WCA-SP

A. An introduction is the most important paragraph of the paper, so make a strong first impression by presenting your reader with a direct, energetic, concise paragraph.

1. Your introduction should grab attention and present the point that the paper will develop.

2. Both elements of the introduction must work together.

B. Some guidelines for introductions:

1. Don’t state the obvious.

a. Never say “My paper” or “This paper.”

b. Never say “I am going to . . .”

2. Don’t make sweeping generalizations.

a. “Everyone loves someone sometime.”

b. “Since the beginning of time, people have been eating meat.”

3. Use a powerful quotation that addresses your topic.

4. Open with a story, joke, or anecdote.

5. Use an interesting comparison.

a. “Marriage is like learning to eat pickled herring.”

b. “Living in Minnesota is like living in my nephew’s television.”

6. Use a strong statistic rather than one that mildly represents a point.

a. “One out of every three high school graduates can read no better than a third grader.”

b. “Over 50% of the population of Malawi is HIV positive.”

7. Startle the readers with the scary or shocking.

a. “The air you breathe is filled with cyanide.”

b. “Doctors remove a football size tumor from a man’s face.”

8. Question a universally accepted truth.

a. “Drinking milk does not necessarily lead to good health.”

b. “Adults should take a nap in the middle of the afternoon.”

C. Above all, remember that the attention-getter must provide a lead-in to the thesis.

II. Conclusions

A. An effective conclusion is essential to the success of your paper.

1. Most readers will remember the last paragraph over any other part of your document.

2. Like an attorney’s closing appeal to the jury, a conclusion is your last chance to convince the reader of your argument or reemphasize your main point.

3. In other words, it should leave the reader with a clear understanding of what you have been trying to show in the paper.

4. It should represent the paper’s content without repetition.

B. Try these tactics to writing a good conclusion.

1. Take a break—if you have worn out your creativity, the conclusion could likely be bland and boring.

2. When you come back, reword your thesis and jot down the main points of your paper.

3. Ask yourself what new information or ideas your paper has taught your readers.

C. Elements of a good conclusion.

1. It should restate, but not repeat, the thesis.

2. It should briefly sum up, but not repeat, the main points.

3. It should end with a sense that the essay is done.

4. It should provide an emotional closure to the paper.

D. Avoid these problems:

1. Do not introduce completely new ideas in the conclusion unless they can be made a part of the overall summary statement.

a. If the new idea requires involved discussion, do not use it as the last paragraph.
b. If the idea is short and can be handled in one sentence, it can be included in the conclusion.

2. Do not preach or scold readers in the conclusion.

3. Do not state the obvious.

a. Do not use the words “In conclusion.”

b. Do not use the words “My paper has just shown you” or something similar.

4. Do not get preachy or demanding of the readers.

5. If restating the thesis is difficult, perhaps the paper has wandered away from the thesis.

E. A good conclusion will leave readers satisfied with the paper.

1. Readers need to feel good that they have read the paper.

2. A good conclusion will be logical and unified.

3. A good conclusion tells readers that the paper has been worth reading.

III. Evaluate these introductions and conclusions:

Introductions:

1. Topic: Violence in American society

“They will oblige on roof tops or in cellars, on park benches or in the grass. They stand in halls and in doorways or disappear briefly into dark corners. They behave like prostitutes, but most of them are not. They have such a low opinion of themselves, they don’t even change” (Huff 170). Acts like this are what women in gangs are being subjected to every day by male gang members. Gangs are leading women down the wrong path, to the wrong men, and into nothing but trouble. With American society growing closer and closer toward equality, a big group of women are being left behind in society. Women in gangs are being beaten and used by dominating men in their own gangs.

2. Topic: Trip to London

Here’s the scene: a hotel on the west side of London at 3:40 pm, Friday, on the day before leaving for home in the United States. The characters are two: a 46-year-old, old-maid English teacher and her 16-year-old nephew. The plot is one of the most frightening imaginable: he loses his passport and the U. S. Embassy, in the middle of London, closes at 4:00 pm. Without a passport, he doesn’t go home.

