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Honors American Literature

2017

Guide to Academic Writing

Mrs. Newell

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Table of Contents:

Acceptable & Unacceptable Internet Sources 3

Website Evaluation 4

Bibliography Information 5

Commonly Used Bibliography Entries 6-7

Using Direct Quotes in Body Paragraphs 8

Paraphrasing 9-11

Sample introduction, thesis, and first paragraph 12-13

Introductions 14

Conclusions 15

Work Cited Pages 16

Parenthetical Citations 17

Transitions 18

Formatting the First Page of your Paper 19

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ACCEPTABLE & UNACCEPTABLEINTERNET SOURCES

When conducting Internet research, you must be sure that sources are credible.

UNACCEPTABLE Sources: Wikipedia Ask Jeeves Ask.com & About.com Blogs eHow.com Encyclopedias, with the exception of specialized encyclopedias (e.g.,

medical or law reference books) are unacceptable. eNotes Personal websites wikiHow.com Yahoo Answers

ACCEPTABLE Sources: scholar.google.com (academic and journal articles) Google.com (but only to search for articles or other acceptable

websites) SIRS articles EBSCOhost articles Online periodicals (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, etc.) Specialized encyclopedias (e.g., medical or law encyclopedias) DiscoveryChannel.com, HistoryChannel.com, npr.org, pbs.org Websites ending in .org, .gov, or .edu are usually more reliable than

.com or .net websites.

Ask Mrs. Newell about any questionable sources before you use them!

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WEBSITE EVALUATION

A website that is credible provides information from a source that can be trusted.  To determine if a website is credible, identify the following information:

1. title of article2. title of website3. sponsoring organization4. date of last update or copyright5. address

If the website does NOT provide the date of last update OR if a sponsoring organization is not provided, you cannot use the site.

Check the address—an address ending in .gov, .org, or .edu (government, organization, or educational institution) is more likely to be reliable because a website ending in .com is commercialized

If a website has many “pop-ups” or advertisements, then it is not as likely to be credible, either.

If the website provides opinions instead of fact, or if the website is a blog, then it cannot be used.

Relevancy of SourceTo determine if a website or ANY OTHER SOURCE is relevant, ask the following questions:

Does the source provide factual information (information that cannot be debated or disputed, such as statistics, numbers, or dates) that I can use to support a sustained argument in a paper (thesis).

Does this source provide information that helps to inform my audience of my reasons for my argument (thesis)?

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BIBLIOGRAPHY INFORMATION

When you find a source, be sure to record the following information:

For books:-    name of the author(s)-    editor’s name, if needed-    call number-    city of publication-    publisher-    copyright date-    title of chapter or essay (if needed)-    page numbers, if needed (usually for reference books)

For journals and magazines:-    name of the author(s)-    title of the article-    title of the periodical-    volume and number (if given) of the magazine/journal-    date of publication-    page number(s) of the article

MLA Abbreviations:  Most commonly used abbreviations for MLA bib citations.

MONTHS:                                                   NO DATE: Jan.                                                           n.d.                         Feb.Mar.Apr.May                                                              NO PAGE NUMBER:June                                                             n. pag.JulyAug.Sept.                                                            NO PUBLISHING INFORMATION (i.e., websites):Oct.                                                              n.p.Nov.Dec.                                                         UNIVERSITY PRESS:  UP

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COMMONLY USED BIB ENTRIES

If you are unable to find the bib entry format you need below, you should consult Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01 or the MLA’s website: www.mla.org.  There is an MLA Handbook available in the Library.  You can also use online citation generators like Easy Bib: www.easybib.com to help you create proper bib card citations.  However, it is your responsibility to make sure all entries match the entries in the style guide.  Be sure you use correct MLA format!  If you are hand writing your bib entries, all italicized items should be underlined.

Book by one author:Author’s last name, First name.  Title of book.  Publisher, Publication year.MacDonald, Kate.  The Life of Jonas Salk.  Simon, 2013.

Book by two authors:Author’s last name, First name, and 2nd Author’s First name Last name.  Title of book.        Publisher, Publication year.Wentz, Brad, and Lynn Mahon.  Mastering Golf.  Ohio UP, 2012.

Book by more than two authors use et al. (Latin for “and others”):Author’s last name, first name, et al. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication year.Stewart, Susan M., et al.  The Best Restaurants in the World. Knopf, 2014.

Book with an editor (no author):Editor’s last name, first name, editor.  Title of book.  Publisher, Publication year.Dickson, Drew, editor.  The Commodities Handbook.  Prentice-Hall, 2009.

Essay in an anthology, collection, or specialized reference book:Author’s last name, first name.  “Title of essay.”  Title of book, edited by Editor’s

Name(s),Publisher, Publication year, Page range of entry.Weirs, Melissa. “Shouting into Tomorrow.”  Reflections on Modern Poetry, edited by

Timothy Frost, Harper, 2010, pp. 24-34.       

