David Zimmer, Nathan Hallauer, Patrik Gonda and Sebastian Acuna Amanda Berg Advanced Composition 17 September 2013

MLA Handbook
First Edition

For beginning writers in the form of MLA

1. Research and Writing

1.1. Whenever you begin researching for papers you must look at certain parts of what you

are researching. What kind of information are you going to look for facts, opinions, reports, studies, analyses, personal reflections or history? Now after you recognize the information you need to decide where you will get that information from. There are all kinds of different areas to obtain what you are looking for libraries, the internet, newspapers and government records. 1.2. One note to keep in mind is to also pay attention to the time it happened and what kind of

information it is. (Welcome to Purdue Owl Purdue Owl: conducting research. Purdue University, 2013. Web. Sept. 12. 2013.) If it is a big current event any type of newspaper such as the New York Times would be a great resource. If it is a statistic that you are looking for any type of census form would be perfect. If the internet is a source you are using pay attention to the URL if it ends in .org, .net or it opens into a PDF document it is most likely a good resource. If a library is the place to go for you look for textbooks, journals and occasionally magazines. Newspapers are up to date and there are thousands of copies filled with all kinds of information. If your information is going to be on a company find out if they have an academic journal. Academic journals are constantly kept up to date in order to let the company know what is going on within itself. Another source that helps get up to date on information is press releases. Government reports are a great source of information because they contain all kinds of statistics on cities, states and countries. They contain information such as the U.S. Census. If you are just looking for very general information there are two places you can go. The online Wikipedia source will help you obtain general information on just about anything you can think of. Pamphlets or flyers also allow you to gain some quick general information. The last thing that you must recognize is how good the information is. This is a very important skill when

researching in order to decide if that information is even usable. When it comes to writing always start off with the title and the number one before it. If you look at the top at research you see 1. Research. Below is then 1.1, 1.2 these are sub sections. When it comes to the next section it will be a 2, then a 3 and on and on. (Welcome to Purdue Owl Purdue Owl: Using Research.Purdue University, 2013 Web. Sept. 12. 2013.)

2. Documentation
2.1. MLA formatting uses in text citation. In text citation means that as soon as you use

information from a source you must properly label it next to the information. There are many different ways that you have to do document. When citing a book you put the authors last name, first name. Title of the book. City it was published in. year. Then whether it is print or online. Keep in mind that it all has to be italic. Here is an example of a book citing Grogan, John. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog. New York: Morrow, 2005. Print. "Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: Resources for Documenting Sources in the Disciplines. Purdue University, 2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. If using an online website source you would put either the author or the company behind the page title of page. Title of story. Company that published the page. Date. An example for this would be the above source that has Purdue OWL in it.

If you ever source a movie always put their title. Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and dont forget the release year. An example would be The avengers. Dir. Joss Whedon. Perf. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans. Disney, 2012. Film. When sourcing a television show Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Then the title of the show in italics. After that include the name of the network.

Put the stations letters, then the city and last put the date when the episode aired. End with what device it was on such as Television or radio. The Flinstone Flyer. Flinstones. WarnerBros. Burbank, CA. Television. Any type of sound recording must begin with the artists name. Followed along by the title of the recording in quotation marks, then the album name italicized. List the composer or performers name after the album name. Then put the recording manufacturers name followed by the release date. Lastly put whether it was a CD or an online digital file otherwise known as mp3. When using a painting, sculpture, and photograph you will have to include the artists name and give the title of the artwork in italics. Also you will have to provide the date of the composition. If you dont know what the date of the compositions is then you will have place an abbreviation n.d. instead of the date. Then you have to name the institution the art came from followed by the location of the institution. Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, Madrid. Gardener's Art Through the Ages. 10th ed. By Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace. 939. Print. Digital Files First you will need to see what the file type is (word doc, sound, video or image) and cite appropriately. At the end of the file you will need to add the format of the file (JPEG, MP3, MP4 or Microsoft word doc, etc.). Example (Hallauer, Nathan. America: Declaration of Independence. 2013. Microsoft Word file.) If you cannot determine that file format use the authors name, name of file and the date it was created. (Welcome to Purdue OWL Purdue: MLA In Text Citations: The Basics. Purdue University. 2013. Web. Sept. 12 2013)

