Reasearch paper

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MLA Style Handout

Modern Language Association (MLA) style calls for in-text citations and a Works Cited page. A

title page may also be included. For more detailed instructions, see the New Century Handbook

(5 th

ed.), the MLA Handbook for Writers Research Papers (7 th

ed.), or the MLA Style Manual and

Guide for Scholarly Publishing (3 rd

ed.). Online resources include The Purdue Online Writing

Lab (OWL) and Research and Documentation Online. Always follow your instructor’s

guidelines.

General Guidelines

 1-inch margins

 Double-spaced throughout

 12 point Times New Roman font

 A header with your last name and the page number, located 0.5 inches from the top of the page and an inch from the right margin

Title Page

 The title page is the first page (but is not numbered); however, a title page is not always necessary, so check with your instructor.

 The title is centered about halfway down the page, followed by your name and other information as required by your instructor, such as your instructor’s name, the course number

and section, and the due date for the assignment.

Example:

Tough Boyz: Urban Masculinity in the Films of John Singleton

Lucy Willis

Professor Soule

English 2030-08

29 June 2012

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The First Page

The first page includes your first and last name, your instructor’s name, the course number and

section, the date, and the title. Your last name and page number are in the header.

Example:

Willis 1

Lucy Willis

Professor Soule

English 2030-08

29 June 2012

Tough Boyz: Urban Masculinity in the Films of John Singleton

Director and screenwriter John Singleton is known for his raw and intimate

depictions of urban communities in the 1990s. From Boyz N the Hood (1991) to

Rosewood (1997) to Four Brothers (2005), Singleton perpetually creates films that

heighten public awareness of the political and socioeconomic oppression and that young

African American males face.

In-text Citations

 Both paraphrases and direct quotations require in-text citations. They consist of the last name(s) of the author(s) and the page number(s) where the information was retrieved.

 If there is no author, use an abbreviated title. Italicize longer works (such as books) or use quotation marks for shorter works (such as articles). If there is no page number, leave it out.

 Use quotation marks when you quote 2 or more words from a source.

 Introduce quotations with signal phrases to avoid a “floating quotation” (a quotation that has been plopped into the writing without explanation of its purpose).

Example: Richardson claims that his research “uncovers a remarkably consistent imaging of

black masculinity in the South as cowardly, counterrevolutionary, infantile, and

emasculated” (6). Note: When the author is mentioned in the sentence, it is not necessary to include the name in the in-text

citation.

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Block Quotations

 If you are including a quotation that takes up 4 lines or more, introduce the quotation with a sentence followed by a colon, indent all lines of the quotation 1 inch from the

left margin (2 tabs), and cite after the period. Do not use quotation marks. Block

quotations are double-spaced and in the same font as the rest of the paper.

 After the quotation, alignment returns to the left margin.

Example:

In Richardson’s book, he specifies how his examination of black masculinity in the South

differs from studies conducted and researched by other scholars. He claims that he

explores territory that has previously been ignored:

How the South continued to shape the development of discourses on the black

masculine body as perversely sexualized and pathological during the twentieth

century, for instance, has seldom been recognized. Furthermore, my study

uncovers a remarkably consistent imaging of black masculinity in the South as

cowardly, counterrevolutionary, infantile, and emasculated. (Richardson 6)

Richardson’s book offers enlightening commentary on these derogatory stereotypes of

black masculinity in the South.

 To eliminate an abundance of direct quotations, you can use an idea from a source and put it in your own words; this is called paraphrasing. All paraphrases must be cited!

Example: Richardson claims that his research examines derogatory stereotypes and

representations of Southern black masculinity (6).

 For 2-3 authors, use all names in the order they are listed on the title page.

Example: In “Being ‘Dixie’ at a Historically Black University,” the researchers acknowledge

that “understanding the connections of culture and communication is crucial to successful

student-teacher relationships” (Cooper, Massey, and Graham 121).

 For 4 or more authors, all last names can be listed, or you can use the first author’s last name with et al. after.

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Example: TSU Writing Center tutors meet students from various countries on a daily basis

(Soule, Kavan, Williams, and Benson 4).

OR

In TSU Writing Center tutors meet students from various countries on a daily basis (Soule et

al. 4).

