MLA MLA

In-text CitationsIn-text Citations

& &

DocumentationDocumentation

For 11RFor 11R

• HEADING AND TITLE:• NO TITLE PAGE in MLA format!• Heading information goes directly on first paper

My Name

Mrs. Grzybowski

English – Yellow

25 May 2000

The Title of My Paper

My paper starts here. I will remember to indent the first line of each

paragraph. I will also remember to double space my whole paper. In addition,

I know that I do not need to put an extra space (triple space) in between

paragraphs. I will remember to turn in a clean copy of my works cited list and,

of course, I will cite my sources in-text using proper MLA format.

According to Mrs. Grzybowski, a fabulous English teacher,

“presenting papers in the proper format is essential to academic success.”

Paraphrase as much as you can. You still need to cite!Use direct quotations when citing a statistic or when you want to preserve the original language or “voice”

YOU MUST CITE: A direct quotation A statistic Someone else’s opinion Facts which are not considered “common knowledge” Information taken from the computer (internet, etc.) Illustrations, photographs, or charts – if not yours

Source: Source: Silverman, Jay, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Weinbroer. Silverman, Jay, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Weinbroer. Rules of Thumb: A Guide for WritersRules of Thumb: A Guide for Writers. New . New

York: McGraw Hill, 2002.York: McGraw Hill, 2002.

When several facts in a row within one paragraph all come from When several facts in a row within one paragraph all come from the same page of a the same page of a

source, use one citation to cover them all. Place the citation after source, use one citation to cover them all. Place the citation after the last fact.the last fact.

The citation The citation MUST be in the same paragraph be in the same paragraph as the facts!as the facts!

Paraphrasing Schwartz, Nelson D. "Anger Erupts After Danish Zoo Kills a 'Surplus' Giraffe." New York Times 10 Feb. 2014: A6(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Marius the reticulated giraffe died at the Copenhagen Zoo on Sunday. He was 2 years old. The cause of death was a shotgun blast, and after a public autopsy, the animal, who was 11 feet 6 inches, was fed to the zoo's lions and other big cats. Administrators said they had decided to kill Marius, who was in good health, because his genes were well represented among the captive giraffe population in European zoos. But that explanation did not satisfy animal rights activists who had mounted a furious last-minute campaign to save him.

My Paraphrase and citation: Notice how I also worked in a direct quote!

The death of a giraffe in a Danish Zoo infuriated animal rights activists when it was shot and later fed to the zoo’s collection of predatory cats (Schwartz). Despite being healthy, the giraffe, known as Marius, was killed because the zoo administration determined that Marius’, “genes were well represented among the …population.” (Schwartz). While the controversy that ensued might have been expected, according to Schwartz, zoo officials were shocked by the public outrage.

Signal Phrases in MLASignal phrases “set up”

quotations and integrate them smoothly into sentences.

Researchers Smith and Brown assert, “Blah blah blah”.

Smith, a celebrated athlete, observes, “Blah blah blah”.

According to Smith, “Blah blah blah”.

Good Verbs :acknowledges admitsagrees assertsbelieves

claimscomments declaresdenies disputesemphasizes endorsesgrants illustratesimplies notesobserves points

outreasons refutessuggests writes

Complete list: Hacker, Diana. Complete list: Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s ReferenceA Writer’s Reference. 5. 5thth ed. Boston: ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. p. 336.Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. p. 336.

Parenthetical Citations,Parenthetical Citations,“in-text citations”“in-text citations”

Common Citations:o Author and page number (Smith 28).o If you have an author but no pages, just use the

author’s last name (Smith).o Title and page number (“Pink Floyd Rocks”

28).o Page number only, if your source/author is

referenced in the SIGNAL PHRASE! o Ex. Smith asserts, “duiyeuiyrqwuiery” (28). o Or Smith asserts, “jddhhsadhaddhsjdadhas.” (IF you

have NO page #)

Parenthetical Citations:Parenthetical Citations:When you quote someone who has been

quoted in one of your sources, use: qtd. in = quoted in

Brown thinks “The essence of class and the epitome of grace” is knowing how to properly apologize for wrong-doings (qtd. in Smith).Interview or Speech:

If the source is an interview, lecture, or speech, include person’s name in introductory clause with no parenthesis:

Sarah Felski, junior student in English, stated that she, “……”.

In an interview with Grzybowski, Nick Denecke shared that his favorite color is red.

A recent interview with an anonymous 16 year old boy revealed that …………………

general academic writing general academic writing reminders:reminders:

• When quoting or referring to an expert, use an appositive to give them credentials. For example, if I quote Oprah Winfrey, I don’t necessarily need to give a credential because people generally know who she is. If I am quoting Susannah Sheffer (most people don’t know who she is), I can use an appositive phrase with commas to explain why she is an expert on the topic.

Ex. Susannah Sheffer, author and project director for Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, asserts that truly mentally ill people who commit crimes should not be subject to the death penalty.

• No first or second person unless you are quoting directly• Use sophisticated language. Ex. Instead of “kids,” use children, teenagers,

adolescents, young people, etc.• Use commas to set off a quote from the rest of a sentence.• 12 pt, standard font is used. Double space the whole paper. Do not add an

additional (triple space) anywhere.