3. MLA paper formatting

3.1. When Formatting for MLA you will need to follow some guidelines. The guidelines

include using white 8.5 X 11- inch paper. Other things that you will need for MLA formatting are double-spaced text using Times New Roman with 12 sized font. You will also need to set the margins on the document to 1 inch on all sides. A header is also necessary for MLA formatting. The header will include double spaced text with your name first then the instructors Name followed by the class information (English 2B) lastly the date. When writing the date you will put the day in numerical format followed by the month in written format then lastly the year, which will also be in numerical format. When you put in a table or illustration it will need at the bottom of the table/illustration in this order Author names are in First_NameLast_Name format. ("Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.)

Example: Name - (Billy Bob) Instructors Name - (Bob Billy) Class Information - (English 2) Date - (23 September 2013)

("MLA Style Page Format." MLA Style Page Format. N.p., 20 Aug. 1998. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.4.)

4. Mechanics of writing
4.1. The mechanics of writing are things you learned in grand school. This consists of spelling

and capitalizations. This may seem like it is not very important but little extra time spent checking over your paper can go long ways. Also the mechanics of writing has to parts to it communication and it will show much effort you put into your work. If someone were to read your story they would notice if some of the words needed to be italicized like a title for a book. 4.2. Punctuation is indication pause in writing by having (commas, periods, etc.) when

someone is speaking out loud. It helps with organization and to structure your writing. Grammar is when your sentences have a good flow to them and your writing is organized. Spelling is just making sure you spell everything correctly and the basic things you learned in grade school. ("Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.) 4.3. Examples: Commas Use to separate words Separate two adjectives Use comma before and after a name or title of a person

Semicolons Use instead of a period to separate two sentences Use semicolon before introductory word

 Colons Dashes

Use semicolon to separate units of a series

After sentence to introduce new topic Dont use in a list Punctuating and capitulating are optional

Between years Between months Between states

Hyphens All compound verbs are hyphens unless they are a separate word They are between two or more adjectives Dont hyphenate when combining nouns

4 examples of correctly use punctuation WITH quotations He said Hurry up She asked Hows your day? When are you coming home? He asked Did he say I will be there

5 examples of when to use capitalization

At the beginning of a sentence Name of a person Title of a book State Beginning of new paragraph

("FREE Online English Usage Rules." Grammar and Punctuation. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.)

5. Plagiarism
5.1. When do we give credit? What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone elses work and citing it as your own. ("Plagiarism.org." Plagiarism.org. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.) What needs to be credited or documented? Anything that is considered words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, web page, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium. Bottom line, always document any words or ideas that have not been generated by you. How can you use correct documentation in research and drafting, so that you can avoid plagiarism? Here are some following practices that can better and improve your use of MLA formatting of plagiarism. ("Plagiarism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.) 5.2. Writing paraphrases or summaries Always use statements that credit the source somewhere in the paraphrase or summary. For instance: According to Dr. Sebastian Acuna..

In case of any misunderstanding while summarizing, try writing your paraphrase or summary of a text without looking at the original. Try to rely on yourself, on your memory, and over all on your notes.

Always remember to put quotation marks around any unique words or phrases that you cannot or do not wish to change.

5.3. Conversing and interviewing Always take notes. Remember to quote the person and clarify the subject. Record your thoughts clearly. Add additional, clarifying notes post the interview.

Note taking and reading Remember to use quotation marks to mark someone elses words. Mark separately your own notes. Perhaps mark them with a remark that you only will remember. Always record relevant information in your notes and cite the main source

Alright but how can you revise and proofread your paper and make sure you are completely plagiarize free? 5.4. Always proofread and cross-check with your notes and sources to assure you that all

documentation is as follows: Always use footnotes or endnotes Use indirect quotations(Cite a source that cites another)

Use in-text citations, otherwise known as parenthetical citation Always remember to create a work cited page!

