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Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 1 Writing Handout: Using MLA Format for Research Papers This handout is designed to help you write a research paper using the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. Although the MLA format can appear complex, this handout should help simplify the process. In addition to showing the correct format for citing sources in the body of your research paper, it also provides guidance on formatting the list of all sources that you used in your paper. A few sample pages are also included to help demonstrate the format. Topic Definitions Format for In-text Citations Examples of In-text Citations Additional Guidelines for Quotations Format for List of Works Cited Examples of Works Cited Entries General Format Guidelines Sample Title Page Sample MLA Paper Sample Works Cited Page 2 3 4 8 10 12 17 18 19 21 NOTE: Always check with your course instructor for specific guidelines and preferences. You might encounter situations that are not covered in this handout. Under these circumstances, consult with your course instructor or an ASC instructor. Additional MLA guides, grammar information, and writing aids: ASC link on the IRSC Web site- http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970 The Bedford Handbook link - http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7 th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009.
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  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 1

    Writing Handout:

    Using MLA Format for Research Papers

    This handout is designed to help you write a research paper using the Modern

    Language Association (MLA) format.

    Although the MLA format can appear complex, this handout should help simplify the

    process. In addition to showing the correct format for citing sources in the body of your

    research paper, it also provides guidance on formatting the list of all sources that you used in

    your paper. A few sample pages are also included to help demonstrate the format.

    Topic

    Definitions

    Format for In-text Citations 3

    Examples of In-text Citations 4

    Additional Guidelines for Quotations

    Format for List of Works Cited

    Examples of Works Cited Entries

    General Format Guidelines 17

    Sample Title Page 18

    Sample MLA Paper

    Sample Works Cited

    Page

    2

    3

    4

    8

    10

    12

    17

    18

    19

    21

    NOTE: Always check with your course instructor for specific guidelines and preferences. You might encounter

    situations that are not covered in this handout. Under these circumstances, consult with your course instructor or an ASC

    instructor.

    Additional MLA guides, grammar information, and writing aids:

    ASC link on the IRSC Web site- http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970

    The Bedford Handbook link - http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/

    MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th

    ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America,

    2009.

    http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 2

    Definitions Common knowledge Common knowledge is information that can easily be located in any number of reference sources or that is commonly known. Common knowledge does not need to be cited.

    Direct quotation When you use the authors exact words, you are quoting. A quotation must be enclosed in quotation marks. In-text citation When you quote, paraphrase, or summarize from a source, you must include an in-text citation which provides brief information about your source. A typical in-text citation includes the authors last name and a reference marker (e.g., page number). In-text citations are written either as a parenthetical reference or as a signal phrase. (See page 3 for a further explanation.) MLA (Modern Language Association) style The MLA style was developed to provide uniform rules for documenting quotations, paraphrases, summaries, and lists of sources used to write a research paper. Paraphrase When you restate the authors ideas in your own words, you are paraphrasing. A paraphrase includes most of the details in roughly the same number of words as in the original version. Plagiarism When you use anothers information or ideas without indicating the source, you are stealing. This offense is very serious and can result in mandatory withdrawal from the course. To prevent plagiarizing, you must cite sources when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize from your sources. Summary When you restate the main points of an authors ideas (not all of the details) in a fewer number of words than the longer, original version, you are summarizing. Works Cited The last page of your research paper is your Works Cited page and includes complete publishing information for each of the sources cited in your paper. The sources are listed alphabetically.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 3

    Format for In-text Citations (6.1-6.3) In the written body of your paper, you must give credit whenever you quote or use anothers words, ideas, or thoughts. You give credit by using in-text citations that typically consist of the authors last name (or the title of the source if the author is unknown) and a reference marker (e.g., page number). When a source lacks page numbers but has numbered paragraphs or sections, use the abbreviation par. or sec. If there are no reference markers, cite only the authors name. In-text citations are written either as a signal phrase or parenthetical reference:

    Signal phrase A signal phrase includes the authors name followed by an appropriate verb (such as asserts, claims, declares, defines, illustrates, notes, observes, reports, responds, suggests, or writes) which introduce the cited material. The reference marker for the cited material is placed in parentheses at the end of the sentence containing the quotation, paraphrase, or summary, followed by a period after the parentheses. Examples Signal phrase in a quotation.

