LivoniaSenior High School

Format Guide for Research Papers

2013

Use the information in this document to help you with:

Section: Page #

Source Citations: Where to find help 2

How to Use NoodleBib 2-3

NoodleBib FAQs 4-5

MLA Common Citation Types

plus Tips on how to tell them apart 6-8

Note cards 9

Title Page 10

Thesis Statement and Outline 11-12

Text 13

Parenthetical References 14-15

Works Cited Page 16

Name ______

How to Use NoodleBib

To create a personal account:

  • Click on NoodleTools on the Livonia HS Library Web page.
  • Click on Create a Personal ID. On the next screen (“Subscription Type”) click“An account linked to a school/library subscription or trial.” Click “Register.”
  • Then enter the School / Library account info:
  • Username – (see library staff for passwords)
  • Password – (see library staff for passwords)
  • Click “I am a student”.
  • Enter a login. You’ll need:
  • personal ID of at least four characters ______
  • password of at least six characters ______
  • your initials ______
  • the last four digits of your phone number ______
  • Click the “register” button.

To use an account you created last year:

  • Click on NoodleTools on the Livonia HS Library Web page.
  • Log in with your Personal ID and password
  • Re-validate your account by entering the School / Library account info:
  • Username – (see library staff for passwords)
  • Password – (see library staff for passwords)

To create a new list:

  • Click “Create a New Project” button.
  • Choose MLA Advanced.
  • Name your new project in “description”; i.e., “Eng 12”. When you click the “Create Project” button (or press “enter” on your keyboard), a project “Dashboard” page will open.

You will be able to access this project and any others you make, every time you log in. Projects will stay in your account.

  • To create a list of sources, click “Works Cited” (or “Bibliography”) at the lower left.
  • For each new citation, go to the pull-down menu at the top of the page. Select the type of source you are using; i.e., “magazine”, “book”, “reference source”, “website”, etc., then click on the “Create Citation” button. For help in selecting a source type, refer to pages 4 and 6-8 of this Format Guide.
  • Enter the information for the source. Use the help links (for example, “What words should be capitalized?”) for help with titles, page numbers, etc.
  • When you are done entering the information for a source, click “generate citation”.
  • Citations remain in your list unless you choose to delete them.
  • When you have finished working, click on the “Sign Out” link at the upper right.

To add more citations oredit a list:

  • Click on NoodleTools buttonon the Livonia HS Library Web page.
  • Open your personal folder by entering your personal username and password.
  • Click on the name of the list you want to modify, and then click “Bibliography”.
  • Add new sources as you did earlier (use the pull-down menu at the top of the page).
  • To edit a citation, click on the “edit” link to the right of the citation.

After you edit a citation, you must click the “update citation” button at the bottom of the page.

  • When you have finished editing, click on the “Sign Out” link at the top of the page.

To print and save a list:

  • Click on the “Export and Print” link at the bottom of the page. You may have to use the “click here” link if your computer’s pop-up blocker is activated.
  • Important! If you make any changes (i. e., font) before you print your list, be careful to not change the double spacing or the indenting of the citations!
  • If you are submitting this copy to Mrs. D’Onofrio for corrections, add your name, teacher’s name, class period (day and block), and topic to the top of the page, like this:
  • Rename the list before you save it.
  • Be sure to save your list in your folder in the “H” drive, rather than on the desktop.

NoodleBib FAQs

  1. Question: How do I know what to choose – “Web Site” or “Database”?

Answer: Any article you find through a library’s “Subscription Database” or “Resources” page is from an “Online Database”. You usually need to type a password to get access to online database articles. Any other source you find on the Internet can be cited as a “Web Site”.

  1. Question: OK, I have an online database article. The first question NoodleBib asks is “What type of source are you citing from the database?” How do I know which type to choose?

Answer: Most of the articles in our databases are from books or periodicals (magazines, journals, newspapers). Look for source-type tabs across the top or in the sidebar of your database search results. Sometimes there is a heading in the article that indicates “source type”.

Some of our databases have articles from limited source types:

Database / Source Type
Gale E-Books (Gale Virtual Reference Library) / Book articles
Salem Press E-Books / Book articles
GV Ebooks / Book articles
Genetics 101 / Book articles
Twayne Authors / Book articles
Britannica Online School Edition, Encyclopedia Americana,
Grolier Encyclopedia,
New Book of Knowledge / Reference (encyclopedia) articles
CQ Researcher / Journal articles
NOVEL Gale Periodicals / Magazine, Journal, and Newspaper Articles

The following databases have “Original Content created for this database”:

Career Cruising

CountryWatch

NOVEL Business and Company (the “Company Profiles”)

Culturegrams

  1. Question: Do I have to include a URL?

Answer: Though MLA Version 7 does not require it, we ask that you do. For a web site,

please enter the entire URL (unless it is very long, in which case you may enter the URL of

the home page – up to the first slash – and the path, or sequence of links you clicked on).