How about we get an example to show exact usage of revising and proofreading? ("Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.) 5.5. Original source (text) What happens if you get caught taking someone elses work? Taking someone elses work is serious and does have consequences. How would you react if all your work was taken by someone else? When you take someone elses work and not cite it and the teacher finds out. You will most likely lose all points for the work and lose all trust from her/him. From time to time this submerged or latent theater in Hamlet becomes almost overt. It is close to the surface in Hamlets pretense of madness, the antic disposition he puts on to protect himself and prevent his antagonists from plucking out the heart of his mystery. It is even closer to the surface when Hamlet enters his mothers room and holds up, side by side, the pictures of the two kings, Old Hamlet and Claudius, and proceeds to describe for her the true nature of the choice she has made, presenting truth by means of a show. Similarly, when he leaps into the open grave at Ophelias funeral, ranting in high heroic terms, he is acting out for Laertes, and perhaps for himself as well, the folly of excessive, melodramatic expressions of grief. Paraphrasing the text while maintaining the basic paragraph and sentence structure Almost all of Shakespeares Hamlet can be understood as a play about acting and the theater. For example, in Act 1, Hamlet pretends to be insane in order to make sure his enemies do not

discover his mission to revenge his fathers murder. The theme is even more obvious when Hamlet compares the pictures of his mothers two husbands to show her what a bad choice she has made, using their images to reveal the truth. Also, when he jumps into Ophelias grave, hurling his challenge to Laertes, Hamlet demonstrates the foolishness of exaggerated expressions of emotion. Comment for example 3 Almost nothing of Kermans original language remains in this rewritten paragraph. However, the key idea, the choice and order of the examples and even the basic structure of the original sentences are all taken from the source. This is another clear example of plagiarism. When paraphrasing, its absolutely necessary to use your own words and structure, and to place a citation at the end of the paraphrase to acknowledge that the content is not original. ("College of Arts and Sciences." The Writing Center Plagiarism Comments. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.)

6. MLA Formatting for an Interview

6.1. When formatting an interview you first have to determine the different types of interviews. Personal interviews: Personal interviews are those who yourself conduct. Never confuse the idea of finding an interview of someone online or anywhere with a personal interview. Published interview: This is both print and broadcast outlets. If the interview becomes larger than an actual book, remember to put the title in quotation marks.

Online published interviews: List the interview by the name of the interviewee, starting with their last name. If the interview has a title, remember to put it in quotation marks. Here are some tips that will ease your interview progress: Take lots of notes. If you have any of your own thoughts as youre interviewing, make sure they are clear and concise. If youre interviewing via email, retain copies of the interview subjects emails as well as the ones you send in reply. If your interviewee allows you to record the conversation, place your recording device in an optimal location between you and the speaker so you can hear clearly when you review your recordings. Always test your equipment before conducting an interview. 6.2. MLA FORMATTING FOR INTERVIEWS: Personal Interview: [Insert Last name of interviewee, First name of interviewee]. Personal interview. [Insert date of the interview]. Telephone Interview: [Insert Last name of interviewee, First name of interviewee]. Telephone interview. [Insert date of the interview]. Published Interview (Book): [Insert Last name of interviewee, First name of interviewee]. [Insert Title of the Interview.] [Insert Title of Book]. [Insert Interviewer name]. [Insert City of publishing: Publishing company, year published].

Published Interview (DVD): [Insert Last name of interviewee, First name of interviewee]. [Insert Title of the Interview.] [Insert Title of DVD]. [Insert Director name]. [Insert Distributor, year of release]. [Insert Medium]. Published Interview (Online Only): [Insert Last name of interviewee, First name of interviewee]. [Insert Title of the Interview.] [Insert Name of the Website]. [Insert Publisher name, publication date]. Web. [Insert date accessed]. Speeches, Lectures, and Conference Presentations: [Insert Speakers last name, Speakers first name]. [Insert Title of the Speech.] [Insert Name of the meeting and organization]. [Insert Location of the talk]. [Insert Date]. [Insert Type of talk]. ("Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.)