MLA/Features of the Academic Essay

English 1302

Write in 3rd person; (Third person words: he, she, it, they, his, her/s, its, their/s, and all other common nouns both singular and plural)

Avoid 1st person: I believe that education can help a person discover who he is. (1st person words: I, me, mine, we, us, our, ours).

Avoid 2nd person: Education can help you discover who you are. or [You] Imagine that education can help you discover who you are. (2nd person words: you, your, yours, and the understood you).

Academic Essays are written in present tense

including when references are made to readings/sources. Only rarely would it be appropriate and acceptable to use past tense. For example, if a writer you are quoting has used past tense, then in your quote you should maintain that tense. Or if you are referring to a past event, such as World War 2, then it would be appropriate to use past tense. Otherwise, use present tense. Make sure you avoid passive voice.

Use clear, precise, succinct, and neutral language

You are not offering a personal opinion, editorial statement, nor do you want to make generalizations. Instead of good/bad, think use more evaluative language like strong/weak. Avoid words like “interesting” or “important”. State the specifics of what is “interesting” or “important”.

All Essays should follow MLA formatting guidelines

• Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font. Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are distinct from one another. The font size should be 12 pt.

• Leave only 1 space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).

• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.

• Include a heading: In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.

• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “tab” key.

• 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.

• Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and quotation marks for shorter works found in a larger publication

• Include MLA in-text citations and a Works Cited page for all source material.

Presents ideas in grammatically sound sentences

No run-ons, no comma splices, no fragments. Don’t use a punctuation mark unless you know you are using it correctly, especially semi-colons and colons.

Uses correct spelling and proofreads carefully for correct spelling

You have to know the difference, don’t rely on the word processor.

Uses correct and consistent noun-pronoun agreement

In MLA style, singular “they” is generally accepted and encouraged when referring to a singular person, especially to avoid gender assumptions or when a person’s preferred pronoun is “they/them”. If you know the gender(s) of the subject defer to appropriate pronouns.

Essay should have an introduction, body, and conclusion

The introduction should include a thesis statement or a controlling idea. Writers should, however, avoid formulaic writing.

Paragraphs should have 3+ sentences

Preferably at least 5 sentences.

All essays should introduce the author(s) by full name and after that use only the last name(s)

Ex: Adam White’s article expresses his position on violence. White’s article also reveals his bias about the link between bias and the media.

What to AVOID

1. Use of slang, colloquial, or informal language

2. Excessive emotion or value-laden language. You want to be clear, precise, succinct, and neutral

3. Using dashes and informal punctuation

4. Explaining ideas in creative forms

5. Use of contradictions (do not, rather than don’t)

6. Asking questions

7. Categorical language

8. Vague language (A lot, very, interesting, good, bad, perfect, etc)

MLA In-Text Citation Basics

In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style

• MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation.

• Include the author’s last name and page number.

• The author’s name can be in the sentence or in parentheses.

• The page number must always be in parentheses.

• Include the full source on your Works Cited page.

Examples:

1. Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”(263).

2. Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”(Wordsworth 263).

3. Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

FOR AN ELECTRONIC SOURCE WITH NO PAGE #s, USE THE FOLLOWING MODEL:

1. Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth).

In-Text Citations for Print Sources with No Known Author

• If a source has no author, use a shortened version of the title instead

• Italicize longer works(like books, plays, or TV shows)

• Add the page number if there is one

• Shorten long titles to just the important words

  • To the Lighthouse —> Lighthouse

• If the title is too difficult to shorten, cut it after the first main phrase or punctuation

  • Ex: 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”).

Citing Authors with Same Last Names

Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if 2 or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors’ first initials (or even the authors’ full name if different authors share initials) in your citation.

• Ex: Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46).

Citing a Work by Multiple Authors

For a source with 2 authors, list the authors’ last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation:

• Best and Marcus argue that one should read a text for what it says on its surface, rather than looking for some hidden meaning (9).

• The authors claim that surface reading looks at what is “evident, perceptible, apprehensible in texts” (Best and Marcus 9).

For a source with 3+ authors, list only the first author’s last name, and replace the additional names with “et al.”

• According to Franck et al., “Current agricultural policies in the U.S. are contributing to the poor health of Americans” (327).

• The authors claim that one cause of obesity in the United States is government-funded farm subsidies (Franck et al. 327).

Citing Indirect Sources

Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source. An indirect source is a source cited within another source. For such indirect quotations, use “qtd. in” to indicate the source you actually consulted. Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source, rather than citing an indirect source.

• Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as “social service centers, and they don’t do that well” (qtd. in Weisman 259).

Electronic Sources

Electronic sources may include web pages and online news or magazine articles:

• One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo “has become notorious for its near-failure and many obstacles” (Taylor, “Fitzcarraldo”).

• The Purdue OWL is accessed by millions of users every year. Its “MLA Formatting and Style Guide” is one of the most popular resources.

In the first example (an online magazine article), the writer has chosen not to include the author name in-text; however, two entries from the same author appear in the Works Cited. Thus, the writer includes both the author’s last name and the article title in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader to the appropriate entry on the Works Cited page.

In the second example (a web page), a parenthetical citation is not necessary because the page does not list an author, and the title of the article, “MLA Formatting and Style Guide,” is used as a signal phrase within the sentence. If the title of the article was not named in the sentence, an abbreviated version would appear in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence.

Multiple Citations

To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi-colon:

• … as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).

Time-Based Media Sources (most relevant to paper #1)

When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes, and seconds you plan to reference.

