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Exeter High School
Style Guide
Your teachers expect you to use a specific format when writing papers. While there are several different ways
to cite and document your paper, the Exeter High School Style Guide is based on the Modern Language
Association format (MLA). The EHS Style Guide is available in all English and Social Studies classrooms.
Each student is provided with a copy of the EHS Style Guide.
Documenting Your Research with Parenthetical Citations
Documentation tells your reader exactly what your sources are. Honesty requires that you acknowledge your
source, not only when you quote directly from a work but also when you summarize and paraphrase. Using
someone else’s ideas or rephrasing and representing those ideas as yours is plagiarism. If in doubt whether to
give credit, give credit.
Give credit in the body of your paper rather than in footnotes or endnotes. This can be accomplished by
inserting the appropriate information in parentheses after the words or ideas taken from your source.
Keep in mind two points when documenting sources. First, your references must clearly refer to sources listed
in Works Cited section of your paper. Second, indicate as precisely as you can the location of cited references.
Information required in parenthetical citations:
 Information must match the corresponding information in the entries in your works cited.
 Identify the sources by author and if necessary the title.
 If you are citing an entire work rather than a specific part of it, the author’s name may be the only
documentation required.
 If you use a specific passage in a book or article, give a relevant page, section, or paragraph
number.
 If you include the author’s name in your sentence, you need not repeat his name in the parentheses.
 The punctuation mark is placed after the parentheses.
Example
Medieval Europe was a place of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” and of “traveling merchants,
monetary exchange, towns, if not cities, and active markets in grain” (Townsend 10).
The parenthetical reference (Townsend 10) indicates that the quotation comes from a work by Townsend.
Given the last name, the reader of your paper can find the complete information for the source in the
alphabetically arranged list of works cited that follows the text of your paper. The works cited entry would
appear as follows:
Townsend, Robert M. The Medieval Village Economy. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1993.
Example
“Parents know in advance, and with near certainty, that they will be addicted to their children” (Landsburg).
The works cited source for this quote from an electronic source would appear as follows:
Landsburg, Steven E. “Who Shall Inherit the Earth?” Slate 1 May 1997.1 Nov. 1999
<http://www.slate.com/Economics/97-05-01/Economics.asp>.
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Example
Literary Market Place reports that New York City is still “the literary center of the country” (ix).
The parenthetical reference shows only the page number because the title of the book appears in the writer’s
sentence.
Example
Government control of cryptography is one of the many troubling issues surrounding government and
technology (“Uneasy Silence”).
The reference shows a shortened version of the title because no author or page is listed in the works cited.
Parenthetical Citations
Blending Quoted Material in Your Paper
When blending quotes, summaries, or paraphrases in the text of your paper, certain procedures are followed
for this process. Although incorporating an author’s quotes from a text is important, you should use this
method selectively and quote only the passages that deal with your subject in memorable language. Your
primary task is to blend your source material into your writing with unity and coherence. A collection of
random quotations, even though they treat the same topic, is unacceptable. A good rule to follow is prepare,
quote, explain. Prepare the reader for the quotation before you use it, quote the passage, and then explain the
passage to make sure the reader will understand the importance of the quotation.
Blended Quotation
A blended quotation simply uses words or phrases from someone else’s text run-in with the writer’s own
sentence. The most efficient way to do this is not to drag in the whole sentence that contains the words you
need, but just to blend the exact words into your sentence. Introduce the cited material using a signal phrase.
Examples
Medieval Europe was a place both of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” and of “traveling merchants,
monetary exchange, towns if not cities, and active markets in grain” (Townsend 10).
Postman points out that since the invention of television “our politics, religion, news, athletics, education, and
commerce have been transformed into congenial adjuncts of show business, largely without protest or even
much popular notice” (3-4).
A literary critic has said The Great Gatsby reveals that the “American Dream was mere nostalgia for a time
that never was” (Rederman 217).
Indented Quotations
When quoting text that takes more than four typed lines, indent each line of the quoted passage and double
space it. In this case you place the parenthetical reference outside the end punctuation mark of the quotation.
Notice in the example by Allende that there are no quotations marks around the quoted passage. The
indentation of the words is enough indication that the words are quoted. Notice, too, that in this example, the
word "The" that begins the passage is not indented any further than the rest of the quotation. This indicates
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that the passage is found in the middle of a paragraph in its original text. The indented quotation is doublespaced. (To conserve space the example below was not double-spaced.) It is generally expected that the
sentence following an indented quotation does not begin a new paragraph, but instead discusses some aspect
of the passage quoted.
Example
Allende describes the flying machine that Marcos has assembled:
The contraption lay with its stomach on terra firma, heavy and
sluggish and looking more like a wounded duck than like one of those
new fangled airplanes they were starting to produce in the Unites States.
