Your Paper needs to be formatted following these rules :
- Your paper should be Double-spaced
- The font is Times New Roman or Arial.
- The size is 12.
- Include a “List of Sources” at the end of the paper. Each source should include: Author or Publisher. Title. URL.
- Alphabethize your sources. After every source, you should include a brief explanation of why you chose it
When you are using information that is not original or CREATED BY YOU, you need to give credit to the writer or source you are using. You can accomplish this by:
Using quotations around information that is not yours
Includes the last name of the Author in parenthesis after the quotation.
If no author is available include the Publisher or Title of the Work you are using.
Generally for me not to steal an idea I always use quotations "When you are using information that is not original or created by you, you need to give credit to the writer or source you are using" (Alvarez)
In chapter 7 of the Book Freak the Mighty, there is a reference to Kevin really enjoying the perspective of Max after watching the fireworks "Amazing perspective up here, is this what you see all the time?" (Philbrick)
Clearly, General Motors is marketing the electric car in countries with pollution problems, like China "More than 5,000 people have already registered to buy the first 200 vehicles, according to GM. Another 500 vehicles will be made available this week" (CNN)
Now that you have used a source in your text is time to make your List of Sources / Works Cited. Your sources or citations are important because it allows your reader to locate the same information you used. This citation should be included at the end of your paper on a new page. The title at the top of the page is: List of Sources or Work Cited. It should include:
Author (Last name first, then the first name after) or Publisher
Title of the work you used (Capitalize the words in the Title)
URL of the Web Page (Or ISBN of the Book)
A Citation Generator is another way to make your citation. It will help you in MUST cases to find SOME of the information you need to create your citation but NOT all of it. Here is a couple of Citation Generators you can use (Click on them to go to the Website).
Alvarez, Jose. How to Cite. www.asfm.edu
W.R Philbrick. Freak the Mighty. Book.
CNN. How Electric Cars are Shaping the Future. http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/07/autos/gm-china-electric-car/index.html
After every source you use you need to include a brief explanation of why you choose it
Here are some GOOD reasons for using a source (REMEMBER THE CRAP TEST!):
- It's a well-known respected site or author (Discovery, Time Magazine, BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, etc)
- It's recent and up-to-date information on the subject
- It has an Author and Publisher and an "About Us" Section
- The Domains: .edu, .org, .gov
- It doesn't have crazy advertisements
EXAMPLE: I chose this source because it is a .edu page and has a respected author.
Here are some BAD reasons for using a source:
- Because I found it online
- Because I like it
- Because I was running out of time
EXAMPLE: I chose this source because I find it on Google
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Your final paper should include this MLA guidelines.
In general, the MLA font is either Times New Roman or Arial. The font size is 12. Bolding titles or names is not part of MLA formatting.
The paper itself should be double-spaced.
Your MLA paper should include all of your citations in a page titled Works Cited. This is a separate page at the end of your paper.
Use in-text citations to avoid plagiarizing, it is also the way that your paper is formatted
The first line of every paragraph should be indented to 1.5 inches (Look at the ruler on top of your paper)
There are three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own.
Quotations must 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.
Paraphrasing involves 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.
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, 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.
Original Text: The Giving Tree Analisis by Nate's Blog
Through the story, “The Giving Tree,” Shel Silverstein relates a lesson of how giving is more important than taking. In the story, the boy takes advantage of the tree by taking everything that the tree has. The tree gives freely without complaining because the tree loves the boy, and wants him to be happy. In the end, all the boy wanted to do was to spend time with the tree once again.
Quotations
"The tree gives freely without complaining because the tree loves the boy" (Nate's Blog).
Paraphrasing
Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" overall message is that giving is more important than taking. Through the story, the boy takes everything that the tree has to offer and the tree never refused to give anything cause he loved the boy. In the end, the boy wants to just be with the tree (Nate's Blog).
Summarizing
The tree was in love with the boy. The happiness of the boy was above the tree's own. That's why he never stopped giving (Nate's Blog).
Primary Sources
Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups are also primary sources.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research.
1. Is this resource a Primary or Secondary source?
It helps to know if your Resource is the result of an investigation or someone's opinion on a previous document. Always use at least one Primary Source and then search for the References and Work Cited works used on that Primary Source.
2. How did you find the page? Questions to consider:
Was it through a search engine? Was it in the first 5 results? Did I use Google or Google Scholar? Using the library databases and catalog is more reliable!
3. What is the site’s domain?
Choose the one you need based on what you are looking for. The most common domains are:
.org: Traditionally an advocacy website, such as a not-for-profit organization, though open to anyone now.
.com: Traditionally a business or commercial site.
.edu: A site affiliated with a higher education institution.
.gov: A federal government site.
