ELA: Research & MLA Citations: Standard Practice

# Medium Level Guide Grade-level practice aligned to typical classroom expectations and unit assessments. # Developing a Research Question Start with a broad topic, then narrow to a focused question. A strong thesis answers that question with a claim you can support. Research gathers evidence from credible sources, not just the first search result. # Evaluating Sources Check author credentials, publication date, and purpose. Peer-reviewed journals and established news outlets differ from opinion blogs. CRAAP test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose. # Paraphrasing and Quoting Paraphrase by restating ideas in your own words and sentence structure. Quotes preserve exact wording for powerful language. Both require citation. Changing only a few words is still plagiarism. # MLA Format Basics In-text citations use author and page: (Smith 42). Works Cited lists full sources alphabetically. Core elements include author, title, container, publisher, and date. Hanging indent and double spacing are standard.