3. Topic: paper on The Scarlet Letter

There are lots of characters in The Scarlet Letter, but I liked Pearl best. This paper will try to explain what she’s like and why Hester loved her.

4. Topic: Analysis of 1990s

Just imagine you are driving US Highway 2 headed for Grand Forks, North Dakota to do some shopping. You decided to reach over and turn on the radio and listen to the latest news. The news comes on and it reveals violence, hate, and devastation. This is just what you would have experienced by the news cast on in the 1990’s. Instead of the 1990’s bringing just a new age of modern technology and advancement, it was ravaged with destruction , disasters, and many lost hopes and dreams.

1. Thesis: The belief in the existence of ghosts is different for every person because of the differences in beliefs. Paper written on the supernatural in modern society

Many people of various different backgrounds, colors and religions believe in the existence of a ghost. The evidence of the existence of ghosts is out there; where you are superstitious or not, you will believe if you take a look at the evidence.

2. Thesis: Fuel economy is one of the dramatic future changes in the future of automobiles. Paper written on the future of technology

In ten years what will the world be like? Will we be floating around in space like the Jetsons, or all living underground? In ten years, people’s automobiles could be running on two different fuels, one for acceleration and one for maintaining speed (Olesen 10). It might be propane, electricity, ethanol, or natural gas depending on where a person lives. In addition to maintaining the vehicles of today, America needs to accept that the cars of tomorrow are what the society will need. In reality we all have to let technology develop in order to make it a better, safer, more reliable world.

3. Thesis: The evil of racism in Mississippi still claims lives. Paper based on a book by Albert French

“’Dear God, have mercy in this night, give eyes to the dark, let it see its evil ways, let it see how it has gone astray” (French 214). Some may think that the darkness that once pervaded Mississippi and the rest of the country is history, but reality does not concur. Recent events, such as the L. A. riots and the rise of the white supremacist movements, say that we have yet to give eyes to the dark ignorance that exists in the country. Lasting changes have yet to be made in Mississippi and in the rest of the United States. Such changes could only occur when the last racist generation that has been brought up on the old myths has died. For real changes to take place, people must stop taking refuge in delusions and start seeing the world and all its human inhabitants for what they really are: a version of ourselves.

4. Thesis: Juvenile violence is increasing because of their family structure. Paper on juvenile violence

The child may feel like their parents don’t love them because they aren’t together anymore and feel that it is because of him or her that they aren’t together. Divorce is hard on everybody, but especially the children and all children react to it differently. In some cases, it is better for the child’s welfare and they know that and are healthier with just one of their parents. Yet in other cases, there are the children who don’t understand why mom and daddy aren’t together anymore. Children may commit murder because they feel lonely and unwanted and the only way to get the attention that they want to receive from people is by killing somebody and getting into trouble because of it. There are many families that are torn apart because of the horrible no-fault law that is in affect nowadays. Sixty percent of five hundred youths who have committed serious offenses came from broke homes (Shulman 394).

Return to OWL.

Thesis Finding and Outlining the Research Paper

Finding a Thesis and Outlining the

Research Paper

from http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/Finding%20a%20thesis%20and%20outlining.htm

1. Arrive at a thesis

A. Your thesis needs to make a point about the subject.

1. Write down the subject of your paper: creationism, evolution, political correctness, etc.

2. Write down the topic, which is a narrowed down version of the subject: creationism as acceptable theory, evolution as fact, political correctness and humor, etc.

3. Now write down what you want to prove about this topic.

a. Remember that your point needs to reflect your information.

b. Remember that the more specific the thesis the easier the paper is to write.

