MLA/Citation Questions 
Works Cited Page (needs to be own separate page)
Citation Maker (1/2 completed receives half grade)

Thesis Help:
Awesome way to start:
Although...., actually.... because...1, 2, 3    statement!

                 A thesis statement is an assertion, not a statement of fact or an observation.

Fact or observation:  People use many lawn chemicals.
Thesis:  People are poisoning the environment with chemicals merely to keep their lawns clean.

                      A thesis statement takes a stand rather than announcing a subject.

Announcement:  The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our environmental problems.
Thesis:  Solving our environmental problems is more difficult than many environmentalists believe.

                           A thesis statement is the main idea, not the title. It must be a complete sentence                                       that explains in some detail about what you expect to write.

Title:  Social Security and Old Age
Thesis:  Continuing changes in the Social Security System make it almost impossible to plan intelligently for one’s retirement.

                A thesis statement is narrow, rather than broad, so that it can be fully supported.

Broad:  The American steel industry has many problems.
Narrow:  The primary problem of the American steel industry is the lack of funds to renovate outdated plants and equipment.

                             A thesis statement is specific rather than vague or general.

Vague:  Hemingway’s war stories are very good.
Specific:  Hemingway’s stories helped create a new prose style by employing extensive dialogue, shorter sentences, and strong language.

                       A thesis statement has one main point rather than several main points. More than                            one point may be too difficult for the reader to understand and the writer to support.

More than one main point:  Stephen Hawking’s physical disability has not prevented him from becoming a world-renowned physicist, and his book is the subject of a movie.
One main point:  Stephen Hawking’s physical disability has not prevented him from becoming a world-renowned physicist.

Templates:
1. The differences [similarities] between ___________ and ___________ are __________, and they ______________ pronounced deserve striking merit ______________ ______________. 
strong words: thorough, investigation, rigorous, scrutiny, examination

2. __________________ some ______________ similarities, 
strong words: Although they bear, superficial, Despite bearing, minor
 the differences between _____________ and _____________ are ______________. 
strong words: clear remarkable striking pronounced

3. While some differences between ______ and _____ are _______________, the similarities are ______________. 
strong words: evident, striking, noticeable, pronounced, salient

4. The general argument made by author ______________________ in his/her work ____________ is that________________. More specifically, _________________ argues that _______.

5: ________________ is wrong/right because ________________________. More specifically, _________ believes/demonstrates, argues, that ____________________

6: Although ___________________________________ (believes, demonstrates, argues) that_______ __________________, I suggest that _______________. 


7. In __________ (title), ________________ (author) uses ________, ______________ and ____________ In order to convey _______________________. 


8.By looking at __________________________ by ____________ one can see ______________ which is important because ____________________________________________ (something not obvious and others may not see—the opinion part.) 

9: Comparison/ Contrast The differences [similarities] between ___________and ___________ are (striking, pronounced) and they deserve_______________________. (thorough investigation, rigorous sctrutiny, examination) 


10. Although they bear some similarities, ___________________________ and _________________________ have many differences including ______________________________, _______________________________, ________________________. 


11. Two Sided Issues The debate over ____________ is very complicated, and it can best be explained by considering the lines of argument that people follow—the reasons that they offer in support of their claims, and the evidence that they present in support of their reasons. Some contend that _____________, offering the following reasons and evidence to convince their audiences..... Some, however, believe that ________________, and they offer (different/similar/the same) reasons and evidence in support of their claims, such as __________________. 
12. Some, for example, contend ____________ while others maintain that _____________. There is also substantial disagreement about how to define certain terms. Some define ____________ as _____________, while others insist that ______________ is best defined as ______________. People disagree about how to evaluate the situation, with some people saying ________________ and others insisting ___________________. Finally, there is disagreement about what to do. Some want us to _____________ while others would have us _______________.


Works Cited:
Traditionally referred to as the bibliography, but now commonly called works cited, this section provides the support for your research paper.  It should include only those materials that you actually cite in the paper, not all of those sources you compiled for your working bibliography.

Preparing Entries (Some basic formatting rules)
·         List the entries in alphabetical order according to the last names of the authors/editors.
·         For an anonymous work, list according to the first important word in the title.
·         If you are listing more than one work by the same author, alphabetize the works by title. Instead of repeating the author's name, type three hyphens and a period, give the title, and list all other essential data
·         Use lowercase abbreviations to identify the parts of a work (vol. for volume, trans. for translator, ed. for a named editor). However, when these abbreviations follow a period, they should be capitalized.

Example: Woolf, Virginia. A Writer's Diary. Ed. Leonard Woolf.

• Do not number the entries!

Parenthetical Citations:
Parenthetical citation is a very easy way to acknowledge that you have incorporated another's words, facts, or ideas. Usually, the author's last name and a page reference are enough to identify the source and the specific location from which you have borrowed material. A general rule of thumb to follow is to include the first important word of the works cited entry from which you borrowed the information (whether it be the author's/editor’s last name, an organization, or an abbreviated title) and the page number.

Example:

Ancient writers attributed the invention of the monochord to Pythagoras in the sixth century BC (Marcuse 197).

This parenthetical citation indicated that the information comes from page 197 of the book by Marcuse included in the alphabetically arranged works cited page that follows the text of the paper. Note that the citation is included in the sentence and that the period comes after the citation.

