Research Writing Using MLA (Modern Language Association) Style

Everything in MLA style is double spaced!!  The page number at the top should be down ½ inch.  All other margins should be 1 inch.  Please refer to the sample paper shown under sample paper.

MLA uses parenthetical citations within the paper and a works cited page at the end of the paper to give credit to borrowed information that is not the writer's own thoughts or words.  This is used in order to avoid plagiarism; plagiarism is a serious issue that must be avoided.  Plagiarism is the use of another author's ideas or words as one's own.  A writer must give credit to any words or ideas that the writer borrows from another.

Parenthetical Author-Page Citation—Use the author's name and page number or numbers in parenthesis in the text.  If the author's name appears in the text only the page number or numbers will be placed in the parenthesis.  No punctuation is used between the author and page number.  A period is placed after the closing parenthesis if it is the end of the sentence.

Examples as Used Within the Paper

Parenthetical Citations must be used for all work that is either quoted or paraphrased (placed in your own words but not your own thoughts).

Single Author Book

Place the name of the author and page number in parenthesis.

This idea was first reported in a local newspaper (Robinson 132).

                                                OR

Robinson stated that this idea was first reported in a local newspaper (132).

*If you are using several works by the same author, use the author's name and a shortened portion of the title along with the page number.  (Robinson, Special Days 132).

Multiple Authors Book

Place the name of the authors and page number in parenthesis.

This idea was first reported in a local newspaper (Robinson and Wilson 132).

                                                OR

Robinson and Wilson stated that this idea was first reported in a local newspaper (132).

For three authors—(Robinson, Wilson, and Smith 132).

                                                OR

Robinson, Wilson, and Smith stated that this idea was first reported in a local newspaper (132).

If you have more than three authors, use the first author (last name) and et al.  (Robinson, et al. 132).

Magazines, Journals, and Newspapers

Place the author's last name and page number in parenthesis.

Corporate or Government Publications in Print

Use the Corporate or Government name in parenthesis, along with a page number if one is given.

In 1965 the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a report denying they were spying on librarians (35).

OR

A 1965 report denies any spying on librarians (Federal Bureau of Investigation 35).

Internet Sources—Avoid using these if print material is available.  Always check the validity of internet sites.  For instance, Wikipedia is not a valid source!!

Personal Home Page

Use the name of the site creator or site title.  Page numbers are not needed because they are not accurate.

For instance, a site has an author named Roger Williams.  Use (Williams).

For instance, a site does not have an author.  Use the cite title.  The cite title is Realism in America.  The citations would be (Realism in America).

Corporate or Government Publications on the Internet

Use the name of the corporate or government sponsor.  For instance if something is published by the Department of Corrections, use (Department of Corrections).

Library Subscription Service

Helias High School subscribes to EBSCO; thousands of articles can be found on this service.

Use the name of the author or title of article if no author is listed.

For instance, there is an article from a magazine.  The article has the author Robert Williams and title of the article is "Reality Checkpoint".  The citation would be (Williams).  If you do not have an author, the citation would be ("Reality Checkpoint").

Examples as Used on the Works Cited Page

This should be printed on a separate page at the end of the paper.  This page should provide publication information for all of the sources used in the paper.  This is double spaced and will show the second line indented five spaces.  They are placed in alphabetical order on the page.  Alphabetical order by either the author's last name or the first key word of the title.

Sample Format

Works Cited

Government Accountability Project. "What is a Whistleblower?" 20 Nov. 2007 <http://www.whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=118>.

Grimaldi, James V., "2 FBI Whistle-Blowers Allege Lax Security, Possible Espionage."  Washington Post A 10 (2002). 14 Nov. 2007 <http://www. washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contented=A78…>.

 Lichtblau, Eric.  "Whistle-Blowing Said To Be Factor In An F.B.I. Firing."  The New York Times (29 July 2004). 16 Nov. 2007 <http://query.  nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06EFDB103DF93AA15754C0A9629…>.

Pojman, Louis P. e.d. Moral Philosophy A Reader Third Edition.  Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 2003.

Single Author Book—General Order of Publication Information

Author. Title. City: Publisher, Date.

Williams, Robert.  Reality Showcase in America.  New York:  Harper, 2008.

Multiple Authors Book

Williams, Robert G., James Smith, and Janice Smith.  Reality Showcase in America. 

     New York:  Harper, 2008.

Magazine

Author. "Title." Magazine Name Date: page numbers.  For weekly magazines give day, month, year.  For monthly or bi-monthly magazines cite month and year.

Wilson, James. "Politics in America."  Time  16 July 2002: 22-25.

 Journal

Author.  "Article Title." Journal Title Volume Number (Date):  Page numbers.

Wilson, Robert G., "What Makes Things Happen." English Journal 74 (2006): 395-397.

Newspapers

Author. "Title of Article." Newspaper Name Date, (abbreviate all months except May, June, and July) edition if given; Page number or numbers.

Sampson, John.  "A Little Better Than the Past."  St. Louis Post Dispatch 17 August 2006, 7B.

Corporate or Government Publications in Print

National Ornithologist Association.  Birds In America.  New York:  Houghton, 2003.

Internet Sources—Internet sources are difficult to give a blanket format for doing the source entry due to the wide variety available.  You will list as much information as you have from the source.  Generally, there are some basic items needed for internet or electronic sources.  Include name of the author or editor (if available), title of the site or document, date of publication or of latest update, name of the sponsoring organization (if there is one), date on which you accessed the source, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in angle brackets <>.

Personal Home Page

Site creator (if there is one), Site Title (If there is no title use the words Home page), Date of last update (If there is one), Access date <URL>.

Williams, Daniel.  Home page. 15 July 2006 < http://www.williams.com/>.

Corporate or Government Publications on the Internet

Follow the basic internet guide.

United States Department of Defense.  A Summary of Weapons Spending. June 1985. 15 Aug. 2008

     <http://www.deptdef.gov/defense.index.html>.

A page within web site should be done in the following manner.

"Doing the Best for Pets." People For Animal Rights.  Animals Network.  15 July 2008

      <http://animalright.org/faqsreference/people.html>.

Library Subscription Service

Author, "Title." Publication name. Publication date.  Name of the database; the name of the service (if known), the name of the library, city and state, access date, and <URL>.

Simpson, Martha J., "Healthy Living." 2001 Healthy Living Center.  EBSCO.  Helias

     High School Library, Jefferson City, MO.  20 Feb. 2007  <http://ebsco.morenet.

     com/web/hlcenter_health_live>.