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MLA Style Sheet and Writing Guide
A Guide for Documenting Research
Washington Township High School IMC
2016 - 2017
Writing Guide and MLA Style Sheet
Table of Contents
Purpose of the Manual...... 2
Works Cited Format...... 2
Sources Using One Container...... 4
Books...... 4-5
Periodicals...... 6
Other Common Sources...... 7
Online Sources………………………………………………7-8
Sources Using Two Containers…………………………………....9
E Books...... 10
Online Sources...... 10-11
IMC Databases……………………………………………….11-13
Documenting Sources...... 14
Note Cards...... 14-15
Parenthetical Citations...... 16-17
Quotations...... 18
Structure of the Paper...... 19
Typing the Paper...... 21
Addendum
Helpful Hints...... 22
Commonly Misused Words...... 23
Transitions...... 24
Plagiarism and Copyright...... 25
Purpose of the Research Paper Manual
The purpose of the Washington Township High School IMC’s research paper manual is to provide all students and teachers with a concise and consistent guide to research that can be used in all classes and with all grade levels.
This manual is based on instructional materials prepared by the high school librarians and English teachers andMLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 8thedition, MLA, 2016.
General Rules for Works Cited Entries
In any source citation, there are core elements that appear in most works. Identify these elements by using this chart from the MLA Handbook
A container is the larger part of a source citation. It is the book, journal, web site, television show, CD, DVD.
TIPS: Use these to format your Works Cited Page
- Periods are used after the first two entries (Author and Title) in the citation and at the end of the source citation. All of the other elements use a comma.
- Online sources require the URL without the http or better yet the DOI (digital object identifier).
- Write out editor, translator, edited by, and review of
- Double space entries.
- Begin the first line at the margin and use hanging indent to indent subsequent lines.
- Place entries in alphabetical order by the author’s or editor’s last name; no author cite by title.
- Italicize the names of books, magazines, newspapers, journals, web sites and databases.
- Put titles of articles, essays, and short stories, and poems in quotation marks.
- Dates are written as day month year (6 Aug. 2016); abbreviate the names of the months except for May, June and July.
- Abbreviations for Editions: 2nd ed., 3rd ed., rev. ed. (revised edition), abr. ed. (abbreviated edition), supp. (supplement), supp. II, pt. 1 (supplement and part)
- Omit business abbreviations (Co., Corp., Inc., Ltd), University Press use the abbreviation UP and University use U
- No Page Numbers for electronic sources, Internet and Databases.
The Exception are PDF Formats use page numbers and e books use chapter numbers
Sample Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, editor. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Salem, 1999.
_ _ _. “Seniors and the Term Paper.” Time, 17 Feb. 2016, p. 18.
Landsburg, Steven E. “Who Shall Inherit the Earth?” Slate, 1 May 2016,
Neubauer, Carol. “Displacement and Autobiographical Style in Maya Angelou.” Black American Literature Forum. vol. 17, no. 2, 1983, pp. 123-9. Literature Resource Center,go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420033955&v=2.1&u=sewe85726&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=11d4764f8d1af6a16d71335b1bcbde88.
Thomas, Jay. Critical Review of Phenomenal Woman. Edited by Harold Bloom, Albans, 1997.
Sample Format for Citing Print Publications
Identify thekey elements of your source by using this chart from the MLA Handbook
This chart can be used to format abook, magazine, journal, newspaper, film, CD, blog, or web site that is located in one container.
The author, Richard Prichard wrote a book called Lives of Modern Poets which was edited by Harold Bloom and published by Albans in 2012
Prichard, Richard. Lives of Modern Poets. Edited by Harold Bloom,
Albans, 2012.
Prichard, Richard.
Lives of Modern Poets.
Edited by Harold Bloom,
Albans,
2012.
Sources in One Container
Format for Books
Book with 1 Author:
Gerber, Phil. Robert Frost. Chelsea, 1999.
Book with 2 Authors:
Smith, Ann, and Barbara Jones. Exploring Literature. Temple UP,
1999.
Book with 3 or more Authors:
Schmo, Joseph, et al. Exploring Design. 2nd ed., Chelsea, 1987.
Book with an editor:
Bloom, Harold, editor. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Salem, 1988.
Book with 2 editors:
Napierkowski, Marie Rose, and Mary K. Ruby, editors. Poetry for Students. vol. 3, Gale, 1998.
Book with an editor and author:
Prichard, Richard. Lives of Modern Poets. Edited by Harold Bloom,
Albans, 2012.
Book with an edition:
Magill, Frank N., editor. Contemporary Poets. 2nd ed.,St. James, 1994.
Book using only 1 volume in the Series
Smith, Valerie, editor. African American Writers. 2nd ed., vol. 2, Charles Scribner’s, 2001.
