How to: MLA Citing and Research Paper Outline

 

 

There are multiple ways to cite a paper, and different universities require different formats. MLA, or Modern Language Association Citing is used in literature, psychology, sociology as well as linguistics. MLA citing is considered to be the easiest formats out of the rest. Bibliography in this format is the easiest as well. However, every student has struggled with this format before, no matter how bright they have been.

 

A general format guide of MLA has been given below:

 

1: The paper should be typed, not hand written.

2: Title page is not required in MLA unless it’s specifically asked for.

3: Arial and Times New Roman are the acceptable formats. The text should be double spaced.

4: The font size should be 12.

5: Margins should only be of 1 inch on all sides, and only one space should be left after using any punctuation marks unless it is specified in other way.

6: The header must have the number of all pages on the upper right-hand side, unless told otherwise.

7: The header on the upper right hand should include your last name with a space and page number in the end.

8: Use italics to show titles of longer sources, or if one needs to specify or put emphasis on a certain statement.

9: Title of the page should be in the centre.

10: If there are footnotes or endnotes, they should be included in a separate page. This section can remain unformatted and titled as “Notes”.

 

What is a research paper outline?

 

It is easier to write a research paper when one has all the important components listed down. Research paper outline is nothing but simply a way to organise your thoughts and work into a simple format, so that the research paper can be easy to work with. It is convenient to stay focused while expanding the points with a research paper outline. Students usually face a lot of stress while writing papers, but once a general outline of how the paper will flow is made, it gets easier for the students to stay focused and stress free.

 

Research paper outline is a plan for the upcoming research. It includes the following parts:

 

1: Title

2: Topic/Statement

3: Important points that support your thesis/statement/topic

4: Supporting researches for all the points.

5: Conclusion

 

Most of the important components of a research paper always get included in the research paper outline, which makes it easier for the student to stay focused on the task, and it is easier to move forward into the paper with this method. Each point is then explained thoroughly and all the supporting researches are included in the hypothesis, which makes the paper more reliable and academically brilliant.

 

How to write a research paper with MLA Citing

 

Research paper writing becomes easier with an outline, and then formatting it in MLA citing becomes easier to ensure every particular part goes in particular sections.

The research paper outline consists of the following sections:

 

1: Abstract

2: Introduction

3: Body

a)      Literature review

b)      Research Methods

c)      Analysis

d)     Results

e)      Perspective

4: Conclusion

5: Bibliography

 

An abstract is a brief summary of the paper. It shows the basic information about the topic, the research done, the methods used. It gives the reader an insight about the topic, the subjects, methodology used, in the briefest way ever. The summary is not more than 150-200 words.

The introduction part is the most important section of the paper as it gives the reader an idea about what the research is about. It makes the reader curious about the content. Here, the students explain some major points, general information related to the thesis. The introduction can range anywhere from 600-900 words but not limited to. The aim of the research comes in the introduction.

The body of the essay comprises of multiple headings and subheadings, explaining the entire process of the research as thoroughly as it can. Here, all the researches are listed to support your hypothesis and make the research paper more credible.

In this section of the paper, it is to be made sure that review of literature is included so that the reader knows where you got your supporting argument from.

Analysis, or data analysis is a section where your results and other variables are presented. Present your results in a precise manner and let your audience know if the results bring a change in your topic or support the hypothesis that you suggested. Make sure that in this section one also notes down the setbacks they had to face during the research work.

The end part of the paper is the conclusion where the student lets the reader know about the whole work at a glance. The conclusion talks about the result that was found and the insights that the results give. Here, the thesis statement is mentioned again. Sometimes a conclusion can also be a means to a whole new research!

 

Template of MLA Citing in a Research Paper Outline

While making a research paper outline, it is always the best to outline it already in the format it is required. The name of the student, professor, course, and date are noted on the first page. The header should have your last name and number in the upper right corner. Italics are used when highlighting important points of the thesis, or writing a heading/subheading.

