Constructing a Documented Essay p (Elements of Literature, 4 th Course) and

Documented Essay Thesis statement MLA page format Avoiding plagiarism Works Cited British Writers Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Thesis statement States the main idea of the paper Placed at the end of the introductory paragraph Be careful not to be too vague or to include specific details Charlotte Bronte Emily Bronte

Page Format John Smith (Name) Mrs. Ward (Teacher) English 12 (Class) 23 April 2012 (Date) Title Begin your introductory paragraph with an attention grabber. Don’t forget to indent each paragraph. Do not space again between paragraphs when your paper is double-spaced. The last intro sentence is the thesis statement.

Page Format Last name 2 Continue typing on this page. Don’t forget to double space. In the top right-hand corner of each page, with the exception of the first, make sure your last name and the page number are listed. Make sure all paragraphs are indented. Use standard spacing and Times New Roman size 12 font; do not adjust the margins.

Avoiding Plagiarism Whenever an idea is not common knowledge, you must cite your source This includes –Direct quotes – the text is copied word for word from the source and must be enclosed in quotation marks –Paraphrasing – the information is put in your own words –Summarizing – giving an overview of information George Orwell

Avoiding Plagiarism For MLA format, you must include a parenthetical (or in-text) citation to cite your source of information Every piece of information that is not common knowledge MUST be cited! (Note: If you use more than one sentence from the same source consecutively, you may cite after the second sentence.) See page 764. Virginia Woolf

Avoiding Plagiarism In most cases, this will be the author’s name and the page number –Example: (Smith 47). –Do not include “p.” or “page” –Do not put a comma between the name and number –Put the period AFTER the parentheses Dylan Thomas

Avoiding Plagiarism Two sources – both names and pages separated by a semicolon –(Johnson 50; Smith 78). Stating the author in the sentence – just include the page number in parentheses –Johnson says…. (50). Literary works with multiple editions – put the page number, a semicolon, and the chapter –(Stoker 78; ch. 4). J.K. Rowling

Avoiding Plagiarism Two authors with the same last name – include the first initial for each –(A. Smith 37).(R. Smith 119). Multiple works by the same author – include a shortened version of the title in quotation marks and the page number –("Hand-Eye Development" 17). J.M. Barrie

Avoiding Plagiarism An electronic source – if the source includes paragraph numbers rather than page numbers, use the abbreviation par. (or pars.) and the number(s); if it has no paragraph or page numbers, cite the work in the text of the paper rather than in a parenthetical reference –(Ernst, par. 20) –In her article “Limited Horizons,” Lynne Cheney says that schools do best when students read literature for its insights into the human condition.

Avoiding Plagiarism A film – include the title underlined (Van Helsing) (The Little Vampire) A television show – put the title underlined (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) A television episode – put the title in quotation marks (“The Harvest”) Mary Shelley

Works Cited The Works Cited page is the last page of the paper. It gets a page to itself, so do not put it at the bottom of your conclusion. You must list all works you cite in your paper; do not include works you do not cite. List authors’ last names in alphabetical order. Try using to format your information correctly. Jonathan Swift

Works Cited Format Last name 4 Works Cited Last name, first name. Additional information. Make the first line flush to the left, but indent all following lines. Double space, but do not skip another space between entries. Continue until all cited works are listed.

Documented Essay: British Writers Jane Austen H.G. Wells Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Beatrix Potter Agatha Christie Lord Byron

Documented Essay: British Writers John Milton C.S. Lewis Elizabeth Barrett Browning J.R.R. Tolkien James Joyce Lewis Carroll

Documented Essay: British Writers