Work in an Anthology:
Eckley, Grace. “Ray Bradbury.” Contemporary Science Fiction,
vol. 1, edited by Frank N. Magill, Salem, 1997, pp. 124-30.
Book or Essay in a Book with No Author:
“Dracula.” Novels for Students,edited by David Galens, vol. 18, Gale, 2003, p. 27.
Periodicals
(Newspapers, Magazines, and Scholarly Journals)
Finn, Ann.
Kate O’Brien: The Feminist James Joyce.
Irish Literature Review,
vol. 42,
no. 7,
Spring 2007,
Finn, Ann. “Kate O’Brien: The Feminist James Joyce.” Irish Literature Review, vol. 42, no.
7, Spring 2007, pp. 5-10.
Article in a Newspaper:
Lyons, Bill. “Philadelphia Sports.” The Inquirer, 12 Feb. 2015, late ed., p. F1.
Weekly Magazine:
Gilligan, Kim. “Health and Fitness.” Sports Illustrated, 21 Mar. 2008, p. 18.
Monthly Magazine:
Callaway, Rob. “Bowling is Fun.” Entertainment Today, June 2008, p. 64.
Article with No Author:
“The Fabulous Decade.” Time, 10 Jan. 1996, pp. 12-14.
Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed Journal) :
Finn, Ann. “Kate O’Brien: The Feminist James Joyce.” Irish Literature Review, vol. 42, no.
7, Spring 2007, pp. 5-10.
Citing Other Common Sourcesin One Container
Radio Program:
“The Music Hour.” Narrated by Joan O’Brien, National Public Radio, WUMM, Weekend
edition, Sunday, 25 Jan. 2015.
Television Show:
Pretty Little Liars. Created by Marlene King, performance by Ashley Benson, ABC Family,
2010-2016.
DVD:
It’s a Wonderful Life. 1946. Directed by Frank Capra, performance by James Stewart, Donna
Reed, and Lionel Barrymore, Republic, 1984, disc. 1.
Painting, Sculpture or Photograph”
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1420, The Louvre, Paris, Art History, edited by Harold Jansen,
Lippincott, 2015.
Song from a CD:
Perry, Katie. “California Girls.” Teenage Dreams, Capital Records, 2010.
Audio (Sound) Recording:
Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight. Narrated by John Simon, Atlantic, 2007.
Sample Format for Online Sources in One Container
Web Page with No Author:
“Chernobyl Accident 1986.” World Nuclear Organization, 2016,
nuclear.org/information-library.
Web Page with an Author:
Jones, Grace. Rainbows. 2016,
Database in 1 Container:
Bagby, George F. “Frost and the Book of Nature.” Bloom’s Literature, fofweb.com/Lit/asp.
YouTube Video:
“Library Orientation.” YouTube, Uploaded by Natalie Ricevuto, 7 June 2016,
Song on the Web:
Beyonce. “Pretty Hurts.” Beyonce, Entertainment, 2013,
Twitter:
@wthsimc. “A library is your past, present, and future.” Twitter, 8 June 2016, 6:35 p.m.,
twitter.com/WTHSIMC.
Email:
Schmo, Joe. “Re: Research.” Received by Mickey Mouse, 31 Mar. 2016.
Sources Using Two Containers
Electronic Sources
Sources of information can be found in a variety of formats. For example, you can read a newspaper article in a print version (1stcontainer) or you can find the same newspaper article as an online version (2nd container). So you have to combine the information formatted for the 1st container with the 2nd container’s information.
For example:
The critic William Alstair wrote anessay on the "The Sun Also Rises." Thisis contained in the book, Novels for Students; however, this essay was located using the database Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Alstair, William. “The Sun Also Rises.” Novels for Students, edited by Rose Napiekowski, vol.
5, Gale, 2012, pp. 324-48, Gale Virtual Reference Library,
.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%.
Container 1Original Source 2nd Container
Alstair, William GVRL
“The Sun Also Rises.”
Novels for Students,
RoseNapiekowski,
5,
Gale
2012,
pp. 324-48.
Use these as Modelsfor Electronic Sources Using a 2ndContainer
Web Site
Web Sitein Two Containers
“Vesuvius.” Volcanos, Volcano World, 2016. volcano.oregonstate.edu/.
ebooks:
Butcher, Kristin. Zee’s Way. Orca, 2004. Follett e books, destiny/
wtps.org/.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Raven.” The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 1, Project Gutenberg,
gutenberg.org/ebooks/2147.
Whittier, John. “A Prayer.” The Freedmen’s Book, edited by L.Maria Child, 1866, p. 178.
Google Book, books.google.com/.
