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=**Mr. Guise - 12th Grade English**= Welcome to the official wiki for Mr. Guise's 12th Grade Term Paper. 1 Strategies for Long Compositions 2 MLA Formatting 3 Works Cited Page 4 Useful Links 4.1 Research Links 4.2 Writing Strategies 5 Frequently Asked Questions || **Downloads (PDF Files)** 1 Assignment Sheet/Rubric (Revised) 2 [|Worksheet: Planning a Long Composition] 3 [|CMHS 2007 Writing and Research Guide] ||
 * **Contents**

=Strategies for Long Compositions= //Information and strategies for dealing with long compositions.//

[|Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab)], a rather hit-and-miss writing resource, contains a thought-provoking section about how to avoid [|writer's block/writer's anxiety]. Many of the strategies are useful for dealing with long compositions, and can be accessed by clicking [|here].

=MLA Formatting= //Information and feedback on how to handle [|MLA Formatting] and [|internal citations].//

Remember, you must have an internal citation for any material you either [|quote] or [|paraphrase]. A good rule of thumb is: If you need the source in order to complete your writing, it needs cited.

There are essentially two different formats for internal citations in MLA formatting.

The first (and preferred) way to internally cite a source is to simply state the author's name and if you prefer, the title of the work within the body of your paper. Below are three different correct examples that illustrate this strategy:
 * According to James Smith, "the rise of the global population may lead to a serious risk of mass starvation" (93).
 * According to James Smith's essay, "Too Many Babies," "the rise of the global population may lead to a serious risk of mass starvation" (93).
 * In his essay "Too Many Babies," James Smith argues that "the rise of global population may lead to a serious risk of mass starvation" (93).

The second way to internally cite a source is to include the author's last name and page number before the next punctuation mark within a sentences (in most cases, before the end punctuation). Although this is more complicated than simply including the information within a sentence, it is widely used. Here are a few examples that illustrate this strategy:
 * He said that "the rise of the global population may lead to a serious risk of mass starvation" despite knowing his statement did not have any scientific proof to support it" (Smith 93).

=Works Cited Page= //Information and feedback on formatting your [|Works Cited] page.//

Most of the works you cited will be accessed online from a database such as EBSCOhost or Thomson Gale (Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center)**.** Use this format for articles accessed in an online full-text database. Citations should include the following information, if available:
 * Author's last name, first name
 * Title of article
 * Name of periodical (underlined)
 * Volume and issue numbers
 * Date of publication: for journals the year in parentheses, for newspapers and magazines the full date.
 * Page number range or total number of pages
 * Name of the library database used
 * Name of the database provider
 * Name and location (city or state) of the library which subscribes to the database
 * Date of access
 * URL for the database provider. (EBSCO, Thomas Gale, etc.)

Below is properly-formatted MLA Works Cited list:
= =

=Useful Links=
 * || **//1. Research Links//** ||
 * || [|Infotrac (Thomson Gale): Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center] - In order to access The Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, you must first access the Canon-McMillan High School's media center page by clicking [|here]. Select the "Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center" from the first menu, then search for your topic or select one of the links on the right. Most of the resources here are full-text documents, so you don't have to be concerned about having to wade through abstracts. However, it is a good idea to select "Full Text" in order to assure that your search only contains full-text documents. ||
 * || Power Library: EBSCOhost - **In order to access the EBSCOhost database, you must have access to a local public library card.** Enter the code (found on the back of the library card) in order to gain access to Power Library. After accessing the main site, click on EBSCOhost. Make sure to search for full-text sources. Here are the links to access the database through different libraries:
 * [|Greater Canonsburg Public Library]
 * [|Peters Township Library] ||
 * || [|Google Scholar] (Peer-Reviewed Journals) ||
 * || //**2. Writing Links**// ||
 * || [|Noodle Tools] - This is a useful tool for building a Works Cited page. Click on the links below to access information about this resource. Both documents are PDF files that were written by the staff at [|Canon-McMillan High School's Media Center].
 * [|Instructions: Accessing and Using Noodle Tools]
 * [|Reference: Building a Works Cited Pages Using Noodle Tools] ||
 * || [|MLA.org] [|(Frequently asked questions about MLA Style)]. This is a fantastic source that covers the intricacies of MLA style that may seem confusing. This site answers the following questions and more:
 * 1) [|When I borrow repeatedly from the same source, how should my parenthetical citations appear?]
 * 2) [|I am using a source on the Web that has no page numbers. How do I cite it?] ||

=**2007 Term Paper FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)**=
 * **Question:** Are we allowed to use books as sources for our term paper?
 * **Answer:** You may use books as sources. However, I'd prefer that you use more academic journals than books. I'll allow up to two books to count toward your five sources. The benefit of academic journals is that they generally have a more rigorous screening process and contain information that is more current. There are some subjects that are more appropriate than others for the use of books due the dynamic nature of the information involved. For example, books are probably less appropriate for a topic like video game violence/censorship due to the rapid evolution of technology. However, there are more static topics like the the effects of smoking on health that have already been established and generally proven. In this case, books are fine.
 * **Question:** Mr. Guise, why are you so strict about the sources you are allowing us to use? What is the big deal?
 * **Answer:** I understand your concern. My biggest goal is trying to make sure you stay away from biased information. Bias is essentially external motivation (usually financial motivation). Although information may be factual, if the organization has some sort of extrinsic motivation for posting the information (even simply for the perpetuation of their organization), it shouldn't be used. This is where academic journals come in.

> Although this site has become somewhat convoluted since its advent, it is still an interesting example of a source that offers essentially valid information but is presented in an obviously biased way:

> http://www.dhmo.org/

> Check it out. Although it is an extreme example, it helps illustrate why I am trying to encourage rigorously defined research habits.
 * **Question:** You told me that it is acceptable to use an article from Encarta Online, and I would like to use the following site for my paper: [|http://encarta.msn.com/encyclop edia_761569964/American _Revolution.html#s1]. How do I cite this type of source?
 * **Answer:** Here is an example of what to include as a works cited entry for an article from an online encyclopedia: "Einstein, Albert."Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 1999. Encyclopedia Britannica. 27 April 2004 . As far as the citation goes, when a work has no author, use the work's title or a shortened version of the title when citing it in text. (If abbreviating a title, omit initial articles and begin with the word by which it is alphabetized in the Works Cited list.): ...as stated by the presidential commission ("Report" 4). As a matter of fact, since you do not have any page numbers, your citation will probably simply be ("Einstein").
 * **Question:** A majority of the information I found includes surveys and studies with numbers and percents. Is this information acceptable to use? For example: "300 kids were surveyed and 4.6% answered yes to steroid use." How can I integrate a fact like this my text?
 * **Answer:** This information is absolutely fine to use. Studies that are supported with data (numbers and percents) are great to use to support your ideas. Just make sure to cite them, of course. In terms of how to write them, the easiest way is probably to simply use the following format:

> In a 1996 study conducted by (name of source here), it was concluded that out of 300 kids surveyed, 4.6% admitted that they had used steroids at least one in the past (Lastname P#).

> It's pretty formulaic, but it is the preferred MLA method for citing your sources within your text.