    Czeisler reports, "Bright light produces a clear resetting of the subject's circadian rhythms, yet it is too early to know why this happens" (137).

    Signal phrase in a paraphrase or partial quote.

    Czeisler reports that bright light affects one's "circadian rhythms" although the explanation is not yet known (137).

    Signal phrase in a summary

    Czeisler finds that the proper timing of bright lights causes a longer period of alertness and clearer thoughts (137).

    Parenthetical reference In a parenthetical reference, the authors name (or title of the source if the author is unknown) and reference marker (e.g., page number) are placed within parentheses at the end of the sentence containing the cited material. The period ending the sentence is placed after the parentheses. Examples

    Parenthetical reference in a summary.

    Other researchers confirm that bright light produces an actual resetting of the circadian rhythms (Rosenthal 147).

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 4

    A Work with Two or Three Authors (6.2-6.3)

    A Work with One Author (6.2-6.3)

    Parenthetical reference in a quotation

    Circadian rhythms are [biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately a twenty-four hour cycle (Feldman 125). Notes:

    1. When you cite a source more than once in a paragraph and no other intervening source has been cited, you need only provide a parenthetical reference on the last citation.

    2. When an entire paragraph is based on a single source, you may introduce the source (author) at the beginning of the paragraph using a signal phrase and then insert reference markers after each borrowing.

    Examples of In-text Citations If additional guidance is needed, reference to the applicable section of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers is included (in parentheses) for each example.

    Signal phrase In fact, Mapes believes that the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant happened because engineers ignored a series of warning signals (15). Parenthetical reference The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant happened at 4:00 a.m., and the Chernobyl reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. (Mapes 15).

    List all authors in the signal phrase or parentheses each time you cite the source. Signal phrase

    Worchel and Shebilske report that a person's biological clock is internally set at twenty-four hours (125). Parenthetical reference

    A person's biological clock is internally set at twenty-four hours (Worchel and Shebilske 125).

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 5

    A Work with Four or More Authors (6.2)

    Unknown Author (6.4.4)

    Corporate Author (6.4.5)

    When the work has more than three authors, follow the form you use in the Works Cited section of your paper; i.e., either list the first author's name followed by et al. (Latin for and others) or give all the last names.

    Signal phrase

    Czeisler et al. find similar results in monkeys (155).

    Parenthetical reference

    Similar results have been found in monkeys (Czeisler et al. 155).

    Similar results have been found in monkeys (Czeisler, Johnson, Duffy, Brown, Ronda, and Kronauer 155).

    If the author is not given, either use the complete title in the signal phrase or use the full title (if brief) or a shortened form of the title in parentheses.

    Complete title in the signal phrase

    The article "Are You a Day or Night Person?" states that the pineal gland, which releases melatonin at night, regulates the biological clock (14).

    Partial title in the parenthetical reference

    The pineal gland, which regulates melatonin at night, regulates the biological clock ("Are You" 14).

    For names of groups that serve as authors (e.g., corporations, associations), use the name of the

    corporate author in the signal phrase or the parenthetical reference. If you give the name in the parenthetical reference, you may abbreviate it.

    Signal phrase

    The National Institute of Mental Health is studying the effect that altering circadian rhythms has on the memory (91).

    Parenthetical reference Scientists are studying the effects that changing circadian rhythms may produce on the memory

    (Natl. Inst. of Mental Health 91).

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 6

    A Work in an Anthology or Collection Edited by Another (6.2)

    A Scholarly Article Reprinted in a Collection (6.2)

    If you are citing an essay that appears within a collection or anthology, cite the author of the essay or article not the editor. An essay in an anthology with a signal phrase

    The black box in The Lottery symbolizes the towns peoples fear as evident in the words the villagers kept their distance and there was hesitation before two men volunteered to help steady the box (Jackson 572).

    Note: On the Works Cited page, you will cite the author and the title of the essay followed by the editor, title, and publishing information for the anthology or collection. (5.5.6)

    If you are quoting or paraphrasing a work that was previously published, cite the author of the work, not the collections author or editor. A previously published scholarly article or work reprinted in a collection with a signal phrase

    Demont reports that most individuals feel sleepy in mid-afternoon, a phenomenon due solely to the time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch (103).

    Note: On the Works Cited page, you will indicate that you were reading an article reprinted in Feldmans book and were not reading the originally published Demont article. You will cite the original publishing information of Demont (usually found at the end of the article). Then you will add Rpt. in followed by the title, editor, publishing information, and page numbers of the book in which the article appears. If you are citing an excerpt of Demonts work that you found in Feldmans book, you will add Excerpt from instead of Rpt. in. (5.5.6)

    Indirect Sources (6.4.7)

    When quoting or paraphrasing a quotation from an indirect source (a source quoted in the source you used), put the abbreviation qtd. in (quoted in) before the indirect source cited in your parenthetical reference.

    A reprinted quotation with a signal phrase

    Demont states that feeling sleepy in mid-afternoon is a phenomenon due solely to the time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch (qtd. in Feldman 65).

    Note: In this situation, Demonts entire article is not found in the book by Feldman; Feldman has only quoted from Demonts article. In the Works Cited page, you will include a cite for Feldman (and not for Demont) because the quote was obtained indirectly from Feldmans book.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 7

    Literature (6.4.8)

    Personal Communications

    (6.2)

    For verse plays and poems, cite the canto, stanza, and line number. For plays, give the act, scene,

    and line numbers (if used). Use periods between these numbers. If only line numbers are cited, the first cite should include the word line; subsequent cites will be only the number.

    For novels, if you give the chapter and the page number, your citation will be easier to find in any

    edition of the novel. If you use both a page number and chapter number, follow the page number with a semicolon and precede the chapter number with the abbreviation ch.

    A poem with a signal phrase In The Bustle in a House, Emily Dickinson describes the emotional housecleaning after death by

    the words The Sweeping up the Heart / And putting Love away (lines 5-6). A verse play with a parenthetical reference The lady doth protest too much, methinks is a frequently quoted line from Hamlet (Shakespeare

    3.2.206). A novel with a signal phrase Conrad is quite adept at using animal imagery as when Gentleman Brown identifies himself as a rat

    in a trap (232; ch. 41).

    Letters, e-mails, and memos are examples of personal communications. Use a signal phrase for this

    information. If the person interviewed is not widely known, explain his or her credentials. When a source has no page numbers, no reference to page is made in the citation.

    Unpublished letter with a signal phrase In a letter to the author, Dr. Jon Smith, a neurologist at St. Marys Hospital in West Palm Beach, describes the basic procedure for this operation. Email in a parenthetical reference

    In an e-mail to the author, a neurologist at St. Marys Hospital describes the basic procedure for the operation (Smith).

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 8

    Additional Guidelines for Quotations (3.7)

    Short Quotations

    When you use quotations, you must use the authors exact words (and interior punctuation and spelling). Some exceptions to this general rule are as follows:

    You may omit part of the authors words as long as you do not change the authors meaning and you use ellipsis points (three spaced periods).

    You may insert words inside a quotation if necessary for clarification (inserted words are placed within brackets).

    Sometimes an author or typesetter makes a mistake in something you are quoting. To show the error is not yours, you should insert the Latin word sic in brackets right after the error.

    If a quotation is less than four typed lines in length, incorporate it into the text of your report. Do

    not use a quotation as a complete sentence all by itself.

    Blend the quotation into a sentence through use of a signal phrase containing the authors last name and an appropriate verb (e.g., asserts, claims, declares, defines, illustrates, notes, observes, reports, responds, suggests, or writes).

    Blend the quotation into a sentence through another type of introductory phrase.

    Construct a grammatically correct sentence when you blend a quotation into your text.

    Place quoted material inside quotation marks. Place the in-text citation within parentheses at the end of the sentence with the period following the parenthesis.

    Examples

    Circadian rhythms are [biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately a twenty-four hour cycle (Feldman 125). Note: Brackets are used to enclose a word for clarification that was not in the original quote. Because of the way this quotation is blended into the sentence, a comma before the quotation and a capital letter on the first word in the quotation is not required.

    Czeisler writes, The timing of the light . . . had to be sinchronized [sic] with particular phases of a persons circadian rhythm in order for it to be effective. Note: Ellipsis points are used to show that some of the authors words have been omitted, and brackets are used to indicate that the word synchronized was misspelled in the source. Quotations are usually preceded by a colon (formal introduction) or by a comma or no punctuation (when part of the sentence).

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 9

    Long Quotations (3.7.2)

    When you quote more than four typed lines:

    Use a colon to introduce the quotation.