There was nothing in its appearance to suggest that it could move, much
less take flight across the snowy peaks. (12)
Quoting Poetry and Drama
Poetry
One other problem may come up in handling quotations: poetry. All the rules discussed above remain in
force, but the writer also has to indicate, in quotations that are not indented, where each line of poetry ends. A
slash (also called a virgule) is used to indicate where one line ends and the next begins. It looks best when it
has a space on both sides.
If you quote part or all of a single line of verse that does not require special emphasis, put it in quotation
marks within your text. You may also incorporate two or three lines in this way, using a slash (/) with a space
on either side to separate them.
Examples
Bradstreet frames the poem with a sense of mortality: “All things within this fading world hath end” (1).
The first two lines of this stanza, “My little horse must think it queer / To stop without a farmhouse near” (56) reminds us of a nursery rhyme; however, the poem quickly turns darkly serious.
Verse of more than three lines should begin on a new line. Unless the quotation involves unusual spacing,
indent each line one inch from the left margin and double space between lines, adding no quotation marks
that do not appear in the original. A parenthetical reference for a verse quotation is set off from the text and
follows the last line of the quotation.
Elizabeth Bishop’s “In the Waiting Room” is rich in evocative detail:
It was winter. It got dark
early. The waiting room
was full of grown-up people,
arctics and overcoats,
lamps and magazines. (6-10)
A line that is too long to fit within the right margin should be continued on the next line and the continuation
indented an additional quarter inch. If the spatial arrangement of the original lines is unusual, including
indentation and spacing within and between them, reproduce it as accurately as possible. When a verse begins
in the middle of a line, the partial line should be positioned where it is in the original and not shifted to the left
margin.
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In a poem on Thomas Hardy (“T.H.”), Molly Holden recalls her encounter with a “young dog fox” one
morning:
I remember
he glanced at me in just that way, independent
and unabashed, the handsome sidelong look
that went round and about but never directly
met my eye, for that would betray his soul.
He was not being sly, only careful. (43-48)
Drama
If you quote dialogue between two or more characters in a play, set the quotation off from your text. Begin
each part of the dialogue with the appropriate character’s name indented one inch from the left margin and
written in all capital letters. Follow the name with a period and start the quotation. Indent all subsequent lines
in that character’s speech an additional quarter inch. When the dialogue shifts to another character start a new
line.
GONERIL.
Hear me, my lord.
What need you five-and-twenty, ten or five,
To follow in a house where twice so many
Have a command to tend you?
REGAN.
What need one?
LEAR. O, reason not the need!
(2.4. 254-58)
Omissions and Additions
If you want to directly quote a source, it does not mean that the quotation cannot be shortened. Omissions
should be indicated with ellipses (three dots …). If you want to add your own words, enclose them in square
brackets [ ]. Omissions and additions must not change the meaning of the original material.
Preparing the Works Cited
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Type the page number in the upper right hand corner, one half inch from the top of the page. If the
conclusion of your paper appears on page 8, begin your list on page 9.
Center the title Works Cited one inch from the top. Double space before the first entry.
Begin each entry flush with the left hand margin. If the entry runs more than one line, indent
additional lines five spaces or one-half inch.
Double space each entry; also double space between entries.
List entries in alphabetical order according to the last name of the author.
If you are listing more than one work by the same author, alphabetize works according to the titles.
Instead of repeating the author’s last name, type three hyphens and a period, and then give the title.
If there is no author, alphabetize the sources using the first word of the title. (Disregard A, An, The.)
Italicize the title of works published independently—books, plays, long poems, pamphlets,
periodicals, and films.
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Use quotation marks to indicate the titles of short works that appear in larger works. Use quotation
marks for titles of poems, short stories, song titles and for titles of unpublished works, including
speeches and lectures.
Use Arabic numerals (1,2,3) except for the preliminary pages of a work which are traditionally
numbered with Roman numerals (i, ii, iii).
Use lower case abbreviations to identify the parts of a work (for example, vol. for volume), a named
translator (trans.), and a named editor (ed.). However, when these designations follow a period, they
should be capitalized. (For example: Woolf, Virginia. A Writer’s Diary. Ed. James Norton.)
Most print source entries have three main divisions: author, title, and publication information.
To refer to electronic sources, include information necessary for a reader to locate the source. Italicize
the title of a database, periodical, or web site. For sites without titles, include a description of the
topic. Every electronic site should include date of access or creation.
Divide an electronic address only at a logical place, such as at a slash (/), period, or hyphen.
Web addresses (URLs) and e-mail addresses should be enclosed by angle brackets <
>.
Do not show network and e-mail addresses as hyperlinks, unless the document containing them is to
be read on screen. You may need to turn off your word processor's automatic hyperlink function.
