Mla Condensed Packet

MLA CONDENSED PACKET

May 31, 2011

Dear Faculty and Students:

The English Department will be teaching MLA style in English courses as of September 2011. Certain departments, such as Business Administration, Education, Nursing, and Social Sciences, may require APA style. Please verify with your instructor which citation system is preferred.

This packet consists of a condensed handout of information that will be useful to give students as they write research papers. It gives guidelines for creating in-text citations and Works Cited pages. Also included is a sample References page and a checklist that students and faculty can use to evaluate a Works Cited page.

We hope this guide will be helpful. You can find extended explanations and examples for MLA on the NHTI Library and Writing Center Websites available from Quick Access by Troyka. In addition, you can find MLA guidelines at the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue, including a PowerPoint slideshow that introduces the basics of MLA format:

Correct Formatting: There are some electronic and online tools available that auto-format in-text citations and the Works Cited page. However, it is important to note that these may not always be accurate. Therefore, you are responsible to check Quick Access or the Online Writing Lab (OWL at Purdue) to ensure the formatting and information required are correct. The chapters on MLA and APA from Quick Access will be available online in the fall.

Citation Machine ( ) and Knight Cite ( ) are two Internet sites that can assist you with the creation of a Works Cited pages. But be warned: garbage in, garbage out. If you do not have a basic understanding of what you are putting into those fields, problems may arise. In Word 2010 under References, you can access citations and bibliography for MLA. EbscoHost also provides Work Cited entries. Be aware that both have glitches. We recommend you do not rely on Word due to its inaccuracies.

The English Department recommends that all students make an appointment at the Writing Center so that the writing coaches can helpthem understand MLA or APA format. The Writing Center is available for papers at any stage. The Study Solutions Lab offers assistance in understanding texts, reviewing for tests, comprehending concepts and vocabulary, and time management.

The Writing Center is open Monday - Thursday (9 - 7) and Friday (9 - 4).

The Study Solutions Lab is open Monday – Thursday (10 - 2)

The Writing Center and Study Solutions Lab are located at the Learning Center (next to the library).

Call 271-7725 or sign up in Learning Center for an appointment. Appointments are half hour.

Cathy Eaton

Coordinator of the Writing Center

NHTI – Concord’s Community College

RESEARCH PAPER

MLA DOCUMENTATION

MLA in-text citation format

MLA Works Cited format

MLA Works Cited sample pages

MLA Works Cited checklist

For additional explanations and examples of in-text citations and Works Cited page, see the MLA guidelines on OWL at Purdue:

or call 271-7725 to make an appointment.

Writing Center

Choosing a topic
Drafting
Revising
Mechanics
MLA & APA documentation

/ Study Solutions Lab

Comprehension
Remembering
Organization
Time management
Stress management

Owl at Purdue University has graciously given us permission to use this poster/handout overview of MLA style guidelines.

MLA In-Text Citation Format

Exact WordsUse quotation marks.

Cite source: (Author’s last name + page number(s)).

If no author: (First significant word(s) of the title + page number(s)).

Paraphrase Do not use quotation marks.

Or SummaryCite source: (Author’s last name + page number(s)). If an online source includes paragraph numbers or section numbers, give relevant numbers preceded by abbreviation par. or pars. ((Author’s last name + par(s)). (Author’s last name +sec(s)).

Place the period outside and after the parentheses.
DO NOT use p. or pg. before the page number.

Quotations

Include last name author and page number: (Chopin 328). Put punctuation outside parentheses.

Given that it does not produce any oil, “Morocco makes the most of its other advantages” (Zwingle 115).

George Zwingle, an economist for Texaco, asserts, “As the only North African country without oil, Morocco makes the most of its other advantages” (115).

Paraphrased or Summarized Information

Include last name author and page number(s): (Mason 15).

Because Morocco does not have oil, unlike all other countries in northern Africa, it has to rely on its other natural resources (Zwingle 115).
Texas economist George Zwingle asserts that, unlike all other countries in North Africa, Morocco does not have oil and therefore has to rely on its other natural resources (115).

Citation without Author

If the work has no named author, substitute the editor.

If the work has neither author, nor editor named, follow the same guidelines as you would for paraphrasing or quoting sources, but substitute title for author.

Put quotation marks around the capitalized titles of articles or chapters or short stories.

Use the first significant word of the title, unless it is the same as another. For “The Beginner’s Guide to Martial Arts,” use “Beginner’s” in place of author: (“Beginner’s” 3).

Italicize title and capitalize major word(s) of longer works like books, magazines, journals, or brochures.

For The Art of Blogging, use Art in place of author: (Art 4).

Citations with Same Author

Include shortened title if you cite two or more works by same author.

