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Essay Checker: Free Online Paper Corrector

Your Best Chance for an A+ Essay. Try Our Free Essay Checker Below.

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Why Should You Use a Free Essay Checker?

The simple answer? Good grammar is necessary, but it’s not easy. You've already done countless hours of research to write the essay. You don’t want to spend countless hours correcting it, too.

You'll get a better grade

Good grammar or its absence can determine if you get a good grade or a failing one. Impress your lecturer not just with how grammatically sound your writing is, but how clear it is and how it flows.

You'll save time

Essay writing can be a long and tedious process. ProWritingAid's essay checker saves you the hassle by acting as the first line of defense against pesky grammar issues.

You'll become a better writer

Essay writing is a particular skill and one that becomes better with practice. Every time you run your essay through ProWritingAid’s essay corrector, you get to see what your common mistakes are and how to fix them.

Good Writing = Good Grades

It’s already hard to know what to write in an essay. Don’t let grammar mistakes hinder your writing and prevent you from getting a good grade. ProWritingAid’s essay checker will help you write your best essay yet. Since the checker is powered by AI, using it means that grammar errors don’t stand a chance. Give your professors something to look forward to reading with clear, concise, and professional writing.

How Does ProWritingAid’s Essay Checker Work?

Your goal in essay writing is to convey your message as best as possible. ProWritingAid's essay checker is the first step towards doing this.

Get Rid of Spelling Errors

ProWritingAid’s essay checker will show you what it thinks are spelling errors and present you with possible corrections. If a word is flagged and it’s actually spelt correctly you can always choose to ignore the suggestion.

Fix Grammar Errors

Professors aren’t fans of poor grammar because it interrupts your message and makes your essay hard to understand. ProWritingAid will run a grammar check on your paper to ensure that your message is precise and is being communicated the way you intended.

Get Rid of Punctuation Mistakes

A missing period or comma here and there may not seem that serious, but you’ll lose marks for punctuation errors. Run ProWritingAid’s paper checker to use the correct punctuation marks every time and elevate your writing.

Improve Readability

Make sure that in the grand scheme your language is not too complicated. The essay checker's built in readability report will show if your essay is easy or hard to read. It specifically zones in on paragraphs that might be difficult to read so you can review them.

What Else Can the Essay Checker Do?

The editing tool analyzes your text and highlights a variety of key writing issues, such as overused words, incohesive sentence structures, punctuation issues, repeated phrases, and inconsistencies.

You don’t need to drown your essay in words just to meet the word count. ProWritingAid’s essay checker will help to make your words more effective. You'll get to construct your arguments and make sure that every word you use builds towards a meaningful conclusion.

Transition words help to organize your ideas by showing the relationship between them. The essay checker has a built in Transition report that highlights and shows the percentage of transitions used in your essay. Use the results to add transitions where necessary.

An engaging essay has sentences of varying lengths. Don’t bore your professor with long, rambling sentences. The essay checker will show you where you need to break long sentences into shorter sentences, or add more sentence length variation.

Generally, in scholarly writing, with its emphasis on precision and clarity, the active voice is preferred. However, the passive voice is acceptable in some instances. When you run your essay through ProWritingAid’s essay checker, you get feedback on whether you 'r e using the passive or active voice to convey your idea.

There are academic specific power verbs like appraise , investigate , debunk , support , etc., that can add more impact to your argument by giving a more positive and confident tone. The essay checker will check your writing for power verbs and notify you if you have less than three throughout your essay.

It's easy to get attached to certain phrases and use them as crutches in your essays but this gives the impression of boring and repetitive writing. The essay checker will highlight your repeats and suggest contextually relevant alternatives.

Gain access to in-house blog reports on citations, how to write a thesis statement, how to write a conclusion, and more. Venture into a world of resources specific to your academic needs.

What Kinds of Papers Does ProWritingAid Correct?

No matter what you’re writing, ProWritingAid will adapt and show you where your edits are needed most.

• Argumentative
• Descriptive
• Textual Analysis
• Lab reports
• Case studies
• Literature reviews
• Presentations
• Dissertations
• Research papers

Professors and students love using ProWritingAid

If you're an English teacher, you need to take a look at this tool - it reinforces what you're teaching, highlights strengths and weaknesses, and makes it easier to personalize instruction.

Jennifer Gonzales

Only reason I managed to get an A in all my freshmen composition classes.

Chris Layton

Great tool for academic work. Easy to use and the reports and summary evaluation of your documents in several categories is very useful. So much more than spelling and grammar!

Debra Callender

Questions & Answers

1. how do i use the essay checker online tool.

You can either copy and paste your essay in the essay checker field or upload your essay from your computer. Your suggestions will show once you enter text. You’ll see a number of possible grammar and spelling issues. Sign up for free to get unlimited suggestions to improve your writing style, grammar, and sentence structure. Avoid unintentional plagiarism with a premium account.

2. Does the essay checker work with British English and American English?

The essay checker works with both British English and American English. Just choose the one you would like to use and your corrections will reflect this.

3. Is using an essay checker cheating?

No. The essay checker won’t ever write the essay for you. It will point out possible edits and advise you on changes you need to make. You have full autonomy and get to decide which changes to accept.

4. Will the essay checker auto-correct my work?

The essay writing power remains in your hands. You choose which suggestions you want to accept and you can ignore those that you don’t think apply.

5. Is there a student discount?

Students who have an eligible student email address can get 20% off ProWritingAid Premium. Email [email protected] from your student email address to access your discount.

6. Does ProWritingAid have a plagiarism checker?

Yes! ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker will check your work against over a billion web-pages, published works, and academic papers, so you can be sure of its originality. Find out more about pricing for plagiarism checks here .

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More than a Grammar Checker Grammar Checker & Paraphraser

Languagetool is an ai-based spelling, style, and grammar checker that helps correct or paraphrase texts across languages., 2000+ organizations trust our ai-based grammar checker and paraphraser.

• European Union
• Spiegel Magazine
• Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)
• Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP)
• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
• Bertelsmann Stiftung
• Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF)
• IP Australia

Try the LanguageTool Editor for a Better Writing Experience

Create your free account.

• Distraction-free writing experience
• Personal Dictionary
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• Texts are securely stored
• Access even more suggestions for advanced punctuation, style, and typography with the “Picky Mode”
• Choose between dark and light appearance

Our Browser Add-On Works Anywhere on the Web

Receive tips on how to improve your text while typing an e-mail, a blog post, or just a simple tweet. Whatever language you’re using, LanguageTool will automatically detect it and provide suggestions. To respect your privacy, no text is stored by the browser add-on.

Over 1 million users trust LanguageTool with their writing

Top-rated grammar checker for Firefox with over 1 million users

Over 4 million users trust LanguageTool with their writing

Top-rated grammar checker for Chrome with over 3 million users

Do you speak a foreign language?

The most international writing tool.

There are over 7,000 languages and various multilingual countries in the world. LanguageTool helps as an international spellchecker and paraphraser in several languages, including:

+ more than 30 other languages and dialects

Reach your potential with statistics.

This feature helps you stay consistent with your writing by tracking your productivity. It also provides an overview of languages used, errors made, and suggestions applied, so you can see for yourself how your writing skills have improved.

Elevate Your Writing With the Grammar, Spell, and Style Checker for Windows

Experience LanguageTool’s advanced spelling, style, and grammar suggestions right in all your favorite writing apps.

Supported Apps

Elevate Your Writing With the Grammar, Spell, and Style Checker for macOS

Integrates with your favorite office program.

Get the best out of your docs and deliver error-free results, whether you’re working on a dissertation, essay, book, or you just want to note something down.

Google Docs Add-on

Check all your texts in Google Docs for grammar and spelling mistakes with the free browser add-on.

macOS App for Microsoft Word

LanguageTool for macOS allows you to check text in Microsoft Word and most of your favorite Mac apps.

Microsoft Word Add-in

Works with Windows, Mac, and even the online version. Requires Word 2016 or later or Office 365.

Text checking for LibreOffice & OpenOffice

• Get for OpenOffice *
• Use it in LibreOffice

* LanguageTool’s grammar check for OpenOffice requires Java 8. Currently not available for the Premium version. Problems installing it? Look here for help: Troubleshooting

Correct Spelling

Do you fall victim to typos and misspellings way too often? LanguageTool finds every mistake and underlines it in red. Spell every name, phrase, and word the write… eh, the right way!

Check Grammar

Grammar rules have never been so easy! LanguageTool will help rid your writing of all grammar gaffes, like incorrect subject-verb-agreement, wrong plural forms, or misuse of grammatical forms.

Fix Punctuation

Commas and dashes and hyphens… Proper punctuation can be tricky—LanguageTool ensures you’re using them right. It can even help you form complex sentences and tell you when you’ve used too many exclamation points!

Confirm Casing

It’s all about the capital, right? And the lowercase letters, too. LanguageTool corrects incorrect casing, whether you’re writing capitalized names, months, places, or national identities.

Improve Style

LanguageTool helps your writing be as stylish as you are by detecting overused phrases, foreign terms, redundant words, and improper word choice. All you have to do to find the best style is look out for the blue underline.

Looking for the right words? LanguageTool's paraphraser makes them easier to find by using artificial intelligence to rephrase your sentences to be more formal, fluent, simple or concise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make your text sound professional and avoid embarrassing style, punctuation, and grammar mistakes

LanguageTool corrects spelling mistakes, but it also offers a full writing analysis of all possible texts. In addition to spelling, grammar, and word choice, language style is also corrected.

Punctuation errors of all kinds are found and corrected by LanguageTool. Its correction distinguishes between optional and required commas. Even complex sentence structures can be proofread by the comma check.

The error display and suggestion cards are shown automatically and directly while typing. This means that texts can be checked and corrected in just a few moments. To see synonyms, simply double-click on any word.

LanguageTool masters more than 30 languages and dialects. Its main languages are English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, and Portuguese. In its English version, you can choose between six standard varieties (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).

LanguageTool is available in two versions. The free version corrects spelling as well as simple punctuation and some style mistakes. Only the Premium version will show you all errors and give you the best possible text. Team accounts for companies are also available.

LanguageTool is not bound to a specific program or website. There are several extensions and add-ons available, so it can be used in all common internet browsers. In addition, you can find a dedicated text editor as an app for iOS, macOS (Apple), and Windows. All you need is just one user account.

LanguageTool now offers an A.I.-based paraphraser in addition to correction. This can help you to rewrite entire sentences to make them simpler, shorter, or more formal.

If you have to write a term paper, bachelor thesis or master thesis at a university, LanguageTool can help you to be sure that it is free of errors. The writing assistant’s style check is also particularly helpful for other academic texts in schools or at publishing houses. By the way, students get a discount for LanguageTool.

Unleash the professional writer in you with LanguageTool Premium

Go well beyond grammar and spell checking, and impress with clear, precise and stylistically correct writing.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR CHECK

Scribens checks the grammar of your texts and finds spelling mistakes.

Perfectly integrates with essential apps

Use Scribens anywhere you type

Avoid copy-pasting and keep the formatting of your original texts: Correct your texts on Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, forums, blogs, etc. Use Scribens as a seamless extension of Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, OpenOffice or LibreOffice.

Use our API to add Scribens to your website!

The advantages of SCRIBENS

A POWERFUL, FREE ENGLISH GRAMMAR CHECKER

Scribens corrects over 250 types of common grammar and spelling mistakes, including verbs, nouns, pronouns, prepositions, homonyms, punctuation, typography, and more.

Online corrections are included with explanations in order to help the user progress his or her English writing skills. Try our sample!

CORRECTS 10X MORE MISTAKES THAN MICROSOFT WORD

Scribens employs a sophisticated syntaxical recognition algorithm that detects even the most subtle errors in a text. In offering you an advanced correction software, Scribens allows you to significantly improve the quality of your writing.

Security and confidentiality

USEFUL WRITING AND STYLE TOOLS

Scribens detects stylistic elements such as repetitions, run-on sentences, redundancies, and more. It even suggests synonyms for every word. It also provides highly detailed statistics on your texts, such as word, sentence, and paragraph count as well as a readability indicator and more.

Scribens provides definitions, conjugations, and synonyms with an accompanying dictionary and thesaurus.

In 2023, 7 million people visited Scribens.com

- 1 million people regularly use Scribens' English grammar corrector at scribens.com -

SCRIBENS PREMIUM SHIFT UP A GEAR

FREE EDITION

Corrects ten times more errors than Microsoft Word

Explanations

Improve your English with grammar rules explained

DICTIONARIES

Definitions, conjugations, and synonyms

Detects repetitions, redundancies, and suggests synonyms

Premium Version

Integration in all your favorite applications

Text checker limited to 200,000 characters (approx. 50 pages)

Removal of ads across the entire site

Free online proofreading and essay editor

A reliable proofreading tool and essay editor for any writer or student, a complete environment.

Typely is more than just a proofreading tool. It's a complete writing environment.

Thousands of checks

More than a thousand checks are being performed and we've only scratched the surface.

Inspired by the greatest writers

Gain access to humanity’s collective understanding about the craft of writing.

A proofreading tool that does not bark at every tree

Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

We aim for a tool so precise that it becomes possible to unquestioningly adopt its recommendations and still come out ahead — with stronger, tighter prose. Better to be quiet and authoritative than loud and unreliable.

Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece...

Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story.

Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

Got questions? We have answers.

No. Typely is completely free and we plan on keeping it that way. We are considering some advanced features however that might be available under a premium plan.

The only limit we have applied thus far is on the number of characters you can submit and that is being set at a maximum of 50,000.

In theory yes but that will require a lot of work and professionals dedicated for this job. We are considering a way of letting the community participate somehow.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable.

Essay Checker

With Ginger’s Essay Checker, correcting common writing errors is easier than ever. Try it free online!

Avoid Common Writing Mistakes with the World’s Top Essay Checker

The Ginger Essay Checker helps you write better papers instantly. Upload as much text as you want – even entire documents – and Essay Checker will automatically correct any spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, and misused words. Ginger Essay Checker uses patent-pending technology to fix essays, improving your writing just like a human editor would. Take advantage of the most advanced essay corrector on the market. You’ll benefit from instant proofreading, plus you’ll automatically improve your writing skills as you view highlighted errors side by side with Ginger Essay Checker’s corrections.

Check Essays Fast with Ginger Software

You’ve selected a topic, constructed an outline, written your thesis statement, and completed your first draft. Don’t let your efforts go to waste. With Ginger Software’s Essay Checker, you’ll be the only one to see those little mistakes and perhaps even those glaring errors peppering your paper. The tedious task of checking an essay once had to be done by hand – and proofreading sometimes added hours of work to large projects. Where writers once had to rely on peers or editors to spot and correct mistakes, Essay Checker has taken over. Better yet, this innovative online paper checker does what other free essay corrector programs can’t do: Not only does it flag errors so you can learn from your mistakes, it automatically corrects all spelling and grammar issues at lightning speed.

Stop Wasting Time and Effort Checking Papers

You have a heavy workload, and the last thing you need to do is waste time staring at an essay you’ve just spent hours writing. Proofreading your own work – especially when you’re tired – allows you to find a few mistakes, but some errors inevitably go unnoticed no matter how much time you spend re-reading what you’ve just written. The Ginger Essay Checker lightens your workload by completely eliminating the need for hours of tedious self-review. With Ginger’s groundbreaking Essay Checker, a vast array of grammar mistakes and spelling errors are detected and corrected with unmatched accuracy. While most online paper checker tools claiming to correct essays simply flag mistakes and sometimes make suggestions for fixing them, Essay Checker goes above and beyond, picking up on such issues as tense usage errors, singular vs. plural errors, and more. Even the most sophisticated sentence structures are checked with accuracy, ensuring no mistake is overlooked even though all you’ve done is made a single click.

Essay Checker Paves the Way to Writing Success

Writing has always been important, and accuracy has always been sought after. Getting your spelling, grammar, and syntax right matters, whether your audience is online or off. Error-free writing is a vital skill in the academic world, and it’s just as important for conducting business. Casual bloggers need to maintain credibility with their audiences, and professional writers burn out fast when faced with mounds of work to proofread. Make sure your message is conveyed with clarity by checking your work before submitting it to readers – no matter who they are.

Checking essays has never been easier. With Ginger Essay Checker, you’ll save time, boost productivity, and make the right impression.

Wipe out plagiarism & grammar errors

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• Expert Check

Check for unintentional plagiarism

Check your paper for unintentional plagiarism against thousands of sources.

Strengthen your writing

Give your paper an in-depth check. Receive feedback within 24 hours from writing experts on your paper's main idea, structure, conclusion, and more.

Find and fix grammar errors

Don't lose points over small mistakes. Our smart proofreader checks for grammar and writing mistakes so that you don't have to.

What students are saying about us

"Caught comma errors that I actually struggle with even after proofreading myself."

- Natasha J.

"I find the suggestions to be extremely helpful especially as they can instantly take you to that section in your paper for you to fix any and all issues related to the grammar or spelling error(s)."

- Catherine R.

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Personalized Writing Help When You Need it

Unintentional plagiarism, grammar mistakes, and uncited sources  can turn what you thought was a good paper into a poor one. When you’re writing a paper the last thing you want is for your message to get lost due to incorrect punctuation or confusing sentence structure. You know that the great ideas in your head would make for a standout paper, if only you could get them written clearly on the page. If this struggle sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Great ideas may be an essential part of high-quality writing, but they’re not the only component. Excellent papers and essays clearly express strong ideas with good grammar, proper punctuation, spot-on spelling, and thorough, careful citations. While this may sound like a lot, your teachers and professors are grading you on your skills as both a writer and a researcher, which means your assignments will require an ethical and attentive approach. Luckily, there is no shortage of available tools to help you along your way.

You could use a plagiarism checker free, though, these tools often lack grammatical support. Given the high stakes and rigorous requirements, the aid of a plagiarism checker without the needed support of a grammar checker could mean the difference between an “A” paper and a “C” or even “D” paper.

Thankfully, the EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool provides all-in-one support to cover all your bases. Our premium essay checker is convenient, easy to use, and includes access to a grammar and spell checker, plus a plagiarism checker. With a single scan, you’ll receive personalized feedback to help identify potentially missing citations and help improve your sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and more.

Not sure if that noun is spelled correctly, or if the preposition at the end of your sentence is grammatically correct? The EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool is your one-stop shop to help check plagiarism, get grammatical suggestions, correct spelling and punctuation errors, and help create polished papers you can be proud to turn in. And, we haven’t told you the best part yet: you can try our tool free and scan your work for grammar suggestions right now!

Access all the tools today!

A Grammar Check for Peace of Mind

You know that grammar plays a significant role in your assignments. Not only does it factor into your overall grade, but without clear and precise language, your ideas can lose their impact or might even be misunderstood entirely. Still, with so many different parts of speech and rules to learn and apply, it’s not uncommon to get them mixed up and find yourself questioning your knowledge now and again:

Can you use an adverb to modify a noun? (No. You need an adjective for that.)

Well, can you use it to modify a pronoun ? (Still no.)

What do they modify, then? (Almost everything else. Fun, right?)

Ugh. (That was an interjection .)

Does this have to be so difficult? (Nope!)

Scanning your paper with the EasyBib Plus writing tool delivers more than the basic punctuation and spell check functions that come standard in word processing programs. You’ll receive immediate, targeted feedback that can help improve the sentence structure and style of your writing. Not only can this help ensure that you don’t lose points off your grade for grammatical errors such as mismatched verb tense, but it can also help to clarify your meaning and strengthen your arguments by eliminating confusing punctuation and run-on sentences that confuse readers.

Reviewing your work to correct errors and refine the flow of your writing is a critical part of the revision process for novices and novelists alike. Even the most conscientious of wordsmiths might make mistakes, such as using a conjunctive adverb in place of a coordinating conjunction or pairing a plural determiner with an uncountable word. They likely appreciate a subscription-based or free grammar check as much as a beginning writer. That’s why the EasyBib Plus writing tool is designed for all writers, from students who are still learning the fundamentals to published professionals who get paid by the word.

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides quick, targeted feedback that you can use to help improve your writing immediately. Also, our free resource library is available 24/7, just like the rest of our tools, to help you brush up on the areas that challenge you the most (Conjunctive what? Uncountable who?) That means you can continue to sharpen your skills and improve your writing over time, which will help make finishing your next project easier.

Ready to give your paper a boost? Sign up for EasyBib Plus or scan a paper right now for a free spell check—it’s easy!Just upload or copy and paste your paper to the online grammar check tool and, in a matter of seconds, you’ll be able to receive up to 5 feedback cards so you can begin polishing your draft.

To learn more about proofreading tools, you can find more info here. Or, for more tips on grammar, punctuation, and style, check out this useful reference .

Why is Grammar So Important, Anyway?

Why is grammar important? As long as others know what you mean, does it really matter if you use proper grammar? These are age-old questions, but the answers remain unchanged. Grammar is important for many reasons:

Communication:  Communication is about more than merely listening and talking. We communicate in myriad ways: with our voices, our mannerisms, our facial expressions, our actions, and frequently, our written words. Written communication is just as important as all the other ways we broadcast our thoughts and feelings. Unlike our other communication methods, though, written communication leaves a record. While most of us relax our style when talking to or texting friends, the fact remains that more formal venues require a more formal tone. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a necessary element of professional and academic writing, so running your work through a spelling and grammar check before you submit it is an absolute must.

Clarity:  Expressing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions is an uphill battle when you communicate them with less-than-stellar punctuation, spelling, and grammar. A missing or misplaced comma, for example, can entirely change your meaning:

• Call me Ishmael = My name is Ishmael.
• Call me, Ishmael = I want Ishmael to call me.

Spelling errors can result in similarly muddled meaning:

• Her shoes perfectly complemented her dress. = Her shoes and dress go well together.
• Her shoes perfectly complimented her dress. = Her shoes can both speak and engage in flattery.

Grammar deficiencies such as a dangling modifier yield similarly confusing results:

• I saw the girl’s purple backpack in the library. = The purple backpack belonging to the girl is in the library; I saw it.
• I saw the purple girl’s backpack in the library. = You know the girl who mysteriously turned purple? I saw her backpack in the library. This week has not been easy on her.

Credibility: Establishing your credibility is critical whether you’re writing for school or business. Proving that you can reliably communicate using proper grammar is essential to establishing and maintaining the trust of your teachers, professors, readers, customers, and colleagues.

To learn even more about the importance of English grammar in writing, check here .

What Happens After I Upload My Paper?

Once you upload a paper, the EasyBib Plus grammar checker scans your text and highlights grammar issues within your document so you can see it in context. For users running a grammar check and spell check using the grammar check free tool, up to the first 5 issues are shown. For subscription subscribers, all of the areas that require your review will be highlighted once the scan is complete.

No matter which version of the tool you’re using, your feedback will include detailed explanations so you can understand why the text was flagged. Other highlighted areas will include examples of how the issues can be fixed. Some will include a detailed explanation as to why the issue was flagged. This personalized feedback allows you to make an educated decision about whether to edit your text or dismiss the suggestion, so you’re always in control of your final draft.

