Tips for Writing English I Papers
When writing for English, consider the following:
- Choosing a topic can be overwhelming. Click here for help choosing a topic.
- Essays center around a thesis. Click here for help writing your thesis.
- Make sure to proof read your paper for grammar and typos before turning it in. If you have questions about punctuation, common spelling errors, or any other grammatical topic click here.
Anthem Guide to Essay Writing by Publication Date: 2011-06-01A comprehensive guide to writing successful essays in any course, with step-by-step advice and plenty of examples.
MLA 9th
Why Cite?
There are several reasons why crediting sources is necessary in academic writing. First, it shows the reader that the author has researched the background of the problem and is able to discuss previous research. Second, it gives credit to past researchers whose research has added to the body of knowledge on the topic.
When to Cite?
Work should be cited if the work, ideas, theories, or research have influenced the current author's work. This also shows the current author has read the work.
| 1. Author | 2. Title of Source | 3. Title of Container |
| 4. Contributors | 5. Version | 6. Number |
| 7. Publisher | 8. Publication Date | 9. Location |
Note:
Not all elements will necessarily be present in each citation you create. Also, it is possible that elements 3 through 9 might appear more than once. Each source will be slightly different, but the general format for each will resemble the examples in the template below.
- MLA 9th Paper TemplateStart with the word document template, which is already formatted for MLA 9th ed. Then put in your own information, citations, and writing.
Electronic Articles
Example 1: Electronic Article from a Database
Author, First and Second Author. Title of Article. Title of the Journal in Italics, volume, issue, publication date, page numbers. database name, doi:(or https://doi.org/xxx.xxx). Optional access date.
Rauer, Amy, and Brenda Volling.“More Than One Way to be Happy: A Typology of Marital Happiness.” Family Process, vol.52, no.3, 2013, pp. 519-534. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1111/famp.12028. Accessed 13 Apr. 2018.
Example 2: Electronic Article without DOI
Author, First. Title of Article. Title of the Journal in Italics, volume, issue, publication date, page numbers, database name, article's stable URL. Optional Access date.
Pollard, Stephen.“Mathematics and the Good Life.” Philosophia Mathematica, vol. 21, no. 1, Feb. 2013, pp. 93-109, Academic Search Complete, http://db26.lnccwb.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=85817538&site=ehost-live. Accessed 6 Aug. 2018.
Print Articles
Author, First. Title of Article. Title of the Journal in Italics, volume, issue, publication date, page numbers.
Verschoor, Curtis C. "How Colleges Hide Investments to Avoid Taxes: Should Universities Use Tax Haven Corporations?" Strategic Finance, vol. 99, no. 9. Mar. 2018, pp. 21-22.
Books
Example 1: Book by a single author
Author, First.Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.
Brettell, Caroline. Anthropological Conversations: Talking Culture Across Disciplines. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
Example 2: Book by two authors
Author, First and Second Author.Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date
Berger, Kathleen S. and Ross A. Thompson. The Developing Person Through Childhood. Worth Publishers, 2003.
Example 3: Books with three or more authors
Author, First, et. al. (Year). Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date
Verdier, Thierry, et al. The Organization of Firms in a Global Economy. Harvard UP, 2008.
Example 4: Electronic book (eBook) from a library database
Author, First.Title of Book. Database name, Publisher, Publication Date
Arthur, Charles. Digital Wars: Apple, Google, Microsoft and the Battle for the Internet. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost),
Kogan Page, 2012.
Any time you quote or paraphrase from a source within the text of your project, you must give credit to the source by using an in-text citation.
The general format is to include the author(s) name(s) and the page number or numbers of the quoted/paraphrased passage:
(Pollard 102)
(Arthur 133-134)
(Verdier et al. 228-230)
If there are no page numbers, like in the example of a website or a journal article in HTML, you would simply only include the author(s) name:
(Matus)
For further help with citation questions and examples, consult some of the guides listed below from other colleges and universities:
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