Long Quotation

For quotations that extend beyond four lines of verse or prose, create a block quotation: start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quotation indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing; only indent the first line of the quotation by a half-inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. For example,

It was an old spring wagon, with a round canvas top on it like the cover of a prairie schooner. It was drawn by an old gray horse and a little gray and white burro. A big stubble-bearded man sat between the cover flaps and drove the crawling team. Words were painted on the canvas in clumsy, crooked letters. “Pots, pans, knives, sisors, lawn mores, Fixed.” The black paint had run down beneath each letter. (Steinbeck 340)

Where to Place Citations within a Paragraph

“MLA in-text citations are made with a combination of signal phrases and parenthetical references. A signal phrase introduces information taken from a source (a quotation, summary, paraphrase, or fact); usually the signal phrase includes the author’s name. The parenthetical reference, which comes after the cited material, normally includes at least a page number” (Hacker 2).

In order to have the ideas flow naturally, the parenthetical in-text citation should be placed at the end of the material documented, within the paragraph, preferably at the end of a sentence. (MLA Handbook for Writers 217). Cite source IN THE PARAGRAPH IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE INFORMATION USED. For example, if you have three consecutive sentences with information unambiguously from one source, place the citation in parenthesis after the LAST sentence that includes information from source. You can list the specific pages or the page range: (7, 11, 84) or (7-84).

Instead of including a paragraph completely paraphrased or summarized from one source, introduce the material with a topic sentence, and then give information or ideas from the source, and finally interpret its significance.

The main goal for ALS research is to find the cause, understand the mechanics of the disease, and to come up with a treatment. According to Dr. Aman Shah, from WebMD medical news, "stem cells have the potential to replace any kind of diseased cell in the body" (1). The research on this is moving at a slow pace because the big debate about stem cells is that they come from an embryo. To the pro-life organizations this means that taking stem cells from a living embryo kills it in the process. The pro-choice organizations feel that aborted embryos are likely to be discarded by abortion clinics, so why not use them to save a person's life? The government imposes limits on how many embryos can be used (3, 5).

As mentioned above, you don’t have to repeat an author’s name in the second or subsequent references to the same source within a single paragraph provided that no other sources are mentioned between these references.

Referencing Several Sources within a Paragraph

You don’t have to repeat the author’s name in second and subsequent references to the same source as long as the information cannot be confused with information cited from other sources.

The land at the center of this debate is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, which is pronounced An-wahr (Lee 98). Located in northeastern Alaska, this nineteen-million-acre wildlife refuge is sometimes referred to as a Serengeti of the north because of its size and vast concentrations of wildlife (Carter 25). According to Lee, “It ranks as one of the most significant unspoiled Arctic ecosystems in the world” (86). Unfortunately, that distinction may become a trophy of the past. For, as Lee points out, this great wilderness area is “also the most important oil prospect in North America” (88).

Integrating Quotations

Avoid plunking quotations into your text without explanations. Instead, select precise signal phrases, often including the author’s name and the author’s qualifications, to prepare your reader for the quotation (Hacker 46).

AVOIDDropped Quotations:

Although the bald eagle is still listed as an endangered species, its ever-increasing population is very encouraging. “The bald eagle seems to have stabilized its population, at the very least, almost everywhere” (Sheppard 96).

INCLUDEQuotation with Signal Phrase:

Although the bald eagle is still listed as an endangered species, its ever-increasing population is very encouraging. According to ornithologist Jay Sheppard, “the bald eagle seems to have stabilized its population, at the very least, almost everywhere” (96).

To avoid monotony, try to vary your signal phrases.

In the words of communication researchers Huston and McLaughlin, “ . . .”

As editors Delbonis-Platt and Lindsay have noted, “ . . .”

Eaton, author of Curse of the Pirate’s Treasure, points out that “ . . .”

“ . . .,” claims skier Jane Cooke.

English professor Jewel Davis offers an alternative solution: “ . . .”

Cushing, advisor to the solar car team, answered these objections with the following analysis: “. . .”

VERBS USEFUL TO INTRODUCE A PARAPHRASE, SUMMARY, QUOTATION

According to / Comment / Describe / Note / Respond
Acknowledge / Compare / Emphasize / Observe / Show
Add / Complain / Explain / Offer / Speculate
Agree / Concede / Endorse / Point out / Suggest
Analyze / Conclude / Find / Question / Suppose
Argue / Confirm / Grant / Quote
Ask / Consider / Illustrate / Reason
Assert / Contend / Imply / Reiterate
Believe / Declare / Insist / Report
Claim / Deny / Maintain / Reveal

When your signal phrase includes a verb, choose one that is appropriate in the context. Is your source arguing a point, making an observation, reporting a fact, drawing a conclusion, refuting an argument or stating a belief? By choosing an appropriate verb, you can make your source’s stance clear (Hacker 265).

