MLA Research Paper
A formal, completely researched documented essay demonstrating
student’s mastery of investigation, documentation, and argumentation.
Students will show evidence of pre-writing, rough drafts w/revisions
highlighted, and final draft with cover page.
Due Dates of Individual Parts:
Thursday, April 5:
Tuesday, April 10:
Tuesday, April 17:
Monday, April 23:
Monday, April 30:
Precis due (See example)
Outline due
Rough Bibliography due
Rough Draft due
Final Copy due
20 points
20 points
30 points
50 points
100 points
Paper length: Minimum 4-6 pages
Font: Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced
Topic: Use www. Classtopic.com to research potential topics.
Use www.citationmachine.net for MLA formatting.
Requirements: Must include at least TWO citations per page; Must use at least FOUR
different cited sources in the essay.
Order of final project:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Title Page
Precis
Outline
Final draft
Bibliography
Rough draft with revisions
Blank Grade Sheet
Precis
Must be typed on single sheet of paper.
Choose three possible topic choices that you have found on the provided website.
1. Teenage Pregnancy & the media
2. The Beatles
3. NASA and the space program
Now create a thesis for each. The thesis, your argument, should be written as a
statement, not a question.
1. Television shows like “Teen Mom” glorify teenage pregnancy and have long-term
effects on society.
2. The music group the Beatles have influenced modern-day music in many ways.
3. The United States government should continue to fund space programs such as
NASA.
Choose one which you find most interesting, most compelling.
Final thesis choice:
Cover Page Example
Must include the following in the CENTER of the page.
Name
Class and Period
Sarah Smith
English III – Period 4
Date
Name of Assignment
February 24, 2012
MLA Research Paper
MLA General Guidelines
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Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.

Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your
instructor).
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Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
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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.
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Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary,
providing emphasis.
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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.
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Double space again 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.

Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your
text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
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Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font
you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are
recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the
Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a
page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from
the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit
last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)
Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style:
Outline
Thesis: Television shows like “Teen Mom” on MTV glorify teenage pregnancy and have
long-term effects on society.
I. Introduction:
a. Statistics on current teenage pregnancies
b. MTV and other programs that show lives of pregnant teens
II. Body
a. Current info on teen pregnancies
i. Statistics
1. Age ranges
2. Race
3. Locations
b. Media
i. MTV – “Teen Mom” - explain
ii. Short-term effects of shows like this
iii. Long-term effects of shows like this
c. Solutions
i. What can the media do to help prevent, rather than promote?
ii. What can families/schools do to help?
III. Conclusion
a. Restate thesis
b. Final thoughts/quote/statistics