To have a good research paper, especially when one is doing MLA citing, it is necessary that the references are formatted in the required citation type. MLA format does not require a title page, only include it if the professor specifically asks for it.

Last but not the least, it is very important for the student to go through the guidelines a few times before submitting the paper. Re-checking and editing are very important parts of the paper as grammatical errors or formatting errors can make or break your paper. Therefore, always ensure to go through the paper a few more times before submitting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More

How To Write A Precis

 

When it comes to submission, precis writing is the most difficult task that a student has to come across. You may not be aware of this and that is exactly why we have gathered valuable information on it for you. Here is a guide on how to write a precis step by step, which explains term “précis”, a way you need to write it, and some basics tips that you need to know.

What is a Precis: Definition

When having finished another voluminous academic paper, the question “What is a precis?” pops up in a student’s mind.

It is a summary, which gets its name from the French language. It literally means, ‘cut brief’ or ‘precise’. It is a concise synopsis of a published work, like scholarly article or dissertation. If a student is asked to define précis, they can call it a summary of the text but not a paraphrased text. When a student sums up the ideas of certain literary work, it can be called précis. Do note that it is different from paraphrasing because here no need for mentioning all details discussed in a piece of writing.

Précis explains the core of the text and has a structure. The précis format will help you to understand the structure of the text. It is an objective view or you can call it a brief summing up of ideas. It is not a critical analysis, which requires you to examine contents and ideas expressed in the article. It does not demand you to write your personal opinion. Only essential points should be covered. When you are writing a precis, you must make it short, precise and one must stick to the theme.

How should you start writing a Precis?

The steps of writing a precis can be generally categorized as those involving careful examination of the source (with some potential note-taking) , outlining a structure, and writing down the precis itself. Writing a precis is the process of reading through/ analyzing a literary work and extracting the main points, so as to assemble a brief summary of the mentioned work.

Précis writing is not as easy as you might think! You have to keep certain points in your mind before you start to pen it down. How to write a precis? Here are some tips for you to write it!

• Read the article carefully and highlight or mark the main ideas.
• Try to reflect on what author is trying to communicate through the text.
• Take a close look at evidences that the author has used.
• You would need to restate thesis given by the author in your own words. Do note that it should be precise and on-point.
• You need to write only one or two sentences for each of the section. It would be a summary of each section but not in too many words.
• Now you need to re-read article and check whether it is in sync with your summary.
• You must review write-up and confirm whether you have covered the main points or not. Always use a logical structure.
• Check the text for correctness and clarity. Do a grammar check before submitting it to the professor.

When citing a precis, the author's name and article title - both pertaining to the original article would have to be mentioned, besides the author name of the precis author. If you are writing the precis yourself, you normally have to cite only attributes related to the original article.

 

Read More

Data Structures and Algorithms

 Assignment v1.0

1         Introduction

In practicals you have implemented and learned about a number of algorithms and ADTs and will be implementing more of these in the remaining practicals. In this assignment, you will be making use of this knowledge to implement a system to explore and compare a variety of ADT implementations. Feel free to re-use the generic ADTs from your practicals. However, remember to self-cite; if you submit work that you have already submitted for a previous assessment (in this unit or any other) you have to specifically state this. Do not use the Java/Python implementations of ADTs – if in doubt, ask.

 

 

2         The Problem

This assignment requires the development of a solution to analyse crypto-currency trading data. You will be downloading and reading in the trade data, which defines connections between different currencies. Where currencies are not connected directly, there will be a path to follow to find an overall “exchange”, via intermediate trades. We will access data from www.binance.com via their API, to collate the currencies and valid trade pairs. From there it should be possible to query for currencies, trades and trade paths.

 

To get an idea of the dataset, explore the following links:

 

·         API Documentation: https://binance-docs.github.io/apidocs/spot/en/#general-info

·         Markets and trade overview: https://www.binance.com/en/markets

·         Tradeable tokens: https://www.binance.com/api/v3/exchangeInfo (1062 pairs)

·         Last 500 trades on a token: https://www.binance.com/api/v3/trades?symbol=ETHBTC

·         Trade information for last 24 hours: https://www.binance.com/api/v3/ticker/24hr (527KB)

 

Your program should be called cryptoGraph and have three starting options:

 

•         No command line arguments : provides usage information

•         "-i" : interactive testing environment

      •         "-r" : report mode

      usage: cryptoGraph –r <asset_file> <trade_file>

 

When the program starts in interactive mode, it should provide the following menu options:

You can structure the menu/UI differently, just make sure at least those options are included.

 

When running in report mode, you will give the input files and any parameters on the command line, then output the statistics for the dataset.

 

You will then investigate particular assets and trades, using the code you have developed. This investigation will be written up as the Project Report.

Remember: think before you code!

1         Submission

Submit electronically via Blackboard.

 

You should submit a single file, which should be zipped (.zip) or tarred (.tar.gz). Check that you can decompress it on the lab computers. These are also the computers on which your work will be tested, so make sure that your work runs there. The file must be named DSA_Assignment_<id> where the

<id> is replaced by your student id. There should be no spaces in the file name; use underscores as shown.

 

The file must contain the following:

 

·         Your code. This means all .java/.py files needed to run your program. Do include code provided to you as part of the assignment if that is required to run your program.

·         README file including short descriptions of all files and dependencies, and information on how to run the program.

·         Your unit test harnesses. One of the easiest ways for us to be sure that your code works is to make sure that you’ve tested it properly. Make it easy for us to test your work - the test harness for class X should be called UnitTestX, or can be included in the class file for Python.

·         Documentation and Report for your code, as described in Section 2.1.

·         A signed and dated cover sheet. These are available from Blackboard with the assignment specification. You can sign a hard copy and scan it in or you can fill in a soft copy and digitally sign it.

·         Java Students:

o  Do not  include .class files or  anything  else that we do  not need. We will recompile

.java files to ensure that what we’re testing is what we’re reading. We will use javac

*.java to compile your files and run the unit tests by their expected names.

 

Make sure that your file contains what is required. Anything not included in your submission will not be marked, even if you attempt to provide it later. It is your responsibility to make sure that your submission is complete and correct.

 

3.1       Project Report

 

Please submit the Project Report in PDF format. Your Report will be minimum 8-10 pages (excluding UML and Javadocs) and should include the following:

3.1       Marking

Marks will be awarded to your submission as follows:

               ·         Marks will be deducted for not following specifications outlined in this document,              which

includes incorrect submission format and content and using built-in Java ADTs.

·         If the cover sheet isn’t provided with your submission, your submission will not be marked and you will be awarded zero (0) marks. If you forget to submit the cover sheet you will be allowed to submit it separately to the unit coordinator but will lose 5 marks.

3.1       Requirements for passing the unit

 

Students must submit an assignment worthy of scoring 15% to pass the unit.

 

This assignment has many correct solutions so plagiarism will be easy for us to detect (and we will). For information about plagiarism, please refer to http://academicintegrity.curtin.edu.au.

 

In the case of doubt, you may be asked to explain your code and the reason for choices that you have made as part of coding to the unit coordinator. A failure to adequately display knowledge required to have produced the code will most likely result in being formally accused of cheating.

 

Finally, be sure to secure your code. If someone else gets access to your code for any reason (including because you left it on a lab machine, lost a USB drive containing the code or put it on a public repository) you will be held partially responsible for any plagiarism that results.

 

3.2         Late Submission

Late submissions will incur a 10% deduction per day.

 

3.3         Clarifications and Amendments

This assignment specification may be clarified and/or amended at any time. Such clarifications and amendments will be announced via Blackboard. These clarifications and amendments form part of the assignment specification and may include things that affect mark allocations or specific tasks.

Read More