MLA DOCUMENTATION Writing Centre Workshop GENERAL OVERVIEW Why - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

MLA DOCUMENTATION

Writing Centre Workshop

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Ø Why Document? Ø Terminology Ø Formatting / Style Guidelines

Ø First Page Ø Headings Ø Citations Ø Quotations Ø Works Cited Page

IMPORTANT TERMS

• Bibliography: A list of the works you have used during the

composition of your assignment (cited and uncited).

• Works cited: A list of all the works you have cited in your

assignment.

• Citation: An indicator of the source of a quote,

paraphrase, or summary (e.g., parenthetical citations, footnotes/endnotes).

• Parenthetical citations: A quotation from a text that is

cited in appropriate format directly after (e.g., Smith 16).

IMPORTANT TERMS

• Paraphrase: The use of information provided in

another document, but put in your own words.

• Plagiarism: Claiming the words, ideas, images, or data
• f another person as your own.
• Common knowledge: Non-specific knowledge likely

to be known by the general public (e.g., Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, the dates of World War II). When in doubt, cite it.

WHY DOCUMENT?

Ø In Canada, authors are considered the owners of their intellectual property – their ideas and writings. As an academic writer, when you use the words and ideas of another person, you are expected to follow the conventions of the academy. Ø Specifically, you must: Ø Set off any quoted material* using quotation marks (or indentation) and reference the source you took the quote from. Ø Provide a reference for any material from another source whose ideas you have summarized or paraphrased.

*Including all the words you have taken verbatim from the work of another author

Source (MLA Documentation Style): Lunsford, Andrea A. Easy Writer. 4th Canadian ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. Print.

AVOID UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

Follow these tips to avoid plagiarism: Ø PUT THE PASSAGE IN YOUR OWN WORDS: Identify the source of the theory/idea/fact, but putting it into your own words will make the information fit your writing style. Ø USE QUOTATION MARKS (“ “): Put them around any words and phrases that you have taken directly from the text. Keep the marks in if you adopt the words or phrases into your text, even if the rest of the sentence is in your own words; e.g.: Ø Although writers sometimes think the internet is public property, A Canadian Writer’s Reference says you should “treat web sources in the same way you treat print sources” (Hacker and Sommers, 363).

Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers, A Canadian Writer’s Reference, 5th ed. Instructor’s Edition. Boston: Bedford/

• St. Martin’s, 2011, 363. Print.

USING QUOTATIONS

• Quotations must be exact reproduction of the
• riginal text; if you must alter words, enclose the

new words in square brackets to show the text has been changed.

• Introduce quotations and relate the information to

what you have written: use part of a quote (set off from your writing by quotation marks) and incorporate it into your own sentence.

• Avoid over-quoting as it’s disruptive to your writing

style

PARAPHRASING

& SUMMARIZING

• A paraphrase takes main ideas from another

source, but puts the material into your own words.

• Paraphrases are preferred to direct quotation

because the writing style remains consistent.

• You must always cite your source, even when you
• paraphrase. The prof will be looking to see you

have done your research.

• A summary is a less detailed rendering of the source

material, but similar to the paraphrase, you must cite where you got your material.

EXAMPLES

• Direct quotation of a full sentence:

The social order is broken, but Lear’s madness also leads to insightful wisdom: “In this unstructured and disparate world Lear comes to know things he (and we) could not know in sanity” (Hunter 19).

• Direct quotation of a partial sentence:

Although Lear is mad, he reveals “things he (and we) could not

know in sanity” (Hunter 19).

• Paraphrase:

Hunter suggests that during his madness, although his reality is

fractured, Lear is able to perceive things that are not obvious to the sane (19).

• Summary:

Lear has gained insight through his episodes of madness (Hunter

19).

KEY POINT TO REMEMBER

Always follow the guidelines given to you by your instructor (e.g, course syllabus, assignment outline)

MLA GENERAL FORMATTING / STYLE GUIDELINES

Ø 8.5 x 11 paper Ø All text is double spaced Ø 12 point Times New Roman Ø 1” margins on all sides Ø Every new paragraph is offset with one indent Ø Titles of main works cited in the text are in italics Ø Header/page number in UPPER RIGHT corner (e.g., Donnelly 1, Donnelly 2, Donnelly 3)

HEADINGS

Ø Headings are generally optional (refer to instructor’s guidelines) Ø Headings, if present, should be numbered Ø Headings should be consistent in grammar and formatting

Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left Level 3 Heading: centered, bold Level 4 Heading: centered, italics Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

OR

Numbered (all flush left with no underlining, bold, or italics):

• 1. Soil Conservation

1.1 Erosion 1.2 Terracing

• 2. Water Conservation
• 3. Energy Conservation

IN-TEXT PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS AUTHOR-PAGE STYLE

In-text Example: Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford University Press,

• 1967. Print.

