Woodstock Middle School Research Guide



Woodstock Middle School

Research Guide

2011-2012

Woodstock Middle School Research Guide

Table of Contents

|DEFINITION OF A RESEARCH PAPER |3 |

|PLAGIARISM |3 |

|WRITING YOUR RESEARCH PAPER |4 |

| Step 1: Choose a topic | 4 |

| Step 2: Develop a Research Question |4 |

| Step 3: Find Your Sources |4 |

| Step 4: Create Source Cards |5 |

| Step 5: Take Notes |6 |

| Step 6: Create a Thesis |6 |

| Step 7: Make an Outline |7 |

|THE WRITING PROCESS |8 |

| First Draft |8 |

| Revisions |8 |

|CITING SOURCES IN THE BODY OF YOUR PAPER | |

| |9 |

| Information from a Book |10 |

| Information from a Magazine |10 |

| Information from an Encyclopedia | |

|Or Multiple Volume Set |10 |

| Information from a Web Page or | |

|Data Base |10 |

|CHECKLIST FOR WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER | |

| |11 |

|MLA WORKS CITED GUIDE |12 |

| Print Sources |12-13 |

| Online Sources |14-15 |

|SAMPLE PAPER |16-17 |

|SAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGE |18 |

The excerpt from a research paper was revised and reprinted with permission of the student,

Roosevelt Sowka.

Woodstock Middle School Research Guide

The purpose of this guide is to help you prepare a well-organized research paper using the MLA format.

When writing a research paper in college and beyond, the primary reason for using a standardized reference format like MLA or APA is to enable a professional peer to locate the writer's sources. In middle and high school, unless the research paper is created for a larger audience, often the only reader is the teacher.

Middle and high school teachers typically prefer the MLA format because the MLA Handbook provides much more detail about citing books, internet sources, anthologies, audiovisual material, and other sources that a middle or high school student would be likely to use in a research paper, including interviews, advertisements, and cartoons. In contrast, the emphasis in the APA Publication Manual is on sources that students would typically only encounter in advanced research, such as technical reports, proceedings of meetings, and dissertations.

It is important to follow this guide when you write your research paper for your audience, the teachers at Woodstock Middle School.

DEFINITION OF A RESEARCH PAPER:

A research paper is written about a specific research question and is based upon information from many sources: reference books, magazine articles, books, newspaper articles, online resources, etc. Your research paper is still an original work, based on information that you have gathered from the assigned number of sources. Depending on the purpose and audience, the paper may also include your analysis of the information as well as your opinions about the topic.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is taking another writer’s words and/or ideas without giving that person credit. All work should be in your own words. Any ideas, facts, language, etc. that you have “borrowed” from a source should be properly identified, as noted later in this research guide.

WRITING YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

Step 1: Choose a Topic

You should choose a topic that interests you and read background information to create a research question that is relevant to the subject assigned. Your topic should be narrow and focused enough so that the topic can be addressed in detail in the research paper, but should be broad enough so that there are sufficient sources available on the topic.

For example, if the assignment is to write a five-page paper about scientists who have had a significant impact on modern society, choose only one scientist that fits that category. Can you find enough information about that scientist if the assignment calls for three sources? Have you narrowed the focus of your research? Do not include information about the scientist’s childhood if the topic calls for contributions that he or she made during his or her career.

Step 2: Develop a Research Question

After finding background information about your topic, develop a research question. A research question helps you to focus your research on the part of your topic that truly interests you. This research question should be “arguable,” which means that it does not have an obvious answer and calls for research and analysis. A well-developed research question helps avoid writing an “encyclopedia report.” Your research paper will instead be a persuasive essay in which you are supporting a specific, arguable thesis.

Step 3: Find Your Sources

There are many places to find sources. Some include:

▪ Magazines

▪ Reference books (use encyclopedias for background information only)

▪ Nonfiction texts

▪ Newspapers

▪ Online articles

▪ Interviews

▪ Journals

▪ Visual media (including films, documentaries, photographs, and artwork)

If you do not find at least three varied and detailed sources, you need to revise your research question.

Be aware that not all information found on the Internet is true or correct. It is your responsibility to evaluate the website to determine if the information found there is accurate and useful to your paper. If you are not sure, please ask your teacher or librarian for help.

