MLA Citation & Peer Review

1. MLA Citation &Peer Review WRA 150 10/10/12

2. What is MLA Citation? MLA (Modern Language Association) MLA style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English language in writing. MLA style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.

3. Why use a citation system? • First, it gives people credit for their work. • Second, it give you (the author) credibility. Think Ethos. If you use sources I am more likely to believe your argument. • Also can give your paper logos, or help establish a logical argument. • Lastly, it helps you avoid plagiarism, or using other people’s work and calling it your own.

4. What are the basics of MLA? • 1” margins around the whole paper • Double spaced • Indented paragraphs • In-text citations • Works cited page • 12 point Times New Roman Font • There are other requirements for MLA but these are the most important ones for this class.

5. In-Text Citations • In-text citations are citations that in the middle of your essay (makes sense, right?) • You use these whenever you directly quote an author or paraphrase or summarizes another persons words or ideas. • They help point the reader to your works citied page, and they generally follow this format: (author page number). • For example, if I wrote an article that you were quoting: • “Bioshock is an awesome game” (Lauckner 12).

6. In-Text Citations cont. • It can get more complicated, but here are some more rules: • If you mention the authors name in the sentence you need to mention the author. For instance, “John says Bioshock is awesome” (12). • If more than three authors you don’t need to list them all. For example (Lauckner et al. 12). • If no author is available you give the name of the article, book, or website. • For more information about in-text citations see the following link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/

7. Works Cited Page • The works cited page is a on it’s own page (not a separate file). • You should title the works cited page as “Works Cited.” • It should be NOT be in larger font, all capitals, or a different font. It should be 12 point Times New Roman. • It is double spaced, and there shouldn’t be an extra space between the sources. • It is in alphabetic order. • There are websites that do it for you, and that are quite good: easybib.com. If you use these sites double check that they are correct. • For more information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/

8. So when do I use citations? You use citations whenever you quote an author, summarize a section of text, or paraphrase someone’s words A quote is using someone’s words exactly. Summarizing is what you do when you are trying to capture the main idea of large section of text such as a paragraph, chapter, or book. Paraphrasing is when you re-write someone’s words to better fit your writing style. YOU NEED TO CITE FOR ALL OF THESE!

9. MLA Activity (in-class blog) • In a blog I want you to put one of your sources into MLA format (how you would do it in a works cited page). • You should also include an example of how to use it as an in-text citation. • That’s it.

10. ELI Peer Review Now you can work on your Peer Review. It is due tomorrow (10/11). Please remember that these are graded and that not doing these will have a negative impact on your grade.

11. What a good comment does… • A good comment provides context • I see that you started the second paragraph by doing “x.” • A good comment assesses. • I think using an example was a good idea. • A good comment offers advice. • I think you need to have more context, maybe you should start by introducing the topic first.

12. Homework Your final draft is due to me Sunday by 11:59PM. This should be named correctly, have a writer’s memo, and should be in MLA format. Any questions you have about the paper should be sent to me before Sunday (Saturday is iffy, too). Monday we will start Assignment 3.