Transcript MLA Format - Wando High School

MLA FORMAT
Formatting - Margins
A. Set 1 inch margins at the top, bottom, and on
both sides.
B. Indent the first word of each paragraph ½
inch from the left margin.
C. Indent set-off quotations 1 inch from left
margin. The right margin should remain
normal.
Formatting - Spacing
D. Double-space throughout
the
entire paper, including quotations, notes,
outline, and the list of works cited.
Heading and Title
E. A formal research paper does NOT need a title page
F. Beginning 1 inch from the top of the first page and
flush with the left margin, type on separate lines and
double-space between each line:
Your name
Your teacher’s name
The course
Date (Day Month Year)
Heading and Title (cont’d)
G. Double space again and center the
title
H. Double space between the title and
the first line of text.
I. Do NOT underline your title, or put it in quotation
marks, or type it in capital letters or boldface
type.
J. If you include an outline, it should precede the paper
itself.
Page Numbers
K. Number all pages consecutively throughout
the research paper in the upper right-hand
corner, ½ inch from the top and flush with
the right margin.
1. Type your last name before the
page number (e.g. Reed 2)
Page Numbers (cont’d)
2. Do NOT use the abbreviation p before a
page number
3. Do not add a period, hyphen or any other
mark or symbol
L. Position the 1st line of text 1 inch from
the top of the page
M. Number your outline pages with
lowercase Roman numerals beginning
with i
Paraphrase vs. Direct
Quotation
 There are 2 ways in which to share
information:
 Quote the source directly – Include the EXACT
words of the author and put quotation marks
around them
 Paraphrase the source – Use your OWN words to
restate the author’s ideas
 IN EITHER CASE, YOU MUST CITE YOUR SOURCE
WITH AN IN-TEXT CITATION AND
CORRESPONDING WORKS CITED ENTRY
EXAMPLES – In-text citations
Example A

"There are two basic types of sociodramatic play training: outside intervention and inside
intervention" (Christie 29).

By putting the author's last name, Christie, and the page number, 29, in parentheses after your
quotation about play training, you are telling the reader where you found this information.
Example B

Christie states that "there are two basic types of sociodramatic play training: outside intervention
and inside intervention" (29).

Because you have mentioned the author's name in your sentence, you do not have to repeat it in
the parentheses.
Example C

Margaret Sanger was thought to be primarily responsible for the introduction of birth control in
this country (Kennedy 251).

or

David Kennedy says that Margaret Sanger was primarily responsible for the introduction of birth
control in this country (251).

Sentences in your own words about the idea(s) of an author are treated in much the same way.
Here there are no quotation marks because you are describing an author's idea, not quoting wordfor-word. This is called "paraphrasing" and is as important to cite correctly as if it were a direct
quote.
In-text Citations - what to
cite
1. The EXACT sources of ALL research info must
be identified, whether it is a direct quotation,
paraphrased, or summarized in your own
words.
2. Give the author’s last name followed
immediately by the page number(s).
EXAMPLE – (Martinez 78-79)
In-text citations – how to
cite
3. If you have mentioned the author’s name in
the essay, fairly close to the citation, give the
page number(s) only.
EXAMPLE (78-79)
In-text Citations – how to
cite
4. If there are 2 or 3 authors, list each of their
last names
EXAMPLE (Leung and Whitfield 2-5)
(Jones, Smith, and Renkov 95)
5. If there are more than 3 authors, use the Latin
abbreviation et al. (and others) following the
author’s last name.
EXAMPLE (Schwartz et al. 61-63)
In-text Citations – how to
cite
6. Internet resources have no page numbers.
a. If an author’s name is given, use that. EXAMPLE
(Wilson)
b. Otherwise, use the organization or website’s
name. EXAMPLE (History Online)
7. In other cases, use the title, heading, or key word.
EXAMPLE (“War of 1812”) (“Architecture”)
In-text citations – how to
cite
8. Use COMMON SENSE to determine what to
use in a citation.
a. Choose the name, word, or phrase that will
allow the reader to easily identify the source
in your list of Works Cited.
9. KEEP CITATIONS BRIEF AND SIMPLE!
In-text Citation –
Paraphrase
1. When you paraphrase, the citation follows
immediately, BEFORE end punctuation.
 EXAMPLE – The loss of the Franklin Expedition was
largely due to the failure of the English explorers to
adapt to the severe northern conditions and to provision
their ships properly for the long Arctic winters (Parker 54
-55).
In-text Citation – Direct
quotation
2. If you use a brief (short) direct quotation,
place the citation AFTER the closing
quotation marks but BEFORE the end
punctuation
 EXAMPLE – The expedition was “doomed from the start
by the cavalier attitudes characteristic of the British navy
in Franklin’s time” (Singh and Johnson 77).
Works Cited
A. The list of works cited is the last page of your
paper.
B. The works cited page is numbered in the
same manner as the other pages. (LAST
NAME pg number)
(Reed 5)
Works Cited
C. Center the title (Works Cited) 1 inch from the
top margin.
D. Double-space throughout the ENTIRE page
(each line, not each entry).
E. Begin each entry flush with the left margin.
F. If the entry runs more than 1 line, indent
additional lines 5 spaces.
Works Cited
G. Single-space between words and after
punctuation marks in a works cited entry.
H. List each entry alphabetically by the author’s
last name. If there is no author listed, use the
first word of the title (disregard A, An, The)
Works Cited – sample entry
Journal article on the Web
MacLean, A. Peter, and Peters, Ray Dev.
“Graduate Student Couples: Dyadic
Satisfaction in Relation to Type of Partnership
and Demographic Characteristics.” Canadian
Journal of Behavioral Science 17.1 (1995): 13
pars. 22 April 2004
<http://www.cpa.ca/cjbsnew/1995/april/peter
s.html>.
Works Cited – sample entry
 Image from the Web
Wallen, Ruth. If Frogs Sicken and Die, What Will
Happen to the Princes? Bus Image 11. 1999.
Green Museum, Corte Madera, CA. 4 April 2003
<http://greenmusem.org/content/wif_detail_vie
w/ img_id-55_prev_size-1_artist_id-5_work_id13.tml>.
Sample Works Cited Page
Works Cited
Anderson, Kelli. "Seven Tips About Portable Generators." Consumer Reports
01 Nov 1999: Vol. 10, 87-89.
Deel, Daniel, and Mark Donnelly. Medieval Furniture: Plans and Instructions
for Historical Reproductions. New York: Stackpole, 1999.
"Poverty in the United States." www.census.gov. 01 Sep 2006. U.S. Census
Bureau. 03 Mar 2007 <http://www.census.gov/prod/06pubs/p60207.pdf>.
Electronic Resources
 There are links to citation websites on the
media center webpage.
 Use these resources:
 http://citationmachine.net/
OR
 http://easybib.com/