Step 4: Create Source Cards

There are different ways to take notes on information that you find while reading your source material. Check with your teacher to make sure you are taking notes as required.

As you locate each useful source, create a source card. On your source card, use MLA format for creating citations for various types of sources as shown on pages 12-15 of this guide. You should locate more sources than are required in order to have enough information available to answer your research question. Label each source card with a letter or number as instructed. These labels will be used to keep track of the source where each piece of information was found.

For print sources, you should include:

▪ The name of the author, editor, and/or compiler

▪ The complete title of the source (title of book, magazine, newspaper, reference book, or journal)

▪ The complete title of the article, poem, or story (as applicable)

▪ The name and location of the publisher

▪ The copyright date or date of publication

▪ The date of issue, the volume and issue number (as applicable)

▪ The page numbers that you used

For electronic sources, you should include:

▪ The name of the author, editor, and/or compiler

▪ The complete title of the web page used

▪ The complete title of the overall web site

▪ The name of the organization, group, or agency that published or sponsored the site

▪ The date the website was published, updated, revised, or created

▪ The date you visited the website

▪ The complete web address (URL) ()

Step 5: Take Notes

Once you begin reading, you should take notes on either index cards or paper. Use separate cards or separate sheets of paper when writing about different aspects of your topic that will be included in your essay. For example, when writing a science research paper on states of matter, information about gases should be on separate cards or sheets than information about solids. Write the main idea of the information at the top of the card/paper as well as the source card label that corresponds to the source of the information. Make sure the information is written in your own words or use quotation marks if taking information word for word from the source. This will help you organize your information when writing your paper and cite the sources of the information within the body of your paper (also known as in-body, in-text, or parenthetical citations).

Step 6: Create a Thesis

A thesis is a single sentence that tells the reader the main idea of the paper and the writer’s position on the topic. It

is a statement that you can prove with evidence from reliable sources, not a simple statement of fact. A thesis is the product of your own critical thinking after you have done your research. It can also be thought of as the angle or point of view from which you present your material. 

Your thesis will be stated in your introduction, proven with evidence in the body of your paper, and finally restated along with a summary of your evidence in your conclusion.

To write your thesis, look again at your research question and notes. What kinds of information have you found while researching? What statement do you have enough evidence to support with a strong argument?

Your evidence should lead you to a definite opinion about your research question.

Some ways to approach writing a thesis:

• Define a problem and state your opinion about it

• Discuss the current state of an issue or problem and predict how it might be resolved

• Put forth a possible solution to a problem

• Look at an issue/topic from a new, interesting perspective

• Theorize how the world might be different today if something had/had not happened in the past

• Compare two or more of something similar and give your analysis of them

• Propose your ideas about how something was influenced to be the way it is or was

Step 7: Make an Outline

Write down key points for your paper and sort your notes accordingly. If you find that you do not have enough notes when writing about a specific area in your outline, you will have to do more research.

THE WRITING PROCESS

First Draft

When you begin writing, organization is important. Focus on writing clearly and in a logical order. Using your note cards or paper notes will help you do this. Arrange your notes according to category or main idea. Your outline will help to put your ideas in the proper order.

All of the paragraphs in the body of your paper should help develop your thesis in some way. A paragraph might explain, define, compare, or classify information to support your thesis. Another paragraph might relate a personal experience that adds to or clarifies your thesis.

Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that states (or strongly suggests) the focus or main idea of the paragraph. In a well-written paragraph, every sentence is closely related to the topic sentence and should build upon the previous sentences by clarifying the paragraph’s main idea. As you work your way through your paper, you should use transitions to connect one paragraph to the next, thereby making it easier for the reader to follow and understand.

Put your ideas in your own words. If the author’s exact words are necessary to make your argument stronger, be sure that the capitalization, punctuation, and spelling are the same as that in the original work. Choose quotations carefully and keep them as brief as possible. A writer using too many quotations usually means a lack of independent thinking.

You must give the author credit whether you are paraphrasing or quoting directly from a source (see CITING SOURCES IN THE BODY OF YOUR PAPER, p. 9).

