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Writing a Research Paper Using MLA Format

What is a research paper?

The goal of a research paper is to bring together different views, evidence, and facts about a topic from books, articles, and interviews, interpreting the information into your own writing. It’s about a relationship between you, other writers, and your teacher/audience.

Prewriting

Choosing a Subject—Different courses and different instructors offer varying degrees of freedom. Some instructors give you a list of topics to choose from; others give you complete freedom. If you are given freedom, what you find interesting is easier to write about than what you find boring. Make sure your topic is not too hard to research and that there is enough material on the topic. Follow your instructor’s guidelines.

Getting general information and narrowing a subject—Use jot lists, brainstorming, questions, collaborating, preliminary outlines, and general research.

Writing a Thesis Statement—An argumentative or persuasive piece of writing must begin with a debatable thesis or claim. The thesis must be something that people could reasonably have differing opinions. In literature a thesis is a position, proposition, or interpretation that a person presents and then attempts to defend. The thesis statement should be the last sentence in your introductory paragraph.

Examples:

Snowboarding had its humble beginnings but is now one of the most fascinating and fastest growing sports in the world.

Since its birth, surfing has changed and evolved into the internationally practiced sport it is today.

Due to her bold artistic style that continues to inspire artists today, Georgia O’Keefe is considered one of the greatest painters of all time.

In The Great Gatsby and The Last Tycoon, Fitzgerald embodies his ambivalence toward money and gives his readers a glance into his private life.

While sports participation by women in the United States has increased tremendously, newspaper and television coverage of their accomplishments continues to lag behind.

The occurrence of underage drinking continues to increase due to techniques used in television alcohol advertisements.

Censorship in music lyrics has caused much controversy among music loving teens, their parents, concerned citizens, censorship groups, and artists whose music is being censored.

At least twenty-five percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution.

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Research—Preliminary Outline—Taking Notes

Outline

How to create an outline? Brainstorm—List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper. Organize—Group related ideas together. Order—Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to

concrete. Label—Create main and sub headings.

Important Definitions: Parallelism—Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first

heading is a noun, the second heading should be a noun. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb.

Coordination—All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the same significance as the information in Heading 2. The same goes for subheadings. Example:Correct coordination

A. Word processing programs B. Database programs C. Spreadsheet programs

Faulty coordination

A. Word processing programs B. Microsoft Word C. Page Maker

Subordination—The information in the headings should be more general while the information in the subheadings should be more specific.Example:

Correct subordination

A. Word processing programs 1. Microsoft Word 2. Word Perfect

B. Desktop publishing programs 1. PageMaker 2. Quark Express

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Faulty subordination

A. Word processing programs 1. Word 2. Useful 3. Obsolete

Division—Each heading and subheading should be divided into two or more parts.

Labeling Parts of an OutlineI. A. 1.

a. (1)

(a) (b) (2) b. 2. B.II.

Example of an Outline (partial):

Conducting ResearchThe modern academic library Resources and servicesPrint, electronic, and other non print resourcesComputer servicesAvailability of resources: on campus and off campusOrientation and instructionIntroductory pamphlets and instructionOrientation tours, lectures, classesProfessional reference librariansLibrary research sourcesBooks and similar publications (pamphlets, dissertations)Articles and other publications in print periodicals (scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines)Miscellaneous print and non print sources (sound recordings, video recordings, manuscripts, private letters)Electronic sources (reference works, full-text databases, Internet links)

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Source Cards1. Each source must on a different note card.2. Follow MLA format for citing sources (See pages 12-14).3. Use the works cited pages (12-14) in this packet to complete your source cards.4. Finally, source cards should be organized alphabetically by the first word on each card. Number the

card in the upper right hand corner starting with number 1.Examples:

**An online database is an acceptable source and may or may not be included as an Internet source. Teacher discretion will be used. Ask your teacher if you are unsure. If a PDF format is available, print that version rather than the html version.

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Bessieres, Michel. “Global Warming: Ignorance Is Not Bliss.” Canadian Journal 35.2 (2008): 45-49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 July 2009.

Database JM

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Doe, John. Living in Red Lion. New York: Putnam Publishing

Inc., 1999. Print.

