Millburn Township Public Schools

Writing a Research Paper

TOPIC page #
Style Matters! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 6

First Page Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Parenthetical Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 8

Avoiding Plagiarism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Sample First Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Sample Works Cited Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Sample MLA Entries for the Works Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 - 15

Traditional Note Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

An Alternate Notetaking Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 - 18

Online Sources: Millburn High School Library . . . . . . . . . . 19 - 23

Primary Source: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition

– August 2006 –

PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.
 Style Matters!
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition (2003)

COMMAS (pp. 81 - 85)

• Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, yet, so) joining
independent clauses in a sentence.
Congress passed the bill, and the president signed it into law.
The poem is ironic, for the poet’s meaning contrasts with her words.
Take along a tape recorder, or you may misquote your source.
Other wars were longer, but few were more costly in human lives.
• Use commas to separate words, phrases, and clauses in a series.
WORDS
Boccaccio’s tales have inspired plays, films, operas, and paintings.
PHRASES
Alfred the Great established a system of fortified towns, reorganized the
military forces, and built a fleet of warships.
CLAUSES
In the Great Depression, millions lost their jobs, businesses failed, and
charitable institutions closed their doors.
BUT use semicolons when items in a series have internal commas.
Pollsters focused their efforts on Columbus, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; and
Saint Louis, Missouri.
• Use a comma between coordinate adjectives (adjectives that separately modify
the same noun.
Critics praised the novel’s unaffected, unadorned style.
The new regime imposed harsh, repressive laws.
BUT: Most of the characters are average city dwellers.
• Use commas to set off a parenthetical comment, or an aside.
The Tudors, for example, ruled for over a century.
The vernacular, after all, was the language of everyday life.
Tonight’s performance, I’m sorry to say, has been canceled.
• Use commas to set off an appositive.
The color of the costume, blue, acquires symbolic meaning in the story.
Isabel Allende, the Chilean novelist, will speak at a forum tonight.
• Use commas to set off clauses that begin with who, whom, whose, which, and that.
Scientists, who must be objective, can contribute to policy decisions.
The Italian sonnet, which is exemplified in Petrarch’s Canzoniere, developed
into the English sonnet.
• Use a comma to set off an adverbial phrase or clause.
The novel takes place in China, where many languages are spoken.
The ending is sad, as the narrator hinted it would be.
• Use a comma to set off a long introductory phrase or clause.
After years of anxiety over family finances, Linda Loman looks forward to the
day the mortgage will be paid off.
Although she was virtually unknown in her day, scholars have come to
recognize the originality of her work.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 2

 Style Matters!
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition (2003)

COLONS (p. 86)

• Use a colon to introduce a list, an elaboration of what was just said, or the formal
expression of a rule or principle.
LIST
The reading list includes three Latin American novels: The Death of Artemio
Cruz, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and The Green House.
ELABORATION
The plot is founded on deception: the three main characters have secret identities.
RULE or PRINCIPLE (note capital letter following colon)
Many books would be briefer if their authors acknowledged Occam’s
razor: Explanations should not be multiplied unnecessarily.
• Use a colon to introduce a quotation that is independent from the structure of the
main sentence.
In The Awakening, Mme. Ratignolle exhorts Robert Lebrun to stop flirting
with Edna: “She is not one of us; she is not like us.”

HYPHENS (pp. 88 - 90)

• Use a hyphen in a compound adjective beginning with an adverb such as better,
best, ill, lower, little, or well when the compound adjective precedes a noun.
better-prepared ambassador best-known work
ill-informed reporter lower-priced tickets
well-dressed announcer
• Do NOT use a hyphen in a compound adjective beginning with an adverb ending
in -ly or with too, very, or much.
thoughtfully presented thesis very contrived plot
too hasty judgment much maligned performer
• Use a hyphen in a compound adjective ending with the present participle
(e.g., loving) or the past participle (e.g., inspired) of a verb when the compound
adjective precedes a noun.
sports-loving throng fear-inspired loyalty
hate-filled speech
• Use a hyphen in a compound adjective formed by a number and a noun when the
compound adjective precedes a noun.
twelfth-floor apartment second-semester courses
early-thirteenth-century architecture
• Do NOT use hyphens in familiar unhyphenated compound terms.
social security tax high school reunion
liberal art curriculum show business debut
• In general, do NOT use hyphens after prefixes.
antiwar overpay semiretired
coworker postwar subsatellite
multinational prescheduled unambiguous
nonjudgmental reinvigorate underrepresented

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 3

 Style Matters!
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition (2003)

APOSTROPHES (pp. 90 - 91)

• To form the possessive of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an s.
the zebra’s stripes a poem’s meter the dean’s list
• To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s, add only an apostrophe.
photographers’ props firefighters’ trucks tourists’ luggage
• To form the possessive of an irregular plural noun NOT ending in s, add an
apostrophe and an s.
children’s entertainment the media’s role women’s studies
• To form the possessive of nouns in a series, and a single apostrophe and an s if the
ownership is shared.
Palmer and Colton’s book on European history.
Fred, Lucinda, and Nan’s house.
BUT if the ownership is separate, place an apostrophe and an s after each noun.
Fred’s, Lucinda’s, and Nan’s coats.
• To form the possessive of any singular proper noun, add an apostrophe and an s.
Venus’s beauty Dickens’s novels Descartes’s philosophy
Marx’s precepts
• To form the possessive of a plural proper noun, add only an apostrophe.
the Vanderbilts’ estate the Dickenses’ economic woes
• Do NOT use an apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation or a number.
PhDs 1990s fours
VCRs IRAs SAT scores in the 1400s

QUESTION MARKS (p. 93)

• Whitman asks, “Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems?”
• Where does Whitman speak of “the meaning of poems”?
• “Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems?” Whitman asks. (The question
mark overrides the comma.)

PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 4

 Style Matters!
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition (2003)

USING NUMBERS (pp. 98 - 102)

1) If you are writing about a subject that involves infrequent use of numbers, spell out numbers
written in one or two words and represent other numbers by numerals (one, thirty-six, ninety-
nine, one hundred, fifteen hundred, two thousand, three million, one-half, BUT 2½, 101, 137,
1,275).
If your project calls for frequent use of numbers (e.g., a scientific or statistical paper) use
numerals for all numbers that precede units of measurement (16 amperes, 5 milliliters). Also use
numerals for numbers that are presented together and that refer to similar things, such as in
comparisons or reports of data. Spell out other numbers if they can be written in one or two
words. In the following example of statistical writing, neither “ten years” nor “six-state region” is
presented with related figures, so those numbers are spelled out, unlike the other numbers in the
sentence.
In the ten years covered by the study, the number of participating institutions in the United
States doubled, reaching 90, and membership in the six-state region rose from 4 to 15.

2) For large numbers, use a combination of numbers and words: 17 million 1.5 billion

3) For sentence beginnings use words, not numerals: Nineteen students had brown hair.

4) Use numerals for the following forms:

money ................................ $1.50 / 684 decimals ..................................... 98.6
percentages .................................... 50% pages ............................... pages 12-21
chapters .................................. chapter 5 addresses ......................... 701 Hill St.
dates ........... June 6, 2002 / 6 June 2002 time .................................... 3:30 p.m.
statistics ....................... a score of 5 to 2 time ......................... 19 BC / AD 565
measurement .................................... 2" abbreviations ............................. 6 lbs.
NOTE: You may spell out a percentage or an amount of money if you can do so in three
words or fewer (five dollars, forty-five percent, two thousand dollars, sixty-eight cents).
NOTE: Spell out time expressed in quarter and half hours and in hours followed by o’clock:
a quarter past twelve half past ten five o’clock

5) Express related numbers in the same style: Only 5 of the 250 delegates attended.

6) Writing inclusive numbers:

2-3 10-12 21-48 89-99
96-101 103-04 395-401 923-1,003
1,003-05 1,608-774

PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 5

 Style Matters!
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition (2003)

USING TITLES (pp. 102 - 109)

1) Underline the title of a . . .
• Book – The Pearl
• Newspaper – New York Times
• Pamphlet – NJ Driving Manual
• Opera – The Marriage of Figaro
• CD – Dark Side of the Moon
• Magazine – Merlyn’s Pen
• TV program – Star Trek
• Film – Jurassic Park
• Ballet – The Nutcracker
• Sculpture – The Thinker
• Painting – Mona Lisa
• Play – Hamlet
• Long poem – The Iliad
• Software – Word 6.0
• Ship – Titanic

2) Enclose in “quotation marks” the title of a . . .

• Short story – “The Lottery” • Essay – “Common Sense”
• Short poem – “The Road Not Taken” • Song – “America, the Beautiful”
• Encyclopedia article – “Etruscan” • Lecture – “Preparing for an Interview”
• Episode of a TV program – “The Trouble with Tribbles”
• Chapter of a book – “The American Economy before the Civil War”
• Newspaper or Magazine article – “Rise in Education Costs Looms”

3) Capitalize the first and last words of the title and all important words. Do NOT capitalize
prepositions and conjunctions of fewer than four letters.
Alice in Wonderland “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” “I Have a Dream”
NOTE: The names of sacred writings (including all books and versions of the Bible), appear
without underlining or quotation marks.

PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 6

First Page Format
½"
1"
Daniels 1
Jeff Daniels
Ms. Williams
1"
English 9, period 3
21 November 2001
Center the Title: Do Not Underline Your Words
½" A research paper does not require a title page. Paragraphs are indented ½". Leave
1" margins on the sides and bottom of each page and a ½" margin above the name and
1"
page number. Double-space throughout the paper; do not quadruple-space between
paragraphs (or anywhere in the paper). The left margin is justified, but the right margin is
never justified. Use a standard, 12-point font, such as Times-Roman.
Source: North Hunterdon-Voorhees Reg. HS District
1"

Parenthetical Citations
Use parenthetical citations to indicate exactly which one of the sources listed on the works
cited page is the source of any quoted passage.

If the author is named within the sentence:

9 In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin states that he prepared a list of thirteen virtues (135).
This did not . . . – OR –
9 Franklin said, “I am pleased with the list of thirteen virtues I produced, but I am embarrassed that
I could not master them all” (135). – OR –
9 Although Franklin admitted, “I am very embarrassed that I could not master them [thirteen
virtues] all” (135), that is no reason to criticize him.

If the author is not named within the sentence:

9 At least thirteen virtues have been credited to his name (Franklin 135). – OR –
9 “I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at the time occurred to me as necessary or
desirable” (Franklin 135). Source: Randolph Township Public Schools

continued (

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 7

Parenthetical Documentation
QUOTED MATERIAL
All quotations must be attributed to the author or source in the text of your paper. Choose
quotations carefully, keep them brief, and use them only when they are interesting, revealing, or
necessary to support your ideas. A paper that is overloaded with quotations often means that a writer
has not done much independent thinking. When quoting material, use exact capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling. Any changes you make should be clearly marked.

PUNCTUATION NOTE
• Use an ellipsis (. . .) when you omit words from a quotation: “Pairs of falcons may
hunt as a team. . . . The lower falcon scares up prey and the other . . . dives and
attacks” (Smith 19).
• Use brackets ([ ]) around words you add to a quotation: Smith says, “Falconry [hunting
with falcons] declined after the invention of guns” (35).

SHORT QUOTATIONS
Prose quotations of four lines or fewer and verse quotations of three lines or fewer are included in
the body of the paper, with quotation marks. Document your source with a parenthetical citation:
Ernest Rose says, “The highly spiritual view of the world presented in Siddhartha
exercised its appeal on West and East alike” (74). 9

9note
LONG QUOTATIONS

note placement of periods

For prose quotations of more than four lines and verse quotations of more than three
lines, indent each line 1". Continue double spacing between lines. Do not use quotation
marks. Do not right-justify. Example:
John K. Mahon offers this insight on the War of 1812:
Financing the war was very difficult. . . . Baring Brothers, a banking
firm of the enemy country, handled routine accounts for the United States
overseas, but the firm would take on no loans. The loans were in the end
absorbed by wealthy Americans at great hazard--also, as it turned out,
at great profit to them. (385) 9
Mahon clearly understands the difference between patriotism and . . .

PARAPHRASING
If you use another person’s words, facts, or ideas without using exact quotations, be sure to cite
the source of your information:
Normally, a falcon lives for only four or five years, although some have been known to
live twelve years or even longer (Wilson 68).
Source: Hackettstown School District

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 8

 Avoiding Plagiarism
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition
Plagiarizing by Repeating or Paraphrasing Wording (p. 71)
ORIGINAL SOURCE
(page 625 of an essay by Wendy Martin in Columbia Literary History of the United States)
Some of Dickinson’s most powerful poems express her firmly held conviction that life
cannot be full comprehended without an understanding of death.
If you write the following sentence without documentation, you have plagiarized because you
borrowed another’s wording without acknowledgment, even though you changed its form:
PLAGIARISM
Emily Dickinson firmly believed that we cannot fully comprehend life unless we also
comprehend death.
BUT you MAY present the material if you cite your source:
As Wendy Martin has suggested, Emily Dickinson firmly believed that we cannot fully
comprehend life unless we also understand death (625).
Your source is indicated by the author’s name (“Wendy Martin”) and by a page reference in
parentheses. The name refers the reader to the corresponding entry in your works cited:
Martin, Wendy. “Emily Dickinson.” Columbia Literary History of the United States.
Emory Elliott, gen. ed. New York: Columbia UP, 1988. 609-26.
You have plagiarized if . . . (p. 75)
• you took notes that did not distinguish summary and paraphrase from quotation and
then presented wording from the notes as if it were your own.
• while browsing the Web, you copied text and pasted it into your paper without
quotation marks or without citing your sources.
• you presented facts without saying where you found them.
• you repeated or paraphrased someone’s wording without acknowledgment.
• you used someone’s unique or particularly apt phrase without acknowledgment.
• you paraphrased someone’s argument or presented someone’s line of thought
without acknowledgment.
• you acquired a research paper and handed in part or all of it as your own.
You can avoid plagiarism by . . . (p. 75)
• making a list of the writers and viewpoints you discovered in your research and
using this list to double-check the presentation of material in your paper.
• keeping the following three categories distinct in your notes: your ideas, your
summaries of others’ material, and any exact wording you copy.
• identifying the sources of all material you borrow--exact wording, paraphrases,
ideas, arguments, and facts.
• checking with your teacher when you are uncertain about your use of sources.

PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 9

SAMPLE FIRST PAGE
½"
1"
t’s n ame Jones 1
den e ge–
Steve Jones – Stu er’s nam od e and
pa
Teach peri na m
Mrs. Smith –
bject
an d
ent’s last
– Su Stud red.
ente
e
English 9, period 4
– Da
te
t itle is c line
e er
10 April 2001 – Th not und ords.
o
Ellington’s Adventures in Music and Geography – D our ow
nw
y
½" In studying the influence of Latin American, African, and Asian Music on
modern American composers, music historians tend to discuss such figures as Aaron
Copeland, George Gershwin, Henry Cowell, Alan Hovhaness, and John Cage (Brindle;
Griffiths 104-39; Hitchcock 173-98). They usually overlook Duke Ellington, whom
Gunther Schuller calls “one of America’s great composers” (318), probably because they
are familiar only with Ellington’s popular pieces, like “Sophisticated Lady,” “Mood
1" 1"
Indigo,” and “Solitude.” Still little known are the many ambitious orchestral suites
Ellington composed, several of which, such as Black, Brown, and Beige (originally
entitled The African Suite), The Liberian Suite, The Far East Suite, The Latin American
Suite, and Afro-Eurasian Eclipse, explore his impressions of the people, places, and
music of other countries.
½" Not all music critics, however, have ignored Ellington’s excursions into longer
musical forms. Raymond Horricks compared him with Ravel, Delius, and Debussy:
The continually enquiring mind of Ellington . . . has sought to extend
steadily the imaginative boundaries of the musical form on which it
1" subsists. . . . Ellington since the mid-1930s has been engaged upon
extending both the imagery and the formal construction of written
jazz. (122-23)
Ellington’s earliest attempts to move beyond the four-minute limit imposed by the

1" – Source: MLA –

• Double-space throughout • Left-justify all body sections

• Use a standard, 12-point font, such as Times-Roman
• Indent paragraphs ½" . . . indent long quotations 1"
• 1" margins on sides & bottom . . . ½" margin above name & page

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 10

SAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGE
½"
1" Jones 12
Works Cited
Brindle, Reginald Smith. “The Search Outwards: The Orient, Jazz, Archaisms.” The
New Music: The Avant-Garde since 1945. New York: Oxford UP, 1975. 133-45.
Burnett, James. “Ellington’s Place as a Composer.” Gammond 141-55.
Duke Ellington. 2002. Estate of Mercer K. Ellington. 3 June 2002 <http://www.
½" dukeellington.com/>.
Ellington, Duke. The Afro-Eurasia Eclipse. 1971. Fantasy, 1991.
---. Black, Brown, and Beige. 1945. RCA Bluebird, 1995.
1"
---. The Far East Suite. 1965. RCA, 1995.
1"
---. The Latin American Suite. 1969. Fantasy, 1990.
---. The Liberian Suite. LP. Philips, 1947.
Gammond, Peter, ed. Duke Ellington: His Life and Music. 1958. New York: Da Capo,
½" 1977.
Griffiths, Paul. A Concise History of Avant-Garde Music: From Debussy to Boulez. New
York: Oxfod UP, 1978.
Hitchcock, H. Wiley. Music in the United States: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Englewood
Cliffs: Prentice, 1974.
Horricks, Raymond. “The Orchestral Suites.” Gammond 122-31.
Lawrence, A. H. Duke Ellington and His World: A Biography. New York: Routledge,
2001.
Schuller, Gunther. Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development. New York: Oxford
UP, 1968.
1" – Source: MLA –

• 12-point Times-Roman • Left-justify

• Alphabetical order • Double-space throughout
• 1st lines are flush left • 2nd lines are indented ½”
• 1" margins on sides & bottom . . . ½" margin above name & page

