Editing Week

We are getting editing papers ready for our four edits this week. You may have outside editors at this time, but you are expected to look an another's paper also.

If you are missing deadlines, you will be marked down and need to plan to do the extra credit of an electronic presentation and dress in character.

Works Cited Check-off

Check the example page in the 'Junior Project' menu. You will notice:

1. Double-spaced, no space inbetween
2. Hanging indent
3. Alphabetized with numbers before letters, whether it is an author or "title"
4. Minimum of five sources and three different types
5. Font is TNR 12pt. font
6. Works Cited is centered on page
7. Header should be your last name and 7 ->  Carver 7

Starting the Paper

I have loaded a PowerPoint on citation style and an introduction worksheet for those that are ready to get started.

Outline and Title Page

You should be working on your title page and your outline. You must be reading!  If you do not read, you cannot do the rest of the tasks, so take time to read.

Title Page

Make a copy of this Title Page Example, download as a Word document. Edit it to reflect your famous American. Do not forget the moniker.

Research Starts Today

You should be reading, reading, reading!!! Find time in the day or at night to get through a chapter or two a night. The story of your Famous American should be coming together in "chunks". Each topic should be highlighted a different color.

Secondly, locate the EBSCO search engine and gather other articles for your paper.

Building the Works Cited Page

Access the document Works Cited Page from the Paper menu. Use the Purdue OWL link and the WHS Library databases to research your topic. Remember to get three different types of information!

MLA Documentation

Please convert your books, websites, and other resources with MLA 8 formatting. Read and source at least five sources and three different types. Reference EasyBib's guide to MLA 8 for changes.....

A Complete Guide to MLA 8th Edition

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Get a copy for yourself! Download the PDF version of 
A Complete Guide to MLA 8th Edition

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Overview of MLA 8

The 8th edition of the MLA Handbook provides researchers with guidance on how to document the use of others’ work responsibly. Published in April 2016, the MLA 8 Handbook explains how to create two types of citations: full citations that are placed in a works cited list, and in-text citations, which are abbreviated versions of full citations and located in the body of the work.

With the new and improved MLA 8th edition Handbook, a major change was made to how full citations are created. Overall, the MLA 8th edition citation process is now much easier for students and researchers as one universal citation format can be used for all source types. It does not matter whether a book, website, YouTube video, or presentation was consulted, all sources use the same citation format.

The researcher is required to locate the “core elements” on their sources: the author’s name(s), the title, the title of the container, any other contributors associated with the source, the version, any numbers (such as the volume for a book or an episode number for a television show), publisher, publication date, and the location.

These core elements are placed in the citation, usually in this format:

Author. Title. Title of the container. Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher’s name, Date of publication, Location.

*Note that similar to previous versions of the MLA Handbook, there is a hanging indent. The first line of a MLA 8th edition citation is flush against the margin, while the second and any other subsequent lines are indented.

In addition to one universal format for all source types, MLA Eighth Edition now allows for more flexibility than previous versions. There is no right or wrong way to document a source and certain aspects of a source can be included or excluded. For example, if citing the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and the research project focuses on the main character, Dorothy, it would be wise to include the name of the actress, Judy Garland, in the citation. Others who focus on the whole movie may just include the name of the director in the citation. Researchers should think about which pieces of information to include in their citations to help readers easily locate the source themselves.

Regarding in-text citations, the rules for MLA 8 are the same as in previous versions. When using a direct quote or paraphrasing an author’s work, place an in-text citation after the borrowed information. Generally the in-text citation is found immediately following the direct quote or paraphrase, but it is acceptable to insert it in a place, soon after, that allows for a natural pause while reading.

In-text citations are generally made up of two items: the author’s last name and the page number. If there isn’t an author, use the first item in the full citation entry.

Here are a few examples of how in-text citations can be arranged and formatted:

Nathan became very uneasy upon witnessing Rebecca’s change in personality when discussing their uncle’s death. “Nathan had seen her dark eyes clear of their unfocused gaze and center on what was going on around her. Such moments raised goose bumps. It was like seeing a doll suddenly spark to life” (Meacham 206).

What made Nathan truly uneasy was witnessing his half-sister’s demeanor change while discussing their uncle’s death. Comparing her to a doll that suddenly sparked to life, she became alert and focused (Meacham 206).

For more information regarding how to format in-text citations, scroll down to see the section on the subject below.
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There are some key differences between MLA 7 and MLA 8. Listed below are just a few. Read the remainder of this guide to understand how to cite in MLA 8.

Key differences in MLA 8th Edition

1. One standard citation format that applies to every source type

In previous editions of the MLA Handbook, researchers were required to locate the citation format for the source that they used. For example, if a magazine was used, researchers needed to locate the specific citation format for periodicals. Due to the various ways that information is now received, in books, websites, lectures, tweets, Facebook posts, etc, it has become unrealistic for MLA to create citation formats for every source type. Now, there is one standard, universal format that researchers can use to create their citations.

2. Inclusion of “containers” in citations.

Containers are the elements that “hold” the source. For example, if a television episode is watched on Netflix, Netflix is the container. Both the title of the source and its container are included in a MLA 8th edition citation.

3. The ability to use pseudonyms for author names

It is now acceptable to use online handles or screen names in place of authors’ names.

Example:

@WSJ. “Generation X went from the most successful in terms of homeownership rates in 2004 to the least successful by 2015.” Twitter, 8 Apr. 2016, 4:30 p.m., www.twitter.com/WSJ/status/718532887830753280

4. Adding the abbreviations vol. and no. to magazine and journal article citations.

In MLA 7, there was no indication that the numbers in periodical citations referred to the volume and issue numbers.

Example of a journal article citation in MLA 7th Edition:

DelGuidice, Margaux. “When a Leadership Opportunity Knocks, Answer!” Library Media Connection 30.2 (2011): 48-49. Print

An example of a journal article citation in MLA 8th edition:

DelGuidice, Margaux. “When a Leadership Opportunity Knocks, Answer!” Library Media Connection, vol. 30, no. 2, 2011, pp. 48-49.

5. Inclusion of URLS

In previous versions of the MLA handbook, it was up to the discretion of the instructor whether URLs should be included in a citation. In MLA 8, it is highly recommended to include a URL in the citation. Even if it becomes outdated, it is still possible to trace the information online from an older URL.

Omit “http://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in a MLA 8th edition citation.

6. Omitting the publisher from some source types

It is not necessary to include the publisher for periodicals or for a web site when the name of the site matches the name of the publisher. For periodicals, the name of the publisher is generally insignificant.

7. Omitting the city of publication

In previous versions of the MLA handbook, researchers included the city where the publisher was located. Today, this information generally serves little purpose and the city of publication can often be omitted.

Only include the city of publication if the version of the source differs when published in a different country (Example: British editions of books versus versions printed in the United States).