Book JM

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Taking Notes

Now that you have collected a variety of sources on your subject, you must begin skimming them for pertinent information. When you find something that will support your thesis, you will take notes, writing down the ideas on 3 X 5 note cards. These cards will hold direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

Note: It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you understand that putting information into your own words is more than changing a few words from the original source. Please realize that in order to avoid plagiarism, you need to make sure that you use:

no vocabulary that you normally wouldn’t use; no passages of more than three consecutive words that are exactly the same as your source; no sentence or paragraph structure (order) that mirrors the text of your original source.

Use the following techniques to take notes on your note cards:

Summary—Condensing information from a source into your own words (turning one page into one paragraph or turning one paragraph into one sentence). The key is to include only the most important information and put it into your own words.

Paraphrasing—Re-telling (or re-writing) information from a source into your own words. The amount of information will be the same as the source (one paragraph equals one paragraph). The key is to change both the author’s word choice and sentence structure while maintaining the meaning of his information.

Direct Quotation—Copying the author’s sentence verbatim (word for word). You must use quotation marks.

Plagiarism—Lack of giving credit (both intentional and unintentional) to somebody else’s words or ideas.

Red Lion’s Plagiarism Policy—See Red Lion Area Senior High School HandbookPlagiarism is defined as the act of passing off any type of work as one’s own. This is done in several ways:

Copying another person’s work and passing it off as one’s own; Copying work from another source, including online sources, and passing it off as one’s

own; Citing primary and/or secondary sources incorrectly thereby leading one’s audience to

believe that the work is one’s own.

Students who plagiarize deliberately or without intent will receive a zero for the assignment.

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How to Write Note Cards

1. Use 3 x 5 cards.2. Put only one idea from one source on each card. This will help the organization of your

paper later.3. Use ink. Notes must be handwritten.4. Write only on one side of the card.5. Identify source, page or N.P. if there are no page numbers, topic, and type of note.6. Use many sources.

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Definition 2

intimidate victims through email

post pictures online that have been changed to look bad for the victim

taunt victims in chat rooms

Paraphrase Page 4 AA

SOURCE CARD NUMBER

PRINT SOURCES SUCH AS BOOKS NEED PAGE NUMBERS. ELECTRONIC SOURCES SUCH AS DATABASES OR WEBSITES DO NOT NEED PAGE NUMBERS. YOUR INITIALS APPEAR UNDER THE PAGE NUMBER.

TYPE OF NOTE: PARAPHRASE, SUMMARY, OR DIRECT QUOTE

TOPIC-ULIMATELY WILL APPEAR ON YOUR OUTLINE

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Organizing

1. Organize your note cards by topic.2. Put note cards within each pile in outline order.3. Organize the piles in outline order.

2Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance

Increased interest in African American culture and art

Increased Hughes’ popularity

Paraphrase 21 AA

1Hughes’ Influence on America

Impacted American thoughts on literature even after death

Paraphrase 16-18 AA

5Hughes’ Upbringing

True product of the city Grew up in Harlem

neighborhoods

Paraphrase 21 AA

2Hughes’ Poetry

Political Personal Emotional Detached

Paraphrase 21 AA

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Writing the First Draft1. Once your cards are organized, you are ready to write.2. Use internal citations to document the information you use from sources.

In-Text Citations

You must document (give credit to the source) for every piece of information you use whether you put it into your own words through summarizing and paraphrasing or use a direct quotation. Just listing your source on a works cited page is not enough.

Basic In-Text Citation Rules

In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. Immediately following a quotation from a source or a paraphrase of a source's ideas, you place the author's name followed by a space and the relevant page number(s).

Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals"(Burke 3).

When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author’s name. Place the title in quotation marks if it is a short work or italicize it if it is a longer work.

Your in-text citation will correspond with an entry in your Works Cited page, which, for the Burke citation above, will look something like this:

Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method.

Berkeley: U of California P, 1966. Print.

Multiple Citations

To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi-colon:

...as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).

When Citation is not Needed

Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known quotations or common knowledge. Remember, this is a rhetorical choice, based on audience. If you are writing for an expert audience of a scholarly journal, the readers will have different expectations of what constitutes common knowledge.

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Examples of In-text Citations

Author's name in text Dover has expressed this concern (118-21).

Author's name in reference This concern has been expressed (Dover 118-21).

Multiple authors of a work This hypothesis (Bradley and Rogers 7) suggested this theory (Sumner, Reichl, and Waugh 23).

Two locations Williams alludes to this premise (136-39, 145).