PRINT Magazine/Newspaper Article:Author’s last name, first name.  “Title of article.”  Title of Magazine/Newspaper, Date of

publication, Page number(s) of the entire article.Kelly, John.  “The New World Soldier.”  Time, 15 Nov. 2014, p. 57.

ONLINE Magazine/Newspaper Article:Author’s last name, first name.  “Title of article.”  Title of Magazine/Newspaper, Date of

publication, Page number(s) of the entire article, URL.  Accessed date.Kelly, John. “The New World Soldier.” Time, 15 Nov. 2014, pp. 73-77,

www.time.com/articles/2015/world/thenewworldsoldier. Accessed 12 Dec. 2015.

PRINT Scholarly Journal Article:Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, Pages.

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Bagchi, Alex. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahaweta Devi’s Bashai Tudu.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 2011, pp.

41-50.

ONLINE Scholarly Article:Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, Pages, URL.  Accessed date.Bagchi, Alex. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahaweta Devi’s Bashai Tudu.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 2011, pp. 41-50,www.womensliteraturestudies.com/journal/bagchi/8354.  Accessed 10 Feb. 2015.

Entire Website:Editor, author or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Name of

institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of  

resource creation or last updated date (if available), URL.  Accessed date.Landow, George, ed. The Victorian Web. Harvard University, 14 Apr. 2010.

www.victorianweb.org.  Accessed 27 Sept. 2015.

One Page on a Website:Editor, author or compiler name (if available).  “Name of web page.”  Name of Website.  

Name of institution/organization (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation or last updated date (if available), URL.  Accessed Date.“Athlete’s Foot – Topic Overview.”  WebMD, 25 Sept. 2015,

www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/athletes-foot-topic-overview. Accessed 6 Dec. 2015.

Personal Interview:Last name, first name of person interviewed. Personal interview. Date of interview.Payton, Mary Ann. Personal interview. 6 Feb. 2012.

Movies/Films/DVDs:Title of Film.  Director, performers, Studio or Distributor, Release year.The Usual Suspects.  Directed by Bryan Singer, performances by Kevin Spacey, Gabriel

Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro, Polygram, 1995.

Google Book:Author’s Last Name, First Name.  Title of the eBook.  Publisher, Year of publication.  

Title of website, URL.  Accessed date.Austen, Jane.  Pride and Prejudice.  General Press, 2016.  Google Books,        books.google.com/books?id=QcY-DAAAQBAJ&dq=pride+and+prejudice&source.        Accessed 23 Aug. 2016.

For online help, please go to one of the following websites:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01  OR   www.mla.org

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USING DIRECT QUOTES in BODY PARAGRAPHS

Original Direct Quote:  “Though pastoral literature describes an idyllic rural home life through the use of smooth and picturesque vocabulary, these poems often utilize ruder language to imply greater matters.  Heaney uses poetic phrases and conversational language simultaneously, as well as literary devices such as onomatopoeia and different styles of rhythm, to clarify and focus on his peculiar subjects” (Burris 78).

1.  Embed a partial direct quotation into your own a sentence:Many students find that poets who focus on poems and stories about the countryside will sometimes “utilize ruder language to imply greater matters” (Burris 78).

2.  Use a directly quoted sentence with an original introduction. Sidney Burris, a critic of contemporary poetry, writes, “Heaney uses poetic phrases and conversational language simultaneously, as well as devices such as onomatopoeia and different styles of rhythm, to clarify and focus on his peculiar subjects” (78).

3.   If you only need part of a direct quote, you may use ellipsis.  An ellipsis (…) indicates omissions from the original quote.Burris notes, “Heaney uses poetic phrases and conversational language...to clarify and focus on his peculiar subjects” (78).

4.   If you have a direct quote that is longer than 4 lines, you must set it up as a block quote.

The entire block quote is indented 5 spaces from the left; block quotes do not have quotation marks; the period comes before the parenthetical citation.  You should not have more than one block quote per paper.  Please see your teacher for further instructions. (Burris 78)

FOR ALL DIRECT QUOTES REMEMBER:

Introduce all direct quotes – Miller states, “…” Follow all direct quotes with an explanation of how it supports a

claim, example, or thesis statement Include a citation Please note that the citations are bolded in the examples above.  Do

NOT bold them in your final paper

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PARAPHRASE: Write it in Your Own Words

From: The OWL at Purdue

Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material. Anytime you are taking information from a source that is not your own, you need to specify where you got that information.  How would you explain the quote you want to paraphrase to someone who hasn’t read it?

A paraphrase is... Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else,

presented in a new form. One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow

from a source. A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single

main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because... It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage. It helps you control the temptation to quote too much. The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full

meaning of the original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision

using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.

4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.

5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.