Sample Print Sources Entries for Works Cited
Information provided in this section includes sample entries for a variety of sources you may use in your
research paper. It is by no means a complete list of examples. If you have questions about a source not
included in the samples below, consult your teacher or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers 6th ed. or one of the recommended on-line resources included in this guide.
NOTE:
To conserve space, examples have not been double-spaced. They
should be in your paper.
Books
One Author
Sptizer, Robert R. No Need for Hunger. New York: Random, 1992.
Two or More Books by the Same Author
Garreau, Joel. Edge City: Life on the New Frontier. New York: Doubleday, 1991.
- - - . The Nine Nations of North America. Boston: Houghton, 1992.
Two or Three Authors
Atwan, Robert, Donald Smith, and John Wright. Superlearning. New York: Delacourte, 1979.
Four or More Authors
Belenky, Mary Field, et al. Women’s Way of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind. New York: Basic,
1986.
Book with an Editor
Hall, Donald, ed. The Oxford Book of American Anecdotes. New York: Oxford UP, 1991.
Anthology or Compilation
Valdez, Luis, ed. Aztlan: An Anthology of Mexican American Literature. New York: Vintage-Knopf, 1972.
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Article, Poem, Essay, or Short Story from an Anthology
Silko, Leslie Marmon. “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” Imagining America: Stories from the Promised Land. Ed.
Wesley Brown and Amy Ling. New York: Persea, 2003. 17-35.
Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword
Callan, Edward. Introduction. Cry the Beloved Country. By Alan Paton. New York: Vintage-Random, 1989. xv-xxxvii.
Multivolume Work
Blotner, Joseph. Faulkner: A Biography. 2 vols. New York: Random, 1974.
Translation
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Patrick Dickson. New York: Mentor, 1977.
Signed Article in a Reference Book
Tobias, Richard. “Indian Philosophy.” Encyclopedia Americana. 15thed. 2003.
Unsigned Article in a Reference Book
“Angelou, Maya.” American Women Writers. 2003 ed.
Government Publications
United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Statistics. Dictionary of Occupational Titles. 4th ed. Washington: GPO,
1980.
Pamphlet with No Author or Publication Information or Page
List the country of the publication in brackets if known.
Photographic View Album of Cambridge. [Eng.]: n.p., n.d., N.pag.
Periodicals
Signed Article from a Daily Newspaper
Barringer, Emily. “Where Many Elderly Live, Signs of the Future.” New York Times 7 Mar. 1993, nat. ed., sec. 1:12.
Unsigned Article from a Daily Newspaper
“Infant Mortality Down; Race Disparity Widens.” Washington Post 12 Mar. 2003, A12.
Article from a Monthly or BimonthlyMagazine
Wills, Gary. “The Words That Remade America: Lincoln at Gettysburg.” Atlantic June 1992: 57-59.
Article from a Weekly or Biweekly Magazine
Trillin, Calvin. “Culture Shopping.” New Yorker 15 Feb. 1993: 48-51.
Article from a Periodical with Continuous Pagination
Clark, Herbert H. “Breathing on a Jet Plane---How Fresh Is the Air?” Consumer Reports Aug. 1994: 501-6.
Editorial
“A Question of Medical Sight.” Editorial. Boston Globe 11 Mar. 1993: 6B.
Letter to the Editor
Ozick, Cynthia. Letter. New York Times 31 Oct. 1993, late ed., sec. 2: 4.
Review
Foote, Timothy. “The Eye of the Beholder.” Rev. of Testimony and Demeanor, by John Casey.
New Republic 11 Feb.1994: 76-88.
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Other Sources
Film
Like Water for Chocolate. Screenplay by Laura Esquivel. Dir. Alfonso Arau. Perf. Lumi Cavazos, Marco Lombardi, and
Regina Tome. Miramax, 1993.
Video or DVD Recording
Mask. Dir. Charles Russell. Perf. Jim Carey. DVD. New Line Home Video, 1995.
CD, Record, Audiotape
Holiday, Billie. “God Bless the Child.” Rec. 9 May 1941. The Essence of Billie Holiday. Columbia, 1991.
Music Video for a Song
Springsteen, Bruce. “Dancing in the Dark.” Born in the USA. Columbia, 1984. Music video. Dir. Brian DePalma. VH1.
10 May 2002.
Performance
Sunset Boulevard. By Andrew Lloyd Webber. Dir. Trevor Nunn. Perf. Glenn Close, George Hearn, Andy Campbell, and
Alice Ripley. Minskoff Theater, New York. 7 Feb. 1995.
Television Show
“Frankenstein: The Making of a Monster.” Great Books. Narr. Donald Sutherland. Writ. Eugine Vink. Dir. Jonathan
Ward. Learning Channel. 21 Mar. 1987.