Subscription users also have the plagiarism checker at their disposal when scanning their papers for style and grammar suggestions. Just as with our other writing tools, when you use the tool to check plagiarism, changes are never made without your review, so you are always in the driver’s seat. You can review each highlighted area as well as the sources of matching text and will always be given a choice to either accept or ignore both citation and grammar suggestions.

Whether you are a student or a professional, the EasyBib Plus tools are powerful allies that can help you improve your paper, establish credibility as a writer, and maintain an ethical writing process.

Try our checker free for 3 days to see what you think*. Trust us; you’ll wonder how you got along so far without it!

*See Terms and Conditions

Check for Unintentional Plagiarism

Persistent use of the best grammar checker and spell checker you can find will help to shape up the style and substance of your composition. However, to ensure the integrity of your work and root out unintentional instances of academic dishonesty, you’ll also need to incorporate a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker for students.

The ability to scan your paper and check plagiarism and grammar before submitting your work is an invaluable tool for students. It’s so valuable, in fact, that students are not the only ones who consistently use this type of software.

Many teachers and professors use a service to ensure that student papers are original and include properly formatted and sourced citations for all reference materials. For some, this may be a consistent element of their grading process, while others may utilize one only when they feel there is a reason to do so.

What Exactly Does a Plagiarism Checker Do?

If you’ve used an online plagiarism checker before, you may be familiar with the process that these tools employ. For those who have never used one, it can be helpful to understand how these tools work and what you should expect as a result of using one.

The most basic free tools will scan your paper and provide you with a percentage that indicates how much of your work is original. This feature can be useful to a point, as some instructors and institutions set a percentage for the amount of similar text that is considered acceptable. This policy does not mean that they are lenient about academic dishonesty but, instead, that they recognize that similar or even matching word choice is not always an indicator of copying.

However, some schools do not tolerate any form of incremental plagiarism, period. In these institutions, “check paper for plagiarism” is likely a standard action when grading all papers.

With a free plagiarism checker, the percentage of word-for-word plagiarism in your text may be the only feedback you receive. Moreover, some of these providers may wade in unethical waters, and offer essay writing services in conjunction with their checking services. This is why many students and teachers prefer subscription-based checkers that focus on integrity, such as the EasyBib writing tools.

With our premium tools, you get more than just supporting proof that your paper is original and in your own words. Your writing is scanned for potentially matching text and areas that needs your attention is highlighted. We’ll provide you with the source of the matching text so you can review it and decide how to proceed. If you agree that a citation is needed, our citation tools and resources will provide you with the information you need to help format and insert the new sources in your text as well as your works cited page.

How Does the EasyBib Plus Online Plagiarism Checker Work?

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides an all-in-one spell check, grammar review, and plagiarism checker that not only helps you with the paper you’re writing now but enables you to gain new knowledge and improve your writing for the future, too.

Our essay checker searches online for phrases, sentences, or passages that are similar to those in your paper. If it returns matching text, this may indicate that you have passages that are missing citations.

Just as with many checkers, our tool will tell you how many instances of matching text it finds in your paper. Our plagiarism tool is designed to do more than most free tools, however.

When a portion of your paper is flagged for review, we provide you with the source that it matches. As with our online spell check tool, you have the power to review each area and choose how to proceed. If you decide to cite the flagged text, you can review the suggested source and access our citation tools to help create a proper citation and start building a bibliography for your paper. Or, you may determine that no citation is needed, in which case it’s simple to dismiss the suggestion and continue to the next section.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed, our library of resources can help you learn more and make an educated decision. In this way, you gain more than just the ability to correct your work; over time, you can learn how to avoid plagiarism altogether.

Reasons Your Teacher May Run Your Paper Through a Plagiarism Detector

As stated previously, your teachers and professors grade papers with a fixed process that includes “check paper for plagiarism” as a standard, across-the-board action. Others may check for plagiarism only when they feel there is cause to do so. There are a few red flags that may stand out to them while reviewing a paper that would lead to their running a plagiarism check, including:

Style/Voice:  Most teachers are familiar with the style and voice that you use in your writing. While most will hope that the feedback they provide when grading your work will help you to improve problem areas over time, a paper or essay that has a dramatically different style or voice than the work you’ve previously submitted can be a red flag.

Inconsistency:  Changes in the font, font size, formality, formatting, and more may indicate that portions of a paper have been copied and pasted. If these inconsistent passages are not presented as quotations or don’t include citations, this may further indicate to your teacher that there’s plagiarism in the paper.

Old References:  Part of a well-researched paper is verifying the legitimacy and relevance of your sources. While some older references may be acceptable depending on the topic, if all of your sources are outdated, it may lead your teacher to believe that you’ve recycled your own work or someone else’s.

Looking for a checker to try? With EasyBib Plus you get unlimited checks to give you peace of mind when turning in your papers!

What is Plagiarism?

If you’re looking for a free online plagiarism checker , you’re already aware that it’s not something you want to be found in your papers. However, you may still be wondering: what does plagiarism mean? It’s a reasonable question and one that merits exploring. After all, some of the actions and circumstances that fall within the plagiarism definition come as a surprise to those who only learn that they’ve committed them after it’s too late.

So what is plagiarism? To define plagiarism in the most basic sense, you might say that it is taking someone else’s ideas and words and passing them off as your own.

If your goal is avoiding plagiarism entirely, you’ll need to go beyond the basics to thoroughly define plagiarism, recognize it, and keep clear of it. Some examples of plagiarism that students find surprising include forgotten citations, poor paraphrasing, and re-submitting your own work in whole or in part for more than one assignment. This useful article provides more help in recognizing and understanding the different forms that academic dishonesty can take.

Of course, using your own words and ideas does not count as plagiarism, nor does using common knowledge . Basically, common knowledge is information that is well known by the average person. Examples of common knowledge:

• there are 12 months in a year
• the freezing point of Celsius is zero degrees
• Socrates was a Greek philosopher

So should you only include your original thoughts and common knowledge in your papers? Of course not! Research-based assignments are meant to demonstrate your skills as a researcher, after all, as well as your ability to build upon the work of others to formulate new ideas. To avoid accidentally committing an act that falls within the plagiarism definition when you’re using another person’s words or ideas, though, you need to give them proper credit. This means you’ll need to clearly identify direct quotations or properly paraphrase them when including them in your paper.

Regardless of your approach, you’ll also need to cite your sources according to the style your professor specifies. Generally, you will use MLA format for the arts and humanities and APA format for the sciences, but it’s always best to check with your instructor when you’re unsure.

If you know what style to use but still aren’t sure how to create your citations, don’t fret! Our library of resources includes free guides to help you learn about various styles so you can properly structure and place them. And our premium tools not only help you check grammar, spelling, and originality in your papers, but subscribers also enjoy access to our citation creation tools!

What are the Different Types of Plagiarism?

In addition to the question “what is plagiarism,” you may also be wondering, “why do students plagiarize?” While some students do intentionally plagiarize because they believe they can pass off someone else’s work as their own to avoid spending time on their assignments, many others do so accidentally. They may not understand how broad the plagiarism definition is or they haven’t learned how to research and cite their sources properly. That is why it is vital to recognize plagiarism in all of its forms if you wish to ensure the integrity of your work.

Examples of plagiarism & How to prevent it

Direct plagiarism:

Intentionally copying another person’s work without including a citation that gives credit to the source. When most students are asked to identify potential plagiarism examples and behaviors, this direct and deliberate act is what they think of first.

• Prevention: If you use an idea or quote from another source, cite it in the text. Make it clear that it was not your own words. 

Incremental plagiarism:

Copying parts of another person’s work, such as phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without crediting the source. When deciding which tools to use to check a paper for plagiarism , instructors often seek out those that will identify incremental forms as well as instances of direct copying and similar phrasing.

• Prevention : Decide to either directly quote the phrases or sentences you want to use, or write a good paraphrase. In both cases, be sure to add a citation. Using a plagiarism checker could also help you identify problematic passages.

Self-plagiarism:

Academic self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits the same paper or parts of a paper for more than one assignment. When your instructors are grading your papers, they’re assessing your research and writing skills in the present. When you submit work that you completed in the past, they are both unable to evaluate your current skills and unaware that you haven’t completed the assignment.

• Prevention: Write a new paper for each assignment you’re assigned. If you feel strongly that your past work could enhance your new paper, speak to your instructor and ask for permission first.

Misleading citations:

Including a citation for a quote or idea that misrepresents the source material. This can occur if a student does not understand the reference they are citing; if a student includes a citation for a disreputable source; or the source material simply does not align with the idea or argument that the student has attributed to it.

• Prevention: Carefully review your assignment to understand it. As you research, take the time to evaluate each source notes . Remember, it’s better to have quality citations over an abundance of citations.

Invented sources:

If a reference in a student’s bibliography is found not to exist, it is considered an invented source. This may occur if a student couldn’t find a reputable source to back their argument, or if they needed to include additional references to meet the requirements of the assignment and chose to take an unethical shortcut rather than completing the required amount of research. No matter the reason, this behavior ultimately hurts them in the long run. Not only will they fail to gain the experience they need to conduct research in the future properly, but they’ll also experience significant consequences if they’re caught.

• Prevention: Set aside time to do proper research so you can find enough sources. Start creating a list of sources as you’re researching and take good notes. This will help you keep track of your sources so none are forgotten. If you do end up forgetting where a quote came from, a paper checker could help you pinpoint the original source. 

Patchwriting/Spinning:

Patchwriting is often confused with paraphrasing, but there’s a significant difference. When you paraphrase, you demonstrate that you understand the topic well enough to restate it in your own words. When you patchwrite or spin, it is more akin to a word-swapping game; there’s no need to understand the subject, merely to have access to a thesaurus so you can substitute enough synonyms to mask the source material. This can be intentional, but it may also be a result of having a poor understanding of how to paraphrase.

• Prevention: Using your own words, write down the key points of the phrase or idea, and put them together in a sentence. Be sure to include a citation as well. 

A good way to test if you’re patchwriting or paraphrasing is to remove your sources from view. If you can write about what you’ve read without looking at the source material, you likely understand it well enough to paraphrase it. If you have to review the source material with each new sentence or consult a thesaurus while writing about it (except when you’re adding direct quotations), you may be spinning your sources instead of paraphrasing them.

Academic Integrity Policies and Statements

If you’re still uncertain about what counts as plagiarism, look for your school’s/ organization’s policies on academic integrity and plagiarism. The policies of academic institutions usually cover what is considered plagiarism, the consequences of committing it, and how to avoid it. One great example is Purdue University’s Academic Integrity statement .

What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?

No matter the setting, plagiarism is not taken lightly, and the consequences can be significant. For a good reason, too! Whether in an academic or professional setting, the plagiarism consequences reflect the seriousness of the act, which is ultimately a form of theft that hurts everyone involved.

Just as with the theft of a tangible object, there can be legal punishments for plagiarism. It is, after all, a form of copyright infringement in many instances. A quick search for plagiarism articles will reveal that professional instances of intellectual theft have resulted in civil lawsuits and can even be criminally prosecuted under rare circumstances. In addition to the possible legal consequences, professionals may lose their jobs or have to start over in a new field after their acts of fraud are uncovered.

As a student, you’re likely to wonder what happens if you plagiarize in college or high school. While there will almost always be consequences for this behavior, there is no one-size-fits-all plagiarism sentence. Depending on the circumstances, academic dishonesty could result in outcomes such as:

• You might get a zero for the assignment in which the infringement occurred.
• You may receive a failing grade for the class. If it is a required course, this could leave you without enough credits to move on to the next level until you can repeat it and, in some instances, postpone graduation.
• You may be expelled from your school or university.

The academic dishonesty may be noted on your transcript, which can lead to you not getting into your preferred college, graduate school, or Ph.D. program in the future.

Nobody wants to be known as a fraud or to have a reputation for dishonesty follow them through their career. And, given the consequences that can extend beyond just their reputation, it’s no wonder that professional and academic writers who wish to avoid them take the time to understand the complete definition of plagiarism and run their work through a plagiarism checker before sending it out into the world.

Even the vigilant can fall prey to inferior tools, unfortunately. Before selecting a plagiarism checker, you should understand how they work and what they can (and cannot) detect.

How We Check for Plagiarism

When exploring how to check for plagiarism, most students and professionals conclude that including a checking tool in their revision process is not only helpful but necessary. When you consider the Herculean task of checking each line of your paper against the text of each of your resources, the benefits of a checker are clear. Moreover, this manual approach would only alert you to matching text in the sources you’re aware of, after all, and leaves the sources you haven’t reviewed untouched.

But, hang on. Why would sources you haven’t reviewed factor into your review? The answer to this lies in the plagiarism definition you learned above. What is plagiarism? It’s presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, intentionally or otherwise. It is not uncommon to uncover an idea while you’re researching a topic and later misremember it as your own. This might even occur years after you originally came across it.

You might wonder: how can plagiarism be avoided if you have to account for the source of every thought you include in your work? A few exceptions minimize the scope of this. Common knowledge about your topic does not need to be supported by a citation, nor does knowledge that you gained through your personal experience. Using a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker will help you locate any passages that may fall into these categories so you can review them and decide for yourself whether a citation is needed.

EasyBib Plus writing tools provide easy, convenient, and reliable support to help you find potentially missed citations and can help you improve your paper into a high-quality paper with integrity. Simply upload your paper, select the checker, then sit back and relax as the site scans your document. In mere moments, we’ll search the web for passages of similar text and highlight duplicate content for your review.

Regardless of the tools you use to help you revise and polish your work, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you’re writing and submitting ethical work. That’s why our tools go beyond the basics and require your participation. The tool never automatically makes changes to your paper, but only flags sections that may need your attention and provides you with the matching source so you can to make an educated decision.

If you find that a citation is needed, our citation tools can help you create properly formatted citations and develop a complete bibliography. And, if you review the passage and determine that the match is coincidental, you can dismiss the alert and move on to the next.

Seamless Citation Creation

Professional writers and students alike can find creating citations incredibly confusing. Nevertheless, they are an integral part of a well-written and researched paper and a requirement in almost all academic settings. But, have you ever wondered why they are so important? Citations really do have a purpose—other than driving us crazy— that make it necessary always to cite our sources.

We cite our sources for a few important reasons:

We need to give credit where credit is due. When you use a quote from someone else’s work, you need to give credit for using their words and ideas. Research is often based on the works and ideas of others. However, to include the words and ideas of another without giving them proper credit is to plagiarize, even if the act was unintentional.

In addition, showing that you’ve done proper research by including in text & parenthetical citations and a comprehensive list of sources to back up your arguments gives your work a layer of credibility that can help you earn the trust of your reader or teacher.

Readers can find the sources you used.  When you’re writing high school or undergraduate papers, your only readers may be your instructors and peers. However, including citations at every level of writing helps to ensure that anyone who reads your work can access your sources to check their accuracy, learn more about your topic, and further their own research.

Sources can take your research and learning to the next level, too. When you are conducting research on a topic, checking the works cited or annotated bibliographies prepared by your sources can lead you down new avenues in your research to further develop your ideas and help you write your papers.

Correctly utilizing citations gives strength to your thoughts and opinions. Understanding the value of citations does not, unfortunately, make them any easier to create. We know how confusing it can be, but don’t throw in the towel on learning how to cite websites in MLA , create your APA citation website references, or format your works cited —this is where we come in!

While a free online plagiarism detector may tell you how much of your work is unoriginal and may even identify the passages that meet their plagiarize definition, a premium EasyBib Plus plagiarism checker account also gives you access to our powerful citation resources and generator so you can:

Scan your papers with the plagiarism tool to check for plagiarism-free work before you submit.

Review flagged passages to determine if they meet the plagiarism definition and create unlimited citations in APA format and MLA format for anything fitting the plagiarism meaning. Need more styles ? Check out our regular citation generator for thousands of choices and free resources to help you learn how to create an APA parenthetical citation , APA book citation , APA works cited , and so much more!

Build a full bibliography for your paper right along with your parenthetical or in-text citations, which can save you hours of work along the way compared to manually creating and formatting them.

How Else Do We Help You Improve Your Paper?

The EasyBib Plus plagiarism detector helps you check your content or paper for text that may be missing a citation—which may fall within the definition of plagiarism—to help ensure you don’t accidentally plagiarize. It also includes grammar check and spelling check tools to help identify errors and suggest grammatical tweaks that could help to elevate the level of your writing.

Running a plagiarism check couldn’t be easier! Just upload your paper to the online proofreader, and in a few moments we’ll have your writing and citing suggestions. And, there’s no need to worry about your paper after it’s been scanned.

Run a Grammar and Spell Check for Free!

There’s no denying that your schoolwork can be challenging at times, and your assignments can lead to some late nights even when you’ve started them early. The last thing you want is to submit assignments that don’t reflect your best effort, but it can occasionally be quite the juggling act to get everything done on time.

Why not let our plagiarism checker free up space on your calendar by helping you revise your papers quickly and efficiently? The EasyBib Plus paper checker is your one-stop shop to check for plagiarism, create citations, spot spelling mistakes, and receive feedback on your grammar and style.

When you proofread and do a manual spelling check on work that you’ve written, you’re more likely to overlook mistakes. This is even more likely if you’re pressed for time or trying to complete several different assignments at once. There are tricks to help minimize this, such as reading your work aloud to identify poor grammar or reading each sentence backward to find spelling errors. When time is of the essence, though, these solutions aren’t the most convenient or useful options. That’s why many students seek the assistance of online tools that will run a grammar and plagiarism check on their work.

Are you asking yourself, “ How do I check my grammar online ?” We’ve got the perfect checker for you! Our advanced tools help you find and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Our targeted feedback and free writing and citing resources help you learn as you go to improve your writing over time.

The best part? You can use our grammar and writing tools any time of the day, any day of the year for! Looking to try it? Just upload or copy and paste your text into our online proofreader for a free grammar check with up to 5 suggestions, or sign up for EasyBib Plus today! EasyBib Plus gives you use of the plagiarism checker and unlimited access to suggestions that can help improve your spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, writing style, and grammar.

Published February 3, 2019. Updated April 9, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Melissa DeVrieze Meyer . Michele is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Melissa is a professional writer and editor based in New Jersey. She writes for academic brands and independent publishers about writing, grammar, and literature, and creates study and curriculum materials for ESL learners. You can find her on Twitter .

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

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As a global academic writing proofreading service, we work with professional editors  – all native speakers – who edit in the following languages :

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After your thesis has been edited , you will receive an email with a link to download the edited document.

The editor has made changes to your document using ‘ Track Changes ’ in Word.  This means that you only have to accept or ignore the changes that are made in the text one by one.

It is also possible to accept all changes at once. However, we strongly advise you not to do so for the following reasons:

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How to Write an Essay in MLA Format | For Students

Starting from when I entered high school, the importance of submitting assignments in a particular format became a top priority. I quickly realized the significance of adhering to these guidelines, as they remained essential throughout my academic journey. You never know when the need for proper formatting will arise. At first, it may seem overwhelming, but in this simple guide, I'll show you how to write an essay in MLA format [For Students].

When is MLA format used?

MLA format is created by the Modern Language Association which is a standardized way to format academic papers and cite sources. It’s mainly used for subjects in the humanities, like literature, philosophy, and the arts. Unlike APA or Chicago formats, which are used for social sciences and history, MLA puts a strong emphasis on the authorship of sources.

Most students will need to use MLA format at some point, especially in humanities courses. It’s essential for essays, research papers, and other assignments in these subjects.

General Guidelines/ Rules of MLA Formatting

The first step to learning how to write an essay in MLA format for students is to get familiar with the general guidelines. It's all about following the rules to get your paper formatted in the MLA style:

Margins and Font:

Set 1-inch margins on all sides.

Choose a readable font such as Times New Roman, 12-point size.

Double-space the entire document, including block quotes (quotes longer than four lines), notes, and the works cited page.

Paragraph Indentation:

Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches (press Tab key once).

Punctuation:

Utilize standard punctuation marks and maintain consistency with punctuation, italics, and quotation marks throughout your paper.

Quotations:

Use double quotation marks (" ") for direct quotes.

For quotes longer than four lines, format as a block quote: start on a new line, indent 0.5 inches from the left margin (without quotation marks), and keep double-spacing.

Here is an essay MLA format template for your reference:

How to Set up MLA Format Essay [Step-by-Step]

So we have seen the general guidelines in the above example and also saw an essay MLA format example/sample showing what our final MLA format will look like. However, going through guidelines is not enough when you're learning how to write an essay in MLA format in Word or PDF format. You need a professional writing software that not only provides the tools but also allows you to use them easily.

Therefore, I will be using WPS Writer as my partner in writing an essay in MLA format, and I would recommend students to download WPS Writer from their website so that you can easily follow this guide. And yes, it is completely free. So let's begin formatting an essay to MLA format in WPS Writer:

1. Page Margins

So the first step is to ensure that our page margins are set to 1 inch on every side. Setting the margins first would help you avoid any formatting errors if you do this at a later stage. To set page margins in WPS Writer:

Step 1: Open WPS Writer and visit the “Page Layout” tab in the toolbar.

Step 2: Find the Page Margin options on the far left of the Page Layout ribbon.

Step 3: Set all the margin fields—top, bottom, left, and right—to 1 inch.

2. Line Spacing

Next, we need to ensure that the line spacing is set to double spacing . This helps improve readability and ensures your paper meets MLA formatting standards. To set double line spacing in WPS Writer:

Step 1: In WPS Writer, go to the “Home” tab in the toolbar.

Step 2: Find and click the “Line Spacing” option in the Home ribbon.

Step 3: In the Line Spacing drop-down, click on More.

Step 4: The Paragraph window will pop up. Visit the Spacing section and in the Line Spacing field, select “Double”.

Step 5: After that, click on OK to exit the Paragraph window.

Note: We can also use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + 2 to quickly change the line spacing to double.

3. Header- In the Upper-Left Corner

After setting the page settings, let's move on to the content of the essay, starting with the header in the following order:

Student's Name

Professor's Name

Course and Course Code

Due Date in the format DD Month, Year

Step 1: Follow the order to enter the header into your essay.

Step 2: To make the Header left aligned, visit the Home tab and then click on the “Align Text Left” icon.

Step 3: After entering the header, make sure the Font is set to "Times New Roman" in the Fonts field in the Home ribbon.

Step 4: After the font, the font size should also be set to "12." Therefore, make the change in the "Font Size" field in the Home ribbon.

4. Last Name & Page Numbers- In the Upper-Right Corner

MLA Format requires a running header that includes your last name along with the page number on the top right corner of every page. Let's see how we can create our running header for the MLA Format:

Step 1: Double-click on the Header area to open the Header/Footer in WPS Writer.

Step 2: Now type your last name and set its alignment to right by clicking on the “Align Text Right” icon in the Home ribbon.

Step 3: To add the page number, click on the "Page Number" option in the Header/Footer ribbon and select the "Header right" option to insert a page number in the right corner.

Once the running header has been added, it is important to set the font size of the running header to 12 and the font to "Times New Roman".