 For information coming from multiple sources, list authors or titles alphabetically and separate with a semicolon.

Example: The best advice for those preparing for international travel is to pack light

(Robinson; “Ten Issues”).

 For an indirect source, use (qtd. in author’s last name and page number).

Example: According to Phillip Brian Harper, “the dominant view holds prideful self-respect

as the very essence of healthy African-American identity” (qtd. in Richardson 6).

 For a poem, page numbers are not necessary; instead, provide the line numbers.

Example: In Sylvia Plath’s “The Mirror,” she observes how mirrors express the truth and

fragility of human existence: “In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman /

Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish” (18-19). Note: When quoting poetry, each line is separated by a forward slash. Notice the space before and after the

slash.

 For a play, page numbers are not necessary; instead, provide the act, scene, and line number(s).

Example: In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet expresses extreme emotion

when she says the following: “O shut the door! and when thou hast done so, / Come weep

with me; past hope, past cure, past help!” (4.1.2410-11). Note: As with poetry, each line of a play is separated by a forward slash. Again, notice the space before and

after the slash.

 For a sacred text, page numbers are not necessary; instead, provide the specific version, book, chapter, and verse(s).

Example: The strength and power of friendship is best exemplified when Ruth professes her

loyalty to Naomi (New International Version, Ruth 1.16-18).

 For a website, use the author’s name in the in-text citation. If the author is not listed, you should integrate the website title into the sentence.

Example: The website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides numerous

tips for healthy living and offers advice for overseas travelers.

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 For a document/page on a website, use the author’s name or, if there is no author, a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation.

Example: When packing for international travel, some good advice is to pack only what you

can carry (Robinson) or only what you think you will wear (“Ten Issues”).

 For an unpublished interview, include the interviewee’s name.

Example: Grimes explains that the Writing Center is open 8:00-4:30 Monday-Friday.

 Cite a published interview as you would any other source—by author and page number.

Works Cited

 The Works Cited page is at the end of your essay on a separate page.

 The words Works Cited are centered at the top of the page; they are not bold, underlined, or italicized, and they are the same font as your essay.

 Sources are listed alphabetically by last name (or title if the source doesn’t have an author). Authors’ names remain in the order in which they are listed in the source.

 If no page numbers are available, use n. pag.

 Entries are formatted using a hanging indent (each line after the first line of the citation indented 0.5 inches).

 Specify the medium of publication. For hard copies of documents, include Print at the end of the citation. For electronic sources, include Web.

 For a book with 1 author, start with the author’s name followed by the title of the work and the publication information. Include the 2-letter state abbreviation (without periods) if the

city is not well-known. If more than one city is listed, choose the first one or the home office.

Write a shortened version of the publisher’s name; abbreviate University Press to UP without

using punctuation.

Example:

Ellis, Bret Easton. Less Than Zero. New York: Vintage, 1985. Print.

 For a book with 2 or more authors, list the names in the same order as provided on the book. Notice that the first author’s name begins with the last name, but the subsequent

name(s) begin with the first name followed by the last name.

Example:

Baumgardner, Jennifer, and Amy Richards. Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the

Future. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. Print. Note: For a book with 3 or more authors, you can either list all the names in the same order as provided on the

book, or you can opt to write the first author followed by et al.

 For a book with an editor, include ed. after the editor’s name or eds. after the editors’ names.

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Example:

Dixon, Adrienne D., and Celia K. Rousseau, eds. Critical Race Theory in Education: All

God’s Children Got a Song. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.

 For an edition, provide edition information after the title.

Example:

Kolmar, Wendy K., and Frances Bartkowski, eds. Feminist Theory: A Reader. 2 nd

ed. New

York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

 For a chapter or work in an anthology, include the chapter or work author and title followed by the publication information.

Example:

Barbarin, Oscar A., Cheri Coleman, and Nancy E. Hill. "Family Practices and School

Performance of African American Children." African American Family Life:

Ecological and Cultural Diversity. Eds. Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, and

Kenneth A. Dodge. New York: Guilford P, 2005. Print.

 For an e-book, follow the format for the print version, but include for a website the title of the website, sponsor, update, medium, and access date or for a database the title of the

database, medium, and access date.