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 11

SAMPLE MLA ENTRIES FOR THE WORKS CITED PAGE
SAMPLE WORKS CITED
ENTRIES (PRINT MATERIAL)
Book (one author) – p. 147+
Last name, First name. Title. City of publication:
Publisher, Year of publication.
Meyers, Jeffrey. Robert Frost. Boston: Houghton,
1966.
------------------------------
Book (two or three authors) – p. 154+
Last name, First name, First name Last name, and
First name Last name. Title. City of
publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Bennett, William J., John J. Dilulio, Jr., and John
P. Walters. Body Count. New York: Simon,
1996.
------------------------------
Book (four or more authors) – p. 154+
Cite only the first author, name reversed, followed
by “et al” (Latin for “and others”).
Drennan, Marilyn et al. Teaching is My Life.
Millburn: Millburn UP, 2002.
------------------------------
Book (edited) – p. 152+
Last name, First name, ed. Title. City of
publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Miller, Jim, ed. The Rolling Stone Illustrated
History of Rock and Roll. New York:
Random, 1980.
PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.
WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006)
Book (corporate author) – p. 157
Name of organization. Title. City of publication:
Publisher, Year of publication.
American Medical Association. Health Care
Almanac. Chicago: AMA, 1998.
------------------------------
Unknown Author – p. 163
Begin with title, alphabetize by first word other
than a, an, the.
Title. City of publication: Publisher, Year of
publication.
The Holocaust Chronicle. Lincolnwood, Illinois:
Publications International, 2000.
(Include city and state of place of publication if city
is not well-known.)
------------------------------
Book (author with editor) – p. 163+
Last name, First name. Title. Ed. First name Last
name of editor. City of publication: Publisher,
Year of publication.
Steinbeck, John. The Portable Steinbeck. Ed.
Pascal Covici, Jr. New York: Penguin, 1971.
------------------------------
Book in a Series – p. 170+
Last name, First name. Title. Ed. First name Last
name of editor. Title of Series. Series number
if available. City of publication: Publisher,
Year of publication.
MacDonald, Ruth K. Louisa May Alcott. Ed. Lewis
Leary. Twayne’s United States Authors Series.
457. Boston: Twayne, 1983.
page 12
SAMPLE MLA ENTRIES FOR THE WORKS CITED PAGE
Encyclopedia Entry (signed) – p. 160+
Last name, First name. “Title of entry.” Title of
encyclopedia. Year of publication.
Singer, Sanford. “Human Growth Hormone.”
Encyclopedia of Genetics. 1999.
------------------------------
Encyclopedia Entry (unsigned) – p. 160+
“Title of entry.” Title of encyclopedia. Year of
publication.
“Clothing.” The World Book Student Discovery
Encyclopedia. 2000.
------------------------------
Entries in a Single-Volume Reference
Book – p. 160+
If the entry is signed, list the author first; often
entries are signed with initials identified elsewhere
in the work; if unsigned, begin with entry title.
Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of
volume. Ed. First name Last name. City of
publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Endo, Traci. “Inouye, Daniel Ken.” Encyclopedia
of Japanese American History. Ed. Brian
Niiya. New York: Scribner’s, 1976.
------------------------------
Entry in a Multivolume Reference
Work – p. 167+
(All volumes have the same title, an editor, and
signed entries.)
Last name, First name. “Entry title.” Title of
volume. Ed. First name Last name. Volume
number. City of publication: Publisher, Year
of publication.
Jones, J. Sydney. “F. Scott Fitzgerald.” Authors and
Artists for Young Adults. Ed. Thomas
McMahon. Vol. 24. Detroit: Gale, 1998.
WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006)
Entry in a Multivolume Reference
Work (unsigned)
“Title of entry.” Title of volume. Ed. First name
Last name. Volume number. City of
publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
“To an Athlete Dying Young.” Poetry for
Students. Ed. Mark K. Ruby. Vol. 7. Detroit:
Gale, 2000.
------------------------------
Entry in a Multivolume Reference
Work – p. 169+
(All volumes have different titles, an editor, and
signed entries. If unsigned, begin with entry title.)
Last name, First name. “Entry title.” Title of
volume. Volume number and title of series or
reference work. Ed. First name Last name.
City of publication: Publisher, Year of
publication.
Wesley, Marilyn C. “Joyce Carol Oates.” American
Short Story Writers Since World War II.
Vol. 130 of Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Ed. Patrick Meanor. Detroit: Gale, 1993.
------------------------------
Entry in a Multivolume Work (Collections
of Excerpts from Critical Articles)
Last name, First name of critic. “Title of entry.”
Title of volume. Volume number. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Kael, Pauline. “Steven Spielberg.” Contemporary
Literary Criticism. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale,
1982.
PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.
