Writing a Paper
So, you have been assigned a paper and you don't know where to start. Don't worry, we've got your back.
Before Starting
- Make sure you know what type of paper you need to write. Is it argumentative, informative, narrative, or persuasive?
- Know the requirements. How many sources do you need? How long does the paper have to be? Make sure to read the instructions. If you have questions, ask your teacher.
- Pick a topic. Sometimes your teacher will assign a topic for your paper, but often you can choose your own. Picking a topic that fits the requirements of the paper and your interests can make writing the paper more enjoyable.
After you have an idea of what type of paper you are writing and your topic, you should do some research. Below are some helpful links to get you started.
- Brainstorming KeywordsA short video on how to use key words when researching on the library databases.
- Evaluate SourcesA guide to best practices when finding resources for your paper.
- Research AdviceA handout on helpful things to keep in mind when looking at a source.
A thesis is the road map of your paper. By reading the thesis, a person should be able to tell the main idea of your paper, the biggest supporting points, and your position (if you're writing a persuasive paper) about the topic.
There are many ways you can write a thesis, but one of the easiest ways is to follow the format Main Idea + because + supporting point 1, supporting point 2, and supporting point 3.
Ex.1 People should adopt dogs because they increase physical activity, provide emotional support, and cost less than buying from a breeder.
Ex. 2 The Lord of the Rings trilogy is influential in modern high fantasy because of its characterization of the different races, the use of an epic journey, and the medievalesque setting.
*It is important to remember that the order you list the supporting points in the thesis matches the order they come up in the paper. Let's use the first example. You do not want your body paragraphs to be in the order cost less than buying from a breeder, increased physical activity, and provide emotional support. You want the body paragraphs of your paper to follow the thesis: increased physical activity, provide emotional support, then cost less than buying from a breeder.
Once you understand the basics of a thesis statement, you can play around with the order by rearranging, omitting, or including different phrases to make the thesis read better.
Ex. 3 Although there are many effects of poor nutrition, some of the more common ones include an increased chance of memory problems, a lowered immune system, and a higher probability of depression and other mood problems.
- Thesis Statments: Learning LabA link to the Tutoring handout covering thesis statements.
MLA Format
MLA Format is a citation style usually used in Humanities fields like English. It guides the way your paper looks and how to reference or quote other work, and your citations both within and at the end of your paper.
MLA Format Instructions - A link to the VC Learning Lab handout on formatting your paper in MLA style.
MLA In Text Citation
In Text Quotes and Paraphrases - A link to the VC Learning Lab handout on quoting and paraphrasing in MLA format.
MLA Works Cited
To cite material, you follow a specific format. Not every citation will have each category. If you cannot find a type of information/ it does not exist, you move to the next item on the list.
MLA Citation Handout - A Tutoring center handout on MLA citation.
Author - Entries are listed alphabetically by the last name of the first author. Switch the last name of the first author, but keep all other authors in the first name last name order. A period follows the name of the last author.
Ex. If Tom Hiddleston and Blake Lively wrote a paper together, you would cite them Hiddleston, Tom and Blake Lively.
Title of Source - This is the article or chapter title. Source titles go in quotations. The period goes inside the quotation marks.
Ex. An article titled in "Effects of Pet Therapy in Adults with PTSD."
Title of Container - The container is what holds the information. They are collections that holds smaller works. Examples include databases, websites, magazines/journals, and book titles. Containers go in italics and are followed by a comma.
Ex. If you got an article from the library database the Academic One Search, you would write Academic One Search, in your works cited.
Ex. 2 If you got information from a National Geographic article, you would write National Geographic, for the citation.
Other Contributors - Editors, Translators, or other people who helped produce the material but are not considered authors.
Ex. Translated by Percy Jackson,
Ex. 2 Compiled by John Snow,
Version - The version is the edition. It is abbreviated ed. and is followed by a comma.
Ex. 2nd ed.,
Number - The volume and issue number. Volume is abbreviated as vol. and number is no. A comma will separate the volume and issue numbers if you have both.
