Documenting
an Essay
DOCUMENTATION
Proper
documentation formatting is very important to both your internal writing and
source citing. In this section, you will learn about formatting your
internal content (the essay) in proper page format and visual structure.
You will also see visual samples of how to format sources within
the essay as well as in the Works Cited page.
Formatting
Given your institution’s rules, you may be required to format your writings
in the declared degree that you are intending to secure. After all, it is wise to gain skill in the
style you will be using in your field for your given career.
No matter which style you like or have the most
exposure to in writing, it is both your instructor’s and your institution’s
decision as to the formatting style you will use in any given writing. Be certain to ask your instructor if you are
unsure of which formatting style to use: MLA, APA, or Turabian.
In English courses, the typical documentation
style will be MLA (Modern Language Association) since English falls under
HUMANITIES, and HUMANITIES courses adhere to the MLA formatting style of writing. If you see no indication of the class
formatting requirements, begin with MLA and go from there.
MLA Pages
MLA Works
Cited
USAGE
Source usage is
essential to quality writing, making the difference between an unsupported,
under-developed essay and a highly-persuasive essay easy to spot. You must
incorporate sources into your Body Paragraphs to assert your ideas, defend your
argument, and develop your support.
Source
content will be concentrated in the body-paragraphs of your writing.
The
introduction
can ONLY have source information in
the ‘hook’ sentence of the introduction—the very first sentence.
The
conclusion
can ONLY have source information in
the closure sentence of the conclusion—the very last sentence of this
paragraph.
While these two
locations—introduction and conclusion—can have source materials in those
specific lines, they do not have to contain source materials at
all.
The
body-paragraphs
must have source information to assert the THESIS point declared in the
body-paragraph’s topic sentence. After
all, the body-paragraphs of an essay are where the ‘argument’ will occur. Therefore, the body-paragraphs are where the
sources will defend and support your assertions.
You will prove your
thesis in your Body-Paragraphs through source usage. You do not ‘prove’ anything in the
introduction or conclusion—you are simply introducing and closing up the paper’s
point. See the content on Source Usage below.
Source
Usage
"Body"
of Evidence
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