WHAT IS MLA FORMAT?
The Modern Language Association (MLA) developed a style guide for academic writing called MLA Format.
MLA provides guidelines for the parenthetical, in-text citation and the creation of the bibliography, called works cited.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CITE SOURCES?
As a writer, it is your responsibility to give proper credit to your sources. It is also very important that you give this credit in accordance with MLA style. If you fail to give proper credit to a source, you have committed plagiarism.
WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
If you have not given proper credit to your sources, you have committed plagiarism. Essentially, it is like you are lying to your reader. You have used someone else’s ideas without telling your reader where you took it from.Whether you have intentionally tried to pass off someone else’s ideas as your own or, through careless research, you unintentionally “forgot” to cite a source, the charge is plagiarism.
HOW CAN I AVOID PLAGIARISM?
Basically, any idea or fact that you received from a source needs to be cited. Any idea or fact that is common knowledge does not need to be cited. For example, facts like the earth rotates around the sun or Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while in office are common knowledge and would not have to be cited.
MLA FORMAT: TYPING THE RESEARCH PAPER
- PAPER AND FONT
The paper should be 8 1⁄2 x 11 inches, a good quality bond of at least twenty-pound weight. Such paper may be purchased from the bookstore on a sheet by sheet basis. Use Times New Roman 12 point font. Leave one space after periods and other punctuation marks - MARGINS
Standard 1 inch margin (top, bottom, left, and right). Most instructors prefer the paper have no folder or plastic binding; however, if an instructor asks for a binder, you should ask the instructor if you should use a one and one half inch left margin to keep the text centered. (In this course, do not use a folder or cover; secure the research paper with a paper clip.) Ordinarily, the text will be left justified only. - HEADINGS AND TITLE
A research paper does not need a title page. Instead, on the first page of the text, on the top left margin, type your name; then, double space and type the instructor’s name; double space and type the name of the course; finally, double space and type the date. Put the title, centered, a double space below; then, double space and begin the text of the paper. Using subheadings within the paper can be very helpful in guiding the reader from section to section. Level 1 headings are bolded, numbered, and placed flush left. - PAGE NUMBERING
The first page of the text and all subsequent pages are numbered in the upper right hand corner. Use your last name as a header, insert a space, and insert the page number, e.g., Schwartz 13. - BIBLIOGRAPHY
The bibliography is placed at the end of the research paper. It begins on a new page, with the title Works Cited appearing at the top. Make certain your word processor is set at left justified. Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all main words in the title, including those after hyphens. Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions or the to in infinitives (as in How to Make a Million) when such words come in the middle of a title. Entries are entered alphabetically by the author’s last name or the article title when there is no author. Entries are double-spaced within the entries and double-spaced between, with any line after the first in any entry indented 5 spaces (a hanging indent). Modern printing puts one space only after a period, semicolon, etc.
EXAMPLE:
PARENTHETICAL CITATION — IN-TEXT CITATION
Parenthetical citation is when a writer directly puts into the text a note from where he or she got the information. Parenthetical or “in-text” citation allows your reader to know from what source each idea/fact came.This is how it looks in the text of your paper:
“In 2007, 37 percent of American adults sought medical information from the internet regarding a health problem they were experiencing before consulting a doctor” (Smith 38).
In the example above, notice that the author’s name and the page number on which this fact was found are set off from the text within parenthesis. Note also that the punctuation of this parenthetical citation is also important. The reader would understand from this citation that on page 38 of Smith’s book, this fact is mentioned. Furthermore, since the words are contained within quotes, the above example illustrates that this is a direct quote from that page.
Here is an example of the same idea presented as an indirect quote:
Instead of going to a doctor right away, a recent study found that 37 percent of Americans are now turning to the internet for medical information (Smith 38).
WORKS CITED
A Works Cited page is the name that MLA gives to a bibliography. It is a listing of all of the sources you cited in the body of your paper. Here are a few things to keep in mind about the “Works Cited” page:
- The “Works Cited” page is always going to be the last page of your essay or report. You should type the words “Works Cited” and center it on the page.
- Each entry must be complete and accurate.
- Each entry reads like one long sentence. What this means is that it does not matter where the second line begins in an entry; it begins on the second line only because you ran out of room on the first line.
- The second and subsequent lines are always indented five spaces.
- The sources are listed alphabetically by the first word or name of the entry. This first word or name should be what you use in your parenthetical citation.
TOOLS:
GLOSSARY
- Bibliography—a listing of sources that a student used to write his/her essay or report.
- Citation—is the identification of a specific idea or quote taken from a source.
- Direct Quote—is a quote in which the author uses words from a source exactly as they were written. The words are taken verbatim. A direct quote is indicated by putting the words in quotation marks (“ ”). A direct quote must be cited.
- Indirect Quote—is a quote in which an author paraphrases, or puts into his/her own words, an idea from a source. An indirect quote must be cited.
- Works Cited—is the name that MLA gives to a bibliography. It is the last page of an essay or report. It lists all of the sources the student has used in his/her writing.
REFERENCE:
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Edition
- Kevin Costello, Harding Middle School Librarian
- MLA Format
Thanks for a excellent advice!