6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

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PARAPHRASING EXAMPLES

The original passage:

“Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.” Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

Paraphrasing Examples:  Original Quotes with Possible Paraphrases

ORIGINAL:   “Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head” (“Bike Helmets” 358).PARAPHRASED:  The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children (“Bike Helmets” 358).

ORIGINAL:  “Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the

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sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate” (Plagens n.pag.).PARAPHRASED:  Matisse paintings are remarkable in giving the viewer the distinct sensory impressions of one experiencing the scene first hand. For instance, "The Casbah Gate" takes one to the walled city of Tangier and the Bab el Aassa gateway near the Sultan's palace, where one can imagine standing on an afternoon, absorbing the splash of colors and the fine outlines. Even the sentry, the bowaab vaguely eyeing those who come and go through the gate, blends into the scene as though real (Plagens n.pag.).

ORIGINAL:  “While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building” (Bachman 15).PARAPHRASED:  How much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise than the present world marvel, the Sears Tower, is unknown. However, the design of one twice as tall is already on the boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).

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SAMPLE INTRODUCTION, THESIS,& FIRST PARAGRAPH

In a co-educational classroom, male and female students typically behave

differently.  The teacher disciplines the boys because they fail to focus.  In contrast,

the girls do not participate because they fear that the boys will make fun of them.

Essentially, these boys and girls demonstrate hindrances to their learning which

ultimately reflects their different learning styles.   Hoping to enhance students’

learning, 223 public school districts in the United States offered single-sex classes to

students in 2007.  This number increased dramatically since 1998 when only four districts

provided these types of classes (Hladky n.pag.).  As more districts offer single-sex

classes, the benefits become more apparent.  Single-sex classrooms effectively

accommodate for various differences between boys and girls.  These differences

include brain functioning and processing of information, preferences for both

teaching styles and the classroom environment, and reaction to peers and social

pressures.  Therefore, because boys and girls learn better in different environments,

single-sex classes would be beneficial to any student.

        Many different reasons exist for the implementation of single-sex classes.

Some schools choose to use single-sex classes to eliminate gender stereotypes with regard

to achievement (“Beyond Gender Myths” n.pag.).  One such stereotype is boys perform

better in science and math than girls do.  Therefore, a single-sex classroom provides

both male and female students with an equal opportunity to achieve (“Beyond the Gender

Myths” n.pag.).    Furthermore, single-sex classrooms allow for the differences in brain

functions among males and females, thereby tailoring instruction specifically to the ways

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males and females process information (Tyre n.pag.).  Most importantly, districts use

single-sex classes to curb inappropriate, violent behavior in boys and to encourage

confidence in girls while eliminating the distractive presence of the opposite sex (Grimes

113).  Therefore, single-sex classes benefit students’ ability to learn.

Note:                          Every sentence that is bold-faced is the writer’s own ideas, which do not need to be cited. In the introduction, those sentences comprise a scenario to “hook” a reader as well as the sentence that previews the main points of the paper.  The thesis statement, which is underlined, is also the writer’s own idea that he/she developed after his/her research. Then, in the first body paragraph those sentences are the writer’s topic sentence, any transitional sentences, and the concluding sentence that refers back to the thesis statement.

INTRODUCTIONS

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The introduction to a paper is very important.  It sparks your readers’ interest in your topic and makes them want to read more.  It also gives them an idea of the kind of information you will be covering in your paper and what your view is on the topic.  Remember: do not use first- or second-person points of view in your paper.

Step 1 – The Attention Getter:As a writer it is important to get your reader’s attention right away.  It may be accomplished as a startling statistic, a story, or an interesting fact or facts.  This way, your reader will be curious about the rest of your paper.Create three possible attention getters for your introduction and list them here:1.2.3.

Step 2 – Organization:Your introduction sets the organization for your entire paper.  After reading your introduction, the reader should know in what order the information will appear.  This order of information should match your outline.Using your outline, name the order of the topics (the Roman numerals in your outline) that will be covered in your paper.1.2.3.4.5.

Step 3 – Your Thesis Statement:Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of your introduction paragraph.  Write your finalized thesis statement here:

CONCLUSIONS

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The conclusion should:·         tie the main points together and draw a final conclusion·         echo your main idea without dully repeating it·         End crisply on a positive noteThe conclusion should:·         summarize your main point·         emphasize the importance of your subject·         propose a course of actionConsider including:·         A detail, example, or image form the introduction to bring the readers full circle·         A quotation or bit of dialogue·         An anecdoteAvoid:·         introducing new ideas at the end·         Apologies and other limp, indeterminate endings

Example of a Conclusion

        Considering that coeducational classroom once again, one now clearly understands the disadvantages of the conventional classroom.  Placing female and male students within their separate classrooms, though, greatly enhances their education because it accommodates for the gender differences in learning.  Within these classrooms, boys and girls find a nurturing, supportive environment that is conducive to their specific learning needs.  With such high stakes as PSSA scores, college applications, and rigorous curriculums, a single-sex classroom would benefit all students so that their maximum potential can not only be reached but surpassed.