“The Hero’s Adventure.” Bill Moyers: Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. Prod. Catherine Tage. PBS. WNET,
New York. 23 May 1988.
Interview Conducted by a Student
Sosa, Sammy. Personal Interview. 28 July 2004.
Lectures, Speeches and Addresses
Russo, Michael. “A Painter Speaks His Mind.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 5 Aug. 2002.
Electronic Publications in Works Cited
Electronic media, in contrast to print sources, so far lack agreed-on means of organizing information.
Electronic texts are not as fixed and stable as their print counterparts. References to electronic works therefore
must provide more information than print citations generally offer. When you document sources from the
World Wide Web, your works cited entries should include as many items from the following list as are
relevant and available:
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To refer to electronic sources, include information necessary for a reader to locate the source. Italicize
the title of a database, periodical, or web site. For sites without titles, include a description of the
topic. Every electronic site should include date of access or creation.
Name of the author, editor, compiler, or translator alphabetized by last name and followed by any
appropriate abbreviations, such as ed.
Title of a poem, short story, article, or other short work within a scholarly project, database, or
periodical, in quotation marks.
Title of a book, in italics.
Publication information for any print version of the source.
Title of the Internet site (e.g. scholarly project, database, periodical, or professional or personal site
or, for a professional or personal site with no title, a description such as home page.
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Version number (if not part of the title) or, for a journal, the volume, issue, or other identifying
number.
Name of any institution or organization sponsoring or associated with the Web site.
Date you accessed the information.
Divide an electronic address only at a logical place, such as at a slash (/), period, or hyphen.
Web addresses (URLs) and e-mail addresses are enclosed by angle brackets
<
>.
Do not network and e-mail addresses as hyperlinks, unless the document containing them is to be read
on screen. Turn off your word processor's automatic hyperlink function.
Sample Entries for Electronic Sources in Works Cited
A basic entry for an electronic document from an Internet source usually has five divisions:
Author’s name. “The title of the document.” Information about the print publication. Information about the
electronic publication. Date you accessed information and the <URL>.
Examples
Entire Internet Site
CNN.com. 2002. Cable News Network. 15 May 2002 < http://www.cnn.com>
Personal home page
Lanchshire, Ian. Home page. 28 Mar. 2002. 15 May 2003 <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca:8080/~ian/>.
Book
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Twice Told Tales. Ed. George Parsons. Boston: Houghton, 1883. 16 May 2002
<http://209.11.144.65/eldritchpress/nh/ttt.html>.
Encyclopedia article
"Stock Market Crash of 1929." Britannica Online. Vers. 98.2. April, 1998. Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 August 1999
<http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/567/22.html>.
Magazine article
Levy, Steven. “Great Minds, Great Ideas.” Newsweek 27 May 2002. 24 August 2002
<http://wwwmsnbc.com/news/754336.asp>.
Newspaper article
Achenbach, Joel. “America’s River.” Washington Post 5 May 2003. 23 June 2003
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13245-2202May1.html>.
Library subscription service
“Cooling Trend in Antarctica.” Futurist May-Une 2002: 15. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. City U of New York,
Graduate Center Lib. 22 May 2002 <http://www.epnet.com>.
Film or film clip
Murnau, F.W. dir Nosferatu. 1922. The Sync. 16 June 2002 < http://www.thesync.com/ram/nosferatu.ram>.
E-Mail Communication
Kleppinger, Eugene. "RE: How to Cite Information from the Web.” E-mail to Andrew Harnack. 10 Jan. 1999.
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Manuscript Style
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Academic writing has a traditional look. Use a serif font (e.g. Times, Times New Roman). Use this
font throughout your paper. Do not use sans serif. Avoid use of styles other than italics…no
shadows, outlines, etc.
Use 12-point type.
Double-space the entire paper. This rule applies to everything: title, text, quotations, works cited
Use margins of one inch on all pages.
Indent paragraphs half an inch; indent set-off quotations an inch from the left margin.
Number your pages consecutively throughout the paper in the upper right hand corner of each page,
one-half inch from the top.
Page numbers appear on all pages, including Works Cited, Works Consulted, and Appendices. Your
last name appears before each page number.
Your paper does not need a title page. At the top of the first page, at the left-hand margin, type your
name, your instructor’s name, the course name, and the date—all on separate lines and doublespaced.
Double space again and center the title above your text. Do not underline, italicize, or write the title in
all capital letters.
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Sources
Information for this guide was adapted from the sources listed below. Refer to them for further
clarification and explanation.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of
America, 2003.
Guffey, Mary Ellen. “MLA Style Electronic Formats.” 15 June 2004 <http:westwords.com/guffey/mla.html>.
“Using MLA Style to Cite and Document Sources.” 6 June 2004 <http:://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html>.
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