4. Write your thesis.

a. One way to state your thesis is to complete this statement: I want to prove about political correctness and humor that political correctness makes humor dangerous.

b. When you insert the thesis into your paper, you will omit the redundant words “I want to prove about political correctness and humor that . . .”

B. Check your thesis statement against these elements:

1. It makes a specific, provable point about your topic.

2. It is a complete sentence.

3. It is not a question.

4. It reflects the research that you have done and analyzed.

5. It is a statement that can be developed analytically.

C. Check your thesis statement periodically.

1. The thesis statement is not fixed in stone once you arrive at it.

2. As you research and become more familiar with your topic, you may want to adjust or even change your thesis statement to a different point.

3. However, always remember that any changes in a thesis statement will affect the content of the entire paper.

3. Outline

A. The rough outline establishes what you will do in the introduction, the body of the paper, and the conclusion.

B. The outline for the introduction should consist of a reference to an attention-getter and the thesis.

1. Even if you are not sure what you will use as an attention-getter, leave a space for it.

2. You have a thesis already, so include it as a subpoint of your introduction.

3. The order is not important at this point.

a. Either the thesis or the attention getter can come first.

b. Usually the attention getter will come first in the introduction.

C. The outline for the body of the paper should consist of references to the main points and to minor developing points.

D. The outline for the conclusion should consist of a reference to the need for a summary of the overall argument and a reference to a closing attention-getter.

1. It is impossible to write the conclusion to a paper until the entire paper is written, but remind yourself that you need a conclusive summary statement.

2. If you run across a good quote or ending example to use as a closing attention-getter, make a reference to it or remind yourself that you need a closing attention-getter.

E. Use either the standard outline form or a modified form that establishes the above order for your paper.

Standard Outline Form

I. Introduction

A. Attention-getter gets the readers' attention to your paper and thesis. Quotes are good, as are exaggerated examples, or even stories. However, make sure that you can see a connection between your attention-getter and your thesis.

B. Thesis: The thesis for your rough outline can be a rough approximation of the thesis for your paper. Remember that your thesis is not engraved in stone and can change if you find the development of the paper changing. However, remember that when you change your thesis at a point in the paper, you must rewrite everything before that point so that it still connects to your thesis.

II. Body

A. Background information: Here's where you want to give definitions of key terms or historical background to your thesis. Ask yourself if readers need to know something about your topic before they can understand your thesis. Give that information first.

1. Define ambiguous terms, such as "mother" or "home." Readers must accept your definition—so long as it is logical and documented—and they will base their understanding of the paper on that definition.

2. If you need to give historical background, give names, dates, and places. Be sure the background is relevant and is necessary to understanding the rest of the paper.

B. Major point 1: makes a specific point to develop a major portion of the thesis.

1. Supporting point 1: gives a point about how the major point connects to the thesis.

a. Example 1: specific examples allow readers to "see" your point.

b. Example 2: whenever possible try to give a follow-up or second example. However, if such an example doesn't fit or is redundant, exclude it.

i. If you think of some analysis as your are outlining, include that analysis in this level of the outline.

2. Supporting point 2.

C. Major point 2.

1. Follow the pattern given under B.

III. Conclusion

A. Summary of key points of the thesis: Draw together your major points and link them to your thesis.

B. Closing attention-getter: End with some strong example, statement, or quote that connects to your paper and is interesting to the reader.

Outline for Sample Paper

I. Introduction

A. Attention getter: Joke about cows and horns ("Bells").

B. Thesis: Because jokes can offend anyone, they are dangerous in a politically correct society.

II. Body

A. Definition of political correctness.

1. How definition is desirable.

2. How definition applies to sense of humor.

B. Explanation of safe joke

1. Offends teachers.

2. Offends students.

3. Offends cows.

C. Lawyer jokes

1. Why lawyer jokes exist

2. Lawyer jokes

3. How jokes can be dangerous

D. Reason for humor

1. Ease tension

a. Joke to ease tension

b. How joke works

c. How joke is dangerous

d. How tension is dangerous

2. Belittling others

a. Joke

b. How joke works

c. How joke is politically incorrect

d. How joke should be safer

III. Conclusion

A. Review how jokes are dangerous because of political correctness

B. Closing attention-getter: Joke about self

5. Use the outline form to write your last outline which includes references to your sources.

A. Fill out the parts for the introduction and as many of the main points as you will have.

B. Indicate from where the information will come with parenthetical citations.

1. As you fill in the respective areas of the outline form, use parenthetical citations to indicate from where each piece of information will come.

