Transcript How To Format Using MLA

Writing the Research Paper
Using MLA to Document the
Argumentative Research Paper
Getting Started
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Finding a topic
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What makes a good research paper topic?
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Topic must be debatable. Reasonable people should have
conflicting opinions about your topic (i.e. gun control, stem
cell research, use of nuclear energy, etc)
Choose a topic that you have an interest in and/or already
know a bit about (this will make writing and researching the
topic more enjoyable). If you already know some about your
topic, your goal is to research the topic and build on the
information you already know
How to Bring Research into Your Paper
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Why am I asking you to write a paper using
sources?
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To gather additional or new information about your
topic
To discover the differences in opinions about your
topic
To help you discover the abundance of information
available to you through research
What Are Sources?
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A source is where you found factual and reliable
information about your topic
Examples of the types of sources available are:
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Person whom you interviewed
Newspaper article or magazine article
Scholarly journal article
Book
Website
Television/radio program
What is a Citation?
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When you bring research into your writing (quotes,
statistics, paraphrases), you must indicate from where you
found the information, which includes the source (i.e.
book and author(s)
Giving credit (identifying where you found the
information in your paper) is also referred to as ‘citing a
source.’
When you cite the source within the body of your paper,
this is referred to as ‘in-text citations’ or ‘parenthetical
citation’ because you are providing the bibliographic
information of the source.
What to Cite in Your Research Paper
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Always cite direct quotations (this information must be in
quotation marks)
Always cite paraphrased information (information found
in a source but written in your own words and not stated
word-for-word in your paper)
Facts and statistics (unless they are common knowledge
and easily found in numerous sources)
• HOWEVER: IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT ABOUT
WHETHER TO CITE OR NOT, CITE THE SOURCE!
Direct Quoting, Paraphrasing, and
Summarizing
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Direct Quoting: You use an author’s exact words
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Paraphrasing: Putting a source’s information into your
own words and sentence structure but maintaining the
accuracy of the source’s information (usually is the same
length as the original source)
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Summarizing: Also written in your own words; shorter
than a paraphrase; quickly sums up the source’s
information
What is Plagiarism?
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As explained and defined in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers,
Plagiarism “derived from the Latin word plagiarius [kidnapper”] and refers to a
form of cheating that has been defined as the “false assumption of authorship: the
wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and presenting it as
one’s own.”
Plagiarism involves “two types of wrongs: using another person’s ideas,
information, or expressions without acknowledging that person’s work
constitutes intellectual theft and passing off another person’s ideas, information,
or expressions as your own to get a better grade or gain some other advantage
constitutes fraud” (Gibaldi 66).
Remember that using relevant source information in your own writing is both
academically and morally commendable; however, it is imperative that you
properly cite the source’s information and give credit where credit is due.
Improper citation may be held against you. Although you may not intend to
plagiarize, I cannot read your mind. One plagiarized paragraph or sentence is all
that an essay needs to be failed.
Work Cited Gibaldi, Joseph.MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers.6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America,
2003.
How to Avoid Plagiarism?
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Always cite material found in sources
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Direct Quotations (always use quotation marks and indicate
source’s information)
Paraphrased information
Summarized Information
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These are examples of subtle forms of plagiarism
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Do not be tempted to use papers found on the internet
and submit as your own (blatant type of plagiarism)
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What guidelines can we use to help us avoid plagiarism?
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MLA Style Documentation: Modern Language Association
MLA Documentation
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Two important aspects of MLA Documentation:
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In-text citation (in the body of your paper)
Works Cited Page (last page of your research paper
that lists ALL sources used in your paper)