4. Who is the author?
Is the author’s name included or a company name? Does the author list his or her qualifications and achievements?
5. Is the information accurate and objective?
Does the page contain advertising? Is the advertising only for financial support or does it have site related content?
6. Is the page current? Does it function properly?
When was the page created? Has the page been modified since its creation? Are the links functional?
Now that you have used a source in your text is time to make your List of Sources / Works Cited. Your sources or citations are important because it allows your reader to locate the same information you used. This citation should be included at the end of your paper on a new page. The title at the top of the page is: List of Sources or Work Cited. It should include:
Author (Last name first, then the first name after) or Publisher
Title of the work you used (Capitalize the words in the Title)
URL of the Web Page (Or ISBN of the Book)
A Citation Generator is another way to make your citation. It will help you in MUST cases to find SOME of the information you need to create your citation but NOT all of it. Here is a couple of Citation Generators you can use (Click on them to go to the Website).
Alvarez, Jose. How to Cite. www.asfm.edu
W.R Philbrick. Freak the Mighty. Book.
CNN. How Electric Cars are Shaping the Future. http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/07/autos/gm-china-electric-car/index.html
After every source you use you need to include a brief explanation of why you choose it
Here are some GOOD reasons for using a source (REMEMBER THE CRAP TEST!):
- It's a well-known respected site or author (Discovery, Time Magazine, BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, etc)
- It's recent and up-to-date information on the subject
- It has an Author and Publisher and an "About Us" Section
- The Domains: .edu, .org, .gov
- It doesn't have crazy advertisements
EXAMPLE: I chose this source because it is a .edu page and has a respected author.
Here are some BAD reasons for using a source:
- Because I found it online
- Because I like it
- Because I was running out of time
EXAMPLE: I chose this source because I find it on Google
Whenever you write a paper involving research, you must give credit to the sources of the information and ideas you used. Plagiarism is using someone else's creative work without giving them credit through a citation. Plagiarism is a serious offense that can result in academic failure.
Steps to citing correctly using MLA format (book print and web & EBSCO)
The Works Cited Page should be on a new page with the title “Works Cited” centered at the top.
Use double space in between each citation.
Put your citations in alphabetical order starting with the first letter of the first word in the citations. (This is usually the author’s last name).
Don’t number the citations.
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book (Italic). Publisher, Publication Date. *Title is in
Gleik, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.
Last Name, First Name. Title of the Website (Italic). Publisher, Publication Date. URL.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literacy and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2004
www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/. Accessed 10 May 2006.
“Title of Video”. Website (Italic), uploaded by Name, Day Month Year Uploaded, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
"8 Hot Dogs Gadgets put to the test". YouTube, uploaded by Crazy RussianHacker, 6 Jun. 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlpjSEtELs.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are each distinct from one another. The font size should be 12 pt.
Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.
Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.
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 to indicate the titles of longer works.
If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).
Students provide a full MLA Citation:
Author. “Title of the Articles”. Title of the website, project, or book in italics. Publisher, Publication Date. . URL. Date accessed.
Example:
Silva, Emily. “How to Cite”. MLA Handbook for 8th Grade. ASFM. 25 Sept. 2017. https://docs.google.com/a/asfm.edu.mx/spreadsheets/d/1NfsNSuWesydruO_ZxKkj6wRHtuW7WUTPtheckXP1E1Q/htmlembed#gid=1240079158. Accessed 26 September 2022.
There are three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own.
Quotations must 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.
Paraphrasing involves 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.
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, 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.
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book (Italic). Publisher, Publication Date. *Title is in
Gleik, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.
Last Name, First Name. Title of the Website (Italic). Publisher, Publication Date. URL.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literacy and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2004
www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/. Accessed 10 May 2006.
“Title of Video”. Website (Italic), uploaded by Name, Day Month Year Uploaded, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
"8 Hot Dogs Gadgets put to the test". YouTube, uploaded by Crazy RussianHacker, 6 Jun. 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlpjSEtELs.
Online Databases & Google Scholar
Online Databases will always include a complete citation, and most articles in Google Scholar will also include a full citation. Using Online Databases will save you time when it comes to compiling your resources.
Date of Publication (last updated)
Type of Source (Book, article, blog, etc)
Publisher (company, organization, trusted)
Domains (.edu, .org, .com)
Genre (historical fiction, satire, non-fiction, editorial, etc.)
Silva, Emily. “How to Cite”. MLA Handbook for 8th Grade. ASFM. 25 Sept. 2017, www.asfm.edu. Accessed 26 September 2022.
The author of the article in this educational website is a well know educator.
or
This handbook was specifically created by the American School Foundation of Monterrey to support research and formatting.
or
This handbook belongs to an educational domain.