page 13
SAMPLE MLA ENTRIES FOR THE WORKS CITED PAGE
Work in an Anthology – p. 158+
Last name, First name of author. “Title of
selection.” Title of anthology. Ed. First name
Last name. City of publication: Publisher,
Year of publication. Page numbers.
White, E. B. “Once More to the Lake.” Patterns
for College Writing. Eds. Laurie Kirszner and
Stephen Mandell. New York: St. Martin’s,
1995. 160-67.
------------------------------
Reprinted Work in an Anthology or
Collection – p. 160
Last name, First name. “Title of reprinted entry.”
* Rpt. in Title of work. Ed. First name Last
name. Series title if applicable. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Page numbers.
*Reprinted in
Keller, Barbara L. “Guns Are Not an Effective
Means of Self-Defense.” Rpt. in Gun Control.
Ed. Tamara Roleff. Opposing Viewpoints. San
Diego: Greenhaven, 1997. 104 -07.
------------------------------
Periodical (Magazine) Article –
Weekly – p. 187+
(If the article is unsigned, begin with the title.)
Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of
magazine Day Month Year of publication:
page numbers.
Perkins, Sid. “New Fossil Sheds Light on
Dinosaurs’ Diet.” Science News 1 Sept. 2001:
133.
WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006)
Periodical (Magazine) Article –
Monthly – p. 187+
Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of
magazine Month Year of publication: page
numbers.
Henry, Ed. “Unload Your Lemon.” Kiplinger’s
Personal Finance Sept. 2001: 126-30.
------------------------------
Newspaper Article – Daily – p. 185+
Last name, First Name. “Title of article.” Title of
newspaper [City of Publication if not in title]
Day Month Year, ed. (if specified): pages.
Abrams, Jim. “$15 Billion Bailout Advances for
Airlines.” Star-Ledger [Newark] 21 Sept.
2001, final ed.: 10.
------------------------------
Review – p. 188+
Last name, First name of reviewer. “Title of
review.” Rev. of Title of work reviewed, by
author First name Last name. Title of
periodical Date of publication: page numbers.
Wood, Gordon S. “In the American Grain.” Rev. of
John Adams, by David McCullough. New
York Review of Books 21 June 2001: 33-37.
(The title of the film might also be the title of the
review. If so, repeat the title of the film.)
PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.
page 14
SAMPLE MLA ENTRIES FOR THE WORKS CITED PAGE
Film – p. 198+
Title of film. Dir. First name Last name.
Performers if pertinent. Name of distributor,
year of release.
Saving Private Ryan. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf.
Tom Hanks and Matt Damon. DreamWorks,
1998.
A film, videotape or DVD entry usually begins
with the title. However, if the contributions of a
particular person are the focus of the entry, begin
with that person’s name.
DVD or Videotape – p. 198+
A DVD or videotape is cited much like a film.
However, include the medium (e.g., DVD) before
the name of the distributor, as well as both the
original release date and the distributor’s release
date.
Garland, Judy, perf. The Wizard of Oz. Dir. Victor
Fleming. 1939. DVD. Warner, 1999.
------------------------------
Interview – p. 202+
Last name, First name of interviewee. “Title of
Interview if given.” Interviewer’s name if
pertinent. Appropriate publication
information for the type of source.
Winfrey, Oprah. “Oprah: America’s Beloved.”
Interview with Steven Reddicliffe. TV Guide
10 Oct. 1998: 16+.
(If the interview is untitled and unattributed, use
the label Interview with no quotation marks.)
Wyeth, Sharon Denis. Interview. 23 June 2001.
WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006)
INTERNET WEBSITE
World Wide Web – p. 207++
Only information that is given in the Internet
source can be cited. If the URL of the webpage is
long and complicated, simply provide the URL of
the site’s search page.
Last name, First name of author. “Title of article.”
Title of website. Name of editor. Date of
electronic publication or latest update. Institution
or organization sponsoring the site if available.
Date of access <URL>.
Kanner, Ellen. “Barbara Kingsolver Turns to Her
Past to Understand the Present.” First Person
Book Page. 1998. 26 Mar. 2002
<www.bookpage.com/9811bp/
barbara_kingsolver.html>.
“NIDA Info Facts: crack and cocaine.” National
Institute of Drug Abuse. March 2005. U.S.
Dept. of Health and Human Services. 23 Nov.
2005 <http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/
cocaine.html>.
PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.
page 15
The Traditional Note Card Method
Use index cards for note cards and source cards. Each note card should contain the following:
9 subject divisions (1) that are based on your preliminary outline
9 paraphrased notes / information (3) from your source —
HINTS: be accurate; enclose direct quotations in quotation marks;
use key words and phrases rather than full sentences
9 a source identification letter (2) that corresponds to the works cited card and identifies
the source of the information
9 the specific page numbers (5) where the information was found