2. Do the works cited entries as you fill in the parenthetical citations.

C. Do the closing attention getter, but the summary is optional.

MLA Paper Sample

Sharon Wessels

Composition I

Dr. Diane Drake

26 March 2002

“Would you like salmonella with that?”

Refrigeration and Food

It’s 1892, and Harold and Maude are on their way home from Giblet. Harold, being the good husband that he is, suggests to Maude, “Let’s stop at the Colonel’s for some of that tasty chicken.”

“Good idea, Harold. We can also pick up some potato salad, beans, and cole slaw, while we’re at it.” Maude didn’t mind cooking, but after a long day of sitting on the wagon in the hot summer sun while waiting for Harold, she was ready for take-out. So she and Harold stopped at the local eatery, bought their dinner, and made the two-hour trip home to their children, their dinner, and some salmonella. Three days later, all of Giblet mourned their passing.

A stretch of the truth? Okay, the Colonel didn’t open until 1955 (He was only two years old in 1892) (“Sanders,” 471), but if he had and if Harold and Maude had brought home the chicken, potato salad, and cole slaw, the scene would not be so ridiculous for one good reason: the refrigerator had not been invented. Unprotected food was dangerous, as attested to by the New York Council of Hygiene who said that meat and poultry exposed to warm weather was “‘absolutely poisonous’” (Bettmann 110). Therefore, as we look back through history at all of the great inventions, the one that we can be truly thankful for (Thanksgiving turkey is a notorious source of salmonella) is the

refrigerator because it gave us the chance not only to love our food, but to keep loving it for several days after it’s been cooked.

Even before Thomas Edison turned on his first light bulb and before Benjamin Franklin was flying kites, even before Abraham had moved from Ur to Palestine, humans knew that cold kept food safe. As early as the Paleolithic era 40,000 to 15,000 years ago—give or take 20,000 years (“Nutrition”), humans were storing food in cold areas, such as dug out holes or caves. The Romans upgraded refrigeration to include packing ice around food sent from their far-flung territories, but it was the Chinese who were the first to make a “machine” to create cold out of a combination of salt and snow poured over a bucket of food. The French perfected this machine in the mid-19^th century when in 1859 Ferdinand CarrJ and Charles Tellier presented their invention for making ice cubes at the Great Exhibition in London. Only two decades later, the two enterprising Frenchmen were shipping frozen meat across the Atlantic in a ship named Frigorifique, the origin of the word refrigerator (Toussaint-Samat 749-50).

The wonderful world of refrigeration entered the United States in 1851 when Dr. John Gorrie patented the first ice machine in, appropriately, Florida (“History of Ammonia”). During the Civil War era, Texas and Louisiana smuggled in one of CarrJ and Tellier’s refrigeration boxes to compensate for the blockade of ice from the North (Woolrich and Clark). However, block ice remained the cooling method of preference during the 19^th century (see Fig. 1), until raw sewage pumped into rivers and lakes made the ice unpalatable (Krasner-Khait)—to say the least.