*This conclusion takes into account the previous introduction from the previous page.*

WORKS CITED PAGE

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The works cited page is a list of all of the sources you have cited in your paper---either as direct quotes or paraphrased quotes.  Entries should be arranged alphabetically, according to authors’ last names.  If a work has no author, use the title to help you alphabetize; do not count the, a, or an as a first word.  If an entry takes up more than one line, be sure to indent 5 spaces for all extra lines in that entry (or highlight it, go to Paragraph, and choose a hanging indent).  Double-space between entries.  Do not enlarge font size or bold anything. See the example below:

Works Cited

Bagchi, Alex. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahaweta Devi’s BashaiTudu.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 2011, pp. 41-50,

www.womensliteraturestudies.com/bagchi.  Accessed 10 Feb. 2015.

Dickson, Drew, editor.  The Commodities Handbook.  Prentice-Hall, 2009.

Esposito, John L.  “Capital Punishment.” The Islamic World: Past and Present. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010.  SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 5 May 2015.

Kelly, John. “The New World Soldier.” Time, 15 Nov. 2014, pp. 73-77,www.time.com/articles/2015/world/thenewworldsoldier. Accessed 12 Dec. 2015.

MacDonald, Kate.  The Life of Jonas Salk.  Simon, 2013.

Stewart, Susan M., et al.  The Best Restaurants in the World. Knopf, 2014.

Weirs, Melissa. “Shouting into Tomorrow.”  Reflections on Modern Poetry, edited by Timothy Frost, Harper, 2010, pp. 24-34.

Wentz, Brad, and Lynn Mahon.  Mastering Golf.  Ohio UP, 2012.

PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

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EVERY time that you use information from a source, whether it is a direct quote or a paraphrase, you must use a citation in your paper!

Examples of the most frequently used citations:

(Author but no page) = (Jones n.pag.)(Author with page #) = (Skloot 47)(“Title of Article” but no #, if no author) = (“Penguins Sweep the Second Series” n.pag.)(“Title of Article” with page #, if no author) = (“Penguins Fly Toward the Cup” 32)(Website, if no author) = (Penguins Official Home Page n.pag.)(Two authors but no #) = (Patal and Jones n.pag.)(More than two authors with #) = (Jones et al 72)(Title of Book with #, if no author) = (Lord Stanley and the Penguins 108)

CITING AN INDIRECT SOURCE:

An indirect source is a source cited in another source. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For example:Adamson believes that many students are pressured to “perform more on the field than   in the classroom” (qtd. in Weisman 259).

Weisman = the author of the original source

Adamson = the author/person the source is quoting

TRANSITIONS

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Transitions are words or phrases that are used to link ideas, sentences, or paragraphs.  Coherent writing flows smoothly from one sentence and paragraph to another, clarifying the relationships among ideas.  Incoherent writing confuses the reader.

To indicate more information:                                                             To compare or contrast:Besides                                                                                                       AlthoughFurthermore                                                                                              HoweverIn addition to                                                                                              In comparisonIn fact                                                                                                          In contrastMoreover                                                                                                    LikewiseSecond...Third...etc.                                                                                  Nevertheless                                                                                                                    On the other handTo indicate a cause or reason:                                                            SimilarlyAs                                                                                                                WhereasBecause                                                                                                     YetBecause ofDue to                                               To indicate a particular time shift from one timeFor                                                    period to period:For the reason that                                               AfterSince                                                                       Before                                                                                CurrentlyTo indicate a purpose or reason why:          DuringFor fear that                                                           EventuallyIn the hope that                                                     FinallyIn order to                                                               First..Second...etc.So that                                                                    InitiallyWith this in mind                                                   Lastly                                                                                LaterTo indicate an example:                                    MeanwhileFor example                                                           NextFor instance                                                           PreviouslyIn particular                                                            SimultaneouslyParticularly                                                             SoonSpecifically                                                            SubsequentlyTo demonstrateTo illustrate                                                                                         To summarize:                                                                                                                    BrieflyTo indicate a result or an effect:                                                     In briefAccordingly                                                                                               OverallFinally                                                                                                          To summarizeConsequently                                                                                                       Hence                                                                                                          To conclude:So                                                                                                            Given these factsTherefore                                                                                             ThereforeThus                                                                                                        Thus

Do not use “in conclusion” or “to begin” in your paper!  You are in high school and those transitions are for younger, less sophisticated writers.

FORMATTING THE FIRST PAGE

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OF YOUR PAPER & TITLES

Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your teacher's name,

the course & period, and the date the paper is due. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.

Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.

Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"

Double space between the title and the first line of the text. Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name,

followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.