IN-TEXT PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS PRINT SOURCE WITH AUTHOR

In-text Example: Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke as “symbol-using animals” (3). Human beings have been described as “symbol-using animals” (Burke 3). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life and Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California Press, 1966. Print.

IN-TEXT PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS UNKNOWN AUTHOR

In-text Example: We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has “more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change . . .” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: “The Impact of Global Warming in North America.” Global Warming: Early Signs. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2009.

OTHER PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

Ø Classic & Literary Works

In-text Example: Although Lear is in an internal struggle while the storm crashes around him, he is determined to survive: “Pour on, I will endure” (III.iv.19).

Ø Authors with Same Last Names

In-text Example: Some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), but others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46).

OTHER PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

Ø Multiple Works by the Same Author In-text Example: Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for small children (“Too Soon” 38), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year (“Hand-Eye Development” 17). Ø Work by Multiple Authors In-text Example: Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). The authors state “Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights“ (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).

OTHER PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

Ø Citing Indirect Sources In-text Example: Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as “social service centers, and they don't do that well“ (qtd. in Weisman 259). Ø Sources from the Internet In-text Example: One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is “...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism” (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Garcia, Elizabeth. “Herzog: a Life.“ Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May 2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

FORMATTING SHORT QUOTATIONS

In-text Examples: According to some, dreams express “profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express “profound aspects

• f personality” (184).

Cullen concludes, “Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember” (11-12).

FORMATTING LONG QUOTATIONS

In-text Example:

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house (Bronte 78).

ADDING OR OMITTING WORDS IN QUOTATIONS

In-text Example for Adding Words: Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: “some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale” (78). In-text example for Omitting Words: In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that “some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale . . . And in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs” (78).

WORKS CITED PAGE

• Works Cited – do not italicize, underline or put in quotation marks. Center it at

the top of the page.

• Double space all citations (listed alphabetically by last name), but do not skip

spaces between entries.

• Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations five spaces to create a

hanging indent.

• For every entry you include medium of publication (e.g., Print, Web).
• You’re no longer “required” to provide URLs unless requested.
• Capitalize each word in the titles of articles and books, but do not capitalize

articles, prepositions or conjunctions unless it is the first word (Gone with the Wind, The Art of War).

• Use italics instead of underlining titles for larger works (books, magazines), and

quotation marks for shorter works (poems, articles).

WORKS CITED – COMMON SOURCES

Books Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of

• Publication. Medium of Publication.

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print. Article in Scholarly Journal Format Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication. Duvall, John N. “The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise.” Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127- 53. Print.

WORKS CITED – COMMON SOURCES

Work in an Anthology Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Name of Selection in Anthology.” Title of the

• Anthology. Ed. Editor’s First Name Last Name. Place of Publication: Publisher,

Year of Publication. Page numbers. Medium of Publication. Example: Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Best Short Stories of the 20th Century. Ed. Rosalie Hubbert. Chicago: Knopf, 2001. 36-42. Print. Work by More than One Author Patrick, Michael Jr. and Arash Gupta. Climate Change: Clearing the Air and the Moving Forward. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 2009. In-text citation: (Patrick and Gupta107)

WORKS CITED – COMMON SOURCES

Web Source Format Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). “Article Name.” Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of

• publication. Date of access.

Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009. Speech Stein, Bob. Computers and Writing Conference. Purdue University. Union Club Hotel, West Lafayette,

• IN. 23 May
• 2003. Keynote address.

Film The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.

SAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGE

Works Cited

Allende, Isabel. “Toad’s Mouth.” Trans. Margaret Peden. A Hammock beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America. Ed. Thomas Colchie. New York: Plume, 1992. 83-88. Print. National Council of Refugees. Beyond Borders: the Latin American Immigrant

• Experience. Ottawa: Government Services, 2011. Web. 10 January 2013.

Ouellette, Marc. “Theories, Memories, Bodies, and Artists.” Reconstruction 7.4 (2007): n. pag. Web. 7 January 2013

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.
• Available at the Writing Centre and
• Through the Reference Librarian
• The Purdue OWL
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• Lakehead University Writing Assistance Centre
• Website: http://writingcentre.lakeheadu.ca
• Link to resources: “For Students”
• Email to book an appointment: writingc@lakeheadu.ca

WORKS CITED

Russell, Tony, et al. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab. 2012. Web. October 8, 2012.