    Starting a new line, indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin.

    Use the normal right margin and double space.

    Do not put quotation marks around an indented quotation.

    Place the citation in parentheses at the end of the quotation. Researcher Czeisler explains his findings:

    People exposed to five hours of bright lights during the nighttime over a three-day

    period reset their internal clocks as much as twelve hours. The timing of the light

    could not be haphazard, however. The exposure had to be sinchronized [sic] with

    particular phases of a person's circadian rhythm in order for it to be effective. (72)

    Note: Brackets have been used to show the word synchronized was misspelled in the source.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 10

    Format for List of Works Cited (5.3)

    After the final page of text of the paper, prepare a separate Works Cited page. Only the sources that you cite in your paper appear in this list. Continue numbering the pages as you did in the body of your paper. Center the title, Works Cited, one inch from the top of the page, but do not underline it or place it in quotation marks. Double space between the title and the first entry. Use the following guidelines in setting up the entries on your Works Cited page. 1. For books, pamphlets, and other nonperiodical print sources, the basic entry pattern (5.5.1) is:

    Authors or editors name, alphabetized by last name. (Follow editors name with ed.)

    Title and subtitle of book (italicized)

    Edition of the book (2nd ed.)

    Number of the volume (Vol.2)

    Publication information (city of publication, publisher, and year of publication).

    Medium of publication (Print) End each part with a period followed by one space.

    Example

    Feldman, Robert. Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994. Print. 2. For newspapers, magazines, journals, and other periodical print sources, the basic pattern (5.4.1) is:

    Authors or editors name, alphabetized by last name. (Follow editors name with ed.)

    Title of article (in quotation marks)

    Name of periodical (italicized)

    Series number (if applicable)

    Volume number, issue number (for scholarly journals if available)

    Date of publication (the year for scholarly journals; the day, month, and year for others if available)

    Page numbers

    Medium of publication (Print) End each part with a period followed by one space. Examples

    Czeisler, Charles, et al. "Exposure to Bright Light and Darkness to Treat Physiologic Maladaption to Night Work." New

    England Journal of Medicine 62 (1996): 53-60. Print.

    Rosenthal, Edgar. "Pulses of Light Give Astronauts New Rhythms." The New York Times 23 Apr. 1991, sec. 1: 1. Print.

    3. For electronic sources, see MLA Citation Style and Citing and Crediting your Sources using the MLA Style. These resources are available through the ASC links on the IRSC website (http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970).

    http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 11

    4. Begin entries at the left margin, and indent second and third lines inch (hanging indent). Double space every entry and between entries.

    5. List entries alphabetically by authors last names. If the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word of the title (do not include A, An, or The). If two or more authors have the same name, alphabetize by their first name. For entries having multiple authors or editors, see specific examples on the following pages.

    6. Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in the titles of books, magazines, and journals. Italicize

    names of books, magazines, pamphlets, and journals. Use quotation marks around titles of articles.

    7. For publication information:

    If multiple cities are listed, list only the first city.

    Shorten the publishers name (e.g., Ohio State UP instead of Ohio State University Press, Wiley instead of John Wiley, McGraw instead of McGraw-Hill).

    Use the most recent copyright date if no publication date is given.

    Abbreviate the names of months except for May, June, and July. 8. Do not put p. or pp. before page numbers. 9. Identify the medium of the publication at the end of the citation. Some examples are as follows:

    Print (for books, newspapers, magazines, journals, pamphlets, reference manuals, government publications, encyclopedias, etc.)

    Web (for web publications to include books, journals, etc., found online)

    Personal interview or Telephone interview (for interviews you conduct)

    Lecture, Address, or Keynote speech (use the appropriate description)

    TS, MS, or Print (for letters or memos that are typed, written by hand (manuscript), or published)

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 12

    Book with One Author (5.5.2)

    Book with Two or Three Authors (5.5.4)

    Book with Four or More Authors (5.5.4)

    Unknown Author of an Article in a Weekly Magazine (5.4.6 and 5.4.9)

    Examples of Works Cited Entries

    Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in title and subtitle.

    Italicize the title and subtitle if a book, play, poem, or periodical. Use quotation marks for titles of articles, essays, and stories.

    Omit the words Scott and Company when listing the publisher (Scott Foresman Company). Hartman, Charles. The Sleep Book. Chicago: Foresman, 1987. Print.