OnlineRadio Program
“The Music Hour.” Narrated by Joan O’Brien, National Public Radio, weekend ed.,
WUMM, 25 Jan. 2015. NPR,
Online Television Program
Pretty Little Liars. Created by Marlene King, performance by
Ashley Benson, ABC Family, 2010-2016. Hulu,
Online Movie
It’s a Wonderful Life. Directed by Frank Capra,performance by James Stewart, Donna Reed,
and Lionel Barrymore, Republic, 1984. Teacher Tube, teachertube.edu/film/wonderful.
Online Song
Perry, Katie. “Last Friday Night.” T.G.I., Capital Records, 2011. iTunes,
Online Audio (Book)
Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight. Narrated by John Simon, Atlantic, 2007. Amazon,
Online Sound File
Williams, Sam. “1001 Friends.” Soundzabound. Soundzabound Music Library,
Online Magazines and Newspapers
Article from an Online Newspaper
Lyons, Bill. “Philadelphia Sports.” The Inquirer, 12 Feb. 2015, late
ed. Philly News,
Weekly Online Magazine
Gilligan, Kim. “Health and Fitness.” Sports Illustrated, 21 Mar. 2008. Masterfile Elite,
Monthly Online Magazine
Callaway, Rob. “Bowling is Fun.” Entertainment Today, June 2008. MAS,
Blogs and Podcasts
Blog
Smith, John.“It Begins.” A Brave New World. CNN, 27 May 2011, itbeginsbrave.org.
Podcast
Meyer, Stephanie. “The Making of Twilight.” Hosted by LaurenAnderson, Teen Reads
Podcasts, ALA, 13 Apr. 2007,
Examples from the IMC Databases
Use these as models for the databases located in a 2nd Container
Ferguson Career Guidance Center Database:
Ebert, Jerry. “Dairy Inspector.” Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center, Facts on
File, 2016. Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center, fcg.infobase.com/recordurl.
Gale Biography in Context Database:
“George Washington.” Historic World Leaders. Gale, 2015.Gale Biography in Context,
ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/Bio.
Gale Opposing Viewpoints Database:
Carlson, Peggy. “Animal Experimentation is Unjustified.” Current Controversies: The Rights
of Animals, edited Tamara Roelff, Greenhaven, 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints
In Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic.
Artemis Database:
French, Warren. “J. D. Salinger: Overview.” Reference Guide to American Literature, 3rd ed.,
edited by Jim Kamp, St. James, 1994. Artemis, go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do.
Bloom’s Literature Database:
Kerr, Christine. "The Catcher in the Rye." Bloom's How to Write about J. D. Salinger,
Chelsea House, 2007. Bloom's Literature, link2=true.
Quoted In
George F. Frost and the Stopping. Edited by Earl J. Wilcox and Jonathan Smith,
U of Missouri, 2000, pp. 123–31. Quoted.in “The Echo of Frost's Woods. " Edited by
Harold Bloom, Robert Frost: Bloom's Modern Critical Views, Chelsea House, 2010. Bloom's
Literature, fofweb.com/Lit/default.asp.
Facts on File Databases
Helmer, Diana Star. "Paul, Alice." Women Suffragists: American Profiles, Facts on
File, 1998. American History Online, online.infobase.com/hrc/search/details/165192?q=alice paul.
Gale Virtual Reference Library:
"The Sun Also Rises." Novels for Students, edited by Marie Rose Napierkowski, vol. 5, Gale,
1999, pp. 324-348. GaleVirtual Reference Library, galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GAL.
Literary Reference Center (Ebsco) Database:
Smith, John. “The Road Not Taken.” Masterplots II: Poetry Series, rev. 3rd ed., Salem, 2007.
Literary Reference Center, web.b.ebscohost.com/lrc/results?sid=6a39b2a8.
Literature Resource Center (Gale) Database:
Scholarly Journal
Oates, Joyce Carol. “The Death Throes of Romanticism.” The Southern Review, vol. 10, no. 3,
Fall 1998, pp. 501-2. Literature Resource Center, gogale/id=lit.
Health Reference Center Database:
Adamec, Christine, and William A. Petit. “Diabetes Mellitus.” The Encyclopedia of Diabetes,
2nd ed., Facts On File, 2011.Health Reference Center,
online.infobase.com/hrc/learningcenter/details/11?articleid=126701.
Teen Health and Wellness Database:
Baish, Vanessa. “Cliques.” Teen Health and Wellness,
.
Documenting Sources
A Works Consulted page and Source Cards list all the books, magazines articles, databases and Internet sites that you found in your preliminary survey of materials available on your topic.
The Purpose of Source Cards or Works Consulted Page is to
- keep you organized
- assist you in writing your Works Cited list
Copy the source citation information into a Word document. Follow the guidelines of this manual for proper formatting.