SAMPLE NOTE CARD

A 2
1 Hessians in Trenton

3 { paid mercenary troops

enjoyed scenic Delaware area

4 { “. . . strong fighters who sold their skills

to the highest bidder.”
p. 37 5

KEY SAMPLE WORKS CITED CARD

1 — SUBJECT division
A
2 — SOURCE identification
LETTER
Morgan, Edmund. The Birth of
3 — Paraphrased NOTES

4 — Direct QUOTE
from the source
6 { the Republic. Chicago: U of

Chicago P, 1956.
5 — PAGE NUMBER where
where this information
was found

6 — Complete WORKS
CITED information Source: Randolph Township Public Schools

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 16

An Alternate Notetaking Method
NAME: Lisa Jones NOTE: use this quote in the introduction
Source type: Book ___ Periodical ___ Encycl. ___ Internet X
Video ___ Govt. pub. ___ Interview ___ Other ___
Author: John H. Oakley Editor / Site Manager: Gregory Crane
Article title (story, poem, article, etc.): “The Achilles Painter”
Title (book, magazine, newspaper, website, etc.): The Perseus Project
Edition: _____ Vol.: _____ No.: _____ Page(s): ________________
Publisher / Institution: Tufts University Date published: 10 Mar. 1997
Date accessed: 14 May 1998
URL (www): <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Secondary/Painter_Essays/Achilles_toc.html>

Notes / Statistics / Quotations: ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Source: Hunterdon Central Regional High School (see next page for template)

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 17

NAME: ____________________________ NOTE: ________________________________________

Source type: Book ___ Periodical ___ Encycl. ___ Internet ___
Video ___ Govt. pub. ___ Interview ___ Other ___

Author: _____________________________ Editor / Site Manager: __________________________

Article title (story, poem, article, etc.): ____________________________________________________

Title (book, magazine, newspaper, website, etc.): ___________________________________________

Edition: _____ Vol.: _____ No.: _____ Page(s): ________________

Publisher / Institution: ______________________________ Date published: ________________

Date accessed: _________________

URL (www): ________________________________________________________________________

Notes / Statistics / Quotations: ________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
ONLINE Sources – Millburn High School Library

SAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRY ONLINE

SOURCE
Burress, Lee. “The Grapes of Wrath: Preserving Its Place in the Curriculum.” Student/History
Resource Center:
Censored Books: Critical Viewpoints. Ed. Nicholas Karolides, Lee Burress chapter in edited
printed book
and John Kean. Scarecrow Press, 1993. 278-86. EXPLORING Novels. reproduced in an
online database
2003. Student Resource Center. Infotrac. Millburn HS Lib. 9 June 2005

<http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mill56914>.

“The European Market Unifies, 1992.” DISCovering World History. 2003. Student/History
Resource Center:
Student Resource Center. Infotrac. Millburn HS Lib. 11 Nov. 2004 online database:
no author, no print
<http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mill56914>. counterpart

“Motion Pictures: Screen Violence (1990s).” American Decades 1990-1999. Ed. Student/History
Resource Center:
Tandy McConnell. Detroit. Gale, 2001. Student Resource Center. 2004. book chapter with
editor, no author
Infotrac. Millburn HS Lib. 23 June 2004 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/

itweb/mill56914>.

“National Prohibition Act (Volstead Act).” American Decades. 2003. Student Student/History
Resource Center:
Resource Center. Infotrac. Millburn HS Lib. 14 Oct. 2005 <http:// primary source
document reproduced
infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mill56914>. in database

Wallis, Claudia. “Too Young to Die: the Supreme Court nixes the Juvenile Student/History
Resource Center:
Death Penalty. What that says about the Justices’ thinking and ours.” Time magazine article
with author
165: 11-14. Mar. 2005: 40. Student Resource Center. Infotrac. Millburn

HS Lib. 13 July 2005 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mill56914>.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 19

ONLINE Sources – Millburn High School Library

SAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRY ONLINE

SOURCE
Bishop, John. “Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” Explicator 51.4 Summer (1993): CLC-Select:
journal article
252-55. Contemporary Literary Criticism-Select. Infotrac. BCCLS. 17 May with author

2004 <http://www.bccls.org>.

“Alice Hoffman.” Contemporary Authors Online. Infotrac. BCCLS. 11 Oct. Contemporary

Authors Online
2005 <http://www.bccls.org>.

Johnson, Glen M. “Stephen Crane.” American Short-Story Writers, 1880-1910. Literature Resource
Center:
Vol. 78 of Dictionary of Literary Biography. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel, book chapter in
DLB with author
1989. Literature Resource Center. Infotrac. BCCLS. 29 Oct. 2004

<http://www.bccls.org>.

Toth, Emily. “Kate Chopin’s The Awakening as Feminist Criticism.” Southern Literature Resource
Center:
Studies 2.3-4 Fall-Winter (1991):231-241. Twentieth-Century Literary reprinted critical
journal excerpt in
Criticism. Vol. 127. Literature Resource Center. Infotrac. BCCLS. 24 Aug. TCLC

2005 <http://www.bccls.org>.

Braunschweiger, Jennifer. “Society Does Not Take Anorexia as Seriously as Opposing Viewpoints
Resource Center:
Other Diseases.” Anorexia. Ed. Daniel A. Leone. At Issue Series. book chapter
in series with author
Greenhaven, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 2004. Infotrac. and editor

Millburn HS Lib. 8 Dec. 2004 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/

mill56914>.