    Name authors in the order in which they are presented on the title page. Reverse the name of only the first author.

    Place a comma and the word and between the two names or the last two names.

    Omit the name Hall when listing the publisher (Prentice-Hall). Worchel, Stanley, and William Shebilske. Psychology: Principles and Application. Newark: Prentice, 1996. Print.

    Cite only the first author, name reversed, followed by et al. (Latin for "and others"). Abbreviate the publishers name (University of California Press).

    Gillman, Sandra, et al. Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley: U of California P, 1993. Print.

    Begin with the title.

    Include the page numbers. If the page numbers are not consecutive, cite only the first page number and a plus sign.

    "Are You a Day or a Night Person?" Newsweek 7 Mar. 1994: 26+. Print.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 13

    Anthology or Compilation (5.5.3)

    A Work/Essay in an Anthology or Collection Edited by Another (5.5.6)

    Corporate Author (5.5.5)

    An Introduction, Preface, or Afterward (5.5.8)

    Individual members may not be identified in the group that wrote the book. Cite the author by the corporate author (American Medical Association, Public Health Foundation) even if the corporate author is the publisher. Omit any article (A, An, The) in the beginning of the name.

    Public Health Foundation. The Timing is Wrong. Boston: Public Health Foundation, 1992. Print.

    Cite the editors or compilers name followed by the abbreviation ed. or comp. Use eds. for more than one editor.

    Smiley, John, ed. Body Rhythms: Changing the Beat. Chicago: Foresman, 1996. Print.

    Some books contain a collection of works by a variety of authors that have been assembled together by an editor. When citing one of the works, cite the author and title of the work. Then cite the title of the book in which the article appeared, followed by Ed. or Eds., the name of the editor(s), and the publishing information of the book.

    The edition follows the name of the editor if there is one (if not, after the name of the book).

    Place the title of the work in quotation marks unless it was originally published independently (such as novels and plays). Italicize the title of independently published works.

    Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert

    DiYanni. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2008. 1545-1648. Print. Dickinson, Emily. The Bustle in a House. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni.

    6th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2008. 936. Print.

    If you quote an introduction, preface, or afterward, list the author, the name/title of the part (Introduction), the title of the book and its author (preceded by the word By) or editor (preceded by Ed.), and publishing information. If the author of the part and the entire work are the same person, cite the work as a whole.

    Zimbardo, Rose A., and Neil D. Isaacs. Introduction. Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism. Ed. Zimbardo and Isaacs. Boston: Houghton, 2004. v-vii. Print.

    Moser, Thomas C. Preface. Lord Jim. By Joseph Conrad. Ed. Moser. New York: Norton, 1968. vi-vii. Print.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 14

    Reference Book (5.5.7)

    Personal Communication (5.7.13)

    A Scholarly Article Reprinted in a Collection (5.5.6)

    Some articles in a collection have been previously published. When citing one of these articles, cite the author, title of the work, and earlier publication information. Then add Rpt. in (Reprinted in) followed by the editor, title, publishing information, page numbers, and print medium of the collection which the article appears.

    The print medium for the earlier publication is not required. Demont, Alex. "Like Clockwork." The Science Monitor 9 Aug. 1993:127. Rpt. in Essentials of Understanding in

    Psychology. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert Feldman. New York: McGraw, 1994. 102-104. Print.

    If the articles in the reference book are arranged alphabetically, omit volume and page numbers.

    If there is an author, begin with the authors name. Otherwise, begin with the title of the article.

    Patterson, Richard. Washington, George. The Encyclopedia of Presidents. Ed. Joseph Friedlander. Boston: Holden, 2002. Print.

    If the work cited is a widely used source and frequently revised, full publication information is not necessary. List only the edition and year of publication.

    Big Bend National Park. The Encylopaedia Americana. 11th ed. 2002. Print.

    If you are citing a specific definition for a word that has multiple definitions, add the abbreviation Def. and the number (or letter).

    Casting. Def. 3. Websters II: New College Dictionary. 1995. Print.

    Letters, e-mails, and memos are examples of personal communications.

    Cite the author, the subject or title (if there is one) in quotation marks, the recipient, and the date.

    For typed letters, the publication medium is TS (typescript). For handwritten letters, the publication medium is MS (manuscript). For emails, the publication medium is E-mail.