Two works cited (Burns 54; Thomas 327).

Multivolume works

References to volumes and pages (Wilson 2:1-18)

References to an entire volume (Henderson, vol. 3)

In text reference to an entire volume In volume 3, Henderson suggests

Corporate authors (United Nations, Economic Commission for Africa 51-63)

Works with no authorWhen a work has no author, use the work's title or a shortened version of the title when citing it in text. If abbreviating a title, omit initial articles and begin with the word by which it is alphabetized in the Works Cited list.

as stated by the presidential commission (Report 4).

Online source with numbered paragraphs

Online source, no authorWhen a website has no author, use the webpages's title or a shortened version of the title when citing it in text. If abbreviating a title, omit initial articles (a, an, the).

(Fox, pars. 4-5)

(“Stem Cell Research”)

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Formatting the Paper

General Guidelines:

Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font like Times New Roman or Arial. Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed

by your instructor). Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Indent the first line of a paragraph

one half-inch (five spaces or press tab once) from the left margin. Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-

half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)

Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer.

Formatting the First Page:

Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow his/her guidelines.)Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.

In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.

Double space again and center the title. Don't underline your title or put it in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case, not in all capital letters.

Use quotation marks and italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text. Examples:

o Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a Morality Play o Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"

Double space between the title and the first line of the text.

Inch Double Space Half Inch

Works Cited

Gantz 1

Anna J. Gantz

Mr. Smith

Music History

8 May 2007

Ellington’s Adventures in Music and Geography

In studying the influence of Latin American, African, and Asian music on modern

American composers, music historians tend to discuss such figures as Aaron Copeland,

George Gershwin, Henry Cowell, Alan Hovhanness, and John Cage (Brindle; Griffiths 104;

Hitchcock 173-98). They usually overlook Duke Ellington, whom Gunther Schuller rightly

calls “one of America’s great composers” (318), probably because they are familiar only

with Ellington’s popular pieces like “Sophisticated Lady,” “Mood Indigo,” and “Solitude.”

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Works Cited Page

Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.

Label the page Works Cited (do not underline, italicize, or put the words Works Cited in quotation marks) and center.

Double space all citations and do not skip spaces between entries.

Alphabetize the entires.

Example of First Page of Works Cited Page

Smith 14

Works Cited

“Citing Sources.” A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language

Association (MLA) Documentation. Captial Community College. 20 July 2007. Web.

May 2004.

Delaney, Robert. "MLA Citation Style." C.W. Post Campus. B. Davis Schwartz. 20 July

2007. Web. 3 Jan. 2006

Fryer, Judith. “MLA Sample Citations.” The Myrin Virtual Library. Myrin Library. 20 July

2008. Web. Sept. 2001.

Goodwin, Sue and Shiela Welling. “General Rules.” MLA Style: Paper and Outline.

Kingwood College Library. 20 July 2007. Web. Mar. 2006

“In-Text Citations: the Basics.” MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The

Writing Lab & The Owl at Purdue and Purdue University. 20 July 2007. Web. 1995

2007.

Page Number-1/2 inch margin

Double-space between title and first entry

Begin at left margin

Indent ½ inch

Double-space within and between entries

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Examples of Citations

Book with one author

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Book Title. Publishing City: Publisher, Date of

Publication. Medium.

Okuda, Michael. Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993.

Print.

Book by Two or More Authors

First Author’s Last Name, First Author’s First Name, and Author’s First Name Author’s Last

Name. Book Title. Publishing City: Publisher, Date of Publication. Medium.

Sennett, Richard, and Jonathan Cobb. The Hidden Injuries of Class. New York:

       Vintage Books, 1972. Print.

Lewontin, Richard C., Steven Rose, and Leon J. Kamin. Not in our Genes: Biology, Ideology,

and Human Nature. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984. Print.

Alberts, Bruce, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. New York: Garland Science, 2002. Print.

Book by Editor

Editor’s Last Name, Editor’s First Name, Ed. Book Title. Publishing City: Publisher, Date of

Publication. Medium.

Damiani, Bruno M., Ed. Renaissance and Golden Age Essays in Honor of D.W. McPheeters.

Potomac: Scripta Humanistica, 1986. Print.

Book by a Corporate Author

Corporation’s Name. Book Title. Publishing City: Publisher, Date of Publication. Medium.