Leatherbarrow, William J. “Enlightened Malevolence.” Fedor Dostoevsky. Twayne’s Author

Series Online:
Twayne’s World Authors Series. New York: G.K. Hall, 1981. Twayne’s book chapter
in series with author,
World Authors Series Online. 1999. Infotrac. Millburn HS Lib. 16 no editor

Sept. 2004 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mill56914>.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 20

ONLINE Sources – Millburn High School Library

SAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRY ONLINE

SOURCE
Kunka, Andrew J. “War Movies.” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Gale Virtual
Reference Library:
Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5. Detroit: St. James, 2000. part of an e-book

75-79. 5 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Infotrac. Millburn HS Lib.

30 Apr. 2005 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mill56914>.

Scaief, Katie. “Womb pollution.” E Magazine: The Environmental Magazine Ebsco:

Magazine article in
Nov/Dec 2004:12. Masterfile Premier. Ebscohost Web. Millburn HS Lib. Masterfile Premier

29 July 2005 <http://search.epnet.net>.

Brandon, Karen. “Sex education experts debate effectiveness of abstinence Ebsco:

newspaper article in
programs for teens.” Chicago Tribune 10 Aug. 2001. Newspaper Source Newspaper Source

Ebscohost Web. Millburn HS Lib. 13 Oct. 2004 <http:// search.epnet.net>.

“Germany.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia online:

no author
Millburn HS Lib. 2 Nov. 2004 <http://school.eb.com>.

Sheehan, James J. “Germany.” World Book. 2004. World Book Online. Encyclopedia online:
with author
Millburn HS Lib. 15 June 2004 <http://www.worldbookonline.com>.

“Belarus.” CountryWatch. 2004. CountryWatch.com. Millburn HS Lib. 3 Online subscription

database
Feb. 2005 <http://www.countrywatch.com>.

Ulevich, Neal. Fall of Saigon. 29 April 1975. AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive. Online subscription
photo database
Millburn HS Lib. 14 Sept. 2005 <http://ap.accuweather.com>.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 21

ONLINE Sources – Millburn High School Library

SAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRY ONLINE

SOURCE
Maslin, Janet. “Tom Hanks as an Interloper in History.” Rev. of Forrest Gump, Movie review online:
print counterpart
dir. Robert Zemeckis. New York Times on the Web 6 July 1994. 6 Dec.

2004 <http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/msearch.html?st=a&query=

forrest+gump&x=13&y=5>.

Berardinelli, James. Rev. of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, dir. Lasse Hallstrom. Movie review online:
no print counterpart
ReelViews. 1994. 6 Dec. 2004 <http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/

movies/w/whats_eating.html>.

“Poem Explanation: ‘Mending Wall’ by Robert Frost.” Litfinder. Thomson Gale. Litfinder:
poem explanation
Millburn HS Lib. 12 June 2005 <http://www.litfinder.com>.

Johnson, Samuel. “A Passage in Macbeth.” Selected English Essays. Ed. George Litfinder:
chapter of criticism
Green Loane. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1921. Litfinder. Thomson Gale. reprinted from book
with author
Millburn HS Lib. 7 Sept. 2005 <http://www.litfinder.com>.

Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” Litfinder. Thomson Gale. Litfinder:
text of poem
Millburn HS Lib. 23 June 2005 <http://www.litfinder.com>.

Morris, Lawrence P., ed. “ Intellectual Life : Education, England.” Greenwood Greenwood
Daily Life:
Daily Life Online. Greenwood Publishing. 15 June 2005 <http:// encyclopedia article

dailylife.greenwood.com>.

Garland, Robert. “Private Life: Food and Drink.“ Daily Life of the Ancient Greenwood
Daily Life:
Greeks. Greenwood Daily Life Online. Greenwood Publishing. 25 June chapter in book

2005 <http:/dailylife.greenwood.com>.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 22

ONLINE Sources – Millburn High School Library

SAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRY ONLINE

SOURCE
“From Ernest N. Emenyonu, The Rise Of The Igbo Novel (1978).” Greenwood Greenwood
Daily Life:
Daily Life Online. Greenwood Publishing. 1 June 2005 <http:// primary source

dailylife.greenwood.com>.

“Alice Hoffman.” Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 37. Gale, 2000. Biography Resource
Center:
Biography Resource Center. 2005. Infotrac. BCCLS. 29 Oct. 2005 AAYA online

<http://www.bccls.org>.

FORMAT
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of document.” Title of database,

professional or personal site. Ed. of database/site if available (first last INTERNET

WEBSITE
name). Date of electronic publication. Name of institution/organization

associated with site. Date of access <http://web address>.

PLAGIARISM
• Any student guilty of plagiarism
will receive a ZERO for work on
which plagiarism occurred.

WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER (Aug. 2006) page 23