15.1: MLA and APA Format

Today’s Plan:

• Attendance
• Final Paper Feedback
• MLA and APA Format Overview
• Paper Course Evaluations
• Homework

Final Paper Feedback

One thing that came up in a lot of drafts was the benefit of roadmapping a paper in the introduction. This is a series of sentences, generally after the thesis, that lays out the parts of the paper, giving the reader a sense of what to expect. I do this in a lot of articles. It looks something like this:

This chapter begins by briefly unpacking Latour’s Non-Modern Constitution, tracing its development through his earlier writings to its explication in Politics of Nature. We then review two of Kant’s critical pieces on the role and scope of higher education, his early essay “An answer to the question ‘What is enlightenment?’” (1996) and his later, and more controversial manuscript, Conflict of the faculties (1979). Our analysis contextualizes Kant’s call for the separation of public and private duty in light of the snarly religious/political field of late 18th century Germany. Then, we detail contemporary politics’ increasing encroachment upon curriculum and funding across all levels of education. While contemporary scholars might not face the same “unpleasant measures” that Kant did, there are clear risks associated with reintegrating academic labor into the public sphere. However, despite these risks, academics must commit themselves to political action. Academics cannot remain idle; they must act before it is too late. We close by offering strategies and tactics (de Certeau, 1984) for instituting Latour’s Non-Modern Constitution. As a strategy, we present the University of South Florida’s recently approved Patel College of Global Sustainability, an interdisciplinary college dedicated to increasing scientific knowledge’s impact in the public sphere.

Perhaps an easier way to craft this is:

First, this paper examines X. Then, it turns to consider Y. Finally, it proposes Z.

Of course, you can only write this sentence *after* you have finished your paper. Chances are if you can’t summarize your paper this way, then you don’t really have a comprehensive, logically-developed argument.

MLA and APA Format Overview

You’ll note that 15% of your final paper grade concerns MLA and APA citation. I’ve broken formatting down into three main categories: paper format, in-text citations, and sources. Today I’m going to break those down into subcategories so you know what you have to address before handing in the final papers.

Which style should you use? Depends on your major. If you are in the humanities (History, English, Philosophy, Foreign Languages, anything that works primarily with words), then you will likely use MLA citation. If you are in the soft sciences (Sociology, Criminal Justice, Education, Psychology, anything that works with people, experiments, etc), then you will likely use APA format. Here is a sample list of recommendations. I strongly advise using the format that you are likely to use in your major.

Note that all of the information below is gleaned from Purdue’s OWL website for MLA or APA formatting. When it comes to formatting, if you have a question you should Google it with OWL MLA or APA. Also, it can help to take a look at a sample MLA or sample APA paper.

Finally, let me stress that I am not requiring a title page or and abstract for this paper.

General Paper Formatting

Whether you are working in MLA or APA, you need to adjust:

• The top, left, right, and bottom margins of your paper
• The page heading that runs across the top of the paper
• The alignment of the title of the paper
• The paper information (MLA: name, faculty, course, date; APA: name, university, date)
• The font size and line spacing
• Note that APA format requires subheadings through out the paper. Subheadings in APA are bolded and center-aligned (see the sample paper above). Subheadings are optional in MLA, rules for them are here.

Finally, the titles of major publications are italicized and the titles of smaller publications are put in quotation marks. Many of you will likely screw this up. Don’t. PAY ATTENTION to titles. If something is published as a whole, then it is a major publication. If something is a part of a bigger thing, then it is a minor publication. So, I italicize The Simpsons but quotation mark “Bart Sells His Soul.” I italicize Electric Ladyland but quotation mark “All Along the Watchtower.” I italicize New York Times but quotation mark “Patriots Hold on to Win Against the Jets.” Note that this applies to every use of the name, and applies both in the paper and in the Works Cited or Reference list.

In-text Citations

Whether you are working in MLA or APA, you need to know how to format two kinds of quotations and to work with paraphrases. First, here is how you would compose an in-text citation for a short quote from a print source (or .pdf, anything with page numbers) in a sentence that uses the author’s name:

• MLA: McGonigal argues that “games […] augment our most essential human capabilities-to be happy, resilient, creative–and empower us to change the world in meaningful ways” (14).
• APA: McGonigal (2011) argued that “games […] augment our most essential human capabilities-to be happy, resilient, creative–and empower us to change the world in meaningful ways” (p. 14).

Here’s how those sentences look as a paraphrase:

• McGonigal attributes three primary benefits to games, that they can increase our happiness, resilency, and creativity (14).
• McGonigal (2011) attributed three primary benefits to games, that they can increase our happiness, resilency, and creativity (p. 14).

Here’s how those sentences look if you are quoting an electronic source that doesn’t have page numbers:

• McGonigal argues that “games […] augment our most essential human capabilities-to be happy, resilient, creative–and empower us to change the world in meaningful ways.”
• McGongial (2011) argued that “games […] augment our most essential human capabilities-to be happy, resilient, creative–and empower us to change the world in meaningful ways” (para. 8).

Note the darn period. In both MLA and APA, commas and periods ALWAYS

In a number of drafts, I pointed out the need to block format quotations longer than 3 lines. In both MLA and APA, block quotations are indented 1/2 inch from the margin of the page. Double-check your spacing with block quotes. Many students write papers single-spaced, and then double-space after the paper is complete. If you do this, there’s a good chance you will have an extra space in your paper. I have to penalize you for this.

Sample MLA and APA paper.

Works Cited and Reference Lists

There are many engines out there that can craft citations for you, such as the citation machine. Just make sure you know how to properly format the citation page.

In MLA, the Works Cited begins on its own page. Entries in the list are arranged alphabetically by last name. You also need to create a hanging indent in MLA. Here is a link to easy instructions for creating a hanging-indent in Word (make sure your ruler is viewable). Double-space citations, do not skip an extra line between citations (similar to the issue with spacing and block quotes, be sure to double-check this if you double-space after you finish writing your paper).

In APA, the Reference list is also alphabetical. Entries are also alphabetized. You still need to create a hanging indent. There are really specific rules for what gets capitalized (journal and book titles yes, article titles no). Also, you do not put article titles in quotation marks.

Homework

We will be meeting in the computer lab on Wednesday for a bit more practice with MLA and APA format. Please bring your papers as well! Friday, I will go over proofreading strategies for the final paper and talk about turning the paper in.