    Smith, Jon. Letter to the author. 17 May 1999. TS.

    Smith, Jon. Operation Procedures. Memo to the staff, Martin Memorial Hospital, New York. 18 May 1999. TS.

    Smith, Jon. Re: Operations Procedures. Message to the author. 20 May 1999. Email.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 15

    Article in a Magazine Published Monthly (5.4.6)

    Article in a Magazine Published Weekly (5.4.6)

    Article in a Newspaper (5.4.5)

    Give author, title of the article, title of the magazine, month and year, and page numbers.

    If page numbers are consecutive, write 35-37. If page numbers are 87-89 and 92-93, write 87+.

    Do not list volume and issue numbers.

    Abbreviate months except May, June, and July.

    Myers, Richard. "Sunrise, Sunset: Circadian Rhythms." Science Jan. 1996: 20+. Print.

    Cite the same way as monthly magazines, but give exact date of issue, not just the month and day. Short, Martin. "Tick Tock, Change the Clock." New Yorker 24 May 1996: 20+. Print.

    List author, title of article, name of newspaper, the date, the section letter or number, and the page number. (For English-language newspapers, omit introductory articles.)

    Do not list volume or issue numbers. Include the edition number (late ed.).

    If sections are labeled A, B, C, etc., and paginated separately, cite the section and page number as sec. B:1 if the section designation is not part of the page number. If it is part of the page number, cite as B1. Note the difference in punctuation separating the date from the section/page:

    Barns, Lori. "A Nation of Drowsers." Stuart News 23 Aug. 1997, late ed.: C11. Print. Nienberg, Valerie. Things to Do When It Rains. Port St. Lucie News Tribune 8 Sept. 2005, sec.

    D:1. Print.

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 16

    Article in a Journal (5.4.2)

    Electronic Sources (5.6)

    (5.6)

    Other Sources (5.7)

    In addition to the author, title of the article, and name of the journal (italicized), cite the volume number (followed by a period), the issue number, the year of publication in parentheses (followed by a colon), the page number(s), and the publication medium.

    If the journal does not have a volume number, cite the issue number by itself.

    Newman, Timothy. "Can We Regulate Circadian Rhythms?" Journal of Natural Healing 6.2 (1994): 72-78. Print.

    Aslan, Joseph. "Group Treatment of Sleep Disorders." Journal of Health 22 (1993): 221-26. Print.

    A variety of electronic sources is now available for research papers. If you are using any of these sources, such as web publications or online databases, please refer to MLA Citation Style (7th Edition, 2009) or Citing and Crediting your Sources using the MLA Style. These resources are available through the ASC links on the IRSC web site (http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970).

    A variety of sources exist that can be used in writing research papers such as television or radio broadcasts, films, maps, charts, or publications on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

    For guidance in documenting these sources and many other sources, consult your course instructor, an ASC instructor, or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.

    http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970

  • Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 17

    General Guidelines for Manuscript Format* (4)

    Use 8 x 11 inch white, standard typing paper.

    Double space the entire paper, and use a standard black typeface (not script or italics).

    Except for page numbers, leave margins of one inch on all sides of paper. Let the right margin remain uneven. Do not justify.

    Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space and a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numbers, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

    Center your title on the first page of the paper, and double space between it and the header. If your instructor prefers a separate title page, see page 18 for a sample title page.

    Do not underline your title, place it in quotation marks, or put it in all capital letters. (Italicize or place in quotation marks only those words that would normally be italicized or in quotation marks, e.g., the name of a book that you have included in your title.)

    Space once after the following punctuation marks:

    After commas, colons, and semicolons. After concluding punctuation (unless your instructor prefers two spaces). After periods within author, date, title, or publishing information of a citation on the Works Cited page. After periods following initials in personal names (J. R. Harris).

    When writing about literature or general truths, use the present tense.

    *Always check with course instructor for exact requirements.

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    Sample Title Page MLA format does not require a separate title page. If your instructor does not require a separate title page, the format for the first page of your research paper is shown on page 19. If your instructor requires a title page, the following is a sample. However, check with your instructor for any specific requirements or personal preferences.

    1. Think of the title page in thirds. 2. Type the centered title in the upper third of the page. One third down on standard 8 X 11

    paper is 3.6 inches. 3. Type your centered name preceded by the word by in the middle third of the page. 4. Type the course number, section, instructor, and date an inch from the bottom of the paper and

    centered.