Step 4: Simply select your running header and click on the Home tab.

Step 5: In the Home tab, change the Font to "Times New Roman" in the Fonts field.

Step 6: To change the font size, in the Home ribbon, enter "12" in the Font size field.

The last setting for the running header is to set the header margin to "0.5 inches":

Step 7: Head over to the Header/Footer tab.

Step 8: In the Header/Footer ribbon, enter "0.5 in" in the “Header Height” field to set the header margin to 0.5 inches.

5. Title of Essay- On the Line Below the Date

After the header and running header, let's begin our essay with the title of our essay. Remember the rules:

The title should be center aligned.

The title should not be bolded, italicized, or placed in quotation marks unless it includes the title of a source (e.g., a book or movie title).

Step 1: Insert the title right below the header and visit the Home tab.

Step 2: In the Home ribbon, click on the “Center” icon to center align the title.

6. Headings and Subheadings- Into Sections

Headings and subheadings are important as they give reference to the reader. There are no hard and fast rules for their formatting, except that they need to be center aligned. You can set the font style to bold to help the reader distinguish them.

Step 1: Enter your heading below the title of the essay and visit the Home tab.

Step 2: In the Home ribbon, click on “Center” to align the heading to the center.

Step 3: To change the font style to bold, in the Home ribbon, click on the “Bold” icon right below the font field.

7. In-text Citation

In MLA format, in-text citations use parenthetical references to indicate quotes or ideas from another author. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do in-text citations:

Step 1: When you quote or paraphrase from a source, use the author's last name and the page number where the information is found.

Step 2:  After the quote or paraphrase, place the citation in parentheses. The citation should include the author's last name followed by the page number without a comma between them.

Step 3: The parenthetical citation should be placed before the period at the end of the sentence.

8. Works Cited Page

Finally, you will need to cite all the sources you took assistance from in writing your paper. Follow the following steps to understand how to cite your work in MLA format.

Step 1: Use a page break to start a fresh new page with the title "Works Cited." The heading "Works Cited" will follow similar heading guidelines as before.

Step 2: Double-space all entries and do not add extra spaces between entries.

Step 3: Use a hanging indent for each entry. The first line of each citation is flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches simply using the “Tab” key..

Step 4: List entries in alphabetical order by the author's last name. If a work has no author, alphabetize it by the first significant word in the title.

Step 5: Format your sources as mentioned below for respective source medium:

Books Format: Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Articles in Journals Format: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pages.

Websites Format: Author's Last Name, First Name (if available). "Title of Webpage." Title of Website, Publisher, Date of Publication, URL.

Bonus Tips: How to Convert Word to PDF without losing Format

Once you finish writing your essay, the next challenge is converting it from Microsoft Word to PDF without losing formatting. This can be frustrating because sometimes the formatting doesn't stay the same.

To avoid this issue, use WPS Office . It offers strong PDF features and keeps APA and MLA formatting intact. On the other hand, Microsoft Word 365, though widely used, may occasionally struggle to keep formatting consistent when converting to PDF. It's important to choose tools that prioritize preserving the look and structure of your academic work.

Here is how you can use WPS PDF to convert your essay documents to PDF without compromising on the quality:

Step 1: On WPS Writer, click on the Menu button on the top left corner of the screen.

Step 2: Now simply click on the “Export to PDF” option in the Menu.

Step 3: The Export to PDF window will open. Here, you can alter a few settings such as the output path. After going through the settings, simply click on Export to PDF to save the essay document as a PDF.

FAQs about writing an essay in MLA format

1. how to cite an image in mla.

To cite an image in MLA style, you need to format the citation based on where the image was viewed. For online images, the citation should follow this structure:

MLA format:

Creator’s last name, First name. “Image Title” or Description of the image. Website Name in italics, Day Month Year, URL.

MLA Works Cited entry:

Smith, Jamie. “Vintage Cars.” Travel With Us, 15 Mar. 2023, www.travelwithus.com/vintage-cars.

MLA in-text citation:

(Smith) Note: If you discover an image through a search engine such as Google, ensure that you credit and link to the website that hosts the image, rather than the search engine.

2. Do I need to include a title page in my MLA essay?

In most instances, an MLA-formatted essay does not necessitate a separate title page unless instructed otherwise by your instructor. Instead, begin your essay with a header and center the title on the subsequent line.

3. How to Cite a Website in MLA?

To cite a website in MLA style, you should include the author’s name (if known), the title of the page in quotation marks, the name of the website in italics, the publication date, and the URL without "https://". If the identity of the author is not known, start with the title of the page. If the publication date is unavailable or if there's a possibility of content modifications, include an access date at the end.

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of Page.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.

Adams, John. "Explore with us." Random Discoveries, 15 Sept. 2023, www.randomdiscoveries.com/explore-with-us.

Write Your Essays in Comfort With WPS Office

It’s so easy! The great thing about MLA format is that it’s not vastly different from APA and Chicago formats. There are only a few distinctions, and once you learn how to write an essay in MLA format [For Students], everything will become much easier for your academic life. Also, WPS Office is an incredibly handy tool for students. Not only can you format comfortably, but it’s also designed to be student-friendly, avoiding complex procedures. Simple yet advanced, and best of all, free. Get WPS Office today and write essays with ease and comfort!

• 1. How to Make MLA Format Heading and Header in WPS Office (Step-by-Step)
• 2. How to Use Track Changes in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]
• 3. How to Do Hanging Indent in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]
• 4. How to Remove Page Breaks in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]
• 5. How to Double Space in Word for Your Essay: A Guide for Students
• 6. Top 10 Best Introduce Yourself Essay Sample Words

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ArtI.S8.C18.5 Modern Necessary and Proper Clause Doctrine

Article I, Section 8, Clause 18:

[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Building on the foundation established by McCulloch , modern Necessary and Proper Clause doctrine holds that the Clause permits any federal legislation that is convenient or useful to the exercise of federal power—that is, any means that is rationally related to the implementation of a constitutionally enumerated power. 1 Footnote United States v. Comstock , 560 U.S. 1 26 , 134 (2010) . The significance of this broad understanding of McCulloch on the powers of the Federal Government is difficult to overstate. 2 Footnote See, e.g. , David S. Schwartz , Misreading McCulloch v. Maryland , 18 U. Pa. J. Const. L. 1 , 3 (2015) (describing universal view of McCulloch as a decision of the highest importance in American constitutional law ); Daniel A. Farber , The Story of McCulloch: Banking on National Power , 20 Const. Comment. 679 (2004) ( Many scholars consider [ McCulloch ] the single most important opinion in the Court’s history. ); Jack M. Balkin & Sanford Levinson , The Canons of Constitutional Law , 111 Harv. L. Rev. 963 , 987 (1998) ( At least within the field of constitutional law, almost everyone seems to agree that McCulloch is canonical. ). Much federal law rests on the foundation established by McCulloch , and practically every power of the Federal Government has been expanded in some degree by the Necessary and Proper Clause. 3 Footnote See, e.g. , Kurt T. Lash , The Original Meaning of an Omission: The Tenth Amendment , Popular Sovereignty, and Expressly Delegated Power , 83 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1889 , 1942 (2008) ( [In McCulloch , Chief Justice Marshall] articulated a vision of federal power not only expansive for its day, but expansive enough to become the foundational theory of the modern administrative state. ); Felix Frankfurter , John Marshall and the Judicial Function , 69 Harv. L. Rev. 217 , 219 (1955) ( One can, I believe, say with assurance that a failure to conceive the Constitution as Marshall conceived it in [ McCulloch ], to draw from it the national powers which have since been exercised and to exact deference to such powers from the states, would have been reflected by a very different United States than history knows. ); see also supra note 2 (sources discussing the influence and importance of McCulloch ).Moreover, later amendment s to the Constitution, including the Civil War Amendment s, drew on McCulloch 's language to empower Congress to enforce their provisions by by appropriate legislation. U.S. Const. amends. XIII, § 2; XIV, § 5; XV, § 2; XIX, § 2; XXIII, § 2; XXIV, § 2; XXVI, § 2 . For the connection between McCulloch and the term appropriate legislation, see, for example, Cong. Globe , 39th Cong., 1st Sess. 1118 (1866) (statement of Rep. Wilson) (equating appropriate as used in section two of the Thirteenth Amendment with necessary and proper and citing McCulloch ); Katzenbach v. Morgan , 384 U.S. 641, 651 (1966) ( [T]he McCulloch v. Maryland standard is the measure of what constitutes ‘appropriate legislation’ under § 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment . ); The Civil Rights Cases , 109 U.S. 3, 51 (1883) (Harlan, J., dissenting) ( The word appropriate was undoubtedly used with reference to its meaning, as established by repeated decisions of th[e] [C]ourt. (citing McCulloch )); Ex parte Virginia , 100 U.S. 339, 346 (1879) (defining appropriate legislation by paraphrasing the McCulloch standard). Under the authority granted it by the Clause, Congress has adopted measures required to comply with treaty obligations, 4 Footnote Missouri v. Holland , 252 U.S. 416, 432 (1920) (holding that congressional statutes to implement a treaty are valid under the Necessary and Proper Clause so long as the treaty is valid); Neely v. Henkel , 180 U.S. 109, 121 (1901) (observing that the Necessary and Proper Clause empowers Congress to enact such legislation as is appropriate to give efficacy to a treaty with a foreign power). organized the federal judicial system, 5 Footnote Jinks v. Richland Cty. , 538 U.S. 456, 461–64 (2003) (holding that federal courts may exercise supplemental jurisdiction, including tolling of state statutes of limitation, pursuant to Article III and the Necessary and Proper Clause); Willy v. Coastal Corp. , 503 U.S. 131, 136–37 (1992) (holding that federal courts may impose sanctions on litigants pursuant to Article III and the Necessary and Proper Clause, even if it is later determined that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction); Stewart Org., Inc. v. Ricoh Corp. , 487 U.S. 22, 32 (1988) (holding that the federal transfer statute is comfortably with Congress'[s] powers under Article III as augmented by the Necessary and Proper Clause ); Burlington N. R.R. v. Woods , 480 U.S. 1, 5 n.3 (1987) ( Article III of the Constitution, augmented by the Necessary and Proper Clause of Article I, § 8, cl. 18, empowers Congress to establish a system of federal district and appellate courts and, impliedly, to establish procedural Rules governing litigation in these courts. ); see also Artis v. District of Columbia , No. 16-460, slip op. at 16–18 (2018) (reaffirming Jinks ). regulated intrastate matters that substantially affect interstate commerce, 6 Footnote See, e.g. , Gonzales v. Raich , 545 U.S. 1, 17–22 (2005) (holding that Congress had authority to criminalize intrastate possession of marijuana under the Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clauses); see generally ArtI.S8.C3.8.1 Overview of Foreign Commerce Clause through ArtI.S8.C3.7.11.1 Overview of State Taxation and Dormant Commerce Clause . seized property pursuant to its taxing powers, 7 Footnote Murray’s Lessee v. Hoboken Land & Improvement Co. , 59 U.S. (18 How.) 272, 281 (1856) ( The power to collect and disburse revenue, and to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying that power into effect, includes all known and appropriate means of effectually collecting and disbursing that revenue, unless some such means should be forbidden in some other part of the constitution. ). and exercised the power of eminent domain to acquire private property for public use. 8 Footnote Kohl v. United States , 91 U.S. 367, 372–73 (1876) ( [T]he right of eminent domain exists in the Federal government . . . so far as is necessary to the enjoyment of the powers conferred upon it by the Constitution. ).

Perhaps most notably, nearly all federal criminal law that applies outside of federal enclaves 9 Footnote See ArtI.S8.C17.1.1 Historical Background on Seat of Government Clause , ArtI.S8.C17.1.2 Seat of Government Doctrine , and ArtI.S8.C17.2.1 Overview of Places Purchased Clause . relies on the Necessary and Proper Clause. 10 Footnote See United States v. Comstock , 560 U.S. 1 26 , 135–36 (2010) . The Constitution expressly empowers Congress to punish only four crimes: counterfeiting, piracies, offenses against the law of nations, and treason. 11 Footnote See U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cls. 6, 10 ; id. art. III, § 3, cl. 2 . The remainder of the federal criminal code—prohibitions on, for example, tax evasion, racketeering, mail fraud, and drug possession 12 Footnote See, e.g. , 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 –51 (mail fraud and wire fraud); id. §§ 1951–68 (racketeering); 21 U.S.C. § 844 (drug possession); 27 U.S.C. § 7201 (tax evasion). —rests on a determination that criminalization is necessary to effectuate congressional power to regulate interstate commerce, collect taxes, establish post offices, spend for the general welfare, or some other enumerated federal power. 13 Footnote For example, the Supreme Court has upheld federal laws criminalizing the alteration of registered bonds, Ex parte Carll , 106 U.S. 521 (1883) , the bringing of counterfeit bonds into the country, United States v. Marigold , 50 U.S. (9 How.) 560, 567 (1850) , conspiracy to injure prisoners in custody of a United States Marshal, Logan v. United States , 144 U.S. 26 3, 282–84 (1892) , impersonation of a federal officer with intent to defraud, United States v. Barnow , 239 U.S. 74, 77–80 (1915) , conspiracy to injure a citizen in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States, Ex parte Yarbrough , 110 U.S. 651, 657–59 (1884) , and the receipt by government officials of contributions from government employees for political purposes, Ex parte Curtis , 106 U.S. 371, 373–75 (1882) . For example, as necessary and proper to Congress’s authority under the Spending Clause, Congress may criminalize bribery of state and local officials receiving federal funds. 14 Footnote Sabri v. United States , 541 U.S. 600, 606 (2004) . Or, as necessary and proper to its power to regulate interstate commerce, Congress may prohibit intrastate cultivation and use of controlled substances such as illegal drugs. 15 Footnote Gonzales v. Raich , 545 U.S. 1, 5, 22 (2005) .

In United States v. Comstock , the Roberts Court addressed whether the Necessary and Proper Clause could support a federal law that provided for indefinite civil commitment of certain persons in federal custody who were shown to be sexually dangerous, authorizing detention of such prisoners even after they had served their sentences. 16 Footnote 560 U.S. 1 26 , 130–31 (2010) . The difficulty with the law, as a matter of congressional power, was that sexual dangerousness was defined broadly, without an explicit tie to any enumerated federal power, 17 Footnote See 18 U.S.C. § 4247 (a)(6) (defining a sexually dangerous person as one who suffers from a serious mental illness . . . as a result of which he would have serious difficulty in refraining from sexually violent conduct or child molestation if released ). such as an impact on commerce. Moreover, the Court’s 2000 decision in United States v. Morrison foreclosed the argument that Congress could regulate general sexual violence pursuant to the Commerce Clause. 18 Footnote 529 U.S. 598, 617 (2000) (holding that Congress may not regulate noneconomic, violent criminal conduct based solely on that conduct’s aggregate effect on interstate commerce ); see Amdt14.S5.2 Who Congress May Regulate (discussing Morrison ).

(1) the breadth of the Necessary and Proper Clause, (2) the long history of federal involvement in this arena, (3) the sound reasons for the statute’s enactment in light of the Government’s custodial interest in safeguarding the public from dangers posed by those in federal custody, (4) the statute’s accommodation of state interests, and (5) the statute’s narrow scope. 21 Footnote 26 (2010)"> Id.

In 2013, the Supreme Court reaffirmed Comstock 's reasoning in United States v. Kebodeaux . 22 Footnote 570 U.S. 387 (2013) . Like Comstock , Kebodeaux concerned a federal regulation of sex offenders: the registration requirements of the 2006 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 23 Footnote See 34 U.S.C. §§ 20911 –932 ; 18 U.S.C. § 2250 (a) . Anthony Kebodeaux, a member of the U.S. Air Force, was convicted by a court martial of a sex crime in 1999; he served a three-month sentence and received a bad conduct discharge. 24 Footnote Kebodeaux , 570 U.S. at 389–90 . In 2007, Kebodeaux was convicted of violating SORNA when he moved from El Paso to San Antonio but failed to update his registration. 25 Footnote Id. at 390 .

Although Congress did not enact SORNA until after Kebodeaux’s court martial and discharge, the Supreme Court upheld its application to Kebodeaux as necessary and proper to Congress’s power to make Rules for the . . . Regulation of the land and naval Forces. 26 " href="#ALDF_00015100"> 26 Footnote U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 14 ; Kebodeaux , 570 U.S. at 399 . Key to that conclusion was the Court’s finding that Kebodeaux’s release from federal custody was not unconditional because, as part of his original punishment by the court martial he was subject to an earlier federal statute, the Wetterling Act, which imposed very similar registration requirements to those of SORNA. 27 Footnote Kebodeaux , 570 U.S. at 391 . The Court thus framed the case as presenting a narrow question of whether Congress could later modify the Wetterling Act’s registration requirements through SORNA. 28 Footnote Id. at 393–94 . Applying the five Comstock factors, the Court concluded that the breadth of the Necessary and Proper Clause and the reasonableness of Congress’s registration requirements justified SORNA’s application to Kebodeaux. 29 Footnote See id. at 395–99 .

Although Comstock and Kebodeaux embrace a broad, relatively deferential understanding of the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Supreme Court has at times taken a narrower view, especially in cases involving independent federalism concerns. 30 Footnote See, e.g. , Alden v. Maine , 527 U.S. 706, 732 (1999) (holding that the Congress could not subject states to suit for federal claims in state courts because the specific Article I powers delegated to Congress necessarily [do not] include, by virtue of the Necessary and Proper Clause or otherwise, the incidental authority to subject the States to private suits as a means of achieving objectives otherwise within the scope of the enumerated powers ); Printz v. United States , 521 U.S. 898, 923–24 (1997) (holding that Congress cannot compel state officials to enforce federal law and characterizing the Necessary and Proper Clause as the last, best hope of those who defend ultra vires congressional action ). In the Commerce Clause context, for example, the Rehnquist Court found the Necessary and Proper Clause insufficient to support laws prohibiting possession of guns near schools 31 Footnote United States v. Lopez , 514 U.S. 549, 566–68 (1995) . and prohibiting gender-motivated violence, 32 Footnote United States v. Morrison , 529 U.S. 598, 617 (2000) . despite arguments that these activities have an aggregate impact on interstate commerce.

Similarly, just two years after Comstock , five Justices separately concluded that the individual mandate provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which required individuals to purchase insurance or pay a tax penalty, exceeded Congress’s power under the Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clauses. 33 Footnote See Nat’l Fed’n of Indep. Bus. v. Sebelius (NFIB) , 567 U.S. 519, 558–61 (2012) (opinion of Roberts, C.J.). Although there were five votes for this holding, no single rationale was adopted by the Court. Compare id. at 558–61 (opinion of Roberts, C.J.) with id. at 649–55 (Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, & Alito, JJ., dissenting). In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (NFIB) , Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion reasoned that the individual mandate was not an essential component of the ACA’s health insurance reforms because it operated to vest[ ] Congress with the extraordinary ability to create the necessary predicate to the exercise of an enumerated power by compelling individuals to engage in commerce. 34 Footnote Id. at 560 (opinion of Roberts, C.J.). Therefore, unlike the law in Comstock , the authority Congress attempted to exercise in NFIB was neither narrow in scope nor incidental to the exercise of Commerce Clause power. 35 Footnote Id. However, a majority of the Court ultimately held that the individual mandate was authorized under Congress’s power to lay and collect taxes. 36 Footnote Id. at 574 .

•   Jump to essay-1 United States v. Comstock , 560 U.S. 1 26 , 134 (2010) .
•   Jump to essay-2 See, e.g. , David S. Schwartz , Misreading McCulloch v. Maryland , 18 U. Pa. J. Const. L. 1 , 3 (2015) (describing universal view of McCulloch as a decision of the highest importance in American constitutional law ); Daniel A. Farber , The Story of McCulloch: Banking on National Power , 20 Const. Comment. 679 (2004) ( Many scholars consider [ McCulloch ] the single most important opinion in the Court’s history. ); Jack M. Balkin & Sanford Levinson , The Canons of Constitutional Law , 111 Harv. L. Rev. 963 , 987 (1998) ( At least within the field of constitutional law, almost everyone seems to agree that McCulloch is canonical. ).

Moreover, later amendment s to the Constitution, including the Civil War Amendment s, drew on McCulloch 's language to empower Congress to enforce their provisions by by appropriate legislation. U.S. Const. amends. XIII, § 2; XIV, § 5; XV, § 2; XIX, § 2; XXIII, § 2; XXIV, § 2; XXVI, § 2 . For the connection between McCulloch and the term appropriate legislation, see, for example, Cong. Globe , 39th Cong., 1st Sess. 1118 (1866) (statement of Rep. Wilson) (equating appropriate as used in section two of the Thirteenth Amendment with necessary and proper and citing McCulloch ); Katzenbach v. Morgan , 384 U.S. 641, 651 (1966) ( [T]he McCulloch v. Maryland standard is the measure of what constitutes ‘appropriate legislation’ under § 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment . ); The Civil Rights Cases , 109 U.S. 3, 51 (1883) (Harlan, J., dissenting) ( The word appropriate was undoubtedly used with reference to its meaning, as established by repeated decisions of th[e] [C]ourt. (citing McCulloch )); Ex parte Virginia , 100 U.S. 339, 346 (1879) (defining appropriate legislation by paraphrasing the McCulloch standard).

•   Jump to essay-4 Missouri v. Holland , 252 U.S. 416, 432 (1920) (holding that congressional statutes to implement a treaty are valid under the Necessary and Proper Clause so long as the treaty is valid); Neely v. Henkel , 180 U.S. 109, 121 (1901) (observing that the Necessary and Proper Clause empowers Congress to enact such legislation as is appropriate to give efficacy to a treaty with a foreign power).
•   Jump to essay-5 Jinks v. Richland Cty. , 538 U.S. 456, 461–64 (2003) (holding that federal courts may exercise supplemental jurisdiction, including tolling of state statutes of limitation, pursuant to Article III and the Necessary and Proper Clause); Willy v. Coastal Corp. , 503 U.S. 131, 136–37 (1992) (holding that federal courts may impose sanctions on litigants pursuant to Article III and the Necessary and Proper Clause, even if it is later determined that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction); Stewart Org., Inc. v. Ricoh Corp. , 487 U.S. 22, 32 (1988) (holding that the federal transfer statute is comfortably with Congress'[s] powers under Article III as augmented by the Necessary and Proper Clause ); Burlington N. R.R. v. Woods , 480 U.S. 1, 5 n.3 (1987) ( Article III of the Constitution, augmented by the Necessary and Proper Clause of Article I, § 8, cl. 18, empowers Congress to establish a system of federal district and appellate courts and, impliedly, to establish procedural Rules governing litigation in these courts. ); see also Artis v. District of Columbia , No. 16-460, slip op. at 16–18 (2018) (reaffirming Jinks ).
•   Jump to essay-6 See, e.g. , Gonzales v. Raich , 545 U.S. 1, 17–22 (2005) (holding that Congress had authority to criminalize intrastate possession of marijuana under the Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clauses); see generally ArtI.S8.C3.8.1 Overview of Foreign Commerce Clause through ArtI.S8.C3.7.11.1 Overview of State Taxation and Dormant Commerce Clause .
•   Jump to essay-7 Murray’s Lessee v. Hoboken Land & Improvement Co. , 59 U.S. (18 How.) 272, 281 (1856) ( The power to collect and disburse revenue, and to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying that power into effect, includes all known and appropriate means of effectually collecting and disbursing that revenue, unless some such means should be forbidden in some other part of the constitution. ).
•   Jump to essay-8 Kohl v. United States , 91 U.S. 367, 372–73 (1876) ( [T]he right of eminent domain exists in the Federal government . . . so far as is necessary to the enjoyment of the powers conferred upon it by the Constitution. ).
•   Jump to essay-9 See ArtI.S8.C17.1.1 Historical Background on Seat of Government Clause , ArtI.S8.C17.1.2 Seat of Government Doctrine , and ArtI.S8.C17.2.1 Overview of Places Purchased Clause .
•   Jump to essay-10 See United States v. Comstock , 560 U.S. 1 26 , 135–36 (2010) .
•   Jump to essay-11 See U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cls. 6, 10 ; id. art. III, § 3, cl. 2 .
•   Jump to essay-12 See, e.g. , 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 –51 (mail fraud and wire fraud); id. §§ 1951–68 (racketeering); 21 U.S.C. § 844 (drug possession); 27 U.S.C. § 7201 (tax evasion).
•   Jump to essay-13 For example, the Supreme Court has upheld federal laws criminalizing the alteration of registered bonds, Ex parte Carll , 106 U.S. 521 (1883) , the bringing of counterfeit bonds into the country, United States v. Marigold , 50 U.S. (9 How.) 560, 567 (1850) , conspiracy to injure prisoners in custody of a United States Marshal, Logan v. United States , 144 U.S. 26 3, 282–84 (1892) , impersonation of a federal officer with intent to defraud, United States v. Barnow , 239 U.S. 74, 77–80 (1915) , conspiracy to injure a citizen in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States, Ex parte Yarbrough , 110 U.S. 651, 657–59 (1884) , and the receipt by government officials of contributions from government employees for political purposes, Ex parte Curtis , 106 U.S. 371, 373–75 (1882) .
•   Jump to essay-14 Sabri v. United States , 541 U.S. 600, 606 (2004) .
•   Jump to essay-15 Gonzales v. Raich , 545 U.S. 1, 5, 22 (2005) .
•   Jump to essay-16 560 U.S. 1 26 , 130–31 (2010) .
•   Jump to essay-17 See 18 U.S.C. § 4247 (a)(6) (defining a sexually dangerous person as one who suffers from a serious mental illness . . . as a result of which he would have serious difficulty in refraining from sexually violent conduct or child molestation if released ).
•   Jump to essay-18 529 U.S. 598, 617 (2000) (holding that Congress may not regulate noneconomic, violent criminal conduct based solely on that conduct’s aggregate effect on interstate commerce ); see Amdt14.S5.2 Who Congress May Regulate (discussing Morrison ).
•   Jump to essay-19 Notably, the civil commitment provisions applied to any person in federal custody, regardless of whether his conviction was for a sex-related crime or not. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 4247 (a)(5), 4248(a) . In practice, however, many of the individuals committed under the statute were in federal custody for a sex crime that fell within federal jurisdiction, such as possession of child pornography that has been shipped or transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce . . . by any means including by computer. See id. § 2252(a)(2) ; 26 (2010)"> Comstock , 560 U.S. at 131 ( Three of the five [petitioners] had previously pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography. ).
•   Jump to essay-20 26 (2010)"> Comstock , 560 U.S. at 149 .
•   Jump to essay-21 26 (2010)"> Id.
•   Jump to essay-22 570 U.S. 387 (2013) .
•   Jump to essay-23 See 34 U.S.C. §§ 20911 –932 ; 18 U.S.C. § 2250 (a) .
•   Jump to essay-24 Kebodeaux , 570 U.S. at 389–90 .
•   Jump to essay-25 Id. at 390 .
• 26 ">   Jump to essay- 26 U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 14 ; Kebodeaux , 570 U.S. at 399 .
•   Jump to essay-27 Kebodeaux , 570 U.S. at 391 .
•   Jump to essay-28 Id. at 393–94 .
•   Jump to essay-29 See id. at 395–99 .
•   Jump to essay-30 See, e.g. , Alden v. Maine , 527 U.S. 706, 732 (1999) (holding that the Congress could not subject states to suit for federal claims in state courts because the specific Article I powers delegated to Congress necessarily [do not] include, by virtue of the Necessary and Proper Clause or otherwise, the incidental authority to subject the States to private suits as a means of achieving objectives otherwise within the scope of the enumerated powers ); Printz v. United States , 521 U.S. 898, 923–24 (1997) (holding that Congress cannot compel state officials to enforce federal law and characterizing the Necessary and Proper Clause as the last, best hope of those who defend ultra vires congressional action ).
•   Jump to essay-31 United States v. Lopez , 514 U.S. 549, 566–68 (1995) .
•   Jump to essay-32 United States v. Morrison , 529 U.S. 598, 617 (2000) .
•   Jump to essay-33 See Nat’l Fed’n of Indep. Bus. v. Sebelius (NFIB) , 567 U.S. 519, 558–61 (2012) (opinion of Roberts, C.J.). Although there were five votes for this holding, no single rationale was adopted by the Court. Compare id. at 558–61 (opinion of Roberts, C.J.) with id. at 649–55 (Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, & Alito, JJ., dissenting).
•   Jump to essay-34 Id. at 560 (opinion of Roberts, C.J.).
•   Jump to essay-35 Id.
•   Jump to essay-36 Id. at 574 .

Spring 2025 Semester

Undergraduate courses.

Composition courses that offer many sections (ENGL 101, 201, 277 and 379) are not listed on this schedule unless they are tailored to specific thematic content or particularly appropriate for specific programs and majors.

• 100-200 level

ENGL 201.ST2 Composition II: The Mind/Body Connection

Dr. sharon smith.

In this online section of English 201, students will use research and writing to learn more about problems that are important to them and articulate ways to address those problems. The course will focus specifically on issues related to the body, the mind, and the relationship between them. The topics we will discuss during the course will include the correlation between social media and body image; the psychological effects of self-objectification; and the unique mental and physical challenges faced by college students today, including food insecurity and stress.

English 201 S06 and S11: Composition II with an emphasis in Environmental Writing

S06: MWF at 10–10:50 a.m. in Yeager Hall Addition 231

S11: MWF at 12–12:50 p.m. in Crothers Engineering Hall 217

Gwen Horsley

English 201 will help students develop skills to write effectively for other university courses, careers, and themselves. This course will provide opportunities to further develop research skills, to write vividly, and to share their own stories and ideas. Specifically, in this class, students will (1) focus on the relationships between world environments, land, animals and humankind; (2) read various essays by environmental, conservational, and regional authors; and (3) produce student writings. Students will improve their writing skills by reading essays and applying techniques they witness in others’ work and those learned in class. This class is also a course in logical and creative thought. Students will write about humankind’s place in the world and our influence on the land and animals, places that hold special meaning to them or have influenced their lives, and stories of their own families and their places and passions in the world. Students will practice writing in an informed and persuasive manner, in language that engages and enlivens readers by using vivid verbs and avoiding unnecessary passives, nominalizations, and expletive constructions.

Students will prepare writing assignments based on readings and discussions of essays included in Literature and the Environment and other sources. They will use The St. Martin’s Handbook to review grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and usage as needed.

Required Text: Literature and the Environment: A Reader On Nature and Culture. 2nd ed., edited by Lorraine Anderson, Scott Slovic, and John P. O’Grady.

LING 203.S01 English Grammar

TuTh 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Dr. Nathan Serfling

The South Dakota State University 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog describes LING 203 as consisting of “[i]nstruction in the theory and practice of traditional grammar including the study of parts of speech, parsing, and practical problems in usage.”

“Grammar” is a mercurial term, though. Typically, we think of it to mean “correct” sentence structure, and, indeed, that is one of its meanings. But Merriam-Webster reminds us “grammar” also refers to “the principles or rules of an art, science, or technique,” taking it beyond the confines of syntactic structures. Grammar also evolves in practice through application (and social, historical, economic changes, among others). Furthermore, grammar evolves as a concept as scholars and educators in the various fields of English studies debate the definition and nature of grammar, including how well its explicit instruction improves students’ writing. In this course, we will use the differing sensibilities, definitions, and fluctuations regarding grammar to guide our work. We will examine the parts of speech, address syntactic structures and functions, and parse and diagram sentences. We will also explore definitions of and debates about grammar. All of this will occur in units about the rules and structures of grammar; the application of grammar rhetorically and stylistically; and the debates surrounding various aspects of grammar, including, but not limited to, its instruction.

ENGL 210 Introduction to Literature

Jodi andrews.

Readings in fiction, drama and poetry to acquaint students with literature and aesthetic form. Prerequisites: ENGL 101. Notes: Course meets SGR #4 or IGR #3.

ENGL 222 British Literature II

TuTh 9:30-10:45 a.m.

This course serves as a chronological survey of the second half of British literature. Students will read a variety of texts from the Romantic period, the Victorian period, and the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, placing these texts within their historical and literary contexts and identifying the major characteristics of the literary periods and movements that produced them.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature

Randi l. anderson.

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various types of juvenile literature.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature: 5-12 Grade

In English 240 students will develop the skills to interpret and evaluate various genres of literature for juvenile readers. This particular section will focus on various works of literature at approximately the 5th-12th grade level.

Readings for this course include works such as Night, Brown Girl Dreaming, All American Boys, Esperanza Rising, Anne Frank’s Diary: A Graphic Adaptation, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The Hobbit, Little Women, and Lord of the Flies . These readings will be paired with chapters from Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction to help develop understanding of various genres, themes, and concepts that are both related to juvenile literature, and also present in our readings.

In addition to exploring various genres of writing (poetry, non-fiction, fantasy, historical, non-fiction, graphic novels, etc.) this course will also allow students to engage in a discussion of larger themes present in these works such as censorship, race, rebellion and dissent, power and oppression, gender, knowledge, and the power of language and the written word. Students’ understanding of these works and concepts will be developed through readings, discussion posts, quizzes and exams.

ENGL 240.ST2 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

April myrick.

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various genres of juvenile literature. Text selection will focus on the themes of imagination and breaking boundaries.

ENGL 242.S01 American Literature II

TuTh 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Dr. Paul Baggett

This course surveys a range of U.S. literatures from about 1865 to the present, writings that treat the end of slavery and the development of a segregated America, increasingly urbanized and industrialized U.S. landscapes, waves of immigration, and the fulfilled promise of “America” as imperial nation. The class will explore the diversity of identities represented during that time, and the problems/potentials writers imagined in response to the century’s changes—especially literature’s critical power in a time of nation-building. Required texts for the course are The Norton Anthology of American Literature: 1865 to the Present and Toni Morrison’s A Mercy.

WMST 247.S01: Introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

As an introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality studies, this course considers the experiences of women and provides an overview of the history of feminist thought and activism, particularly within the United States. Students will also consider the concepts of gender and sexuality more broadly to encompass a diversity of gender identifications and sexualities and will explore the degree to which mainstream feminism has—and has not—accommodated this diversity. The course will focus in particular on the ways in which gender and sexuality intersect with race, class, ethnicity, and disability. Topics and concepts covered will include: movements for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights; gender, sexuality and the body; intersectionality; rape culture; domestic and gender violence; reproductive rights; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW); and more.

