MLA Made Easy: Citation Basics for Beginners

by Marilyn Heath

Overview

A concise, handy guidebook for teaching correct MLA-style citation to middle and high school researchers.

MLA Made Easy: Citation Basics for Beginners offers an effective way to introduce proper research citing to those who are new to research and the MLA style. Full of examples and practical tips, it provides teachers with everything they need to help even the most reluctant middle- and high school student researchers create accurate, complete citations in the MLA format.

MLA Made Easy includes instructions and examples for citing all common sources, from reference books to websites, as well as online databases, magazines, interviews, and videos. Coverage is divided into three parts: how to create citations for the works cited page, parenthetical documentation, and research paper formatting. Based on the 2009 revision of the MLA Handbook, it offers clear, precise, and up-to-date guidelines for showing students in their formative research experiences the importance of correctly citing their sources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781586833435
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/30/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Marilyn Heath has worked as a media specialist and educator for the past 18 years, becoming a National Board Certified Teacher in 2003.

Table of Contents

Table of Figures
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction: Getting Ready to Cite
MLA Style
Contents and Organization
PART I: UNDERSTANDING AND CREATING MLA CITATIONS
Chapter One: Research without Plagiarism
Teaching Plagiarism
Engaging Research
Research Skills
Chapter Two: Understanding MLA Citations
Guidelines for Creating Citations
Punctuation and Formatting
Citation for a Book
Citation for a Magazine Article
Citation for a Web Page
Why Not Software?
Chapter Three: Citations for Books
The Difference between an Author and an Editor
A Citation for a Book by an Author
Who Wrote the Information Used?
What Did the Author Write?
How Was It Published?
A Citation for a Book with an Editor
Who Wrote the Information Used?
What Did the Author Write?
Where Is the Piece Found?
How Was It Published?
Citations for Multivolume Reference Sets
Exceptions to the Rule: Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Chapter Four: Citations for Articles in Magazines, Jourbanals, and Newspapers
Magazines
Jourbanals
Newspapers
Chapter Five: Citing Information from Online Sources
Citing Online Sources
Information on the Web
A Scholarly Jourbanal
Information on the Web in an Online Database
E-mail
Chapter Six: Citations for Miscellaneous Sources
PART II: PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION
Chapter Seven: Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Quoting
What Teachers and Media Specialists Can Do
Chapter Eight: Parenthetical Documentation
Accuracy
Readability
PART III: FORMATTING
Chapter Nine: The Works Cited Page
Chapter Ten: Formatting a Paper in MLA Format
Formatting the Paper in Microsoft Word '97 or 2003
Formatting the Paper in Microsoft Word 2007
Common Formatting Mistakes
Citation Basics Quick Facts
Appendix A: Examples of Citations for Books
Appendix B: Examples of Citations for Periodicals
Appendix C: Examples of Citations for Computer Sources
Appendix D: Examples of Citations for Miscellaneous Sources
Appendix E: Works Cited Templates
Appendix F: Teaching Activities
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

For those who dread teaching the proper way to cite sources, or feel inadequate doing so and send students to an online source, this book is for you. . . . This would be useful to librarians in any type of school—from middle school to college. Recommended.” —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher