MLA 8 Format

General structure of a database citation in MLA 8:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the source.” Title of the first container, First name Last name of any contributors, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication date, Name of Database, URL or DOI.

Common items are highlighted above.  Less common are items such as contributors and publisher.  These items should be included if available but often are not available.  

Use the following capitalization rule for your article (or website page) titles:  capitalize the first word of the article title and also capitalize any proper nouns.  All other words should be lower case.

Plan for Monday, Oct. 31 -- English 101

During Class

• Sample annotated bib.
• Peer review of annotated bib.
• Revisions & edits of annotated bib.

Assignment for Wednesday, Nov. 2

• Complete the final draft of your annotated bibliography 
• Read “Doing Focused Research” pp. 354-359. 
• Review sources for quotes and facts -- complete a minimum of 5 "note cards"

During Class on Wednesday:

• Complete the stakeholder analysis chart.
• hand out & review Portfolio 2 assignment sheet

Plan for Friday, Oct. 28 -- English 101

Workshop:  Create a draft of your Annotated Bibliography, using the document on Google Classroom.

Assignment for Monday, Oct. 31:
1. Complete a draft of your annotated bibliography.   [Guidelines, Sample].  The Peer review draft of your annotated bib. is due Monday.  The final draft is due on Wednesday.

Plan for Wednesday, Oct. 26 -- English 101

During Class:

• Brief report out on articles:  a buddy, a foreign agent, a gemstone.
• Reflection: analyzing sources
• A few notes on citations. ( Easybib,  CiteFast,  Other)
• Create / Paste first 5 bib. entries on Google Classroom

Assignment for Monday, Oct. 31:
1. Complete a draft of your annotated bibliography.   [Guidelines, Sample].  The Peer review draft of your annotated bib. is due Monday.

Plan for Monday, Oct 24 -- English 101

During class:

• Comments on Personal Position Analysis 
• Quick review of reading: 
  
  • “Assembling a Working Bibliography” pp 350-352.
  •  Finding information (see text, pp. 370 - 390) .
  • Analyzing sources, including how to evaluate websites (see text 390 -398; see also here).  
  • For samples of non-useful sources, see link here.
  • MLA (pp 424-471) and APA (pp 472-500) documentation sections.
  • Evaluating websites (see text 390 -398; see also here).  For samples of non-useful sources, see link here.
• Overview of annotated bib and questions about it.  Your Annotated Bib. is due Tuesday, November 3.
•  In-class research. 

 Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 26: 
1. Find at least 2 more articles about your topic. Bring all the articles (10 or more) you collected so far to class Wednesday (bookmarked on browser or in Diigo Web Collector).
2. Complete 2 or more rows of the Stakeholder Analysis Chart on Classroom.

Plan for Wednesday, Oct. 19 -- English 101

Annotated Bibliography Due dates:

Peer-Review Draft Due:   Monday, Oct. 31

Final Draft Due:  Wednesday, Nov. 2

During class:

• Apple Pie Controversy
• "Argument Culture" (article)
• Comments on Personal Position Analysis 
• Overview of annotated bib and questions about it.  Your Annotated Bib. is due Wednesday, November 2.
•  In-class research if time permits. 

 Assignment for Monday, Oct. 24: 
1. Read “Assembling a Working Bibliography” pp 350-352 in the Handbook.
2. Also read/review the following pages:

•  Finding information (see text, pp. 370 - 390) 
• Analyzing sources, including how to evaluate websites (see text 390 -398; see also here).  
• For samples of non-useful sources, see link here.

2. Familiarize yourself with MLA (pp 424-471) and APA (pp 472-500) documentation sections.
3. Find and read at least 2 more articles about your topic. Bring all the articles you collected so far to class Thursday (bookmarked on browser or in Diigo Web Collector).

Plan for Monday, Oct. 17 --English 101

During Class:
 --review reading  text, pp. 350-370
 --how to research (videos)
--Check on article assignment
--introduction to annotated bib assignment
--begin working on personal position analysis.  If possible, please complete this on Google Classroom.

Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 19
--Complete personal position analysis
--Use academic databases to find at least two more articles and bring all the articles you collected so far to class.

Plan for Friday, Oct. 14 -- English 101

During Class:
 --research as asking good questions
 --research tool: introduction to Diigo Web Collector (a Google Chrome Extension)
 --intro. to academic databases
 --research log sheet
--Check on article assignment
--Topic mini-presentations

Assignment for Monday, Oct. 17:
--Read pages 350-370 in the handbook
--Complete Topic Proposal for Monday
--Complete personal position analysis for Wednesday (see Google Classroom)
--Use academic databases to find at least two articles and bring a total of at least 4 articles (bookmarks, Diigo bookmarks or printed)  to class.

Plan for October 12 -- English 101

During Class:
 --submit homework assignment
 --intro. to academic databases
 --research log sheet
 --begin your topic proposal, a template for which is on Google Classroom

Assignment for Friday, Oct. 14:

• Complete your topic proposal (see template on Google Classroom)
• Bring 3 articles about your topic to class (these can be bookmarked or printed).  2 or more of the articles should be found via an academic database.

Resources for Research

 Academic Databases

--Explora
--Current Controversies (a list of academic databases selected for you by Mr. Richards)
--Marvel

• see especially
  --Teen Resource Center
  --Proquest
  --Points of View Reference Center
  --Academic Search Complete 

-- Google Scholar

Other Resources
--Issues & Controversies
--New York Times - Times Topics
--Clusty 
--Virtual Learning Resources Center
--iseek   
--Tips for Advanced Searching 

Plan for Wednesday, Oct. 5 -- English 101

During Class:

• Portfolio 1 will be collected.  Please refer to the assignment checklist we created to make sure you have met all requirements.  Other documents to refer to include: Portfolio 1 Contents, Portfolio 1 Guidelines, and Portfolio 1 Rubric.


• Intro to portfolio 2; research topic criteria overview; potential topic list exercise. 

Recommended Publications for News Articles:

1. New York Times 

2. Issues & Controversies

3. The New Republic

4. The Economist

5. Bangor Daily News

6. Utne Reader

7. Fox News

8. Newsela (Class code is XMTXDT)

9. Pro/Con.org

Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 12:

1. Complete the Potential Topic List Exercise by listing 5 articles (include source information, a one sentence summary, and a potential question for each).

2. Decide on a topic/issue for Portfolio 2 – refer to the research topic criteria discussed in class to make sure your topic is a good fit.

3. Read pages 350-360 in the handbook.

Plan for Monday, Oct. 3 --English 101

During Class:
--teacher conferences
--revise and edit based on conferences

Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 5
1. Complete any final edits.
2. Bring completed essay and all Portfolio 1 materials to class on Thursday.

Plan for Monday, Oct. 3