Formatting and Quotations
An MLA Primer
General Formatting
Guidelines
 Double space your paper and use a legible font (Times New
Roman suggested). The size should by 12 pt
 Margins should be 1 inch on all sides
 Indent the first line of each paragraph (using the tab key). Do not
put extra blank space between paragraphs
 Create a header with your last name and page #
 In the upper left corner on page one, list your name, instructor’s
name, the course and the date
 Double space and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or
place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case
(standard capitalization), not in all capital letters. It should be in
the same font size
Title Page Formatting:
Example
Short Quotations
Long Quotations (use sparingly)
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Basic Works Cited Format
Create the correct citation for your
copy of The Handmaid’s Tale
 Find the relevant information on the title page and the
publisher information page behind it
 Put the info into the correct format in writing or using
Word
 Check with a partner at your table and see if you agree
on the correct citation
 Note for the future: websites and articles are cited
differently! We’ll get to that when we start working on
our research papers
For more information and details
visit the OWL at Perdue
You can easily access this site through google. Get to know it know. Make
sure you are in the MLA section (not APA)
In order to submit a revision,
you must…
 Have turned it in on time
 Have the original draft attached
 Have the original grading scales attached
 Have SUBSTANTIAL changes
 Be in PERFECT MLA format
Look over the paper
assignment
 Is the prompt clear and understandable?
 We will address thesis writing next
 What is the difference between the two scales?
 What do you need to do to get a passing score
(3 or above) on this paper?
What makes a good thesis
statement?
 tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject
matter under discussion.
 is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to
expect from the rest of the paper.
 directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation
of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an
essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a
way to understand the war or the novel.
 makes a claim that others might dispute.
 is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that
presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of
the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader
of the logic of your interpretation.
Your thesis must answer one
of the following:
1. What is the relationship between the characters and their society?
2. Does the story address societal issues, such as race, gender, and
class?
3. How do social forces shape the power relationships between groups or
classes of people in the story? Who has the power, and who doesn’t?
Why?
4. How does the story reflect the Great American Dream?
5. What does the work say about economic or social power? Who has it
and who doesn’t? Any Marxist leanings evident?
6. Can the protagonist’s struggle be seen as symbolic of a larger class
struggle?
7. How does the microcosm (small world) of the story reflect the
macrocosm (large world) of the society in which it was composed?
Thesis examples: Evaluate
 We are shown a society in which women are looked down on and
are only used as mere objects by men.
 Atwood uses her novel to illustrate a society where gender roles are
unequal
 Atwood comments on the perverted and hierarchical social
dynamics within the totalitarian rule of Gilead through the use of
main characters and their interactions with Offred.
 To face this issue Gilead began to deprive women of their
individuality and use them as a pair of ovaries to carry the next
generation, leading women to lose the love for their bodies
 Atwood uses gender roles to convey a reminder that we have a
constant need to protect and further develop women’s right’s in
today’s society
Take a minute to draft of
revise your thesis
Share with your table. Does it meet all the criteria? Does it
answer the question?
How should my paragraphs
by structured? Use PEAS!
 Point- What is this paragraph trying to prove? It should be
part of your thesis!
 Evidence- What textual evidence supports your point? Don’t
forget to cite!
 Analyze- What does the textual evidence that you just
included say exactly? How does it support the point you are
making in the paragraph?
 So what?- How does this smaller point support your thesis?
 Never begin or end paragraphs with quotations!
What makes a good title?
 First, it predicts content.
 Second, it catches the reader's interest.
 Third, it reflects the tone or slant of the piece of writing.
 Fourth, it contains keywords that will make it easy to
access by a computer search
Title Example: Evaluate
 A Study in Character Relationships
 Object Placement
 Offred’s Tale: An Unjust Society
 Gender Role Conflict Analysis in The Handmaid’s Tale
 Living In a Pyramid
 Control Trifecta
Other things to consider
 Titles of books need to be italicized or underlined, not put
into quotes.
 Don’t use the “I” or “we” voice. Formal writing does not use
these. Everything in your paper is what you think!
 Don’t ask questions, especially if you are not going to
answer them.
 Every body paragraph needs textual evidence.
 Proofread! At least twice.
 For format questions go the the OWL at Perdue.
 Use the writing center for support
Work time
 Choose a thesis statement and finalize your language
 Share your thesis at your table! Help each other create
a thesis that will lead to a strong paper
 Begin to gather the textual evidence that you will need
to support your thesis
 You should be using evidence in every body paragraph!