Modern Language Association

1. Modern Language Association Style Guide For Writers of Research Papers Created by: J.F.Good Elmwood Franklin School Fall 2005

2. Topics • Research • Evaluating Sources • Plagiarism • How to cite each type of source • Parenthetical Citations • The Bibliography • Questions?

3. Research Your sources should include: Books and Encyclopedias Periodicals (magazines) Newspapers Scholarly Journals Sound (CD) and Video(VHS/DVD) Recordings Personal interviews Databases Electronic (Internet) sources/graphics

4. Evaluating Sources When evaluating all of your sources ask yourself if it reflects: • Authority • Accuracy • Currency • What are the author’s credentials? • Is the information presented logically and without bias? • Are the author’s sources adequately indicated so that they can be verified? • Is the source current or outdated? • Who is the publisher or sponsoring organization of the work? • Has the information been peer reviewed?

5. Plagiarism “…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 Lindey To prevent plagiarism you must: Document everything that you borrow including: Direct quotations Paraphrases General information Facts and ideas Images and graphics

6. A Working Bibliography or Works Cited List Record ALL of the sources that you use in a separate document entitled Bibliography - even if you only glanced at them! BOOK SOURCE • Author’s last name, first name. • Full title of book. Underlined. • Edition of book. • Number of the volume and total number of volumes in the series for encyclopedias. • City of publication. • Publisher’s name. • Date of publication. Frome, Keith. What Not To Expect: A Meditation on the Spirituality of Parenting. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, Inc., 2005.

7. Magazine or Newspaper Source • Author’s last name, first name • Title of the article in quotation marks • Title of the magazine or newspaper • Date of publication • Inclusive page numbers of article Frome, Dr. Keith W. “Be A Person of Character.” The Buffalo News, September 30, 2005. p. A2.

8. Journal Source Author’s last name, first name Title of article in quotation marks Title of journal underlined Volume number Year of publication Inclusive page numbers of the article Frome, Dr. Keith W. “What Not To Expect.” The Harvard Review, Vol. 23, 2005, pp. 103 - 108.

9. Sound and Video Sources Author’s last name, first name Title of program underlined Radio/television station call letters Date of presentation Website address if applicable Frome, Dr. Keith W. “What Not To Expect.” 60Minutes. Narr: Ed Bradley, CBS. October 23, 2005 http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/

10. Interview Source There are three types of interviews: • Published or recorded on CD, cassette tape or videocassette • Broadcast on radio, television or online • Personal interview conducted by researcher Must include: Name of person being interviewed Title of interview in quotation marks Name of interviewer Place of interview Date of interview Frome, Dr. Keith W. “What Not To Expect.” Interview with Katie Couric. New York: The Today Show. MSNBC. October 21, 2005 Frome, Dr. Keith W. Personal Interview. Buffalo, New York. October 14, 2005.

11. Internet Website Source Author’s last name, first name Title of the document in quotation marks Title of scholarly project or database Name of editor Date of electronic publication or last update Name of the institution or organization sponsoring the website Date when you accessed the source Network URL web address Frome, Dr. Keith W. “Headmaster Messages.” Headmaster’s Monthly Letter, 9/7/05. Elmwood Franklin School, October 2004. http://www.elmwoodfranklin.org/

12. Citing A Graphic From Internet Source • Title of site underlined • Name of the editor of the site (if given) • Date of electronic publication or latest update • Name of sponsoring institution or organization • Date of access • URL address Elmwood Franklin School. 2004. 7 October 2005. http://www.elmwoodfranklin.org/

13. Parenthetical Citation Acknowledges where in your paper you have used another’s words, facts or ideas using parenthesis (brackets). This information must match exactly the bibliographic or works cited record for your research paper. Includes: Author’s last name Page number (Frome 93)

14. Bibliography Must be alphabetized according to the author’s last name Websites that do not have authors’ are arranged alphabetically following author citations

15. Bibliography Elmwood Franklin School. 2004. 7 October 2005. http://www.elmwoodfranklin.org/ Frome, Keith. What Not To Expect: A Meditation on the Spirituality of Parenting. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, Inc., 2005. Frome, Dr. Keith W. “Be A Person of Character.” The Buffalo News, September 30, 2005. p. A2. Frome, Dr. Keith W. “What Not To Expect.” The Harvard Review, Vol. 23, 2005, pp. 103 - 108. Frome, Dr. Keith W. “What Not To Expect.” 60Minutes. Narr: Ed Bradley, CBS. October 23, 2005. www.cbsnews.com/60minutes/ Frome, Dr. Keith W. “What Not To Expect.” Interview with Katie Couric. New York: The Today Show. MSNBC. October 21, 2005 Frome, Dr. Keith W. Personal Interview. Buffalo, New York. October 14, 2005. Frome, Dr. Keith W. “Headmaster Messages.” Headmaster’s Monthly Letter, 9/7/05. Elmwood Franklin School, October 2004. http://www.elmwoodfranklin.org/

16. Questions? Please refer to the MLA Handbook For Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition for further citation details!