statistic0An idea0Someone else’s opinion0Concrete facts not considered “common knowledge”0 Information not commonly known0 Information taken from the computer (internet, etc.)0 Illustrations, photographs, or charts – if not yours

Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing

You must still acknowledge your source if you…

Paraphrase:0Put someone else’s ideas into your own words

Summarize:0Condense someone else’s words or ideas

Signal Phrases in MLA0Model Signal Phrases:

“In the words of researchers Long and McKinzie…”

“As Paul Rudnick has noted…”

“…writes Michelle Moore,…”

NOTE: Never use “says”

acknowledgesagrees

believescommentscontends

deniesemphasizes

grantsimplies

observesreasonssuggests

admitsassertsclaims

confirmsdeclaresdisputesendorsesillustrates

notespoints out

refuteswrites

“Said is Dead”

In-Text Citations

0Three most common citations:0 Author and page number0 Author and Year Published0 “Article Title” and Year

Published

…a system in which you give your source in parentheses immediately after you give the information.

Citations: Author & Page Number

(Keeling 125)

0Notice there is no “p” and no comma

0Example:0 The struggle for identity

was common in these times (Keeling 125).

Citations: Article Title & Year Published

0Her distinct writing style adds to her mystique (“Plath” 1999).

0Often articles or websites have no author listed; thus, give the first distinctive word of the title, followed by the year it was published

Most Commonly used for Websites or Magazine Articles

Citations: Author & Year Published

0 His bravery and willingness to break the racial barrier changed the professional sports world for good (Johansen 2001).

0 Notice that you simply give the author’s last name and the year it was published. If you cannot find the publishing year, you would simply use the author’s last name.

…used mainly for internet sources where an author’s name is provided

Exceptions and Special Circumstances

0What happens if there is more than one author?0 If there is more than one author, you would list the last

names of the authors0Ex: (Johansen and Smyth 2001) or (Nagle, Henry, and Jones

2002)

0What happens if there is no author?0 When there is no author, you provide the name of the

article or page you are on to indicate where the information came from0Ex: (“The Life of a Hero 2003).

How Often do I Give Credit?

0When several facts in a row within one paragraph all come from the same page of a source, use on citation to cover them all. Place the citation after the last fact.

0The citation MUST be in the same paragraph as the facts!