The solution was a return to Gorrie’s invention, updated and improved by John Standard and Thomas Elkins in 1879. Their improved refrigerator apparatus was

Fig. 1. Ice wagon, from Barbara Krasner-Khait, “The Impact of the Refrigerator,” History Magazine, 2002, http://www.history-magazine.com/refrig.html

designed to circulate compressed gases that absorb heat (“History of Household”) and became the basis for the modern refrigerator (“History of the Refrigerator”). General Electric used this concept in the first home refrigerators that appeared in 1911, and Frigidaire and Kelvinator followed with their own home refrigerators based on similar technology in 1915 and 1916. Freezers were added during the 1940s (“History of Household”), and since then, humans have been feeling a lot better about their food. As Bern Nagengast, refrigeration engineer, says, “‘The household refrigerator changed the way people ate’” (Krasner-Khait)—a clear understatement.

What refrigeration does for us is to slow down the bacteria that causes food poisoning. When food—cooked or uncooked—is exposed to temperatures between 40° and 140° F, the bacteria are in seventh heaven, doubling in number in less than 20 minutes (United States). Eventually the bacteria reach a level where the immune system can no longer protect humans who ingest these bacteria, and people get food poisoning (Iannelli). That food poisoning is dangerous is illustrated in the fact that up to 5000 Americans a year die from food poisoning (Mead, et al).

Refrigeration is why the number isn’t higher. Milk products, meat products, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and on and on are all safer because they are kept cold in the refrigerator. It is rare that humans cook a meal with something that does not come from that marvelous cold box that can literally keep us alive. However, we must be careful and use our refrigerators wisely by keeping that thermostat set at 40° or lower since bacteria are clever little bugs who after sensing even a subtle 5° rise in temperature turn into reproductive demons. Dr. Daniel C. Weaver, an expert on food-related illnesses, illustrates just how careful we must be with his own experience with food poisoning:

Some 20 years ago, to save money during my residency, I dialed my refrigerator thermostat up to 45 degrees (my first mistake). Then I made meat loaf with eggs, failing to cook it long enough (second mistake), left it overnight on the counter (third mistake), put it back in the refrigerator (fourth mistake), reheated it in a microwave oven (fifth mistake), and ate it. Six hours later I discovered first-hand salmonella’s incubation period.

What the good doctor is telling us is that we should put our leftovers in the refrigerator and find other ways to conserve on electricity than turning the refrigerator’s thermostat down.

Aah, leftovers—one of the great delights of the modern era. There are certain foods that taste even better after a night in the refrigerator and a warm-up in the microwave or oven. Most casseroles only improve with warm-ups, and what’s tastier than the post-Thanksgiving lunch of warmed-over turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and dressing. In the northern (or far southern) climes, such delights are possible in the winter, where outdoor temperatures can easily preserve tuna noodle casserole and assorted turkey parts, but not everyone gets to enjoy the fruits of winter cold and it’s not always winter. Therefore, after dinner (or breakfast or lunch, for that matter), we drag out the Tupperware® or plastic wrap, cram in the leftovers, and turn to the refrigerator—quickly since food needs to be cooled in a hurry to avoid bacteria growth. Because turkeys are so large—even after they have been exposed to the ravages of the typical American family—they can take up to four hours in the refrigerator to get to that 40° range necessary to stop bacteria growth (Miller). Without that refrigerator, we would be forced to throw out the leftovers or eat the entire bird and die of overeating or risk eating it unrefrigerated and perish later from food poisoning. In either case, I guess that we can conclude that refrigerators save food and lives.

Aside from keeping food cold until it is cooked or preserving leftovers for reheating, refrigerators also allow us to have our cold food cold. No one wants to eat room-temperature lettuce, and it’s no surprise that breweries were the first northern companies to make use of refrigeration mechanics (Krasner-Khait) since a good beer is not a good beer unless it’s cold. Summer is made even more enjoyable for people who must endure winters because refrigerators provide cold drinks, cold salads, and cold sandwiches. Salted ham can be preserved without a refrigerator (“Old Fashioned”), but I for one do not want my ham sandwich without mayonnaise, and mayonnaise, as everyone knows, requires refrigeration because it’s made with raw eggs, one of the most notorious carriers of salmonella (“Food Poisoning”). As a resident of Minnesota, I cherish my summers, and I prefer to spend them sitting with a cold beer on my deck rather than sitting with a bottle of Pepto-Bismol® on Thomas Elkins’s other invention, the toilet seat (“African-American”).