In determining the information needed to document sources accurately, keep the following MLA rules in mind:

1.      References must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited.

a.       Thus, the reference typically begins with the name of the author, editor, translator, speaker, or artist whose name begins the entry in the works cited page. (Cebrill 10).
b.      If authors share the same last name, indicate the first name by initial only. (Noons, L. 15).
c.       If two or three authors wrote the book, list each name as it appears on the title page (Note: This may not be in alphabetical order. (Brens, Dedroll, and Sans 89).
d.      If the work has more than three authors, give the first author's last name followed by "et al." Do not add any intervening punctuation. (Edens et al. 125).
e.       If the work is listed by title, use the title or a shortened version of it. (Heroes 58).

If there is more than one work by an author, add the cited title or a shortened version after the author's last name. Once a shortened version is used, use it consistently thereafter. (Note: A comma is necessary to separate name from title.) (Greene, Tragedy 58).

READ

· Take all the information in each section and the sentences you wrote into a paragraph. (You may need to write more information to reach the five sentence minimum for a paragraph.)
· After the introduction paragraph is done you will need to document the information in your supporting details. (Follow the steps for internal documentation that follow.

How to do Internally Documentation

THE MOMENT YOU WRITE ONE OF YOU SUPPORTING DETAILS YOU MUST:

1. Put an open Parenthesis (
2. Write the authors last name (if no author write the first few words of the title)
3. Skip one space
4. Write the page number (just the number)
5. Close the parenthesis )
6. Put your sentence punctuation

It will look like this The Epic Hero in an Epic usually has superior strength and undertakes extraordinary adventures to obtain something of value. That item could be for his betterment or the betterment of his society (Williams 143).

Revise
Check over your copy for mistakes in format. Make sure you have:
□ Hook
□ Thesis
□ Transitions for each paragraph except Conclusion
□ Main ideas for each Body Paragraph and the Conclusion
□ Closing Statement (Bow)
□ Restated Thesis □ 5 sentence for each paragraph
□ Between 5 – 7 sentences in the Introduction and Conclusion

Proofread
Check your paper for grammatical mistakes Remember to check your paper three times.

1. Read out loud from top to bottom
2. Read from bottom sentence to top sentence out loud
3. Put it down for at least 30 minutes then come back and read it again.

Final Draft
Once you have proofread and revised you paper write you final draft making all necessary corrections. Step 10: Works Cited Page Once you have finished writing your draft the last page of your paper should be a Works Cited or bibliography page. To complete this step you will need your Source Cards How to make a Works Cited Page

1. Title the page Works Cited or Bibliography
2. Take your correct Source cards and put them in alphabetical order by the first letter on each card.
3. Write the first source onto a sheet of paper or type it. (do not number or bullet)
4. Make sure that the second and any other line after the first is indented five spaces.
5. Skip one line
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with each entry
7. When finished staple the page to the back of your final draft. Should look like this

Anderson, Toni. Self-Betrayal. Random House: New York, 1972.

Bennet, Rob and Sara Parker. Never Stop Until You Have It All Done. General Publishing Company:

          Connecticut, 1952.

·         Required: At least six useful sources for your essay.  You will need to present these sources in MLA format.  They will need to be organized on a Works Cited page.

·         Organize your paper into these sections:

o    (Introduction )         ¾    to     1 Page
o   Topic #1 Culture (Body Paragraphs)   1 ½    to     2 Pages
o   Topic #2 (Body Paragraphs)         1 ½    to    2  Pages
o   Topic #3 (Body Paragraphs)         1 ½    to    2  Pages
o   (Conclusion)        ½    to     1 Page
o   Work Cited       1 Page

An “A” essay will do all or most of the following…

? Introduction contains a lead that reflects in depth about the topic for your research project, hooks your audience’s attention by describing in detail what you already know about your subject or why you are curious about it, and thoroughly explains why you chose the topic
? The search question (thesis statement) strongly controls your essay, thoroughly guides the direction of your search process, keeps the focus on what you learned, and appears as the last sentence of your introduction
? Body paragraphs focus in depth on the search process and clearly explains in at least five sentences the value of the web sites you visited and/or the other sources you used, including your interview
? Body paragraphs focuses in depth on what you learned from your research and clearly explains in at least five sentences the examples you cited in support of your search question
? Body paragraphs contain at least six relevant citations from at least four different teacher approved sources including the Internet, a print source, an interview and is thoroughly explained in relation to the search process demonstrating what you learned in support of the search question
? Written in MLA format,  uses parenthetical citations, and is between four and-a-quarter and six and-a-quarter  pages long with  paragraphs of at least eleven sentences or more whereby the writer varies the paragraph structure by providing in-depth, insightful, and motivated writing
? Transition words or phrases smoothly connect sentences and or paragraphs
? Conclusion states what you discovered about searching for information, and reflects on how this knowledge affects the way you now think about a researching a topic
? Conclusion clearly explains the type of skills you developed as a  writer-researcher, explains what you learned about the thinking process involved in research, and clearly explains how you felt once you made this realization
? Relatively free of pointers, spelling, grammatical, and mechanical errors

You have until next Friday to have this memorized!  Jingle