MLA: How-To Guide

MLA Stands for “Modern Language Association” An easy way to keep your research papers organized Consists of two interconnected parts: In-text citation Works Cited

In-Text Citation This is the information about your source that you put inside your essay In-text citation goes at the end of a sentence in parentheses (like this). Only two items need to be in an in-text citation:  the author’s last name and a page number For web pages, you only need the author’s last name (if no author, put shortened version of title)

In-Text: Book Citation I According to one author, “Eating vegetables will reduce the chances that you will die” (Smith 45). QUOTE IN-TEXT CITATION IN THIS EXAMPLE, THE AUTHOR’S NAME IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SENTENCE, SO IT IS PLACED IN THE IN-TEXT CITATION. NOTE ALSO THAT THE IN-TEXT CITATION COMES BEFORE THE PERIOD IN THE SENTENCE.

In-Text: Book Citation II According to John Smith, “Eating vegetables will reduce the chances that you will die” (45). QUOTEAUTHOR’S NAME IN-TEXT CITATION IN THIS EXAMPLE, THE AUTHOR’S NAME IS INCLUDED IN THE SENTENCE, SO IT’S NOT NECESSARY TO PUT IT IN THE IN-TEXT CITATION, TOO

In-Text: Book Citation III John Smith believes that people who eat vegetables will live longer than people who do not (45). NO QUOTE!? IN-TEXT CITATION HERE, THERE’S NO QUOTE--BUT SINCE THE INFORMATION IS FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE, YOU STILL NEED TO CITE IT.

In-Text: Web Citation I Jose Ruiz believe that “there is nothing worse than being 40 and seeing your own reflection in a mirror.” QUOTEAUTHOR’S NAME NO IN-TEXT CITATION?! IF YOU CITE A WEB PAGE, YOU DON’T NEED A PAGE NUMBER. FURTHER, IF YOU INCLUDE THE AUTHOR’S NAME (OR THE WEB PAGE’S TITLE) IN THE ESSAY, YOU DON’T EVEN NEED AN IN-TEXT CITATION.

In-Text: Web Citation II A nutritionist states, “There is nothing worse than being 40 and seeing your own reflection in a mirror” (Ruiz). QUOTENO AUTHOR’S NAME IN-TEXT CITATION IF YOU DON’T USE THE AUTHOR’S NAME IN THE SENTENCE, THEN PUT IT IN THE IN-TEXT CITATION ALL BY ITSELF.

In-Text: web citation III According to CNN, “Eleven people were trapped in an elevator for four years” (“Trapped”). QUOTE IN-TEXT CITATION IF THERE IS NO AUTHOR, YOU NEED TO PUT A SHORTENED TITLE IN THE IN-TEXT CITATION--AND THAT TITLE NEEDS TO BE IN QUOTES. MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WEB SITE AND A WEB PAGE. A WEB SITE, LIKE CNN.COM, IS MADE UP OF INDIVIDUAL WEB PAGES. IF YOU USE MANY DIFFERENT PAGES FROM THE SAME WEB SITE, YOU HAVE TO CITE EACH ONE OF THOSE PAGES SEPARATELY.

Works Cited THERE ARE MANY THINGS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT CREATING WORKS CITED ENTRIES.

Works Cited THERE ARE MANY THINGS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT CREATING WORKS CITED ENTRIES. FIRST, THE NAME “WORKS CITED” SHOULD BE ON TOP OF THE PAGE AND CENTERED

Works Cited THERE ARE MANY THINGS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT CREATING WORKS CITED ENTRIES. FIRST, THE NAME “WORKS CITED” SHOULD BE ON TOP OF THE PAGE AND CENTERED SECOND, THE FIRST LINE FOR EACH ENTRY IS NOT INDENTED, BUT THE NEXT LINE IS. ALSO, THE ENTRIES ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Works Cited THERE ARE MANY THINGS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT CREATING WORKS CITED ENTRIES. FIRST, THE NAME “WORKS CITED” SHOULD BE ON TOP OF THE PAGE AND CENTERED SECOND, THE FIRST LINE FOR EACH ENTRY IS NOT INDENTED, BUT THE NEXT LINE IS. ALSO, THE ENTRIES ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER THIRD, WORKS CITED ENTRIES ARE DOUBLE SPACED (JUST LIKE THE REST OF AN ESSAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE)

Works Cited: Reference Book Entry Smith, John. "Vegetables Prevent Aging." I Never Want to Grow Old: Ten Essays on Aging. Ed. Morton VanDeusen. New York: Fakery Books, BOOK ENTRIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: AUTHOR’S NAME, TITLE OF BOOK, EDITOR OR TRANSLATOR (OR BOTH), PLACE OF PUBLICATION, PUBLISHER, AND DATE OF PUBLICATION. IF YOU ARE CITING ONLY PART OF A BOOK (LIKE THIS ENTRY), YOU NEED TO INCLUDE THE TITLE OF THAT PART AND THE PAGE NUMBERS FOR THAT PART. TITLE OF CHAPTER/ESSAY IN BOOK (NOTE THAT THIS IS IN QUOTES WHILE BOOK TITLE IS IN ITALICS.) PAGE NUMBERS FOR THAT SECTION

Works Cited Web Page Entry “Trapped in an Elevator for Four Years.” CNN 19 APR May WEB PAGE ENTRIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: WEB PAGE TITLE, WEB SITE TITLE, DATE OF PUBLICATION, DATE OF ACCESS, URL THE FIRST DATE IS THE DATE POSTED ON THE WEB PAGE. IF THERE IS NO DATE POSTED, YOU DON’T HAVE TO INCLUDE THIS THE SECOND DATE IS THE DATE OF ACCESS: THE DATE YOU VISITED THE PAGE Do not use the web address. Just use the word Web.

Other works cited entries NEWSPAPER ARTICLE CARTOON JOURNAL ARTICLE ESSAY FOUND ON THE WEB

Ah, but changes are afoot… There is a new edition of the MLA Handbook out, and it includes some significant changes— especially for web sources.

Publication Medium and Abbreviations “Trapped in an Elevator for Four Years.” CNN. Cable News Network,19 APR Web. 09 May Instead of adding the URL to a web citation, you will instead add the word “Web,” along with all the other information. Also, along with the web page title, you need to add the publisher’s name. That’s usually found on the bottom of the page (near a © logo). If there is no publisher listed, put n.p. instead.

More Abbreviations If there is no date listed on the web page, then put the initials n.d. Make sure to ALWAYS add the date of access, however. Lessig, Lawrence. “Free Debates: More Republicans Call on RNC.” Lessig 2.0. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2008.

No More Underlining Finally, print sources change slightly— adding the word “Print” to the end of any print source to distinguish it from web or other sources. Also, all sources that were underlined are now italicized. Smith, John. “Vegetables Prevent Aging.” I Never Want to Grow Old: Ten Essays on Aging. Ed. Morton VanDeusen. New York: Fakery Books, Print.

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