Laurie Guy
Sept. 2012
MLA Research Process
El Dorado High School
Library
• This PowerPoint provides a series of steps to
guide students through the research process.
• The slides in the right column of the handout
sheet present examples for each step.
Gather information from valid
sources.
Facts in a research paper must come
from reputable sources.
Valid sources for research
Library books
Encyclopedias and Reference books
Database articles
Database Passwords
Opposing Viewpoints
Goldenhawks
World Book Online
Eldorado1
Goldenhawks
Internet sites that end with .edu or .gov Or, let a library search for you:
Internet Public Library is another great resource for finding valid websites;
the library will search your topic and come up with reliable sites.
http://www.ipl.org/
Infomine is UCR’s Scholarly Internet Resource Collection. The library will
search your topic.
http://infomine.ucr.edu/
Decide on your focus and begin
to select facts for your research
paper.
Be sure to record source information for each
fact you will use.
Sample source information sheet
with notes
Determine your thesis
statement based on your main
ideas and facts. Organize your
facts to prove your thesis.
• Your thesis statement is topic plus opinion.
What will you prove about your topic?
• An outline is an effective way to organize your
information.
Sample outline with thesis
statement
Begin to write your rough draft.
Use MLA heading and double space.
Put thesis in introductory paragraph.
Document each fact to give credit to
the source.
*Use parenthesis with author’s last name and
page number where you found the fact.
Sample body paragraph with
parenthetical references
Use the examples on the
MLA Style Sheet to list your
source information in the
correct order.
• Each piece of source information must be in
order.
• All punctuation must be correct.
• The following sheets are available on the
EDHS website and in your Student Handbook.
MLA Style Sheet
Use worksheet for MLA page set up
Sample MLA Works Cited page