Example:

Delgado, Richard, and Jean Stefancic. Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. New York:

New York UP, 2001. NetLibrary. Web. 29 June 2012.

 For a print journal, include the author, article and journal titles, volume and issue numbers, year, page number(s), and medium.

Example:

Byers, Thomas. “Terminating the Postmodern: Masculinity and Pomphobia.” Modern Fiction

Studies 41.1 (1995): 5-33. Print.

 For an online journal, cite as a print journal but add the medium and access date.

Example:

Byers, Thomas. “Terminating the Postmodern: Masculinity and Pomphobia.” Modern Fiction

Studies 41.1 (1995): 5-33. Web. 29 June 2012.

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 For a print magazine/newspaper, include the author, article and magazine/newspaper titles, date, page numbers, and medium.

Example:

Schachtman, Noah. “The End of the Air War.” Wired Jan. 2010: 102-09. Print.

o For an article found in an online database, follow the print guidelines but add the database, medium, and date of access.

Example:

Byers, Thomas. “Terminating the Postmodern: Masculinity and Pomphobia.” Modern Fiction

Studies 41.1 (1995): 5-33. Project Muse. Web. 29 June 2012.

 For an online magazine/newspaper, include the author, article and magazine/newspaper titles, sponsor, date of posting, medium, and date of access.

Example:

Ellison, Jesse. “Are Men the New Minority?” Newsweek. Newsweek, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 29

June 2012.

 For a website, list the author, title, creator, date updated, medium, and date of access.

Example:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

USA.gov., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. Note: Sometimes a website will not provide all of the information listed above. When this occurs, list all

information available.

 For a page/document on a website, list the author, title of the page/document, title of the website, creator, date updated, medium, and date of access.

Example:

“Pack Smart.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA.gov, 31 July 2008. Web. 29

June 2012.

 For an album, include the name of the artist, title of the album, record label, year of release,

and medium.

Example:

Eminem. Recovery. Aftermath Records, 2010. CD.

 For a song, insert the song title before the album title.

Example:

Eminem. “Won’t Back Down.” Recovery. Aftermath Records, 2010. CD.

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 For a film, include the title of the film, director, distributor, year of release, and medium.

Example:

Boyz N the Hood. Dir. John Singleton. Columbia Pictures, 1991. Film.

 For an unpublished interview, include interviewee, type of interview (personal, telephone, or e-mail), and date of interview.

Example:

Grimes, Johnanna. Telephone interview. 29 June 2012.

 Cite a published interview by the kind of source it is (book chapter, magazine article, etc.).

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Example Works Cited Page:

Works Cited

Barbarin, Oscar A., Cheri Coleman, and Nancy E. Hill. "Family Practices and School Performance of

African American Children." African American Family Life: Ecological and Cultural Diversity.

Eds. Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, and Kenneth A. Dodge. New York: Guilford P, 2005.

Print.

Baumgardner, Jennifer, and Amy Richards. Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future. New

York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. Print.

Boyz N the Hood. Dir. John Singleton. Columbia Pictures, 1991. Film.

Byers, Thomas. “Terminating the Postmodern: Masculinity and Pomphobia.” Modern Fiction Studies

41.1 (1995): 5-33. Project Muse. Web. 29 June 2012.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA.gov., n.d.

Web. 29 June 2012.

Delgado, Richard, and Jean Stefancic. Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. New York UP. EBSCO

Host. 2001. Web. 29 June 2012.

Dixon, Adrienne D., and Celia K. Rousseau, eds. Critical Race Theory in Education: All God’s Children

Got a Song. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.

Ellis, Bret Easton. Less Than Zero. New York: Vintage, 1985. Print.

Ellison, Jesse. “Are Men the New Minority?” Newsweek. Newsweek, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 June 2012.

Eminem. Recovery. Aftermath Records, 2010. CD.

Grimes, Johnanna. Telephone interview. 29 June 2012.

Kolmar, Wendy K., and Frances Bartkowski, eds. Feminist Theory: A Reader. 2 nd

ed. New York:

McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

“Pack Smart.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA.gov, 31 July 2008. Web. 29 June 2012.

Schachtman, Noah. “The End of the Air War.” Wired Jan. 2010: 102-09. Print.