High school (9–12)
English / ELA
ELA: Research & MLA Citations: Easy Practice
Free research and MLA citation practice for high school. Learn to evaluate sources, paraphrase effectively, avoid plagiarism, and format in-text and Works Cited entries. Build confidence with foundational questions. Review key vocabulary and core skills before moving to harder sets.
Easy Level Guide
Build confidence with foundational questions. Review key vocabulary and core skills before moving to harder sets.
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.
FAQ
- Which MLA edition is this based on?
- Guidance follows MLA 9th edition conventions used in most high schools since 2021.
- Does this cover APA format?
- This pack focuses on MLA, the standard for high school English research papers.