MLA CITATION PRACTICE PAPER

Citation Help

In order to complete this assignment, you may need to do some research on how to format direct quotes, paraphrases, and long quotes, as well as how to format Works Cited pages. If so, visit Purdue’s Online Writing Lab at . You can also do a Google search for “purdue owl mla.”

The following definitions are provided at Purdue OWL:

  • Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). It is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
  • Quotationsmust be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author (long quotes are quotations that are longer than four lines on your paper).
  • Paraphrasinginvolves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

ASSIGNMENT DIRECTIONS

  1. Open a new Microsoft Word file and save it as your class period, last name, and the assignment title (e.g., 2 THOMPSON MLA CITATION PRACTICE PAPER).
  2. Find a secondary source of information about your evaluation topic that you could use for your essay. This source should be a professionally written article or page from the CGCC database OR a website ending in .org or .edu. If you find a blog post or customer review that could also work, you may use it. Just keep in mind that blog posts and customer reviews may not provide enough information to summarize, paraphrase, or quote, and your score could be affected.
  3. Compose a short 3-4 paragraph review of the secondary source, following these guidelines:
  4. Open your paper with an introduction paragraph (3 to 5 sentences) that includes one short quote, the title of the article, the author’s full name, and a brief summary (2 to 3 sentences), giving a general overview of the main point of the article and the major ideas discussed.
  5. In your second paragraph, discuss what you agree with in the article, using either one long quote (4 lines or more) or a paraphrase. Note: if you use a long quote here, use a paraphrase in paragraph 3; if you use a paraphrase here, use a long quote in paragraph 3.
  6. In your third paragraph, discuss what you do not agree with in the article, again using either one long quote (4 lines or more) or a paraphrase. Note: use whichever you didn’t use in paragraph 2 so that your paper includes both a long quote AND a paraphrase.
  7. Use correct formatting throughout, including MLA document formatting (i.e., spacing, font, etc.), as well as proper MLA in-text citations (after the summary, paraphrase, and both direct quotes) and a Works Cited page that cites your source.
  8. At the TOP of your document, complete your Self-Reflection:
  • List each of the Scoring Guidelines categories outlined below.
  • Analyze your work and identify your level of mastery (Effective, Adequate, Inadequate, or Little Success).
  • Justify why you think your work demonstrates said level.
  • Explain how you feel about your overall performance on this assignment.
  • See Page 1 of this document for an example of an adequate self-reflection.
  1. Save your assignment document as a PDF or Microsoft Word file and post it to Turnitin.com for review. You can do this by clicking on the MLA Citation Practice Paper assignment link provided in Turnitin. Then upload your work. Note: Make sure you upload your work in a PDF or Microsoft Word file. If you copy and paste your work, all formatting will be erased and you could lose points. You do NOT need to send your work via email or bring it to class. Only work submitted via Turnitin will be accepted for credit.

MLA CITATION PRACTICE PAPER SCORING GUIDELINES

Following are explanations for each score within each category to be scored on this assignment.

Summary Score

EFFECTIVE – 20/20 points: The summary provides accurate and comprehensive information about important and major ideas presented in the article, and source is properly cited with correct MLA in-text citation formatting.

ADEQUATE – 18/20 points: The summary is accurate and comprehensive, providing information about major ideas presented in the article; however, citations are either missing or contain one or more errors.

INADEQUATE – 15/20 points: A summary is provided, but it could use some development; and citations are either missing or contain errors.

LITTLE SUCCESS – 12/20 points:The summary is underdeveloped and does not provide adequate information about the source; nor have in-text citations been provided, per MLA formatting rules.

Short Quote Score

EFFECTIVE – 20/20 points: The assignment includes a short quote, properly introduced and cited correctly.

ADEQUATE – 18/20 points: The assignment includes a short quote with a citation, but the quote may not be introduced with a signal phrase and/or the citation may contain one or more errors.

INADEQUATE – 15/20 points: The assignment includes a short quote, but a signal phrase and/or in-text citation is not provided.

LITTLE SUCCESS – 12/20 points:A short quote may or may not be provided. It is difficult to tell and, therefore, this element cannot be fully assessed.

Long Quote Score

EFFECTIVE – 20/20 points: The assignment includes a long quote (4+ lines), properly introduced, formatted, and cited correctly.

ADEQUATE – 18/20 points: The assignment includes a long quote (4+ lines) with a citation, but the quote may not be introduced with a signal phrase and/or the formatting and/or citation may contain one or more errors.

INADEQUATE – 15/20 points: The assignment includes a long quote (4+ lines), but it is not properly formatted and/or a signal phrase and/or in-text citation is not provided.

LITTLE SUCCESS – 12/20 points:A long quote (4+ lines) may or may not be provided. It is difficult to tell and, therefore, this element cannot be fully assessed.

Paraphrase Score

EFFECTIVE – 20/20 points: The assignment includes a paraphrase, properly cited.

ADEQUATE – 18/20 points: The assignment includes a paraphrase, but the citation may contain one or more errors.

INADEQUATE – 15/20 points: The assignment appears to include a paraphrase, but an in-text citation is not provided.

LITTLE SUCCESS – 12/20 points:A paraphrase may or may not be provided. It is difficult to tell and, therefore, this element cannot be fully assessed.

Grammar and MLA Formatting Score

EFFECTIVE – 20/20 points: Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling are used throughout, with few to no errors; and the MLA formatting, including a Works Cited page, is correct.

ADEQUATE – 18/20 points: The writing meets expectations, but could use some additional editing.

INADEQUATE – 15/20 points: The writing approaches expectations because, while it is comprehendible, it contains several errors that should have been corrected before posting, some minor and others more serious, including possible MLA formatting errors.

LITTLE SUCCESS – 12/20 points:The writing falls below expectations because the number of serious errors in grammar and/or MLA formatting makes it difficult to follow the discussion and/or to verify sources.