For a subscription database article, you may include the URL up to the first slash, or leave

off the URL entirely.

4. Question: How do I find the “title of reference book” or “title of periodical” for an article

from a database?

Answer: Look at the top or far left of the article for a line that says “text” or “source”.

5. Question: Where do I find “Additional Information” like compilers, translators, and

series of a book?

Answer: Any essential information about the book (except volume number and

total number of volumes) should be included on the title page.

If it is not on the title page, skip it!

  1. Question: Is “edition” the same as “volume number”?

Answer: No! Publishers put out a new edition of a book when they want to make

changes in the original, often because new information has become available since

the original was published. This version would then be called the “revised” or

“second” edition.

  1. Question: The title of this subscription database article is not capitalized. Is it ok to just copy it

that way?

Answer: MLA Formatting rules require that you capitalize all the important words in a title,

whether the source you’re using does so or not. To get it right (and avoid losing a lot of

points), click on the “What words should be capitalized?” link when you are adding a new

source in NoodleBib.

  1. Question: What is a Government Publication?

Answer: A government publication (government document) is any document published by the United States GPO (Government Printing Office) in Washington, D.C. or any document published by a state or provincial government, or any document published by the government of another country. Many U.S. government documents can be found at FDSYS(Federal Digital

System).

The most important thing to remember:

The person(s) reading your paper will need to be able to locate the sources you used – be sure your citations make that possible! Include all essential info!

MLA Common Citation Types

Plus Tips on how to distinguish types of citations
More examples available at

-- DOCUMENTING SOURCES

-- MLA list of works cited

Books:

Tip: MLA Bookcitations list the city of publication, followed by a colon; then the publisher, followed by a comma; then the year of publication.

Book with one author:

Author’s LN, FN MN. Title of Book. City: Publisher, date of publication. Medium.

Example:

Jackson, Guida M. Women Who Ruled. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1990. Print.

Chapter/ Section of a book:

Author’s LN, FN MN. “Chapter Title.” Title of Book. City: Publisher, date. Page #s. Medium.

Example:

Jackson, Guida M. “Catherine the Great.” Women Who Ruled. Santa Barbara, CA:

ABC-CLIO, 1990. 45-46. Print.

Chapter/ Section of a Multi-volume book:

Section author’s LN, FN MN. “Section Title.” Title of Book. Vol. #. City: Publisher,

date. Page #s. Medium.

Example:

Gandhi, Arun. “Gandhi, Mohandas.” Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics.

Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 826 – 828. Print.

Chapter/ Section of a Multi-volume book, from a subscription database:

Section author’s LN, FN MN. “Section Title.” Title of Book. Vol. #. City: Publisher,

date. Page #s. Database Title. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

Gandhi, Arun. “Gandhi, Mohandas.” Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics.

Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 826 – 828. Gale Virtual Reference

Library. Web. 6 Nov. 2008.

Periodicals:

Tip: MLA Magazinecitations list a month or season right before the year of publication.

Magazine Article:

Article author’s LN, FN MN. “Article Title.”Magazine Title Day Month Year: Page #s. Medium.

Example:

Coyne, Andrew. “Two Crises, but One is Far More Dangerous.” Maclean’s 1 Aug. 2011: 36.

Print.

Magazine Article from a subscription database:

Article author’s LN, FN MN. “Article Title.” Magazine Title Day Month Year: Page #s.

Database Title. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

Coyne, Andrew. “Two Crises, but One is Far More Dangerous.” Maclean’s 1 Aug. 2011: 36.

General One File. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.

Tip: MLA Journalcitations list a volume number, period, and issue number right before the year of publication. The year of publication is in parentheses.

Journal Article:

Article author’s LN, FN MN. “Article Title.” Journal Title Vol. #. Iss. # (Year of publication):

Page #s. Medium.

Example:

Karon, Jeff. “A Positive Solution for Plagiarism.” Chronicle of Higher Education 50.4 (2012): 30. Print.

Journal Article from a subscription database:

Article author’s LN, FN MN. “Article Title.” Journal Title Vol. #. Iss. # (Year of publication):

Page #s. Database Title. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

Karon, Jeff. “A Positive Solution for Plagiarism.” Chronicle of Higher Education 50.4 (2012): 30. Academic

OneFile. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.

Tip: MLA Newspaper citations list a city in or after the title of the newspaper.

Newspaper Article:

Article author’s LN, FN MN. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title [City if not part of title] Day Month Yr:

Page #s (section). Medium.

Example:
Hannagan, Charley. “Police Probe Tower Sign Change; Damage to Skaneateles Facility Estimated at
more than $1000.” Post Standard [Syracuse, NY] 5 Jan. 2013: A3. Print.