Revisions

As you write, it is important to read and reread what you have written in order to evaluate and revise your paper. YOUR FIRST DRAFT IS NOT YOUR FINAL DRAFT.

Use the list below to help in revising your draft:

▪ Write the material in your own words.

▪ Write in the past tense.

▪ Write in the third person.

▪ Use quotation marks when directly quoting from a source.

▪ Give proper credit when using someone else’s words. DON’T PLAGIARIZE.

▪ In the first paragraph, clearly state the focus/topic of your paper, your research question, and the thesis statement, which should be the last sentence of the introduction.

▪ In the concluding paragraph, restate the major themes or main ideas of your paper.

Once you have read and reread, revised and revised again, you are ready to do your final copy. Before handing in your final copy make sure to ask yourself the following questions:

▪ Does my first paragraph state my thesis clearly?

▪ Did I write in the third person and in the past tense?

▪ Did I use transition words and phrases to show sequence (examples: after, first, following, therefore, as a result, however, etc.)?

▪ Does my concluding paragraph restate my main themes and ideas?

▪ Did I proofread my paper for errors in spelling and grammar? SPELLCHECK AND GRAMMARCHECK do not always catch mistakes.

CITING SOURCES IN THE BODY OF YOUR PAPER

There may be times when you have to quote directly from a source, use an original idea from a source, or summarize someone else’s ideas from a source. When you do, you must give credit to the author in the body of the paper. This is called an in-body, in-text, or parenthetical citation.

What is Parenthetical Citation?

Parenthetical citation is when a writer directly puts into his/her text a note about where he/she got the information. The purpose of in-text citation is to point the reader to the information on the Works Cited list that will allow them to find the original source. This is how it looks in the text of your paper:

“In 2007, 37 percent of American adults sought medical information from the Internet regarding a health problem they were experiencing before consulting a doctor” (Smith 38).

In the example above, notice that the author’s name and the page number on which this fact was found are set off from the text within parentheses. Note that the punctuation of this parenthetical citation is also important. The end punctuation is not inside the quote, but after the parentheses. Furthermore, since the words are contained within quotes, the above example illustrates that this is a direct quote from that page.

In the example below, the author paraphrased (indirectly quoted) the information:

Instead of going to a doctor right away, a recent study found that more than a third of Americans are now turning to the Internet for medical information (Smith 38).

As with a direct quote, the author’s name and the page number on which this fact was found are set off from the text within parentheses. The end punctuation for the sentence is found after and outside of the parentheses.

Direct quotes, indirect quotes, and paraphrases must be cited since the information was not your original idea. You must cite this information or it is considered plagiarism.

There are specific ways of citing different kinds of sources. Please refer to the examples below to choose the proper way to cite the source you are using. If you are not sure, please ask your teacher.

INFORMATION FROM A BOOK:

In parentheses, put the author’s last name and the page number.

Example: The Romans called the German tribes barbarians (Hinds 19).

INFORMATION FROM A MAGAZINE:

If there is an author of the article: In parentheses, put the author’s last name and the page number.

Example: Television coverage of sports has improved greatly in the last ten years (Kellogg 34).

If there is no author listed: In parentheses, put the title of the article in quotes and the page number.

Example: Television coverage of sports has improved greatly in the last ten years (“A Decade of Sports” 34).

INFORMATION FROM AN ENCYCLOPEDIA or MULTIPLE VOLUME SET:

If there is an author listed: In parentheses, put the author’s last name, the volume number followed by a colon, a space, and the page number.

Example: In Kentucky caves there may be a build up of gypsum between the rock layers (Youngblood 4: 96).

If there is no author: In parentheses, put the name of the article in quotes, the volume number, a colon, a space, and the page number.

Example: In Kentucky caves there may be a build up of gypsum between the rock layers (“Cave Formation” 4: 96).

INFORMATION FROM A WEB PAGE OR A DATA BASE:

If there is an author’s name listed: Put the author’s last name in parentheses.

Example: The author states that the Human Genome Initiative is a worldwide research effort that has the goal of analyzing the structure of human DNA (Holsinger).

If there is no author: In parentheses, put the title of the page in quotation marks.

Example: The Human Genome Initiative has several goals including the analysis of the structure of human DNA (“Human Genome Initiative”).

CHECKLIST FOR WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER

Refer to pages 4-6 for specific instruction on each step

1. Choose a topic

❑ A. Brainstorm a number of general topics

❑ B. List key words that go along with the topics for use in looking up information

❑ C. Perform preliminary research to find more detailed ideas for the topics

❑ D. Select the topic of the most interest to you with the most relevant details

❑ E. Narrow the topic so that it can be covered in the assigned length

❑ F. Develop a research question—what are you specifically interested in discovering about your topic? (Remember to make it arguable)

2. Find your source materials

❑ A. Use your school library, public library, local college library, or the Internet

❑ B. Skim each source to determine if it will be useful

❑ C. Make a source card with an MLA citation for each source you will use

❑ D. Label each source card with a letter or number as instructed

3. Take and organize your notes

❑ A. Read and take notes on note cards

❑ B. Label each note card with the letter or number of the source

❑ C. Cite and categorize ideas on your note cards

❑ D. Organize your note cards by idea or detail

❑ E. Make an outline to use as a guide for your research

❑ F. Use your research question and notes to write a clear and arguable thesis

❑ G. Rewrite your outline to sequence your material to support your thesis.

4. Write your paper

❑ A. Write a first draft in your own words, using direct quotations and paraphrases when appropriate

o Double space your typed draft—this makes it easier to edit and revise

o Write in the past tense

o Write only in third person (do not use “I”, “me,” “my,” or “you”)

o Remember your audience

❑ B. Create Works Cited page

❑ C. Reread and revise content as needed—Have you adequately supported your thesis?

❑ D. Proofread for spelling, punctuation, source citation, clarity, and sequence

❑ E. Write final version and repeat step D

❑ F. Turn in your completed paper to your teacher

MLA WORKS CITED GUIDE

Below is a list of the most commonly used sources at Woodstock Middle School. If you use a source that does not fit one of the examples below, ask your teacher or librarian for assistance. You may also consult with the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition) found in the library.

Print Sources

Basic Format for a Book

Author Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publishing Company, Year of Publication or Copyright. Print.

Single Author:

Blashfield, Jean F. Greenland. New York: Children’s-Scholastic, 2005. Print.

A Book by Two or Three Authors:

Levine, Shar, and Leslie Johnstone. The Microscope Book. New York: Sterling, 1996. Print.

A Book by More Than Three Authors

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2004. Print.

A Book With No Author

Encyclopedia of Indiana. New York: Somerset, 1993. Print.

Book With an Editor

Marshall, Richard, ed. Great Events of the 20th Century: How They Changed Our Lives. Pleasantville: Reader’s Digest, 1977. Print.

Article in a Reference Book (Encyclopedia, Dictionary, etc)

Warren, Ruth. “Egypt.” The New Book of Knowledge. 2008 ed. Print.

“Equatorial Guinea.” The New Book of Knowledge. 2008 ed. Print.

A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection

Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication.

Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer. Ed. Steven Heller. New York: Allworth Press, 1998. 13-24. Print.

If the specific literary work is part of the an author's own collection (all of the works have the same author), then there will be no editor to reference:

Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems. New York: Dover, 1991. 12-

19. Print.

Multivolume Work

If you are using two or more volumes in the work, put down the total number of volumes in the work. If you are using just one, put down the volume number used.

Hill, Emily, ed. The Civil War. 10 vols. Danbury: Grolier, 2004. Print.

Article in a Magazine

Author last name, first name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title Day Month Year: Pages. Print.

Begley, Sharon. “Are You Ready for More?” Newsweek 6 June 2011: 40-45. Print.

Article in a Newspaper

Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Print.

Online Sources

If You Used an Entire Web Site

Editor, author, or compiler name. Name of Site. Name of institution/organization

that is affiliated with or published the site, Date website was published or updated. Web. Date of access. .

Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. N.p., 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10

Nov. 2006. .

If You Used Just One Page of a Web Site

Editor, author, or compiler name. “Title of Page.” Name of Site. Name of

institution/organization that is affiliated with or published the site, Date website was published or updated. Web. Date of access. .

"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." . eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

.