E Note Cards
E Note Cards are an organization tool for the information you discover during your research and require a citation for each note.
- You will need a note card for quotations, an author’s ideas, statistics, graphs and charts.
- Put quotation marks around material that is copied word for word.
- If you find the information in 3 or more sources and put it in your own words, it is common knowledge and doesn’t require that you document the source.
It will be difficult during the early stages of reading and taking notes to determine what common knowledge is, so if you write it on a note card, give the source.
Organization of e Note Cards
MLA does not require a specific format for note cards, it is left to the discretion of the teacher, but the WTHS Style Guide recommends using one of these formats:
Note Card– Citing by Author
ThemeWright believes that Brooks’ use of “the black dialect rings true in her poetry and reveals the voice and attitude of young African Americans”
(Wright ).
Explanation of the Parts of the Note Card
Label - The label is the topic. You will arrange your cards according to their labels before you write your paper.
Note – This can be a quotation, a summary, or a paraphrase from a book, a magazine article, an online database, or the Internet. This is the information that you will use to write your paper. Be sensible about note taking. You will have more cards than you need to write your paper, but do not take down every detail and do not duplicate material.
Page Number – The exact page number where you found the citation should be noted on the card. Keep in mind that online databases and the Internet do not have page numbers.
Source –where you found your information. It is always enclosed in parentheses.
- Print sources use the author’s last name and page number. If there is no author, use an abbreviated title.
- Electronic sources format the same as print sources, but usually there are no pages numbers
Types of Note Cards – Quotation, Summary and Paraphrased
Quotation Note Cards
Put “quotation marks” around material that you copy word for word.
When quoting a source that uses quotation marks, change the author’s double quotation marks to single quotation marks.
All quotation note cards require a source.
According to Harold Bloom, “‘the essence of The Great Gatsby is double vision’” (25).
Quoting Poetry
Put the lines of poetry in quotation marks. You may use two or three lines of poetry by separating each line with a slash (/).
Langston Hughes describes the realities of life in “A Dream Deferred”: “What happens to a dream deferred? / Does in dry up like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a sore?” (10).
If you are incorporating a quoted question and a parenthetical citation, the question mark is followed by the quotation mark and then the parenthetical citation, which ends with a period.
Tips:
- If you are going to alter the quote by adding your own thoughts, use brackets[ ] around your words.
- If you are going to omit words or sentences from the quoted material, use ellipsispoints
Words – use 3 dots … Sentences – use 4 dots ….
“Dickens was a keen observer of life…he showed sympathy for the poor” (Magill 27).
Summary Note Cards
A summary captures the key ideas of an author in a few words.
Paraphrasing Note Cards
Paraphrased note cards require a source on the card
This is a restatement in your own words of the thoughts and ideas of a writer. Usually paraphrased material is written in about the same number of words as the original.
When paraphrasing, read the material. Then close the book before you write the note card.
Parenthetical Citations
The purpose of a parenthetical citation or in-text documentation is to document where you found your information. You give credit to the authors for using their words. You must use a parenthetical citation for quotations, ideas that are not common knowledge, statistics, figures, charts or graphs.
Parenthetical citations should be brief and should not interfere with the presentation of your paper.
Do not use back-to-back parenthetical citations; each citation should be followed by your own ideas, explanations, or analysis.
Parenthetical citations refer the reader to your Works Cited page at the end of your paper.
Helpful Hints for Writing Parenthetical Citations:
- As a general rule, the punctuation is placed after the parenthetical citation. The exceptions to the rule are long quotations, exclamation points, and question marks.
- Whenever possible, try to incorporate the author’s name within the text. If you do this, only the page number (if a print source) needs to be included in the parenthetical citation.
- If using two or more works by the same author, try to incorporate the title of the article or name of the book into the sentence and just give the author’s name and page number in the parenthetical citation.
- Online databases and the Internet do not have page numbers. The numbers on your hard copy are numbers placed there by the printer. There are two exceptions when using:
- An online source with a PDF format, usw page numbers.to cite the information.
- An e books usechapter numbers (ch. 2) to cite the information.
Books with 1 Author or Editor -
(Magill 220).
Book with 2 Authors or Editors -
(Taves and Meade 155).
Two or More Works by the Same Author
(Bloom, Survey 110).
(Bloom, Critical 227).
Use a shortened title to distinguish between the two books.
Put a comma between the author or editor’s name and the title and italicize the shortened title.
Using 2 or more Volumes of a Multivolume Work
(Wellek 5: 7).
(Author/ Editor’s last name Volume: page number)
*Use a colon to separate the volume and the page number
Citing By Title – No Author is given
(“Robert Frost” 10) - this is an essay in an anthology