Newspaper Article from a subscription database:

Article author’s LN, FN MN. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title [City if not part of title] Day Month Yr:

Page #s (section). Database Title. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

Hannagan, Charley. “Police Probe Tower Sign Change; Damage to Skaneateles Facility Estimated at
more than $1000.” Post Standard [Syracuse, NY] 5 Jan. 2013: A3. New York State Newspapers. Web. 15

Jan. 2013.

Websites:

Tip: Websites are online sources that are not from a subscription database. They

are generally NOT password-protected.

Each website citation MUST include the name of the website, the medium, the date of access, and (at LHS) the URL (URLs are not always required by MLA, but you should check with your teachers to see whether they want you to include URLs). Other information may not be available for some websites, such as the author’s name, editor’s name, publisher, or the date of publication.

Author’s LN, FN MN. “Page Title.” Site Title. Editor of Site. Site Publisher. Day Month Year of Publication.

Medium. Day Month Year of Access. <URL>.

Example:

Bessin, Ric. "Stinging Caterpillars." UKAg. Department of Entomology, UKAg, 10 Jan. 2010. Web. 15

Jan. 2013. <

Note Cards

Use 3” x 5” index cards to take notes on the material you read. Each note card will have only information on one specific topic, otherwise known as a “slug”. Every time you record information on a different topic, you must use a new note card with a new slug. Use one of these three methods to take notes from a source:

Quoting – word-for-word copying; quote only those passages which deal

directly with your subject in language which is unique or unusual

  • Use quotation marks before and after the quote
  • If you omit words in the middle of a sentence, use three periods (…) and leave a space before and after each period
  • If you omit words at the end of a sentence, use three periods plus a period for the end of the sentence (….)

Summarizing – condensing a long passage into its main ideas and supporting details using your own words (you are outlining important points)

Paraphrasing – restating a short passage in your own words

Sample of a note card:

The source reads:

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, of English parents. From 1925 to 1959, he taught at OxfordUniversity in England. He specialized in medieval languages and literature and wrote several scholarly works in this field. Tolkien’s hobbit stories show the influence of medieval English, German, and Scandinavian languages and literature. (World Book Encyclopedia, 2002)

Slug Source Number

Note

Page #

Page #

from Source

Title Page

The title page is not required for MLA format; however, some teachers prefer one. If it is required, follow this model:

Thesis Statement and Outline

Model A

NOTE: Follow this model if your teacher requires a title page. If you are not required to have a title page, follow Model B (next page).

Your thesis statement represents the fairly specific topic you intend to develop in your entire research paper. You will, of course, have many subtopics. These will contribute to the development of your thesis statement.

An outline is used to organize those subtopics into a pattern that will most effectively develop your topic. It is to be expected that your outline will change as you write your paper, depending on what you find will work and what will not work. However, your final outline should accurately reflect the paragraph topics you have included in your paper.

Take special note of the spacing below: First, the Roman Numeral with the period, then skip 2 spaces and begin writing. The “A” and the “1” begin directly under the first letter of the first word above it. Also, if you use an “A”, you must use a “B”; and if you use a “1”, you must use a “2”, etc.

Thesis Statement and Outline

Model B

Note: Follow this model outline if your teacher does not require a title page.

Start 1’’ from the top of the page

Double space the heading:

Your name

Teacher’s name

Class name

Due date

Title of paper- double spaced

Thesis statement- double spaced

Begin with Roman numeral I followed

by a period, skip 2 spaces and begin

writing.

The “A” and the “B” should begin

directly under the first letter of the

first word above it; however, Microsoft

Word indents automatically to a different

spot – CHECK with your teacher whether

this is acceptable!

If you use an “A”, you must use a “B”.

If you use a “1” under an “A” or “B”,

you must use a “2”.

First Page of Text (page 1)

Start ½” from the top of page to

type last name and page number

Starting 1” from the top of

the page, double space the

heading:

Your name

Teacher’s name

Class name

Due date

Title is centered

Indent five spaces

All text is

double-spaced

Left margin should be 1”

Right margin should be 1”

1” from bottom

Margins and Spacing

All pages of text should have a 1” margin on sides and bottom of each page. Text should be double-spaced throughout the paper.

Pagination

Number pages consecutively throughout the text in the upper right-hand corner, ½” from top and flush with the right margin. Type your last name before the page number, as a precaution in case of misplaced pages. Word processors with automatic page numbering will save you the time and effort of numbering each page. Do not use the abbreviation “p.” before a page number; do not add a period, hyphen, or any mark or symbol. Position the first line of text 1” from top of page. Page 2 would look like this:

Name & page #

Start ½” from top

1” from bottom

Parenthetical References

Authors’ names and page numbers are given in parentheses within the text or at the end of block quotations. If the source is electronic, do not give a page number. These parenthetical references are keyed to an alphabetical list of works cited, which is placed at the end of the research paper. Punctuation in the text is place after the parenthetical reference. Example: The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War (Cotton 43).

Example: