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Submit your Research Essay to MLA’s Student Research Paper Contest (Deadline January 18th)

November 17, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Modern Language Association Student Research Paper Contest!

Writing with Style! The MLA Student Essay Contest

Criteria, Guidelines, and Rules

The Modern Language Association seeks submissions from students of exemplary research papers written in MLA style for publication on MLA Handbook Plus, the only authorized digital resource providing online access to the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

The five papers that best meet the submission criteria will be published on the site, and the authors of accepted papers will receive a certificate and a $50 gift card to an online bookstore. Papers will be evaluated by the MLA’s editorial team, and the finalists will be chosen by a committee composed of high school and college faculty members. Each student may submit one paper for consideration by the committee.

Length: 2,000–3,000 words. Works-cited-lists do not count for word limit.
Language: Papers must be written in English.
Deadline: 18 January 2022

Format
Papers should be paginated, double-spaced, and submitted as Microsoft Word files or in Word-compatible formats (e.g., doc, docx, rtf). Papers should have no information identifying the student. Information about students should be provided on the submission form.

Files should be labeled with a short title and the date of submission (e.g., ReadingShakespeare_04 Jan 2022).

Papers published on the site will include the authors’ names.

Terms
Authors of student papers must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission. They must be enrolled in a high school or formal program of study or as undergraduates in an accredited two- or four-year college or university during the 2021–22 academic year. They will be asked to sign a release form before selected papers are announced.

Notification
Authors of winning papers will be notified by e-mail in spring 2022. 

Selection Criteria
Papers should move beyond the traditional five-paragraph-essay format and include the following elements:

  • A title
  • A clear and original argument (thesis statement)
  • Ample evidence that supports and further develops the argument
  • An awareness of the audience for the paper
  • Direct prose
  • An accurate explanation of what others have said about the topic and a serious consideration of opposing views
  • Judicious use of quotation and paraphrase
  • Paragraphs with clear topic sentences
  • Clear transitions between paragraphs
  • An introduction that presents and contextualizes the argument
  • An ending that fits the paper’s conclusions into a larger perspective and answers the question, Why does this matter?
  • A works-cited list and in-text citations styled according to the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook

Since these papers will be a resource for teachers who want to help students learn MLA style, submissions containing some of the elements listed below are more likely to be accepted:

  • A wide range of source formats (books, journal articles, websites, videos, etc.)
  • Tables or illustrations with explanatory captions
  • Subheads
  • A mix of run-in and block quotations
  • Endnotes

Accepted submissions will be lightly copyedited, but authors should follow MLA style and format as best they can and aim for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Questions about the contest may be sent to style@mla.org.

PRELIM 7: Evolving Annotated Bibliography– as an evolving Blog Post!

November 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

There is an option for writing PRELIM 8: Evolving Annotated Bibliography as a Blog Post, earning both PRELIM credit + Blog Post credit.

First, sign in to your WordPress website (or other blog hosting program).
Second, choose “Posts” or “Add New” from the left menu of the Dashboard.

      • “Add New” (to start a completely new Blog Post)
      • You can add text by copying + pasting from another text file (i.e. MS Word, .pages, Google Docs, etc.) OR typing in the window. For example:Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Thorpe, Ulverscroft, 2018.
        [Novel Chapter] In a future where most animals are a rare commodity, bounty hunter Rick Deckard tracks deviant androids, hoping to earn enough money to purchase a living sheep (as opposed to the robotic one that he already possesses). In the process, he falls in love with an android. Struck by this unprecedented dilemma, Deckard struggles to differentiate between humanity and inhumanity as he reassesses his situation. Since my essay focuses on the portrayal of robots in media, this classic felt like the perfect reference point. As Deckard realizes the dangers associated with making androids as human as possible, I see a chance to analyze why the androids even need to be human-like in the first place. The book also provides an opportunity to define androids in the context of classic fiction, setting a reference point for the reader audience. Plus, the novel opens the following discussions: What makes a human? What about the androids makes their emotions so uncanny? Why give them the ability to emote in the first place? Are they meant to be better than us? If so, again, why give them emotions? And so on. 
    • You can also upload each installment of PRELIM 8 in PDF format to the composition window by clicking the “Add Media” button OR by adding these documents to Media in the Dashboard menu. For example:       PRELIM 8 Evolving Annotated Bibliography
    • If you have images, upload them to the Media library by clicking on the Media item in the Dashboard menu. Then choose “Add Media” at the top of the composition window menu to add them where you want them  in the Post. Here is an example:            :You can include an image,  link a video, or other source in the annotation beneath your bibliographic citation. Just be sure to also write a summary response for that source. When you add sources or links to sources in a Post, you can return to edit the entries in the Post itself by revising older annotations and adding newer ones annotations–and then saving the revised post. You can also make Hypothes.is to annotate your Blog Post.
    • If you have links to web-based sources you have found doing your own research, such as web-pages, images, or audio or audiovisual material,  you can include them in the Post by clicking on the “link” icon in the composition window menu, typing the URL, and typing title information for the source. For example: “She’s a Replicant” from Bladerunner (1982).
    • ALWAYS SAVE YOUR POST.
    • PUBLISH your Post or schedule your Post to be published on a particular date. You can also un-publish a Post while you are in the process of revising entries or adding new entries to PRELIM 8.

You will update (EVOLVE) your PRELIM 7: Evolving Annotated Bibliography at least 3 times, adding new sources and revising existing sources each time.

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