• Ex: (00:02:15-00:02:35)

Formatting A Paper

• Times New Roman 12-point font

• Only print on one side of the paper

• Margins:

  • Your margins on all pages of your paper should be 1 inch

  • Use the Page Setup feature under File to change these

• Need a Heading and Header

  • Heading: your last name and page number in the top margin

  • Header: your name, the class, the date, the assignment

Spacing

• Double space throughout the paper

• Use the paragraph feature that you can find by right clicking in the document, under the line spacing drop down box, click double

• DO NOT try to hit enter twice at the end of every line to double space.

• Indent the first line of every paragraph (press TAB)

Heading and Title

• You do NOT need a title page in MLA Format

• You DO need:

  • Your name

  • Teacher

  • Class/Period

  • Date

  • Header- Last name & page #

  • Title

Sources: General Rules

• In a perfect world, no more than 25% of your paper should be quotations

  • Prepare, cite, explain

• Paraphrase as much as you can

• Use direct quotations when citing numerical data such as statistics

• Use an author’s words if they capture a point exactly

When to put the source in your paper

• A direct quote

• A statistic

• An idea that isn’t your own

• Someone else’s opinion

• Concrete facts, not considered “common knowledge”

• Knowledge not considered “common”

Paraphrasing & Summarizing

Even if you paraphrase or summarize, YOU STILL MUST ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR SOURCE!

Signal Phrases in MLA

Model Signal Phrases:

• “In the words of researchers Long and Mckenzie…”

• “As Paul Rudnick has noted…”

• “Melinda Stuart, mother of a drunk driver, points out…”

• “…, writes Michelle Moore,…”

Verbs in Signal Phrases:

• Acknowledges

• Admits

• Agrees

• Asserts

• Believes

• Claims

• Comments

• Confirms

• Contends

• Declares

• Denies

• Disputes

• Emphasizes

• Endorses

• Grants

• Illustrates

• Implies

• Notes

• Observes

• Points out

• Reasons

• Refutes

• Suggests

• Writes

Parenthetical Citations or In-Text Citations

• Parenthetical: A system in which you give your source in parentheses immediately after you give the information

• 4 common citations:

1. Author and page number

• (Keeling 125).

1. Title and page number

• (“Plath” 19).

1. Page number only

• (58).

1. Secondhand quotations

2. For electronic (Smith par. 5)- Last name and paragraph number

• The first word of your citation MUST match the corresponding entry on your Works Cited page

How to Give Citations

When several facts in a row within one paragraph all come from the same page of a source. Use one citation to cover them all. Place the citation after the last bit of information

What is a quote?

quotes are one way of adding concrete details to your paper. When you quote a text, you use the EXACT words of the writer. DO NOT change them in any way

What should a quote accomplish?

A quote is a way for you to illustrate your point in your writing. If it doesn’t back up what you are saying, don’t use it!

Quotes should be…

• Brief

• Relevant to your point

• Introduced

• Discussed

Readers need to know…

• Who is speaking

• When or in what situation the speaker said this

• Why this quote is important and how it fits in with your argument

Claim-Quote-Commentary Method

We will be using the Claim-Quote-Commentary method when responding to questions in class or when using quotes in research papers

Claim

The first sentence of the response should reword the question and state a personal opinion or direct quote to the question

Quote

Look at what the author said and include a detail from the text to support your answer (TEXTUAL EVIDENCE!)

Suggested sentence starters:

• In the text…

• The text states…

• According to the passage…

• One example from the text…

• The author states…

Commentary

The response should end with you explaining/interpreting the significance of the evidence.

Sentence starters:

• This shows…

• This demonstrates…

• This proves…

Closing statement

Reminds you that a constructed response requires multiple supporting details from the author.

• In the text…

• The text also states…

• According to the passage…

• A second example from the text…

• The author also states…

Incorporating Quotes into Writing

Your own words are the bread

Top piece- introduction

Items in middle- quoted information

Bottom piece- conclusion

Each piece of quoted information MUST have an introduction and an explanation

Sandwich Writing Breakdown

• First, decide on the point you want to make

  • I want to prove that the residents of Maple Street are allowing fear to turn them into a mob

• Now, find a quote that illustrates your point

  • I’m going to look at Les Goodman’s words when he is being threatened by his neighbors

• Next, introduce your quote

  • I will write: As the residents of Maple Street turn on Les Goodman, he warns them that, “this thing you’re starting - that should frighten you”(77).

• Finally, discuss your quote

  • Les Goodman makes clear that his neighbors are choosing a path that can only lead to chaos and the breakdown of their community. This point will later be echoed by the aliens.

• All Together:

  • As the residents of Maple Street turn on Les Goodman, he warns them that, “this thing you’re starting - that should frighten you” (77). With these words, Goodman makes clear that his neighbors are choosing a path that can only lead to chaos and the breakdown of their community. This point will later be echoed by the aliens.

Use Vivid Verbs to introduce quotes

Alternatives to said or says, all in the present tense

• describes

• illustrates

• notes

• observes

• points out

• assesses

• finds

• predicts

• insists

• maintains

• admits

• concedes

• concurs

• grants

• laments

• shows

• sees

• thinks

• bemoans

• condemns

• reports

• complains

• comments

• argues

• states

• relates

• suggests

• warns

• supposes

• speculates

Ask Yourself/Reflect

• What is the quote really saying?

• Does my quote support my idea? How does it support my idea?

• What do I need my readers to understand?

• Have I introduced the quote, speaker, and the occasion?

• Have I discussed the quote?

General Guidelines

MLA doesn’t use footnotes or endnotes in short papers. It requires “Parenthetical Documentation”. It is easy and eliminates a great deal of hassle with numbers, leaving space, etc. The parenthetical reference indicates the author, title of the source, and the page number on which the quote appears. It serves as a reference to the Works Cited page, where all relevant publication information is included.