ENG151 - Navigating Information: Source Evaluation

General Guidelines

Always check with your instructor on their paper formatting requirements, which may override regular formatting guidelines.

• No Title page needed
• Spacing: double-spaced
• Font: 12 point
• Punctuation spacing: Leave one space after periods or other punctuation marks
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Indent: Use the Tab key to indent 1/2" the first line of each paragraph automatically
• Header: Flush with the right margin; include your last name followed by a space with a page number
• Page numbering: All pages are numbered consecutively in the header, flush with the right margin, one-half inch from the top.
• Italicize titles of longer works mentioned in your paper
• Section headings: if you choose to use them to organize your paper, be consistent with the formatting
• Works Cited page appears at the end; each in-text citation should have a corresponding complete citation on the Works Cited page

The First Page

1. Type your name, the instructor's name, the course, and the date (double-spaced) in the upper-left corner.
2. Double-space again and type the title of your paper. Align your title to the center. The title should not be underlined, italicized, or in quotes. Use title case (capitalize all appropriate words).

Basic Format of MLA In-Text Citations

(author last name page number) --> example: (Rizzo 48)

• Do not put a comma between the name and the page number.
• The sentence punctuation appears outside the parentheses.

Example - one author: Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

Example - two authors: "Accessibility is of fundamental importance in all classrooms, including the library classroom" (Pionke and Rutledge 161).

Example—more than two authors: By seeking ways to improve their instruction, they realized they were undergoing the same process they asked of their students (Douglas et al. 411).

Parenthetical Citations

When you refer to the author's name and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence, these are often used after a direct quote.

Example: "Information creation and consumption will always be a significant part of our lives and our society, influencing how we understand and interact with the world" (Cooke 3).

Narrative Citations

When you refer to some or all of the work in your writing, these are often used when paraphrasing or summarizing.

In this example, we refer to the author in our narrative, and the page number appears in parentheses at the end.

Example: Cooke described acquiring information literacy skills as a lifelong process (2).

General Guidelines

• Works Cited appears as the title on the top of the page, centered
• Spacing: Double-space citations; do not add an extra space in between each citation
• Indent: After the first line of the citation, indent each line 1/2" thereafter. This is called a Hanging Indent.
• Page number abbreviations: Use p to refer to one page, pp to refer to a range of pages, and so on.
• Punctuation: All entries end with a period.
• Order: Entries are listed alphabetically by author's last name. Works without an author are alphabetized by title of the work.

Hanging Indents

In Microsoft Word:

1. From the Home tab, click the small arrow for Paragraph Settings.
2. In the Indentation section of the box that appears: from the Special drop-down box, click Hanging.
3. Click Ok.

In Google Docs:

1. From the Format menu, click Align & Indent. Then click Indentation Options.
2. From the Special Indent drop-down list, click Hanging.
3. Click Apply.