ENGL 283.S01 Introduction to Creative Writing

MWF 1-1:50 p.m.

Prof. Steven Wingate

Students will explore the various forms of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) not one at a time in a survey format—as if there were decisive walls of separation between then—but as intensely related genres that share much of their creative DNA. Through close reading and work on personal texts, students will address the decisions that writers in any genre must face on voice, rhetorical position, relationship to audience, etc. Students will produce and revise portfolios of original creative work developed from prompts and research. This course fulfills the same SGR #2 requirements ENGL 201; note that the course will involve creative research projects. Successful completion of ENGL 101 (including by test or dual credit) is a prerequisite.

English 284: Introduction to Criticism

This course introduces students to selected traditions of literary and cultural theory and to some of the key issues that animate discussion among literary scholars today. These include questions about the production of cultural value, about ideology and hegemony, about the patriarchal and colonial bases of Western culture, and about the status of the cultural object, of the cultural critic, and of cultural theory itself.

To address these and other questions, we will survey the history of literary theory and criticism (a history spanning 2500 years) by focusing upon a number of key periods and -isms: Greek and Roman Classicism, The Middle Ages and Renaissance, The Enlightenment, Romanticism, Realism, Formalism, Historicism, Political Criticism (Marxism, Post-Colonialism, Feminism, et al.), and Psychological Criticism. We also will “test” various theories we discuss by examining how well they account for and help us to understand various works of poetry and fiction.

• 300-400 level

ENGL 330.S01 Shakespeare

TuTh 8-9:15 a.m.

Dr. Michael S. Nagy

This course will focus on William Shakespeare’s poetic and dramatic works and on the cultural and social contexts in which he wrote them. In this way, we will gain a greater appreciation of the fact that literature does not exist in a vacuum, for it both reflects and influences contemporary and subsequent cultures. Text: The Riverside Shakespeare: Complete Works. Ed. Evans, G. Blakemore and J. J. M. Tobin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

ENGL 363 Science Fiction

MWF 11-11:50 a.m.

This course explores one of the most significant literary genres of the past century in fiction and in film. We will focus in particular on the relationship between science fiction works and technological and social developments, with considerable attention paid to the role of artificial intelligence in the human imagination. Why does science fiction seem to predict the future? What do readers and writers of the genre hope to find in it? Through readings and viewings of original work, as well as selected criticism in the field, we will address these and other questions. Our reading and viewing selections will include such artists as Ursula K. LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Stanley Kubrick and Phillip K. Dick. Students will also have ample opportunity to introduce the rest of the class to their own favorite science fiction works.

ENGL 383.S01 Creative Writing I

MWF 2-2:50 p.m.

Amber Jensen

Creative Writing I encourages students to strengthen poetry, creative nonfiction, and/or fiction writing skills through sustained focus on creative projects throughout the course (for example, collections of shorter works focused on a particular form/style/theme, longer prose pieces, hybrid works, etc.). Students will engage in small- and large-group writing workshops as well as individual conferences with the instructor throughout the course to develop a portfolio of creative work. The class allows students to explore multiple genres through the processes of writing and revising their own creative texts and through writing workshop, emphasizing the application of craft concepts across genre, but also allows students to choose one genre of emphasis, which they will explore through analysis of self-select texts, which they will use to deepen their understanding of the genre and to contextualize their own creative work.

ENGL 475.S01 Creative Nonfiction

Mondays 3-5:50 p.m.

In this course, students will explore the expansive and exciting genre of creative nonfiction, including a variety of forms such as personal essay, braided essay, flash nonfiction, hermit crab essays, profiles and more. Through rhetorical reading, discussion, and workshop, students will engage published works, their own writing process, and peer work as they expand their understanding of the possibilities presented in this genre and the craft elements that can be used to shape readers’ experience of a text. Students will compile a portfolio of polished work that demonstrates their engagement with course concepts and the writing process.

ENGL 485.S01 Writing Center Tutoring

MW 8:30-9:45 a.m.

Since their beginnings in the 1920s and 30s, writing centers have come to serve numerous functions: as hubs for writing across the curriculum initiatives, sites to develop and deliver workshops, and resource centers for faculty as well as students, among other functions. But the primary function of writing centers has necessarily and rightfully remained the tutoring of student writers. This course will immerse you in that function in two parts. During the first four weeks, you will explore writing center praxis—that is, the dialogic interplay of theory and practice related to writing center work. This part of the course will orient you to writing center history, key theoretical tenets and practical aspects of writing center tutoring. Once we have developed and practiced this foundation, you will begin work in the writing center as a tutor, responsible for assisting a wide variety of student clients with numerous writing tasks. Through this work, you will learn to actively engage with student clients in the revision of a text, respond to different student needs and abilities, work with a variety of writing tasks and rhetorical situations and develop a richer sense of writing as a complex and negotiated social process.

ENGL 492.S01 The Vietnam War in Literature and Film

Tuesdays 3-5:50 p.m.

Dr. Jason McEntee

In 1975, the United States officially included its involvement in the Vietnam War, thus marking 2025 as the 50th anniversary of the conclusion (in name only) of one of the most chaotic, confusing, and complex periods in American history. In this course, we will consider how literature and film attempt to chronicle the Vietnam War and, perhaps more important, its aftermath. I have designed this course for those looking to extend their understanding of literature and film to include the ideas of art, experience, commercial products, and cultural documents. Learning how to interpret literature and movies remains the highest priority of the course, including, for movies, the study of such things as genre, mise-en-scene (camera movement, lighting, etc.), editing, sound and so forth.

We will read Dispatches , A Rumor of War , The Things They Carried , A Piece of My Heart , and Bloods , among others. Some of the movies that we will screen are: Apocalypse Now (the original version), Full Metal Jacket , Platoon , Coming Home , Born on the Fourth of July , Dead Presidents , and Hearts and Minds . Because we must do so, we will also look at some of the more fascinatingly outrageous yet culturally significant fantasies about the war, such as The Green Berets and Rambo: First Blood, Part II .

ENGL 492.S02 Classical Mythology

TuTh 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Drs. Michael S. Nagy and Graham Wrightson

Modern society’s fascination with mythology manifests itself in the continued success of novels, films and television programs about mythological or quasi-mythological characters such as Hercules, the Fisher King, and Gandalf the Grey, all of whom are celebrated for their perseverance or their daring deeds in the face of adversity. This preoccupation with mythological figures necessarily extends back to the cultures which first propagated these myths in early folk tales and poems about such figures as Oðin, King Arthur, Rhiannon, Gilgamesh, and Odysseus, to name just a few. English 492, a reading-intensive course cross-listed with History 492, primarily aims to expose students to the rich tradition of mythological literature written in languages as varied as French, Gaelic, Welsh, Old Icelandic, Greek, and Sumerian; to explore the historical, social, political, religious, and literary contexts in which these works flourished (if indeed they did); and to grapple with the deceptively simple question of what makes these myths continue to resonate with modern audiences. Likely topics and themes of this course will include: Theories of myth; Mythological Beginnings: Creation myths and the fall of man; Male and Female Gods in Myth; Foundation myths; Nature Myths; The Heroic Personality; the mythological portrayal of (evil/disruptive) women in myth; and Monsters in myth.

Likely Texts:

• Dalley, Stephanie, trans. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford World’s Classics, 2009
• Faulkes, Anthony, trans. Edda. Everyman, 1995
• Gregory, Lady Augusta. Cuchulain of Muirthemne: The Story of the Men of the Red Branch of Ulster. Forgotten Books, 2007
• Jones, Gwyn, Thomas Jones, and Mair Jones. The Mabinogion. Everyman Paperback Classics, 1993
• Larrington, Carolyne, trans. The Poetic Edda . Oxford World’s Classics, 2009
• Matarasso, Pauline M., trans. The Quest of the Holy Grail. Penguin Classics, 1969
• Apollodorus, Hesiod’s Theogony
• Hesiod’s Works and Days
• Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Homeric Hymns
• Virgil’s Aeneid
• Iliad, Odyssey
• Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica
• Ovid’s Heroides
• Greek tragedies: Orestaia, Oedipus trilogy, Trojan Women, Medea, Hippoolytus, Frogs, Seneca's Thyestes, Dyskolos, Amphitryon
• Clash of the Titans, Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts, Troy (and recent miniseries), Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

ENGL 492.ST1 Science Writing

Erica summerfield.

This course aims to teach the fundamentals of effective scientific writing and presentation. The course examines opportunities for covering science, the skills required to produce clear and understandable text about technical subjects, and important ethical and practical constraints that govern the reporting of scientific information. Students will learn to present technical and scientific issues to various audiences. Particular emphasis will be placed on conveying the significance of research, outlining the aims, and discussing the results for scientific papers and grant proposals. Students will learn to write effectively, concisely, and clearly while preparing a media post, fact sheet, and scientific manuscript or grant.

Graduate Courses

Engl 575.s01 creative nonfiction.

In this course, students will explore the expansive and exciting genre of creative nonfiction, including a variety of forms such as personal essay, braided essay, flash nonfiction, hermit crab essays, profiles, and more. Through rhetorical reading, discussion, and workshop, students will engage published works, their own writing process, and peer work as they expand their understanding of the possibilities presented in this genre and the craft elements that can be used to shape readers’ experience of a text. Students will compile a portfolio of polished work that demonstrates their engagement with course concepts and the writing process.

ENGL 592.S01: The Vietnam War in Literature and Film

Engl 704.s01 introduction to graduate studies.

Thursdays 3-5:50 p.m.

Introduction to Graduate Studies is required of all first-year graduate students. The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to modern and contemporary literary theory and its applications. Students will write short response papers and will engage at least one theoretical approach in their own fifteen- to twenty-page scholarly research project. In addition, this course will further introduce students to the M.A. program in English at South Dakota State University and provide insight into issues related to the profession of English studies.

ENGL 792.ST1 Grant Writing

This online course will familiarize students with the language, rhetorical situation, and components of writing grant proposals. Students will explore various funding sources, learn to read an RFP, and develop an understanding of different professional contexts and the rhetorical and structural elements that suit those distinct contexts. Students will write a sample proposal throughout the course and offer feedback to their peers, who may be writing in different contexts, which will enhance their understanding of the varied applications of course content. Through their work in the course, students will gain confidence in their ability to find, apply for, and receive grant funding to support their communities and organizations.

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Guest Essay

The Supreme Court Thinks That by Arguing More, We Can Be Less Divided

By Yuval Levin

Mr. Levin is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and the editor of National Affairs.

With its decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo on Friday, the Supreme Court has put new limits on how government regulators can interpret the law.

The court’s decision will limit the power of federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Communications Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to interpret the laws they administer — as, for example, in the E.P.A.’s mandating reduced emissions from power plants on the basis of its own interpretation of the Clean Air Act.

This decision has set off alarms for some, but it actually points the way toward a role for the courts that is less divisive — because it pushes everyone in our system, including judges and Congress, toward their proper constitutional work.

By narrowing the so-called Chevron deference, the court has reasserted its authority over the meaning of vague legislation. Doing so may press Congress to make its law-writing more definitive and call on administrative agencies to apply substantive subject-matter expertise, rather than conjure the meanings of the laws they are meant to carry out.

The Loper Bright case highlights a broader pattern. It is just one of several high-profile disputes the court has taken up this term — others touch on social media, guns and more — and the results have often been met with outrage and harsh criticism of the court.

But it’s worth seeing that it is often the very fact that we turn to courts to resolve these disputes that ratchets up tensions in our society. That is why the court seems eager to recover the constitutional system’s balance of authorities, and to help relieve those tensions.

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