HTML Preview Faculty Mla Research Paper page number 1.
MPC English & Study Skills Center, revised 9/09
MLA Sample Research Paper
Name 1
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Class
Date
Aliens
Are we alone in the universe? This question has long been controversial, but in
recent years, more and more people have come forward to challenge this idea. Many people
report that they have been contacted or abducted by alien beings--clearly not human-- from
other planets or other dimensions. Abductees have become so numerous that there are even
books, such as The Alien Abduction Survival Guide by Michelle LaVigne, to help abductees
cope. Abductees and others insist that some type of nonhuman intelligence is interacting
with and manipulating humans. Some "contactees" believe that these aliens are benign;
however, many more people feel that humans are being invaded, physically and emotionally,
by essentially unfeeling nonhuman beings. The controversy is fueled by the fact that much
information about the aliens has been gleaned through hypnosis, used to override the amnesia
abductees report. While there is much controversy and disagreement about the purpose of
the aliens, there is more agreement about the types of aliens that are reported. As noted in
Britannica Online, “[I]ntelligence need not necessarily be restricted to the same evolutionary
path that occurred on Earth” (“Life”). Thus, there are scattered reports of reptilian aliens, tall
red-headed aliens, and an assortment of essentially monster-type aliens. However, there are
primarily three types of aliens that have been consistently reported in the United States.
The first type of alien is the most commonly reported, the so-called "grays" or
"small beings." These aliens are small, slight, but with large heads and huge insect-like eyes.
This is the favorite depiction of science fiction, and this is the face that graces the front of the
best-selling book Communion by Whitley Strieber. This, then, is the image most
recognizable to people outside of the unidentified flying object (UFO) community. Pulitzer
Prize winning author, John E. Mack, M.D., has investigated over 100 cases of alien abduction
and reports:
The small grays have large, pear-shaped heads that protrude in the back,
long arms with three or four long fingers, a thin torso, and spindly legs
. . . External genitalia, with rare exceptions, are not observed. The beings
are hairless with no ears, have rudimentary nostril holes and a thin slit for a
mouth . . . . By far the most prominent features are huge, black eyes which
curve upward and are more rounded toward the center of the head and
pointed at the outer edge. (37)
The eyes have been the most consistently described feature of the aliens. While the report of
skin color has varied from light gray to blue, almost everyone agrees on the eyes. In a
famous case from 1962, Betty and Barney Hill remember a "missing time" episode, and
under hypnosis, they both describe short alien beings with large eyes. Barney Hill, during
his hypnosis session, repeatedly refers to the eyes: "Oh--oh, the eyes are there. Always the
eyes are there. And they're telling me I don't have to be afraid" (qtd. in Fuller 98).
Twenty-five years later, Kathy Lewis, an "abductee" describes "two strange gray-
faced creatures" coming to her in the night. She reports that they had large heads and skin
that was "dingy white, almost gray." She further states that their eyes were "pitch black in
color" (qtd. in Hopkins 14). Virtually all accounts agree that the eyes of the grays are solid
black and very large. David M. Jacobs reports that all of the aliens of this type look
basically the same. People don't report any emotional or physical characteristics that help
them to distinguish one from another (223). This type of alien is most often described as the
ones that carry out the so-called abductions and do general physical examinations on the
abductees. Stefan Duncan, editor and writer for American UFO News online, discusses this
issue: "From the description of the observed behavior and appearance of the species
commonly called the 'grays' it is probable that this species is a subservient race in the service
of some master …. It is also likely that this race was specifically bred to perform specific
MLA Requires
* Double-spacing
* 12 point font
* No title page
* Heading (as shown)
* Header (as shown)
Italicize titles of
whole works, such
as books, movies,
and magazines.
No author? Cite
the first identifying
word of the title.
Indent quotations one
inch (usually by pushing
the tab key two times) if
they are longer than
four lines. Indented
quotations are generally
preceded by a colon.
Quotations of just a
few words can be
integrated into your
sentence.
You must cite even if
you are summarizing, as
this example shows.
If quotation marks
appear within the text
you are quoting,
change them to single
quotation marks.