Online Encyclopedia at School

“Article title.” Encyclopedia name. Publisher, Date. Web. Date of access. .

“Korean War.” Compton’s by Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 24 June 2011. .

Online Journals/Subscription Databases

Author last name, first name. “Article title.” Journal Volume. Issue (Year): Pages*. Database Name. Web. Date of access. .

* Use n. page if no pages are numbered.

White, Kerry. “Do School Uniforms Fit?” School Administrator. 57.2 (Feb. 2000): 36. General OneFile. Web. 21 June 2011. <

codes-uniforms-2.htm>.

Online Periodicals (newspapers) /Subscription Databases

Author last name, first name. "Article Title." Magazine or Newspaper Title. Date: Pages*. Database Name. Web. Date of Access. .

* Use n. page if no pages are numbered.

Keating, Christopher, and John Lender. “Malloy Says He’ll Push to Cut Property Tax Credit Despite Opposition Revealed in New Poll.” Hartford Courant. 24 Feb. 2011: A1. Proquest. Web. 27 June 2011. .

SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER (EXCERPT)

John Smith

Ms. Santerre

Language Arts – Period E

May 1, 2010

Internment of Japanese-Americans During World War II:

The Debate Between Protecting Civil Liberties and Preserving National Security

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. The attack provoked nationwide anger and fear as America was launched into World War II. These reactions prompted wartime legislation that sought to preserve national security; doing so infringed on the constitutional civil liberties of individuals. At times of national distress, national security must not be used to prevent government actions from being debated and closely scrutinized for their impact on civil liberties, particularly when such actions are not in response to an imminent threat.

Discrimination against Japanese-Americans had existed before the war, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor, tensions and prejudices were heightened, particularly on the West Coast, which was home to about 112,000 Japanese-Americans. Wartime fears led to rumors that Japanese-Americans were planning attacks within the United States (Alonso 25). Weglyn reports that some of these fears were substantiated by a stream of intelligence information obtained by the United States Military throughout 1941, known as the MAGIC cables (33). Thousands of coded cablegrams coming from Japan revealed that there were Japanese spy agents on the West Coast of the United States who were sending information to Tokyo.

In October 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt responded to the MAGIC cables by ordering a State Department investigation into the loyalties of Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii and on the West Coast. President Roosevelt appointed Curtis B. Munson to compile a report. The final Munson Report stated:

The Issei, or first generation Japanese-born, non United States citizens, are considerably weakened in their loyalty to Japan…[and the] Nisei, or the second generation who have received their whole education in the United States, usually, in spite of discrimination against them and a certain amount of insults accumulated through the years from irresponsible elements, show a pathetic eagerness to be Americans. They are universally estimated from 90 to 98 percent loyal to the United States. (qtd. in Weglyn 41)

Despite the report’s positive portrayal of the Japanese living in America, the attack on Pearl Harbor enhanced fears and prejudices. Political pressure to address these fears began shaping national policy.

On December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt not only declared war against Japan, but signed proclamations authorizing the FBI “to arrest any aliens in the United States whom it deemed dangerous to public peace and safety” (Robinson 75). Within a few days, thousands of Issei were arrested, Japanese fishing boats were prohibited from working, Japanese marketing licenses were suspended, homes were searched without warrants, and Japanese banking assets were frozen.

SAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGE

Works Cited

Alonso, Karen. Korematsu v. United States: Japanese-American Internment

Camps. Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1998. Print

Breyer, Stephen G. Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View. New York:

Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Print.

Malkin, Michelle. In Defense of Internment: The Case for "Racial Profiling" in

World War II and the War on Terror. Washington, DC: Regnery Pub, 2004. Print.

Robinson, Greg. By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. Print.

Roleff, Tamara L. What Limits Should Be Placed on Presidential

Powers? Detroit: Greenhaven, 2007. Print.

Roosevelt, Franklin D. “Executive Order 9066.” Children of the Camps. PBS.

1999. Web. 1 May 2010. .

Walker, Samuel. In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the ACLU.

Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1990. Print.

Weglyn, Michi. Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America's Concentration

Camps. Seattle: University of Washington, 1996. Print.

