UNC Charlotte
Writing Resources Center

Locations
› Cameron 125
› Atkins T1 (across from
Peet’s Library Café)
› Center for Graduate Life
› Center City 714

Phone
› 704.687.1899

E-mail
› wrchelp@uncc.edu

Web
› writing.uncc.edu/writing-
resources-center

Appointments
› writing.uncc.edu/writing-
resources-center/scheduleappointment

MLA format was created—and is
continually revised—by the Modern
Language Association to meet the
needs of the writers who use it.

Typically, writers in the humanities rely on
MLA format as a “universal language” of
sorts.
These are some others you may be familiar
with…
 APA – American Psychological Association
(social sciences, business)

CMS or Chicago Manual of Style (history)

CSE – Council of Science Editors (sciences)

IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (engineering)
…the main points that all writers/students
want to know regarding MLA format:
What is plagiarism, and how to avoid it
while effectively integrating sources into
your writing
 Parenthetical (or “in-text”) citations, and
their correlation with the
 Works Cited Page


Writers need to understand current definitions of
plagiarism, which have changed over time, and which
differ from culture to culture (Lunsford).

In many countries other than the U.S., using the
words and ideas of others without attribution is
considered a sign of respect as well as an
indication of knowledge.

Many cultures do not recognize Western notions of
plagiarism—described in the next slide—which rest
on the belief that language and ideas can be
“owned” by writers.

In an instructional setting, plagiarism
occurs when a writer deliberately uses
someone else’s language, ideas, or
other original (not common-knowledge)
material without acknowledging its
source.

This definition applies to texts published in
print or online, to manuscripts, and to the
work of other students.

Most current discussions of plagiarism fail to
distinguish between plagiarism and misuse
of sources.

A student who attempts (even if clumsily) to
identify and credit his or her source, but
who misuses a specific citation format or
incorrectly uses quotation marks or other
forms of identifying material taken from
other sources, has not plagiarized. Instead,
the student has failed to cite and
document sources appropriately.
In academic writing in the U.S., you should
always credit…

Quotations, paraphrases, summaries

Facts not widely known or claims that
are arguable

Help provided by others
In academic writing in the U.S., you should
credit all materials except:

Common knowledge

Ideas available in a wide variety of sources

Your own findings from primary or field
research





Show that you are a knowledgeable and
credible researcher.
Demonstrate fairness—that you have
considered multiple points of view.
Provide background for your research by
placing it in the context of the work of
others.
Help readers follow your thoughts and
understand how your ideas relate to those
of others.
Point readers where to go to find more
information on your subject.

Your research-based writing will typically
be a combination of these elements:
› your voice, supplemented with
› direct quotes from your sources, as well as
› paraphrases.

Regarding plagiarism, which of these
elements do you think causes students
the most trouble?
…you’re right!

A paraphrase is when you put another
author’s words into your own. You still
need to give credit to that author.

Before we delve into written
paraphrases, some music might help us
understand the dangers of bad
paraphrasing…

Have you ever heard this song, “Under
Pressure” by Queen & David Bowie,
released in 1981?

Does that song remind you of another
one…?

What about this song, “Ice Ice Baby,”
released in 1989?

Do you think Vanilla Ice plagiarized?

Vanilla Ice used the “Under Pressure”
sample without permission. In writing
terms, he didn’t cite his source.

David Bowie & Queen sued, and Vanilla
Ice settled out of court for what was
probably a very large sum.
Is this paraphrase acceptable? Why or why
not?
The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the
explosion of the population were three large factors of
nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies
became more visible in the eastern part of the country,
they changed farm hands into factory workers and
provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With
industry came the growth of large cities like Fall River
where the Bordens lived, which turned into centers of
commerce and trade as well as production.
The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and
the explosion of the population were three large
factors of nineteenth century America. As steamdriven companies became more visible in the
eastern part of the country, they changed farm
hands into factory workers and provided jobs for
the large wave of immigrants. With industry
came the growth of largecities like Fall River
where the Bordens lived, which turned into
centers of commerce and trade as well as
production.
According to Williams, Smithburn, and
Peterson, Fall River, where the Borden family
lived, was typical of northeastern industrial
cities of the Nineteenth century. Steampowered production had shifted labor from
agriculture to manufacturing, and as
immigrants arrived in the U.S., they found
work in these new factories. As a result,
populations grew, and large urban areas arose.
Fall River was one of these manufacturing
and commercial centers (200).
Williams, Joyce G., Eric Smithburn, and M. Jeanne
Peterson, eds. Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family
and Crime in the 1890s. Bloomington, IN: TIS Publications,
1980. Print.
Uses your own words and sentence
patterns
 Demonstrates your inferential thought
processes
 Rather than being merely a faithful
reproduction of the ideas in source text,
an effective paraphrase is one that
expresses your perspective.
 Includes a citation.