It’s true that science has given many great inventions that have made our lives easier, more comfortable, and longer. However, as I sit here, sipping on a glass of cold milk and enjoying a piece of sour-cream raisin pie, I praise the invention of the refrigerator. Frankly, it fits all three of the above benefits to humanity: it makes my life easier since I don’t have to carry 50 lb. ice blocks to a cold storage cellar, it makes my life more comfortable since room-temperature milk is a real turn-off, and it keeps me alive longer by preventing food poisoning. God rest Harold and Maude and family and God bless the refrigerator!

Works Cited

“African-Americans Database Search Results.” Great Lakes Patent and Trademark

Center. 2002. Detroit Public Library. 26 Feb. 2002 <http://www.detroit.lib.mi.us/ glptc/ aaid_table.htm>.

Bettmann, Otto L. The Good Old Days—They Were Terrible! New York: Random

House, 1974.

“Food Poisoning.” Columbia Encyclopedia. 2001 ed. Columbia University Press. 1 Mar.

2002 <http://www.bartleby.com/65/fo/foodpois.html>.

“History of Ammonia Refrigeration.” ARTA, Inc. Ammonia Refrigeration Technicians

Association. 8 Feb. 2002 <http://www.nh3tech.org/history.html>.

“History of Household Wonders.” The History of Household Wonders. 2001. History

Channel. 20 Feb. 2002 http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/ modern/fridge.html>.

“History of the Refrigerator and Freezers.” Inventors. 2002. About, Inc. 7 Feb. 2002

<http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrefrigerator.htm>.

Iannelli, Vincent. “Foodborne Illness Peaks in Summer.” Pediatrics. 2002. About, Inc. 7

Feb. 2002 http://pediatrics.about.com/library/blsummer_food_safety.htm? terms=foodborne+illness>.

Krasner-Khait, Barbara. “The Impact of the Refrigerator.” History Magazine. February-

March 2002. 1 Feb. 2002 <http://www.history-magazine.com/refrig.html>.

Mead, Paul S., et al. “Food Related Illness and Death in the United States.”

Environmental Health 62 (2002). PALS. Northland Community and Tech. Coll. Lib., Thief River Falls, MN. 2 Mar. 2002 <http://www.pals.msus.edu/webpals/>.

Miller, Martha. “Hey Cooks—Cool It!” Better Homes and Gardens Nov. 2000. PALS.

Northland Community and Tech. Coll. Lib., Thief River Falls, MN. 2 Mar. 2002 <http://www.pals.msus.edu/ webpals/>.

“Nutrition Lessons from the Stone Age: Clues to Better Eating Go Back 40,000 Years.”

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 19 (2001): 2 pp. PALS. Northland Community and Tech. Coll. Lib., Thief River Falls, MN. 14 Feb. 2002 <http://www.pals.msus.edu/ webpals/>.

“Old Fashioned Methods of Preservation.” Old Fashioned Home Remedies and Recipes.

2002. Love to Know Corp. 7 Feb. 2002 <http://www.2020site.org/remedies/ preservation.html>.

“Sanders, Harland.” Current Biography: 1981. Ed. Charles Moritz. New York: H. W.

Wilson, 1982. 471.

Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne. History of Food. Trans. Anthea Bell. New York: Barnes

& Noble, 1998.

United States. Department of Agriculture. Food Safety and Inspection Service.

“Refrigeration and Food Safety.” Consumer Education and Information. Jan. 1999. 8 Feb. 2002 <http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/ focus_ref.htm>.

Weaver, Daniel C. “Why Is Everyone So Sick?” Discover 21.6 (2000). MnLINK.