Ex. vol. 3, no. 5,
Publisher - A publisher is a company that prepares materials and makes them available to the public. Cite the publishers' name as it appears on the copyright pages. You can remove company abbreviations like Inc. or Ltd. The publisher information is followed by a comma.
Ex. MacMillan,
Ex. 2 Oxford Press,
Publisher Date - The date the work was published. Be as accurate as possible and follow the day month spelled out, year format. If you have the day, month, and year, use them all in your citation.
Ex. Winter, 2023,
Ex. 2 23 January, 2024,
Location - Location is where the information is found. In print the location is the page number(s); on an electronic source it will be a permeant URL or DOI link. Using a permeant URL or DOI allows others to find the information you used in your paper. The location information is followed by a period.
Ex. pp. 23-28.
Ex 2. https://login.ruby.uhv.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=pdh&AN=2024-52597-001&site=eds-live.
Ex 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/trm0000494.
Put it all together
Now you need to put everything together. Note: This is an example of how an MLA citation looks like and is not based on an actual paper.
Ex. Hiddleston, Tom and Blake Lively. "Effects of Pet Therapy in Adults with PTSD." National Geographic, Translated by Percy Jackson, vol. 3, no. 5, Oxford Press, Winter, 2023, pp. 23-28.
MLA Sample Papers
APA Format
Always make sure to check with your instructor to make sure they do not want anything different than the standard APA format. For instance, some instructors do not require the affiliation (or you putting Victoria College) on the title page.
How to Set Up a Student APA Paper
Headings
A big difference between APA and MLA is the use of headings. These headings divide the paper into sections and subsections. There are 5 heading levels in APA, and they are organized by subordination. Sometimes it helps to imagine each heading as a box. Heading five is the smallest box; it can not hold any other headings, but it can fit into a heading four box. In fact, two or more heading level five boxes can fit into a level four box. The same can be said about heading four boxes fitting into heading three, heading three boxes into heading two boxes, and heading two boxes into heading one boxes. Heading one boxes are the biggest box, and they can not fit into any other box. However, you can have more than one heading one box, each filled with their own smaller boxes.
APA In Text Citation
How to cite using an in text citation
Short Quotes are quotes that are under 40 words. Make sure to put quotation marks around the words you are repeating. Cite the author, date and page number (if you have it) either before the quote incorporated into the sentence or at the end in a parenthetical.
Ex. Villareal and Walker (2020) found that "two out of five people believe in extraterrestrial life."
Ex. 2 "People believe that aliens exist, but that is bologna!" (Wu, 2019).
Block Quotes are more than 40 words. To use a block quote you must start on a new line. The entire block quote should be indented .5 in. from the left margin. There are two ways to cite a block quote: a narrative citation and a parenthetical citation. To use the narrative citation, cite the author and year in the narrative before the quotation and place only the page number in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation. For a parenthetical citation, you cite everything in the parenthesis after the final punctuation of your quote. Once the block quote is finished you go back to the normal 1 in. margins. If you are not starting a new paragraph after the block quote, do not indent.
Paraphrases are when you restate another's idea in your own words. This is often done when summarizing another's work or you want to better word the information to fit into your paper. Although you are not using a direct quote you still have to attribute the original creator. Just like quoting, you can cite in a narrative or parenthetical citation.
Ex. In 2022, Gomez, who studied the effects of the use of animals in physical therapy, found that people who had animals included in their therapy treatment were more likely to complete the required therapy time and had a more optimistic outlook on their recovery.
APA References
APA Style Sample Papers
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is when you purposefully or accidentally take credit for someone else work.
Have you ever had someone take credit for the work you did or something you said? Whether it was a sibling saying they did a chore you actually completed or someone saying they helped in finish a project when they did not, everyone has had a similar experience, and it does not feel good. No one wants their word or actions taken from them. Thus, we make sure to cite our sources.
Originally published to Flicker by https://www.futureatlas.com/
Citation Generator
When using a citation generator make sure to double check that the information is correct. Sometimes, citation generators miss importation information or put information in incorrectly. The last thing you want is to get points deducted because a source was incorrectly cited.
When using the VC databases, there is a citation generator at the top of the detailed record of the entry.
- Citation Manager GuideLearn about citation managers.