Sometimes called in-text citations,
parenthetical citations tell your reader where
to find the information you’re writing about in
that sentence.

The “default” citation is
(Author’s Last Name page #).
(Smith 24).

There are situations where you won’t have this
information or won’t need this information. One
common example is on the next slide…

If you introduce your reader to the author(s)
in a signal phrase, then you only need to
include the page number in your citation:

According to Williams, Smithburn, and Peterson,
Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was
typical of northeastern industrial cities of the
Nineteenth century. Steam-powered production had
shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, and
as immigrants arrived in the U.S., they found work
in these new factories. As a result, populations grew,
and large urban areas arose. Fall River was one of
these manufacturing and commercial centers (200).
Your parenthetical citations are like a
map’s key for your reader in that it helps
them easily navigate your Works Cited
page.
 The Works Cited Page is a list of the sources
you cited in your paper.
 The author’s last name—included in most
citations—is the first thing in that source’s
correlating entry on the Works Cited page,
making it easy for your reader to find…

Harriet was a domestic slave in the home of a well to-do family,
and thus was protected from those violent aspects and images
of the institution that are often evoked when we hear the word
slavery: weary slaves toiling in fields under the hot, sultry
sun; cruel overseers with whips, ready to strike at a moment’s
notice; wretched living environments and never enough to
eat. No, Harriet was born into excellent circumstances, as far
as slavery was concerned; for the first six years of her life she
did not even know she was a slave (Jacobs 9). Harriet, or
“Hatty” as her family called her, was surrounded by kith and
kin and, as Jean Fagan Yellin puts it, she “lived a charmed
life” during her early years (8).
In your Works Cited:
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave
Girl. Ed. Nellie Y. McKay and Frances Smith
Foster. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 2001.
Print.
Lavender, Catherine. “The Cult of Domesticity
and True Womanhood.” The College of
Stanton Island. 12 July 2006. Web. 28 Sept.
2006.
Yellin, Jean Fagan. Harriet Jacobs: A Life. New
York: Basic Cevitas Books, 2004. Print.
As you practice MLA format, you’ll notice
trends and understand its purpose, but…
 You’ll come across situations where you
can’t easily figure out what to include in
your parenthetical citation or on your Works
Cited page. When in doubt, ask.
 The rule of thumb, though, is that your
parenthetical citation matches the first part
of that source’s entry on the Works Cited
Page. Here’s an example of an “odd
case”…


When you can’t find the author of a
piece that you’d like to cite—but you’re
sure that it’s a credible source that will
enhance your paper—then you go to
the next part of the Works Cited entry.

Does anyone know the next part of the
Works Cited entry?
In your Works Cited:
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.
Demand Media, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.
In your paper:
Vegetarians might choose to replace the
meat for more pinto beans or for another
kind of bean. However, there are many
tasty recipes that call for soy- or wheatbased beef substitute (“How to Make”).
Citation machines are helpful, but can be
inaccurate.
 Citing sources is not about memorizing rules;
it is about learning to use available
resources to help you give credit to other
writers for their words and ideas.
 As you move from one field to another, find
out the preferred citation style and practice
it.
 Set aside time, ask for help, and utilize the
resources available to you…


From the Purdue Online Writing Lab

From Diana Hacker’s Research &
Documentation Online

UNCC Writing Resources Center (WRC)

Purdue U. Online Writing Lab (OWL)

UNCC Atkins Library

Locations
› Cameron 125
› Atkins T1 (across from
Peet’s Library Café)
› Center for Graduate Life
› Center City 714

Phone
› 704.687.1899

E-mail
› wrchelp@uncc.edu

Web
› writing.uncc.edu/writing-
resources-center

Appointments
› writing.uncc.edu/writing-
resources-center/scheduleappointment
Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer.
3rd ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2004. Print.
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing
Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U,
2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2008.