Northland Community and Tech. Coll. Lib., Thief River Falls, MN. 2 Mar. 2002 <http://www.mnlink.org/>.

Woolrich, Willis R., and Charles T. Clark. “Refrigeration.” The Handbook of Texas

Online. 2001. Texas State Historical Association. 8 Feb. 2002 <http://www.tsha. utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/RR/dqr1.html>.

MLA Citation Format

from OWL by way of http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/MLA%20documentation.htm

A. First of all determine the citation format that you must use and become familiar with that format.

B. MLA documentation format has two steps: a works cited page and parenthetical citations.

1. The works cited page lists the sources used in writing the paper.

2. The parenthetical citations make specific references to the page(s) in the source which were used for the information preceding the citation.

C. The works cited list is arranged alphabetically at the end of the paper.

1. Each source in the list is referred to as an “entry.”

2. Each piece of information in an “entry” is an “item,” such as the

author’s full name, the title of the work, the copyright date, etc.

3. The page is entitled Works Cited.

D. General entry guidelines:

1. In the MLA format, the items are arranged in this order (with exceptions for specialized entries, where more or different information is required):

                                    author (last name, first name).
                                  “Title of Work Within Work.”
                                    Title of Original Source
                                    Date of original source (day, month year)
                                    Title of Entire Work.
                                    Ed. editor’s, translator’s, or compiler’s name.
                                    2^nd ed. (any edition except the 1^st).
                                    4 vols. (if the work takes up more than 1 volume).
                                    Name of Series (if book is part of a series).
                                   City of publication:
                                   Publisher,
                                   Copyright date (use the most recent; don’t confuse with
                                         printing date)
                                    Page numbers for work within a work.

2. Follow the order exactly and use the correct punctuation to mark titles

and to separate items.

3. Use the hanging indent for each line except the first, which is flush

with the left margin.

4. Italicize the titles of books and names of newspapers and

magazines.

5. Italicize according to the editor's or instructor's

preferences.

6. Put quotation marks around titles of essays, poems, short stories, and

magazine and newspaper articles.

7. When more than one city is listed for the place of publication, give the

first city in the United States or the first city, if none are cities in the

United States.

8. Use shortened names for publishing companies: Norton for W. W.

Norton, UP for University Press, U of Nebraska P for University of

Nebraska Press, etc.

9. Capitalize key words in titles even if they are not capitalized in the

work.

a. Not all key words are capitalized in some magazine article

titles, but capitalize them in the entries.

10. Abbreviate months when they are required in dates, as in Feb., Mar.,

Apr., etc.

11. Use the international dating format of day month year as in 26 Oct.

1997.

12. Give inclusive page numbers for works within works, such as

magazine articles, essays, short stories, etc.

a. Give full number for the ending page number, up to 99, as in

46-58.

b. Omit the hundreds number for the ending page number, if it is

the same as the hundreds number for the starting page, as in 344-

86.

c. If the article appears on discontinuous pages, use a + sign after the starting page number, as in 45+.

3. Electronic citations.

A. Remember that electronic citations are different.

B. Answer these questions in this order for electronic sources:

1. Who wrote it? Could be a group or individual.

2. What did she/he write? Either in quotation marks or italicized.

3. Does this work appear in a larger work or in a print form? Italicize that title, if applicable.

4. When was the material written? Don’t confuse this date with when it was put on the site or CD-ROM.

5. Are there page numbers for the larger source?

6. Who is the sponsor or vendor? Often given after the copyright date at the bottom of the page or often the sponsor of the homepage.

7. What is the date on which you accessed the information?

8. What is the URL? Internet only

4. See sample MLA paper.

Analytical Writing	Cause and Effect	12
Analytical Writing	Comparison and Contrast	13
Analytical Writing	Classification	14
Analytical Writing	Process Writing	15
Analytical Writing	Definition	16