To format a block quote: Indent right .5 inch (or 1 tab) Do not enclose in quotation marks Put the in-text citation after the ending punctuation, not before it

In MLA style, you should italicize (rather than underline) the titles of books, plays, or other standalone works. You should also italicize (rather than underline) words or phrases you want to lend particular emphasis—though you should do this rarely.

MLA style does not have specific rules for the formatting of series and lists, beyond mandating the use of the Oxford comma (see explanation below). If your instructor does not give you additional specific guidelines, you should fold any series or list into the paragraph rather than giving each element

A table is a chart that presents numerical information in a grid format. In MLA style, you should present a table immediately after the paragraph in which you mentioned it. When you mention a table in the text of your paper, make sure you refer to it by its number (e.g., “table 4”) rather than with a phrase like “the table below” or “this table.” For example:

Include the citation information, with the same formatting, as in a note in MLA style (i.e., formatted the same as a citation in your Works Cited section, except using commas instead of periods). The citation should end with a period, and it should be formatted with a hanging indent (i.e., the first line should be flush with the left margin, and every subsequent line should be indented 0.5 inches). Since you have provided the full citation information here, you do not need to also cite this source in the Works Cited section at the end of your paper.

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own.

Throughout the writing process, be scrupulous about documenting information taken from sources. The purpose of doing so is two fold: 1) to give credit to other writers or researchers for their ideas, and 2) to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. You will cite sources within the body of your paper and at the end of the paper in your bibliography.

You have already taken a step in the right direction by writing your introduction. The introduction and conclusion function like the frame around a picture. They define and limit your topic and place your research in context.

These sections usually do not cite sources at length, since they focus on the big picture, not specific details. In contrast, the body of your paper will cite sources to support your analysis.

At last, you are ready to begin writing the rough draft of your research paper. The textbook Successful Writing points out that although transferring your ideas and research into words is exciting, it can also be challenging. In this section, you will learn strategies for handling the more challenging aspects of writing a research paper, such as integrating material from your sources, citing information correctly, and avoiding any misuse of your sources.

Reports Information, Organized Information, or Interpreted Information. Select the category based on whether the information summarizes source material, groups information by theme, or explains connections and insights.

thesis-driven synthesis not only combines information from multiple sources, but also uses that information to support a central claim or argument.

Whether you want to present information on child rearing to a new mother, or details about your town to a new resident, you’ll find yourself synthesizing too.

At its most basic level, a synthesis involves combining two or more summaries, but synthesis writing is more difficult than it might at first appear because this combining must be done in a meaningful way, and the final essay must generally be thesis-driven

Is the source contradicted by information found in other sources? (If so, it is possible that your sources are presenting similar information but taking different perspectives, which requires you to think carefully about which sources you find more convincing and why. Be suspicious, however, of any source that presents facts that you cannot confirm elsewhere.)

A journal article written for an academic audience for the purpose of expanding scholarship in a given field will take an approach quite different from a magazine feature written to inform a general audience. Textbooks, hard news articles, and websites approach a subject from different angles as well. To some extent, the type of source provides clues about its overall depth and reliability. Table 32.2 “Source Rankings” ranks different source types.

Common sense will help you identify obviously questionable sources, such as tabloids that feature tales of alien abductions or personal websites with glaring typos.

Tips for Skimming Books Tips for Skimming Articles 1. Read the dust jacket and table of contents for a broad overview of the topics covered. 1. Skim the introduction and conclusion for summary material. 2. Use the index to locate more specific topics and see how thoroughly they are covered. 2. Skim through subheadings and text features such as sidebars. 3. Flip through the book and look for subtitles or key terms that correspond to your research. 3. Look for keywords related to your topic. 4. Journal articles often begin with an abstract or summary of the contents. Read it to determine the article’s relevance to your research.

Your thesis will probably change as you write, so you will need to modify it to reflect exactly what you have discussed in your essay. Your thesis statement begins as a working thesis statement, an indefinite statement that you make about your topic early in the writing process for the purpose of planning and guiding your writing.

The revised thesis makes a more specific statement about success and what it means to work hard. The original includes too broad a range of people and does not define exactly what success entails. By replacing those general words, like people and work hard, the writer can better focus his or her research and gain more direction in his or her writing.