    Circadian Rhythms: The Bodys Internal Watch

    by Pat Andrews

    Introduction to Research 1201, Section A1 Professor Manning 17 November 2011

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    Doublespace

    Andrews 1

    Pat Andrews

    Professor Manning

    Introduction to Research 1201

    17 November 2007

    Circadian Rhythms:

    The Body's Internal Watch

    Turning off the light and falling asleep sounds like such a simple task, but fifty million

    Americans may not agree (Hartman 2). Researchers have recognized that circadian rhythms, the

    body's internal clock, determine cycles, such as waking and sleeping. Feldman defines circadian

    rhythms as "[biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately a twenty-four hour cycle"

    (125). Understanding these complex rhythms requires understanding how circadian rhythms affect

    people's lives, whether these rhythms can be modified to meet people's needs, and what implications

    recent successes on altering circadian rhythms have on future research.

    These rhythms affect people who work the night shift. Mapes states that people who work

    night shifts frequently have trouble sleeping during the day and are often less productive and more

    prone to making more mistakes than their day counterparts (A1). Working night shifts and needing

    sleep during the day is a reversal of the normal biological clock functions. He claims that it may be no

    coincidence that the accident at Three-Mile Island nuclear power plant happened at 4:00 a.m. and the

    Chernobyl reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. Demont observes that most individuals feel sleepy in

    midafternoon, a phenomenon due solely to the time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch (103). Clearly,

    these powerful rhythms affect people's lives.

    Up to now, trying to change the body's internal clock to a sleep-during-the-day/ awake-during-

    the-night cycle has been difficult. Rosenthal tells the story of trying to change the normal sleep/wake

    cycle of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia in order for them to work in space during the night.

    1

    If your instructor does not require a separate title page, this is the format for the first page of an MLA paper.

    1

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    The rest of this paper has been omitted. A sample Works Cited page is on the next page.

    Andrews 2

    Using the well-known process of forcing themselves to stay up all night, the crew watched movies and

    ate breakfast at night and dinner in the morning. However, they never adjusted to the new

    time change (172).

    The crew tried another change. Using bright light on the body, Columbia's astronauts

    were able to successfully change their circadian rhythms to meet the demands of night work

    (Bonner 27). Researcher Czeisler reports the findings on how this change occurred:

    People exposed to five hours of bright lights during the nighttime over a three-

    day period reset their internal clocks by as much as twelve hours. The timing of

    the light could not be haphazard, however. The exposure had to be

    sinchronized [sic] with particular phases of a person's circadian rhythm in order

    for it to be effective. (55)

    This modification allowed the astronauts to remain wide awake all night but crave sleep during

    the day.

    In later research, Czeisler continued his work with bright lights. For example, he discovered that

    bright light vs. normal light levels produced a better resetting of the subject's circadian rhythms. It is still

    puzzling why bright light tricks the brain, but researchers hope someday to have sunlight-type lights

    available in airplanes, for instance, so that passengers could soak these "rays" to prepare for time zone

    changes (60).

    The rest of the paper has been omitted.

    1

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    Andrews 6

    Works Cited

    "Are You a Day or Night Person?" McCalls Mar. 1994: 12. Print.

    Bonner, Peter. "Travel Rhythms Can Be Changed." American Psychologist July 1991: 24+. Print.

    Czeisler, Charles, et al. "Exposure to Bright Light and Darkness to Treat Physiologic Maladaption to

    Night Work." New England Journal of Medicine 62 (1996): 53-60. Print.

    Demont, Alex. "Like Clockwork." The Science Monitor 9 Aug. 1993:127. Rpt. in Robert Feldman.

    Essentials of Understanding in Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994. 102-104.

    Print.

    Feldman, Robert. Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994. Print.

    Hartman, Charles. The Sleep Book. Chicago: Foresman, 1987. Print.

    Mapes, George. "Breaking the Clock: Was Chernobyl an Accident?" Wall Street Journal 10 Apr.

    1990: A1+. Print.

    Rosenthal, Edgar. "Pulses of Light Give Astronauts New Rhythms." New York Times 23 Apr. 1991,

    sec. 1: 1. Print.

    Worchel, Stanley, and William Shebilske. Psychology: Principles and Application. New York:

    Prentice, 1986. Print.