ENC 1102:MLA Documentation

ReviewLSCC

Summer 2010J. Pierce, Instructor

Agenda Part 1

• Finding literary resources with Dr. Morrill Part 2

• MLA Documentation Review Part 3

• Library & Workshop Time

MLA: Works Cited Do your works cited list as you locate

resources Start with the stories themselves Helpful tools

• A handbook such as Bedford or the McGraw-Hill

• Any library will also have the actual MLA Handbook

• Word 2007• Sites like www.easybib.com

The Basics Author Title of work Title of source Editors for anthologies Page numbers for parts like articles,

etc. Dates of publication Dates of access for electronic sources Database names Format (web, print, etc.)

The Look Still plain double-space

• Just like the rest of the paper Part of the same document

• Header with page # continues on this last page

Works Cited• Centered at the top of the page

The entries are alphabetized Entries use the “hanging indent”

• Reverse of paragraph indent

Our Book It’s an anthology, so we’ll need: Author. Title. Source. Edition. Editors.

City: Publisher, Year. Page range. Format. For example:

• Mason, Bobbie Ann. “Shiloh.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. 10th ed. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 604-612. Print.

This applies to the stories and the articles in our text. If you cite the biographical or other material that is just part of the textbook, that will be a separate entry for Kennedy & Gioia.

Book Sources Book with an overall author:

• Author. Title. City: Publisher, Year. Format. Book that collects essays:

• Author of essay. “Title of Essay.” Title of Collection. Editor(s). City: Publisher, Year. Page range of essay. Format.

Reference books—actual Encyclopedia:• “Article.” Encyclopedia Title. Edition. Year.

Format.

Articles from Databases

Samples abound on the library’s website Here’s a sample from both of the Literary

Databases you’re targeting:• Sackton, Alexander H. "A Note on Keats and

Chaucer." Modern Language Quarterly 13 (1952): 37-41. Literary Reference Center. EBSCOhost. Web.

• Wood, Michael. "Tolkien's Fictions." New Society 27 Mar. 1969. Literature Resource Center. Web.

Web Sources If you’re writing about Hemingway or

Kaufman, you’ll be citing that the stories came from the internet.

Web sources require:• Author. “Title.” Webpage Title. Date Posted.

Date Accessed. Web. <urls only in special cases>.

• For these stories, right after the story title, also include the original date of publication.

You really should not be using web sources for your secondary material.

Citing Inside the Paper Overtly introduce/mention your sources

• In “Sunday in the Park,” by Bel Kaufman, we meet Morton, a “city pale” university professor…

• According to Barbara Christian, Alice Walker’s use of….

End cited material with a parenthetical citation• What goes inside? (Author #)• If no author: (“Title” #)• If author previously mentioned, just (#)• If electronic and no actual page number available

(par. #)—only if the original has pre-numbered paragraphs.

The Mention-Citation Sandwich It is NOT ok to just have a citation at the end

of a paragraph• Implies that only the last sentence came from the

source• Often, you will include a paragraph full of

information from the same source By starting with a mention and ending with a

citation, you make it clear everything from point a to point b came from that same source

Examples….

The Mention-Citation Sandwicho John Doe’s early childhood

is still somewhat of a mystery to scholars. Nobody really knows much about his school days. We know he attended school for at least part of his childhood. “Doe was apparently not a good student. School records indicate he was suspended three times in one semester” (Appleton 376).

o John Doe’s early childhood is still somewhat of a mystery to scholars. Adam Appleton’s book, Doe’s Early Days, offers a little insight into this man of mystery. We know he attended school for at least part of his childhood. Appleton asserts, “Doe was apparently not a good student. School records indicate he was suspended three times in one semester” (376).

What was wrong with…o John Doe’s early childhood is still somewhat of a

mystery to scholars. Nobody really knows much about his school days. We know he attended school for at least part of his childhood. “Doe was apparently not a good student. School records indicate he was suspended three times in one semester” (Appleton 376).

Note how it could be just the quote, any part or the whole paragraph that comes from Appleton’s book

Also, note how the quote isn’t attached to any other phrase or sentence: DON’T DO THIS! Integrate quotes with at least an opening phrase.

Quoting & Paraphrasing When writing about literature, you’ll

quote more from your primary sources and paraphrase more from your secondary sources

Even then, you don’t want lots of long quotations

Make sure to format quotes properly• In-text vs. Indented

Integrate and follow up on quotes

What’s Next Put together your thoughts on the story/stories

you want to write about Pick passages from the story that illustrate

your points Research your stories to supplement your

discussion• In some cases the research won’t cover what you’re

talking about• In those cases, you can include some biographical,

historical, or other background with the research For example, say I wanted to argue that the narrator in “The

Yellow Wallpaper” suffers from post-partum depression. I could research post partum depression using psychological sources and then tie to the story myself.