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Government-opposition

Relations in Uzbekistan.  Washington: Harcourt, 1997. Print.

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An Article in a Reference Book

“Title of Article.” Encyclopedia Title. Edition Number. Date of Publication. Medium.

"Relativity." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1987. Print.

Dictionary

“Word.” Definition Number. Dictionary Title. Edition Number. Date of Publication. Medium.

"Accord." Def.5b. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Print.

A Work in an Anthology: Essay, Poem, Short Story

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Piece.” Anthology Title. Ed. Editor’s

First and Last Names. Publication City: Publisher, Publication Date. Page Numbers.

Medium.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “Babylon Revisited.” The Riverside Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Dean

Baldwin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 579-595. Print.

A Scholarly Article in a Collection

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Article Title.” Original Source Volume Number.

Issue Number (Date): Page Numbers. Rpt. Anthology Title. Ed. Editor’s First and Last

Names. Vol. Anthology Volume Number. Publication City: Publisher, Date. Anthology

Page Numbers. Medium.

Daches, David. "W. H. Auden: The Search for a Public.” Poetry 54.2 (1939): 148-56. Rpt. in

Poetry Criticism.  Ed. Robyn V. Young. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1991. 332-33. Print.

Article in a scholarly journal

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Article Title.” Journal Title Volume

Number.IssueNumber (Date of Publication): Pages. Medium.

Ranald, Ralph. "George Orwell and the Mad World: The Anti-Universe of 1984."  South

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Atlantic Quarterly 66.1 (1967): 544-53. Print.

Article in a Magazine

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title Date

of Publication: Pages. Medium.

Idelson, Holly. "Gun Rights and Restrictions: The Territory Reconfigured."  Congressional

Quarterly Weekly Report 24 Apr. 1993: 1021-27. Print.

An Anonymous Article

“Article Title.” Magazine Title Date of Publication: Pages. Medium.

"Stolen Art Treasures Found in Texas."  Facts on File 22 June 1990: 459. Print.

Periodical Publication in Online Database

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Article Title.” Original Source Volume Number. Issue

Number (Publication Year): Page Numbers. Database. Medium. Date of Access.

Bessieres, Michel. “Global Warming: Ignorance Is Not Bliss.” Canadian Journal 35.2 (2008):

45-49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 July 2001.

A Map or Chart

Title of Map or Chart. Descriptive Label. Publication City: Publisher, Publication Date. Medium.

Illinois. Map. Chicago: Rand, 2008. Print.

Website

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Work.” Name of Website. Publisher or

Sponsor of Site. Publication Date. Medium. Date of Access.

Graham, Daniel. “What Is Dyslexia?” Dyslexia. Medicinenet. 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 4 Sep. 2009.

**Abbreviations for Websites and Databases:

n.p.—if there is no publisher/sponsor, n.d.—if there is no publication date, n.pag.—if there is no page number

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References

“Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper.” Duke University. Duke University Library.

20 July 2007. Web. 21 Feb. 2007.

“Citing Sources.” A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language

Association (MLA) Documentation. Captial Community College. 20 July 2007. Web.

May 2004.

Delaney, Robert. "MLA Citation Style." C.W. Post Campus. B. Davis Schwartz. 20 July 2007.

Web. 3 Jan. 2006

Fryer, Judith. “MLA Sample Citations.” The Myrin Virtual Library. Myrin Library. 20 July

2008. Web. Sept. 2001.

Goodwin, Sue and Shiela Welling. “General Rules.” MLA Style: Paper and Outline. Kingwood

College Library. 20 July 2007. Web. Mar. 2006

“In-Text Citations: the Basics.” MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The

Writing Lab & The Owl at Purdue and Purdue University. 20 July 2007. Web. 1995-2007.

“MLA Citation Style.” Research Strategy and Process: Citing Sources. Cornell University. 20

July 2007. Web. 2005.

“MLA Examples.” Module 4-Citing Your Sources with MLA Format. Dallas TeleCollege

Library and Richland College Library 20 July 2007. Web. 17 Feb. 2006

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The Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. N

New York: The Modern Language Associaton of America, 2009.

“MLA Style Citations.” Citing Information Using MLA. Bellevue Community College Library

Media Center. 20 July 2007. Web. Oct. 2006

“Researching and Organizing Your Paper: The Note Card System.” English Works!. Galludet

University. 20 July 2007. Web. 1 June 2001.