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Research Essays and MLA

Stages of the Research Process Brainstorm a topic

Narrow the topic Develop a thesis statement

Research Use print and non-print sources (.gov; .edu; .org sites are the best) Develop note cards (follow template provided in BB)

Pre-write Develop an outline based on your thesis (2-4 main ideas)

Draft Revise Repeat 2 – 5 as needed Submit the final essay

Persuasive essays Make an argument for a particular position on an important

issue Convince the audience, your readers, to agree with your

position or take action Use facts, data, statistics, and quotes from reputable

“experts” in the field to make your argument

Incorporating research Your essay should not be a rehash of research It is your point of view and your argument However, use research to back up your argument Be sure to explain, in your own words, how the research you

are using proves your argument Good formula for a body paragraph

Your topic sentence Citations from the research that proves your topic sentence

argument Your own explanation of how the research explains your topic

sentence

MLA format MLA format internally cites the source you are using. You put the author’s last name (when available) or a

shortened version of the title in parenthesis after you quote, summarize, or paraphrase a source.

You then include a full Works Cited page. Easybib.com is excellent for developing a works cited page. With easybib.com, you identify the type of source you are

using, plug-in the data available on the source, and then it will create a correct MLA citation for you

You can export it automatically into a word document

Please check out this presentation The following website gives you a detailed summary on

putting together an essay with MLA format http://faculty.nl.edu/cad/presentations/Basic%20MLA%20Formatting.htm

Please note, if you do not use MLA format, you will not master this unit, unit 2.