Writing an Excellent
Research Paper:
MLA Style
Goal
Students will develop an understanding of
the importance of research writing. In
addition, they will have a foundation for
writing a proficient research paper in MLA
format.
Objective
Students will be able to write a
interdisciplinary research paper at the
proficient level.
Why write a research paper?
• It is a requirement for English III, your majors (vocal,
theatre or dance) and Performing Arts Internship.
• It is the standard form of communication in the
academic world.
• Connect the academic world with your major.
• To provide you and your instructors with hours of
thought provoking work.
Selecting a topic
• Selected in your major classes.
• Related to major and can integrate 3 or more academic
areas seamlessly.
• Begin with a general topic and then refine to more
specific one that can be more fully explored.
• Narrow topic by focusing on aspect of subject or
approach to it. (e.g. Roaring 20’s—Isadora Duncan—
Contribution to art of dance.)
• Availability and quantity of resources.
Conducting Research
• Where can I go to obtain information? (e.g.
school, local libraries, renowned institutions)
• What type of reference works will you use?
– Reference works—Magazines, books, journals,
encyclopedias, biographical resources.
• How much money will it cost?
Publication Forms of Reference:
Print and Electronic
• General Reference: Dictionaries,
Encyclopedias, Biographical sources, Atlas,
almanacs, etc.
• Electronic Forms—CD ROMS, Database,
EBSCO, Professional/Reliable Websites.
Working Bibliography
• Keep track of sources (Bibliography)
• Will evolve into your “Work Cited” that
appears at the end of your research paper.
Books
• Author’s full name
• Full Title, including subtitles.
• Edition
• Number of Volume, and
total number of
volumes.
• City of Publication
• Publisher
• Year of publication
Budden, Julian. The Operas of Verdi. Rev. Ed. 3 vols.
Oxford: Clarendon, 1992.
Scholarly Journals
• Author’s full name
• Title of the article
(quotations)
• Name of journal.
• Volume number.
• Year of publication.
• Page number/s for
article.
Vartanov, Anri. “Television as Spectacle and Myth.”
Journal of Communication 41 (1991): 162-71
Newspapers, Magazines
• Author’s name
• Title of article (quotation
marks)
• Title of periodical
(underlined or italics)
• Date of publication.
• Page number/s of article
Internet Sources
• Author’s name
• Title of document
• Title of project, database,
periodical, or professional or
personal site.
• Name of editor
• Date of electronic
publication or last update.
• Name of institution
sponsoring site
• Date you accessed source
• Network address or URL.
Oakley, John H. “The Achilles Painter.” The Perseus Project. Ed.
Shea, Christopher. “The Limits of Free Speech.”
Chronicale of Higher Education 1 Dec. 1993: A37-38
Gregory Crane. Mar. 1997. Tufts U. 14 May 1998
http://www.perseus.turfts.edu/SecondaryPainters_Essay/Achilles_t
oc.html.
Note Taking
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Essential to research
By hand on index cards or sheets of paper
Author’s full name and complete title of source.
3 Methods of note taking
– Summary—record general ideas
– Paraphrase—Detailed notes on specific sentences, but
specific wording is not needed.
– Quotation--Believe sentence or passage in original wording
will make paper more effective transcribe material word for
word, comma to comma. When quote per verbatim use
quotation marks in your notes to distinguish quotations from
summary or paraphrase.
Plagiarism
Refers to form of cheating defined as “the false assumption of
authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s
mind, and presenting it as one’s own.” (Alexander Lindy, Plagiarism
and Originality, New York: Harper, 1952
•Intellectual Theft
•Punishable by failure of course to explosion from school
•Borrowed material must not appear to be your creation.
•Document everything you borrow, not only direct quotes, but
paraphrases also.
•Anything that is not common knowledge (when in doubt document)
Outlines
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Overall view of paper.
Establishes relationships between sections.
Provides logical progression.
Keep track of important aspects of topic.
Keep focus.
Thesis Statement
• Purpose—What are you try to accomplish with
your paper?
– Describe, explain, or persuade?
• Audience—Who are you writing for?
– Specialist on topic
– Someone who supports or refutes your point of
view
– Someone who shares an interest or not.
Example from MLA Handbook, 5th
edition
Students who wish to write successful research papers must
know as much as possible about the modern academic
library—its central information system, reference works,
online catalog of holdings and other resources and
services—and must be knowledgeable about finding useful
Internet sources.
Final Outline
• Help organize ideas into a logical, fluent and effective
paper.
• Delete everything on your working outline that is not
relevant to your thesis statement.
• Include only the ideas/information that enables you to
accomplish what you have set out to do in your thesis.
• Bring related materials together under general
headings.
• Arrange sections so that they logically connect with
each other.
• Plan an effective introduction and conclusion.
• Which is expected? Topic (Bullets, short phrases) or
Sentence (More detailed, complete sentences) Outline.
Writing Drafts
• Successful paper is the culmination of a series of drafts.
• Helpful Hints:
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Follow outline closely
Revise outline when new ideas occur to you
Eliminate, add and rearrange material
If material seems sketchy or unclear, expand by writing new
sentence, or if need be new paragraph.
Find appropriate transitions between sentences and paragraphs.
Delete irrelevant material, repetitive information or unimportant
facts.
Vary sentence patterns and word choice ( See a Thesaurus)
Correct technical errors---punctuation, grammar and usage using
a standard dictionary
Proofread
Language and Style
• Scholarship requires objectivity
• Avoid language that implies unsubstantiated or
generalized statements about such personal qualities
as age, SES, sexual orientation, political or religious
beliefs.
• Avoid the He/Him/His/Her to express gender, use,
make pleural and use they or change structure
altogether to omit those words.
• Avoid gender-based job descriptions (policemanpolice officer, stewardess-flight attendant, anchormananchor)
Organizing Principles
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Chronology (Historical Events) time order
Cause and Effect (Scientific Discoveries)
Process (How political elections work)
Deductive/Deduction—General principle to
specific (Violence in US to Use of Handguns)
• Inductive---From specific argument to general
(Violence using handguns to violence overall)
Senior Interdisciplinary Paper (SIP)
• Begins sophomore year with researching
possible topics (Includes topics connection to
no less than 3 academic areas).
• Junior year—submit a proposal for approval of
topics; writing paper; (Failure to complete
paper will result in failing English III)
• Senior year—product/demonstration that
reflects paper.