There are 5 parts of the MLA
research paper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Title page
Outline
Research paper (double spaced)
Works cited (double spaced)
Notecards
We will look at each of these elements in detail.
Title Page
An MLA title page includes…
0 Title of paper (all caps)
0 Your name
0 Due date of paper
0 Class name (US History 804)
How to create a title page
0 Type your paper title in all caps in the center
of the page.
0 Skip 4-6 more lines and type your name.
0 Skip 2 lines more lines and type the due date.
0 Skip 2 more lines and type the class name.
What does a title page look like?
ASSASSINATION OF JFK
Ms. Maher
March 19th 2014
US HISTORY 804
Outline
An MLA outline isn’t really different than other formal
outlines you may have done.
0 Use Roman Numerals
0 Double space
0 Type your thesis at the top
How to create an outline
0 Type the thesis (double spaced) at the top
0 Skip a couple lines and start your outline with Roman
Numeral I.
0 Below that “I” use an A, B, and C to list your supporting
details.
0 Continue in this format until you have 3 main topics and
supporting details for each.
0 Note: You do not outline introductions and conclusions
0 Note: Outline must match the order of your thesis
The research paper
0 Double spaced
0 6 – 8 pages
0 Written in paragraph form
0 No contractions or slang
0 Do not use headers/footers
0 Uses parenthetical documentation (PD)
0 Page numbers
0 Do not type your name on the first page….that’s what the title page
was for 
Things to remember about the
research paper
0 The organization of your paper needs to match
the outline EXACTLY.
For example, if the main points in your outline
are family, education, and career, then your first
body paragraph in the paper should be about
family. The second about education. The third
about career.
Parenthetical Documentation
0 What does “parenthetical” mean?
Parenthetical Documentation
0 What does “parenthetical” mean?
0 Inside of parentheses (like this)
Parenthetical Documentation
0 What does “parenthetical” mean?
0 Inside of parentheses (like this)
0 What does “documentation” mean?
Parenthetical Documentation
0 What does “parenthetical” mean?
0 Inside of parentheses (like this)
0 What does “documentation” mean?
0 Written down, documented
How do you write a PD?
Author’s last name and page number
(Huguley 46)
Notice I did not use “pg” or “page” before I listed
the number. Don’t do that.
Very important!! Whatever name you list in the PD must
match your works cited. More on this later.
Works Cited
0 You might know the term “bibliography” better, but it’s
the same as a works cited.
0 A WC page lists (in a very detailed manner) each of the
sources you used in research.
How to cite a book
Citing a Book
1. author’s last name, first name—period
2. title of book (underlined or italicized)—period
3. city of publication—colon
4. publishing company—comma
5. year of publication (use the year that is closest to 2010)—
period
Example of book citation:
Smith, Jane. For the Love of Puppies. Philadelphia: Harper Collins,
1999.
Notice the indention of
second line!
the
How to cite an AVL article
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
author’s name—period
Name of article in quotations—period
Name of magazine/periodical the article came from (underline this)—no
punctuation after
Date the article was published
AVL (or you can name the database specifically, like KidsSearch)—period
Date you accessed the article--period
Example of AVL citation…
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World Report 18 Oct.
1999: 3. Alabama Virtual Library. 28 Feb. 2003.
Again, notice the indention!
How to cite a website
1. author’s name—period
2. Article title in quotes—period
3. Website’s title (in the blue bar)
4. Article date--period
5. Date you accessed the website--period
6. URL of the website—period (just use the basic website, not the
whole crazy URL)
Example...
Schuster, Alan. "Spa and Hot Tub Chemical Questions." Ask Alan.
Aqua-Clear Industries. 18 Aug. 2008. 10 Oct. 2008.
www.askalan.com.
Notice the indented lines!
What do I do when all my resources
have been cited?
1. Alphabetize them according to the first word
of the citation
2. Double space everything
3. Make sure every line under the first one is
indented
4. Type Works Cited at the top of the page in the
center.
What is a research
note card?
0 Notecards are 3x5 index cards with only one, just one,
no more than one fact per card.
0 There are 4 components to making an MLA notecard.
Example on next slide.
4 Items to include on card
.
So, what goes on the Note
Card??
0 As you find interesting facts about your topic, you
will write them down.
0 Each idea should be paraphrased/summarized (in
your own words) or quoted and written on a card.
How do you record information
on the notecard?
0 Paraphrase/Summarize—shorter, in your
own words; rewrite what the author said
0 Quote—stating exactly what the author said;
must use quotation marks
DON’T PLAGIARIZE!!!! ALWAYS GIVE THE
CREDIT TO THE REAL AUTHOR!
PLAGIARISM
0 It's like lip-synching to someone else's voice and
accepting the applause and rewards for yourself.
0 IF YOU PLAGIARIZE, YOU WILL FAIL!!! …any
time you take a writer’s words and use them as
your own, you are plagiarizing
1. Card Topic
Topic is the kind of information on the card.
Think of it as the title, or main idea of the
card. After writing down the information,
figure out how you could briefly categorize,
or title it.
2. Source Title
0 The source title is the name of the book,
magazine, website, etc., in which you found
the information.
4. page numbers
0 It is important to be accurate with the page numbers
on your note cards, as you will need them for citations
throughout your research paper.
Sample Note Cards
Organized by Card Topic
Citing my source!!
Information for this presentation came from the
following source
0 “Researching and Organizing Your Paper:
The Note Card System.” English Works! at
Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.
Published: 1997-present. Retrieved 7 March,
2006.
<http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writ
ing/notecard.html>
THE END!