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MLA Review 1

MLA Review Please read this week’s Lessons and then read the information below.

What is the purpose of Modern Language Association (MLA)?

According to Hacker, there are three main objectives in MLA: “(1) supporting a thesis, (2) citing your sources and avoiding plagiarism, and (3) integrating quotations and other source material” (395).

You have already learned how to write a thesis and how to compose a well- organized essay. Now it is time to learn how to include research to support your ideas.

Why do I need to include research in my writing?

Quite simply, we do not know everything. We need to research whatever topic we are discussing to learn more about it and also to support our claims. Hacker explains, “expert opinion can give weight to your argument” (398). For example, if I were writing a paper about Abraham Lincoln, I would already know some things about him, but not all. If I wanted to emphasize his work towards ending slavery, for example, it would be great to include scholarly research about this to support my claims. Through research, I could find specific dates and legislation and other important work that the president put forth towards this worthy cause.

Hacker writes, “in a research paper, you will draw on the work of other writers, and you must document their contributions by citing your sources. Sources are cited for two reasons: 1. to tell readers where your information comes from—so that they can assess its reliability and, if interested, find and read the original sources. 2. to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas” (399).

The only exception is common knowledge. This is information that you already knew (without looking it up) or is considered to be general knowledge. (Example: most people know that New York City is referred to as “The Big Apple.” Therefore, there is no need to cite a source for that.) However, if you are in doubt, it is better to be safe than sorry; go ahead and cite the source.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is taking material from a source and including it in your paper as if you wrote it yourself, without giving any credit to the original author. This can be material from articles, books, the internet, other students’ essays, or a variety of other materials.

To avoid plagiarism, you may either use direct quotes or paraphrase the material. A direct quote is material that is copied word for word, EXACTLY as the author has written it. You must put quotation marks around a direct quote.

When you paraphrase, you put what is written in your own words. (Hint: the best way to paraphrase is to read the material, completely look away from it, and then rewrite it in your own words. Looking away from the article will help you resist including language that is too close to the original text.)

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How does the MLA system work?

This is very important: when you include research (such as information from an article or book from our library), YOU MUST INCLUDE SOURCE INFORMATION IN TWO PLACES. First, you will include citations in your paragraphs. Second, you will list complete source information on your Works Cited page. Doing so will help you avoid plagiarism.

As detailed in Hacker, there are three basis steps towards using MLA correctly.

1. The source is introduced by a signal phrase that names its author. 2. The material being cited is followed by a page number in parentheses

(unless the source is an unpaginated Web source). 3. A list of Works Cited is at the end of the paper. (Hacker 400)

What is a signal phrase and parenthetical citation?

A signal phrase introduces quotes or paraphrased material. Often signal phrases will include the author’s credentials, like in this example. Historian Mark Bede claims, “slavery was the central cause of the Civil War” (72). The parenthetical citation goes at the end. In this example, it contains the page number from where the quote was located.

The fact that Mark Bede is a historian lends credibility to what is he saying. Otherwise, you could just go ask your neighbor or someone off the streets for a quote. The person you are quoting must be reputable and an expert in the subject at hand or field of study.

Please note that you do not have to use the same signal phrase or verb every time. Here are some verbs you might want to use to add variety to your writing: “acknowledges, adds, admits, agrees, argues, asserts, believes, claims, comments, compares, confirms, contends, declares, denies, disputes, emphasizes, endorses, grants, illustrates, implies, insists, notes, observes, points out, reasons, refutes, rejects, reports, responds, suggests, thinks, writes” (Hacker 406).

MLA relies heavily on author information and page numbers. Both are shown in the Mark Bede example above. (Hint: lots of online sources will not be paginated. In such cases, you may include the paragraph number, if you wish. Just count the paragraphs as best you can, within reason, of course. You are not expected to count a hundred paragraphs!) Example: (Smith par 3).

Also, sometimes author names are not available. In such cases, you will cite using the first important word from the title of the article instead. (Examples are provided at the end this handout.)

How do I recognize good and bad sources?

In our world of information overload, it is easy to click on an internet search engine, type in a subject, and use the first source that pops up. Though this seems fast and easy, it is not the proper way to conduct scholarly research.

While some information on the internet is great, other sources can be incorrect or misleading. For example, you should never use Wikipedia as a source. It is

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open content, meaning that anyone can alter the information. (Sometimes you will find good sources listed at the bottom of the Wikipedia article, though.)

To avoid the problem of unreliable sources, we will use ONLY THE APUS LIBRARY for our research during this course. Google Scholar is also acceptable since there is a link to it in our library.

