The University of North Alabama Center for Writing Excellence

 Learn what MLA style is and why it is important  Learn about the standard MLA title page format  Learn documentation for books, periodicals, websites, and other sources  Learn the differences between methods of source integration: summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting  Learn how to use signal phrases and in-text citations to avoid plagiarism

 Modern Language Association  MLA Style sheet was established in 1951 by Modern Language Association; the first MLA handbook was established in 1977  Style provides guidelines for publication in liberal arts and humanity journals, especially language and literature journals  Style lends consistency and makes texts more readable by those who assess or publish them

 Do not make an MLA Title Page unless specifically requested to do so by your professor.  Title (Approximately 1/3 down from the top of the page) Brief Title Center text on page and double space.  Author’s Name (1” under the title) First line: use only the word “by” Second line: double-space under “by” then First and Last name  Identification (1” under author’s name) Professor’s Name Subject Course # (ex. English 111) Date: Day Month Year (ex. 10 May 2008)

 Upper Left Hand Corner  List your name, instructor’s name, course number, and date; remember to double space your lines. (see p.117, MLA 7 th ed.) Ex. John Williams Dr. R. Koch English August 2009

 Title Double space after the date and center your title. Do not use quotation marks or italicize the title. Only use quotation marks or italicize when recognizing another piece of work. (see p.117, MLA 7 th ed.) Ex. 11 August 2009 The Brick Is Red: A St ory of the Three Little Pigs

 Header Create a header ½” from the top of the page with your last name and the page number in numerical form. Your professor may omit this requirement, so check with him or her about specific requirements. (see p.117, MLA 7 ed.) Ex. Williams 1

 Refers to the Works Cited page at the end of the paper  The List is labeled Works Cited (centered, no font changes) starts at the top of a new page continues page numbering from the last page of text is alphabetical is double spaced uses a hanging indent (1/2 inch – can be formatted from the paragraph dialog box in MS Word) ( see p. 131, MLA 7 th ed.)

 One Author (list the author’s last name, first name): Williams, John.  More than One Author (list first author’s last name, first name, and second author’s first name last name): Stewart, Jessica, and Gail Smith.  More than Three Authors (list first author’s last name, first name, et al. or list first author’s last name, first name, then remaining authors’ first names last names) Francis, Marcus, et al. or Francis, Marcus, Jessica Cooke, Polly Cracker, and Harry Hall. (see p. 444, Writer’s Reference 7 th ed.)

 Same Author (on the second entry of the same author insert three hyphens and a period) Ex. Young, Rob. The Big Escape A Great History.

 No Author (list and alphabetize by title, ignoring articles, “A”, “An”, and “The”) Ex. An Afternoon of Tea. New York: Somerset, Blue Dogs. Philadelphia: Harris, 2009.

Model: Author A’s last name, first name, and Author B’s first name last name. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication. Sample: Williams, Ron, and Harrison Ford. A Large, Boring Book. Boston: Houghton, Print. If the place of publication is a well-known city, list only the city. If it is not a well-known city, list the city and state or city and country.

 When typing out publishers’ names, omit articles (A, An, The), business abbreviations (Co., Corp., Ltd., Inc.) and descriptive words (Books, House, Press, Publishers).  When citing a university press, always add the abbreviation UP (Ohio State UP) because the university itself may publish independently of its own press (Ohio State U). (see p. 247, MLA 7 th ed.)

 If the publisher’s name includes the name of one person (Harry N. Abrams, W. W. Norton, John Wiley), cite the surname alone (Abrams, Norton, Wiley). If the publisher’s name includes the names of more than one person (Harcourt, Brace, and World; Houghton-Mifflin) cite only the first of the surnames (Harcourt; Houghton). (see p. 247, MLA 7 th ed.)

Model for an edition of a book: Author A’s Last Name, Author A’s First Name, and Author B’s First Name Last Name. Title of Book. # ed. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication. Ex. Williams, Abby, and John Williams. The English Bulldog. 7 th ed. Boston: Houghton, Print. Model for a book with an editor: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Ed. Editor’s First Name Last Name. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication. Ex. Bronte, Emily. Jane Eyre. Ed. Margaret Smith. Oxford: Oxford UP, Print.

 Models for books with a translator (and editor): Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. The translator’s First Name Last Name, preceded by “Trans.” (If the book has an editor as well, add this after the translator’s name, preceded by “Ed.”) Editor’s First Name Last Name. City: Publisher, Year. Medium. Ex. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Viking, Print. Beowulf. Trans. E. Talbot Donaldson. Ed. Nicholas Howe. New York: Norton, Print. (see p. 164, MLA 7 th ed.)

 Models for books with an edition Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Edition number followed by “ed.” City: Publisher, Year. Medium. Ex. Baker, Nancy L., and Nancy Huling. A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English and American Literature. 6 th ed. New York: MLA, Print. Cavafy, C. P. Collected Poems. Trans. Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Ed. George Savidis. Rev. ed. Princeton: Princeton UP, Print. *Note: “Rev. ed.” stands for revised edition. Also note that the above example has a translator and an editor. (see pgs , MLA 7 th ed.)

 Model for multivolume work Editor’s Last Name, First Name, followed by “ed.” Title of Work. Number of volumes. City: Publisher, Year. Medium. Ex. Newberry, Katherine L., ed. The French Revolution, : An Encyclopedia. 2 vols. New York: Oxford UP, Print. *Note: if there is a second or subsequent edition, the edition number will be placed directly after the title of the work and before the number of volumes. (see p. 168, MLA 7 th ed.)

 If you are using only one volume of a multivolume work, state the number of the volume in the bibliographic entry (“Vol. 2”) and give publication information for that volume alone. Ex. Hawking, S. W. The Complete Works of Stephen Hawking. Ed. Sandra O’Neil. Vol 2. Oxford: Cambridge UP, Print. (see p. 169, MLA 7 th ed.)

 If you are citing an essay, a short story, a poem, or another work printed in an anthology or other book collection, then the following information may be needed: 1) Author of the work 2) “Title of the Work” 3) Translator (if needed) 4) Title of the Collection or Anthology 5) Editor (if needed) 6) City 7) Publisher 10) Year 11) Page numbers where short work is located in anthology 12) Medium

 Ex. O’Connor, Flannery. “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Literature Since Ed. Nina Baym et al. 6 th ed. Vol. E. New York: Norton, Print. Allende, Isabel. “Toad’s Mouth.” Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. A Hammock beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America. Ed. Thomas Colchie. New York: Plume, Print. (see p. 158, MLA 7 th ed.)

Model: Author A’s Last Name, Author A’s First Name, and Author B’s First Name Last Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of Publication. Ex. Jacobson, Will, and Brick Davis. “A Big Adventure in Central Park.” Educational Psychology 11.1 (2006): Print.

 Model: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume. Issue (Year): Pages. Name of Database. Date of Access. Ex. Heyen, William. “Sunlight.” American Poetry Review 36.2 (2007): Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 24 Mar (see p. 467, Writer’s Reference, 7 th ed.)

 Article from an Online Scholarly Journal Model: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Online Journal Volume.Issue (Year): n. pag. Medium of Publication. Day Month Year. Ex. Davis, Alan. “A Nuclear Fusion Program.” Science Today (2008): n. pag. Web. 9 Jan (n. pag. is used in this case to show there is no pagination of this article.) (see pgs. 190 – 193, MLA 7th ed.)

 If a source has no sponsor or publisher, use the abbreviations “N.p.” (for No publisher) in the sponsor position. If there is no date of publication or update, use “n.d.” (for no date) after the sponsor. For an article in an online journal or article from a database, give page numbers if they are available; if they are not, use the abbreviations “n. pag.” (see p. 464, Writer’s Reference 7 th ed.)

 Model: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine. Sponsor or Publisher of the Site, (use “N.p” if there is no publisher), the date of publication (day month year). Medium. Your date of access (day month year). Ex. Burton, Robert. “The Certainty Epidemic.” Salon.com. Salon Media Group, 29 Feb Web. 18 Jan (see p. 467, Writer’s Reference, 7 th ed.)

 Model Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” The Title of the Newspaper. Sponsor or Publisher of the site, the date of publication (day month year). Medium. Your date of access (day month year). Ex. Smith, Andrew D. “Poll: More than 70% of US Workers Use Internet on the Job.” Dallasnews.com. Dallas Morning News, 25 Sept Web. 29 Sept (see p. 467, Writer’s Reference, 7 th ed.)

Model for an entire website: Author/Creators Last name, First name. Title of Web Site. Version number. Name of organization associated with the site. Date of Posting on Website. Medium of Publication. Day Month Year accessed. Ex. The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, Web. 23 Apr Model for a page on a website: Author’s Last name, First name. “Name of Page on Website.” Main Website. Name of organization associated with the site. Medium of Publication. Day Month Year accessed. Ex. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb (see pgs. 184 – 190, MLA 7 th ed.) (see pgs. 184 – 190, MLA 7 th ed.)

 Model for web site with an author: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Web Site. Sponsor of Site, Year. Medium. Day Month Year. EX. Peterson, Susan Lynn. The Life of Martin Luther. Susan Lynn Peterson, Web. 24 Jan * Note: If your instructor requires a URL for Web sources, include the URL in at the end of the entry. When a URL must be divided at the end of a line, make sure to break the URL after a slash. Do not insert a hyphen. (see pgs , Writer’s Reference, 7 th ed.)

 Use the label “Home page” or other appropriate description in place of a title. EX: Yoon, Mina. Home page. Oak Ridge Natl. Laboratory, 28 Dec Web. 12 Jan * Note: This particular Web page has a specific date when it was created (28 Dec. 2006). If a specific date is used, then this date is required in the documentation. ** Also note: Natl. stands for National (see pgs , Writer’s Reference, 7 th ed. )

 Information in an entry for a television or radio broadcast usually appears in the following order: 1)Title of the episode or segment (“in quotation marks”) 2) Title of the program or series (italicized) 3) Name of the network (if any) 4) Call letters and city of the local station (if any) 5) Broadcast date 6) Medium of reception (e.g., Radio, Television) Ex. “Death and Society.” Narr. Joanne Silberner. Weekend Edition Sunday. Natl. Public Radio. WUVM, Milwaukee, 25 Jan Radio. “The Phantom of Corleone.” Narr. Steve Kroft. Sixty Minutes. CBS. WCBS. New York, 10 Dec Television. *Note: “Narr.” stands for Narrator (see p. 194, MLA 7 th ed.)

 Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing give examples of several points of view on a subject call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own expand the breadth or depth of your writing Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. (2004). Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from

Choosing Text to Integrate 1. Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas. 2. Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is. 3. Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay. 4. Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. (2004). Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from

 When you summarize, you put the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summarized ideas must be attributed to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original. Summaries take a broad overview of source material. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. (2004). Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from

 Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. Attribute paraphrases to their original sources. Paraphrases are usually shorter than the original passage. Paraphrases take a somewhat broader segment of the source and condense it slightly. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. (2004). Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from

 Quotations must be identical to the original. Quotations use a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author. Use quotes when the actual words are so integral to the discussion that they cannot be replaced. Use quotes when the author’s words are so precisely and accurately stated that they cannot be paraphrased. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. (2004). Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Retrieved September 28, 2007, from

SSignal phrases introduce someone else’s work – they signal that the words and ideas that are about to be offered belong to someone other than the author of the paper. IIn-text citations are the parenthetical pieces of information that appear usually at the end of a quote paraphrase, or summary (though they sometimes appear before). AA simple rule: *Author or Title and Page: what isn’t signaled up front must be cited at the end. (see pgs. 214 – 215, MLA 7 th ed.)

 Limited signal, everything in citation... end of paraphrased sentence, in which you convey the author's ideas in your own words (Williams 103). "... end of quoted sentence" (Williams 103).  Author in signal, page in citation In 1985, Lori Williams reports that... (103). Lori Williams tells us that... (103). According to Lori Williams, "..." (103). Note: Make sure to keep all verbs in present tense The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.

Signal Phrases and In-Text Citation (continued)  Citing Source with Unknown Author Ex. An anonymous Twain critic once stated that Twain was actually a female (“Twain Is a Female” 100).  Citing Sources with Same Last Name Ex. The big red tracker was the largest (R. Williams 100) However, the blue tracker was often stated as being the largest (Z. Williams 670).  No Page Number Provide other information in signal phrase (paragraph #) The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 2 nd ed. New York: MLA Association of America, Print. Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. A Writer’s Reference. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford, Print. Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7 th ed. New York: MLA Association of America, Print. Stolley, Karl. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The OWL at Purdue. 10 May Purdue University Writing Lab. Web. 1 March The Purdue OWL. 26 Aug The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 23 April 2008.