Concise Powerpoint explaining MLA for Reading Classes at HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College

1. USING MLA STYLE:
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Brought to you by the Learning Commons

2. What is MLA Style?
 Created by the Modern Language
Association
 Provides writers with credibility
 Protects writers from accusations of
plagiarism
 Allows writers to cross-reference sources
 Allows readers to easily locate source
material

3. Here’s what we’ll cover:
 Basic format
 In-text citations
 Works Cited page

4. Basic Format
 1” inch margins all around
 12 point font, Times New Roman or Arial
 Double spaced
 Identification in upper left corner of first page
 Use a running header to number pages in top
right hand corner, include your last name
Hartzel 2

5. What should I cite?
 Paraphrases and summaries
 “Unique words or phrases”
 no direct quotes for this assignment, please!

6. Paraphrases, summaries
Elements:
Author + signal phrase + summary (page
number).
-or-
Signal phrase + Author + summary (page
number).

7. Paraphrases, summaries
With an author – Right!
Nancy Nakano’s article, “From Internment to
Indiana,” portrays how an Indiana church took a
lead role relocating Japanese Americans from
internment camps (1).
With an author – Wrong!
Nancy Nakano’s article, “From Internment to
Indiana,” portrays how an Indiana church took a
lead role relocating Japanese Americans from
internment camps (Nakano1).

8. Paraphrases, summaries
No author – Right!
“Election Officers Visit Internment Camps”
examines the potential votes that will be cast by
people living in internment camps (13-14).
No author – Wrong!
“Election Officers Visit Internment Camps”
examines the potential votes that will be cast by
people living in internment camps (“Election” 13-
14).

9. Signal Phrases
 acknowledges  disputes
 admits  emphasizes
 agrees  insists
 argues  notes
 claims  observes
 contends  suggests
 denies  writes
Borrowed from Diana Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual: Fourth Edition

10. Quotes
Elements:
Signal phrase + Author + “quotation” + (page
number) + your own words.
One of McNair’s grading criteria includes,
“summary states title and author in first sentence,”
(2) which will be examined in a later slide.
Note: please don’t use direct quotes in this
assignment

11. Creating Works Cited
 Separate page, end of paper
 Include both works referenced in your paper
 Label it Works Cited (centered)
 Double spaced
 Alphabetized by last name – don’t reorder
names!
 No author? Alphabetize by title of article

12. Article from Database
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Journal
Title volume.issue (year): pages. Database
Name. Medium. Date of access.
“Ray Charles.” The Columbia Encyclopedia.
(2008).
Credo Reference. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

13. Popular Magazine - online
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.”
Journal Title. Date of Publication. Database.
Medium. Date of Access.
Parshall, Jonathan and Michael J. Wenger.
"Pearl Harbor's Overlooked Answer." Naval
History. 13 Dec. 2011. MasterFILE
Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

14. Newspaper Article - online
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.”
Newspaper Title. Date of Publication.
Database. Medium. Date of Access.
"Joe Sixpack: How Prohibition Played Out in
Philadelphia - 'Last Call' Author to Speak at
Constitution Center." Philadelphia Daily News.
18 Oct. 2012. NewsBank. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

15. Works Cited
"Joe Sixpack: How Prohibition Played Out in
Philadelphia - 'Last Call' Author to Speak at
Constitution Center." Philadelphia Daily
News. 18 Oct. 2012. NewsBank. Web.
22 Oct. 2012.
Parshall, Jonathan and Michael J. Wenger.
"Pearl Harbor's Overlooked Answer." Naval
History. 13 Dec. 2011. MasterFILE
Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.
“Ray Charles.” The Columbia Encyclopedia.
(2008).
Credo Reference. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

16. Want More Info?
 Diana Hacker’s, A Pocket Style Manual, Sixth
Ed.
 Class LibGuide
 MLA Citation Website
 Learning Center – tutors and academic coach