MLA WORKS CITED FORMAT: QUICK GUIDE

(See Works Cited page samples on following two pages)

In MLA style, the alphabetical list of resources is entitled Works Cited. The first word of the Works Cited entry will always correspond to the in-text citation. The general guidelines are as follows:

1.Separate page

/ The Works Cited page is a separate page that follows the last page of the text of the paper.
2. Works Cited page title / Center the words Works Cited at top of the page. DO NOT underline, italicize, or put it in quotation marks.
3. What to include / List only works you have cited (quoted, summarized, paraphrased, or commented on) in the text of
your paper, not everything you have read.
4. Order of entries / Alphabetize entries by last name of primary author. If there is no author, alphabetize by last name of editor.
If there is no author or editor, alphabetize by first word of article or book other than a, an, or the.
If using two or more works by the same author, list works alphabetically by title.
Provide author’s name in last name, first name format for the first entry only. For each subsequent entry, by the same author, use three hyphens and a period instead of name.
5. Spacing after punctuation / Use one space after a colon, comma, semicolon, or sentence-ending punctuation. Put one space
after a period at the end of an abbreviation.
6. Numbering / Do NOT number entries.
7. Hanging Indent rules / Do not indent the first line of an entry. It should be flush with left hand margin.
Indent any additional lines in each entry.
8. Page spacing / Double space throughout
A. Double space within entries.
B. Double space between entries.
9. Author’s name(s) / Author names are written last name first; middle names or middle initials, if used, follow the first name. With two or more authors, list the names in the order they are found in the text. With more than one author, subsequent author names appear with the first name, last name format. Separate the names with commas using “and” before the final name in the list. After the last name in list use a period. Include each of the authors’ names. Do not use “et al.”
10. Date of publication / For books, place the date of publication after publisher.
For periodicals, place the date after periodical title. The order of information is day, abbreviated month, year, e.g. 14 Sept.1959 (no commas, no parentheses).
For web sites, place the date after the name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher).
11. Titles:
general:
of larger works:
of smaller works: / Capitalize each substantial word in all titles. Do not capitalize articles (the, a, or an), prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle.
Use italics (instead of underlining) for titles of larger works (books, journals, magazines, newspapers) and quotation marks for titles of shorter works (poems, articles. essays).
Italicize the names of magazines, journals, newspapers, and the titles of books
When there is a volume and/or issue, place after the title of the journal. Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication, e.g. 2 (1961) 14-41. Print.
Place titles of magazine or journal articles in quotation marks.
12. Place of publication / Put a period after title of book and then indicate city where source is published. After the city put a colon
and a space before publisher’s name. After publisher’s name, put a comma and the date of publication followed by a period. Even if city is not well known, do not include state..
13. Publisher / Shorten publisher’s name as long as it is easily identifiable.
14. Page numbers / Give inclusive numbers for articles or sections of books.
Do not use p or pp for page numbers.
List page numbers of sources efficiently when possible. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as 225-50.
For electronic sources including data bases, you may omit the page number if a work lacks page numbers, as is the case with many Web sources. When pagination is not provided, use n. pag.
List all pages, with discontinuous numbers set off by commas: 32, 44-45, 47-49, 53.
15. Identify medium / For every entry, you must determine the medium of publication. Most will be listed as Print or Web sources, but other possibilities include Film, CD-ROM, or DVD, Reading, Performance, Seminar, Conference. Include at end for books, periodicals, and presentations. For electronic sources, follow with retrieval date

SAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGES

Do not underline or put in quotations

Works Cited

Adams, Michael. Traveling Economically. New York: Warner Books,

2002. Print.

Ambra, Stephen. “Lost in the Stacks.” New York Times 11 Mar.

2008: C1+. Print.

Bauerlein, Mark, John Kennedy, and Diana Gioia. Handbook of

Literary Terms: Literature, Language, Theory. New York:

Pearson. 2005. Print.

Becker, George. “Life on the Beach.” Journal of Oceanography, 6.2

(2004):1-7. Journal of Oceanography Online. Web. 11 Mar.

2011.

Belasky, Paula. “Adoption is an Act of Compassion.” Opposing

Viewpoints: Adoption. Ed. George Bender, Sara Leone, and

Herald Harnack. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2002. 24-30. Print.

“Biking.” Encyclopedia of Transportation. London: Oxford UP. 1966.

Print.

Cattano, Jane. “Kayaking in Open Water.” Popular Science 35

(2005): 12+. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.

Double space within entries

Double space between entries

Book w/ 1 author

Article in newspaper

Book w/ 2 or more authors

Book with title & subtitle

Internet site: Scholarly article w/ volume and issue

Include date retrieved

Work in an anthology, edited book or poetry collection

Unsigned article in reference work

Journal article –EBSCOhost Italicize journal name. Do NOT put p. or pp. before the page number(s).

Department of Health and Human Services. National Agenda

for Public Health Action: The National Public Health

Initiative on Diabetes and Women’s Health. Atlanta: DHHS,

2003. Print.

Edwards, David, and Michael Murphy. “How to Play Golf without

Blowing Your Tamper.” Golf. Mar. 2011: 36-39. Print.

Shreeve, Julie. “The Greatest Journey: Genetic Trails Left by

Our Ancestors.” National Geographic Mar. 2006. Web.

1 Mar. 2011.

“Training for Martial Arts.” Blackbeltmag.com. Blackbelt Online, n.d.

Web. 1 Mar. 2009.

Young, Beverly. The Increase of Diabetes in America. Juvenile