Before you complain (wink), let me offer you these thoughts. Our library contains practically a limitless amount of information. Chances are if you find yourself saying, “I can’t find anything on my topic,” you probably simply need to look further or ask for help.

Part of what we learn in this course is library research, so please be sure you spend enough time familiarizing yourself with the library. Let’s take a moment to open the library link in the classroom. Scroll down a bit. On the right you will see “Getting Started with Research.” Click on this, please.

Also notice these words of wisdom on the same page: “Research takes practice. It is a process of identifying and evaluating relevant resources. With time, you will learn where to go to find the information that you need and the process will become less difficult. Take a look at our Getting Started with Research video and the other icons below for more detailed tips on the research process.”

Please take time to watch the tutorial videos and explore the library. The more time you put in to learning to navigate the library now, the easier the research process will be throughout your entire college career.

If you get stuck, contact a librarian. They are ready and willing to assist! Look at the “Contact Us” bar. You can chat with a library or even text them, 365 days a year!

How do I know if a source is scholarly?

More often than not, your professors will ask you to use scholarly sources in your writing. Hacker explains that scholarly sources are,

written by experts for a knowledgeable audience and usually go into more depth than handbooks and articles written for a general audience. (Scholarly sources are sometimes called refereed or peer- reviewed because the work is evaluated by experts in the field before publication.) To determine if a source is scholarly, look for the following:

 Formal language and presentation  Authors who are academics or scientists  Footnotes or a bibliography documenting the works cited by the author

in the source  Original research and interpretation (rather than a summary of other

people’s works)  Quotations from and analysis of primary sources (in humanities

disciplines such as literature, history, and philosophy)

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 A description of research methods or a review or related research (in the sciences and social sciences)

Note: in some databases, searches can be limited to refereed or peer- reviewed. (Hacker 380)

How many quotes should I use in my paper?

As a general rule, your essays should be 80% your own writing (thoughts and ideas strictly from your own brain) and 20% source material (quotes or paraphrases). Here is what I suggest. For your body paragraphs, where you will discuss three separate ideas, include a quote to support each idea. One or two lines of quote or paraphrase in each body paragraph will keep your paper mostly your own writing.

In future courses where you write longer papers, you might be able to use longer quotes. However, since this is a beginning writing course, there is simply not enough room in short papers for long quotes.

What is a Works Cited?

Citations within your paragraphs should be short, like in my previous Mark Bede example. You would not want lengthy in-text citations because this would interrupt the flow of you own writing. Your Works Cited page will be different.

The Works Cited will be on the very last page of your essay. On this page, you will list every source from which you quoted or paraphrased in your essay. You will list complete publication information for each source. Sources should be listed in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. If the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first important word in the title.

HINT! When you research in our library, there will be a cite button that you can click on that will format your MLA citation for you. Just copy and paste this onto your Works Cited page. You can double-check in Hacker or Purdue OWL to be sure it is correct. Also, make sure your Works Cited page is in the same format as the rest of your paper (e.g., Times New Roman, double-spaced).

Where can I find more information?

Believe it or not, this handout provides only a very short summary of MLA. The MLA section that I am currently looking at in my Hacker book is 77 pages long! So, there is obviously a lot more information. However, the above summary will get you started. I do not want you to become overwhelmed.

For more information, you may locate and read the MLA section in the Hacker book (print or online) or on the free Purdue OWL website. Also, please look closely at the MLA Examples I included on the last page of this handout. These examples will serve as guidance for you as you write essay two.

You may view a sample MLA essay here:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/13 (Hint: Notice the Works Cited page at the end and how the second lines are indented.)

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MLA Examples

Below are some MLA examples to help you along. If you need help with quotes, see the first section. Paraphrase examples are in the second section.

QUOTES Use the author’s name in either the signal phrase or end citation but not both.

Historian John Smith writes, “quote here” (137). Abraham Lincoln was influential in “quote here” (Smith 137).

If the author is unknown, use the title of the article in the signal phrase or the first key word of the title of the article in the end citation.

According to the article “The Life of Abraham Lincoln,” the president was “quote here” (par 7). President Lincoln came from humble beginnings and was “quote here” (“Life” par 7).

PARAPHRASES Use the author’s name in either the signal phrase or end citation but not both.

Historian John Smith reports that your own words here (137). Abraham Lincoln was influential in your own words here (Smith 137).

If the author is unknown, use the title of the article in the signal phrase or the first key word of the title of the article in the end citation.

According to the article “The Life of Abraham Lincoln,” the president was your own words here (par 7). President Lincoln came from humble beginnings and was your own words here (“Life” par 7).

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Works Cited

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016.

Purdue Online Writing Lab [OWL]. Purdue University, 2017. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/