-----------------------

Example of Plagiarism

This paragraph is copied exactly from another source without quotation marks or giving the author credit.

News of the fighting at Lexington and Concord had already reached the city of Philadelphia when delegates gathered for the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. Soon after the meeting began, John Adams urged the other delegates to quickly create an American army. He said that the members of the Massachusetts militia camped outside of Boston were ready to be the first soldiers in that army.

This paragraph is restated in the writer’s own words; it is not plagiarized. The writer has given credit to the original author using an in-body citation and lists the source of this information on the Works Cited page.

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May 1775. The American colonists and the British had already fought in Lexington and Concord, and it seemed likely that there would be more battles between the two. John Adams strongly encouraged the delegates at the meeting to form an American army as soon as possible (Franks 98).

Example of a Source Card (for a print book)

C

Franklin, Ben. States of Matter. Boston: Cambridge Press,

1776. Print.

Example of Note-taking on an Index Card or Paper

C, p. 119

Gases

- can be visible or invisible,

- have an odor or not.

- take up the space of the container that holds them

o example: a balloon

Example of a Thesis

Topic: Japanese-American Internment Camps during World War II

Research Question: Should governments have the complete authority to deny freedoms to their citizens during times of national crisis, such as after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

Thesis: At times of national distress, national security must not be used to prevent government actions from being debated and closely scrutinized for their impact on civil liberties, particularly when such actions are not in response to an imminent threat.

Example of an Outline

Topic: Americans Prepare for War with Britain

I. Second Continental Congress

A. Two major decisions

1. Create an army

2. Select Washington as leader of the army

II. Battle of Bunker Hill

A. General Gage, British general, charges Bunker Hill

1. British won after 3 attempts

2. Gave colonists confidence that they could fight the British

Note:

- Each citation is double spaced, and there is one double space between entries.

- Each citation starts at the left margin and continues to the right margin.

Additional lines are indented one-half inch (one tab).

Note:

- If there is no author, editor, or compiler available for the web page of web site, skip to

the next piece of information needed.

- If there is no name of publishing or affiliated organization available, write N.p.

- If there is no date available for when the site was published or updated, use n.d.

- Dates are always listed day month (abbreviated) year. Example: 12 Jan. 2010

- MLA no longer requires the use of URLs in MLA citations; however, Woodstock

Middle School teachers require students to include URLs in their citations.

-

Smith 1

The student’s paper is correctly formatted with 1” margins top, bottom, left, and right.

The entire paper, including heading, must be double-spaced and written in Times New Roman 12-point font.

The student has a header on each page with his last name and page number.

On the first page, the student correctly includes a heading with his name, teacher name, class and class period, and the date of the paper.

The title of the student’s paper is centered and written in Times New Roman 12-point font. The title is not bolded, underlined, or italicized.

The student’s introductory paragraph sets the context for the rest of his paper. It tells the audience why he is writing and why his topic is important.

The student correctly places his thesis statement at the end of his introduction.

In this sentence, the student is paraphrasing information from his sources. Even though he has not directly quoted from the source, he must give credit in an in-body citation to the author since it is not the student’s original ideas.

The student has integrated the in-body citation in two different ways.

1. The author’s name and page number both appear in the citation.

2. The student incorporated the author’s name into the text of the paper and included only the page number in the citation.

For a quotation that is more than four lines, the student has started the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin. He has double-spaced and did not use quotation marks. His in-body citation comes after the closing punctuation mark.

Smith 2

The student has correctly placed in-body citations after the quote, but before the period. He has also placed the author’s/ authors’ name(s) before the page number with no comma in between.

The Works Cited page is a list of all the sources cited in the student’s paper.

He did not cite every source that he found during the research process. He only cited the sources from which he paraphrased or quoted.

The student’s Works Cited page correctly begins on a new page. He has centered the title, Works Cited, without underlining, bolding, or italicizing it.

Smith 6

This student followed MLA’s requirement that all sources have a publication marker.

Books printed on paper receive the marker “Print” after the citation.

E-Books and websites receive the marker “Web” before the date of access and URL.

Each citation is double spaced, and there is one double space between entries.

Each citation starts at the left margin and continues to the right margin. Subsequent lines are indented one-half inch (one tab).

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