SOME IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR ALL MLA STYLE PAPERS:
Do not use unreliable sources…for example:
Sparknotes
Wikipedia
Cliffnotes
123Helpme
Shmoop
Any site that has example papers and just tells you what to think. USING THIS SITES, OR ANY LIKE THEM, WILL RESULT IN FAILURE.If you are unsure if a site is reliable, email me and ******************
NEVER INTRODUCE NEW IDEAS IN YOUR CONCLUSION.
AVOID USING DIRECT QUOTES IN YOUR INTRODUCTION OR CONCLUSION. Sometimes a quote from an outside source is okay if it captures the point of your thesis but avoid quoting primary texts.
You need to include in text quotations and citations from whatever primary texts you are discussing and TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES!
Make a connection between the outside source you are using and your thesis and primary text.
Do not retell the story! Analyze and explain your thesis (which is your main point).
ONLY USE RELIABLE OUTSIDE SOURCES! Do not copy and paste or simply change a few words around from an unreliable source. If it was easy for you to find information to copy and paste from the internet, it’s just as easy for me to find it.
Make sure you get the character’s names right, as well as the author. It comes off as sloppy if you mix up characters or what author wrote what.
Read over your work. Have someone else read over your work. If I wrote on your paper to get help from The Learning Center, do it! Take your paper with you and they can help you out.
“Short Stories” (Quotation Marks)
Novels, Plays and Films (Italics)