Reviewing an MLA paper: Use of sources

• Is quoted material enclosed within quotation marks (unless it has been set off from the text)?
• Is quoted language word-for-word accurate? If not, do brackets or ellipsis marks indicate the changes or omissions?
• Does a clear signal phrase (usually naming the author) prepare readers for each quotation and for the purpose the quotation serves?
• Does a parenthetical citation follow each quotation?
• Is each quotation put in context?

• Are summaries and paraphrases free of plagiarized wording—not copied or half-copied from the source?
• Are summaries and paraphrases documented with parenthetical citations?
• Do readers know where the cited material begins? In other words, does a signal phrase mark the boundary between your words and the summary or paraphrase, unless the context makes clear exactly what you are citing?
• Does a clear signal phrase prepare readers for the purpose the summary or paraphrase has in your argument?

• Are statistics and facts (other than common knowledge) documented with parenthetical citations?
• If there is no signal phrase, will readers understand exactly which facts are being cited?