MLA In-Text Citations

MLA In-text Citations

A parenthetical citation (in-text citation) must follow all direct quotations and all paraphrased material. Immediately following a direct quotation or paraphrased material, place the author’s last name, a space, and then the page number from which you are quoting or summarizing.

Short Quotations

A short quotation runs no more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse in a paper.

EXAMPLES:

If the author’s name DOES appear in the sentence, only the page number is needed:

. Manguel asserts that “it would be hard to exaggerate the importance of the scribe’s role in Mesopotamian society” (180).

If the author’s name does NOT appear in the sentence, both the last name of the author and the page number of the text is needed:

. Others believe that “it would be hard to exaggerate the importance of the scribe’s role in Mesopotamian society” (Manguel 180).

If there is NO AUTHOR listed, use an abbreviated version of the title:

. In literate societies “learning to read is something of an initiation, a ritualized passage out of a state of dependency and rudimentary communication” (History of Reading 50).

If citing from an INDIRECT source, (an indirect source is a source cited within another source) For indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted.

. Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd. in Weisman 259).

Note that for a short quotation, the punctuation of the sentence comes AFTER the citation.

Long Quotations

A long quotation runs more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse in a paper.

MLA Format 1 (last updated 9/2012) ***When using long quotations: - Indent entire quotation one inch - Do NOT use quotation marks - Final punctuation follows the last sentence of quote and NOT the citation

EXAMPLES:

If the author’s name DOES appear in the sentence:

. In her famous speech, Sojourner Truth says, Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place, and aren’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? (144-45)

If the author’s name does NOT appear in the sentence:

. The hero describes her mother: It would have been enough to think that even one of these dangers could befall a child. And even though the birthdates corresponded to only one danger my mother worried about them all. This was because she couldn’t figure out how the Chinese dates, based on the lunar calendar, translated into American dates. So by taking them all into account, she had absolute faith she could prevent every one of them. (Tan 124)

If there is NO AUTHOR listed:

. As you discover information and opinions on your topic, You should keep track of sources that you may use for your paper. A record of such sources is called a working bibliography. Your preliminary reading will probably provide the first titles for this list. (MLA Handbook) Paraphrased Material

All paraphrased material must be cited, following the rules of the SHORT QUOTATION.

EXAMPLE OF GOOD PARAPHRASE:

Original: The most blatant form of plagiarism is to obtain and submit as your own a paper written by someone else. Other, less conspicuous forms of plagiarism include the

MLA Format 2 (last updated 9/2012) failure to give appropriate acknowledgement when repeating or paraphrasing another’s wording, when taking a particularly apt phrase, and when paraphrasing another’s argument or presenting another’s line of thinking.

Paraphrased Material: It is plagiarism when you copy someone else’s work, don’t cite your courses, or repeat what a scholar has said without giving credit to that scholar (Gibaldi 70-71).

In-text Citation for Electronic Sources

 Page or paragraph numbers are not necessary

 In the text include the first item that corresponds to the sources works cited entry.

Example:

Garcia stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism."

Example (for multiple sources by the same author):

Garcia stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (“Herzog: a Life”).

 If an item matching the source to the works cited entry is not included in the text, you must use a parenthetical citation.

Example:

One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia).

 A parenthetical citation should include the first item that corresponds to the works cited entry.

Example:

MLA Format 3 (last updated 9/2012) Works Cited

Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics Corner. The Film

School of New Hampshire, 2 May 2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

Parenthetical Citation

(Garcia)

 If there are two sources from the same author, give the author name and provide the next item within the works cited entry that distinguishes it from the other source within the parenthetical citation.

Example:

One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”).

Works Cited Page

According to MLA style, you must have a Works Cited page at the end of a paper in which you have used outside sources. All entries in the Works Cited page must to correspond to the in-text citations in the paper.

The Basics

PAGE SETUP  The Works Cited is a SEPARATE PAGE at the END of the paper  You should continue pagination as normal  The title of this page is “Works Cited” and should be centered. No underlining, no quotation marks.

ENTRIES  EVERY SOURCE cited in the paper must be cited in the Works Cited page.  All entries are DOUBLE SPACED  Sources are ALPHABETIZED according to author’s last name  Lines following the first line of each citation should be indented ½ inch from the left margin

TITLES  CAPITALIZE each word in the title and subtitle, except for articles, prepositions, and conjunctions that are not the first word  Use QUOTATION MARKS around titles of poems, short stories, essays, and around titles of articles of newspapers  ITALICIZE titles of books, journals, plays, and movies.

MLA Format 4 (last updated 9/2012) The Specifics

PRINTED PUBLICATIONS

 Book

General Format: Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Example: Smitherman, Geneva. Talkin That Talk: Language, Culture, and Education in African America. London: Routledge, 2000. Print.

 Book with more than one author

General Format: Author, A, B Author, C Author. Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication.

Example: Bax, Martin, Hilary Hart, and Susan M. Jenkins. Child Development and Child Health: The Preschool Years. Boston: Oxford, 1990. Print.

 Two or more books by the same author (List works alphabetically by title)

General Format: Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. ---. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Example: Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997. Print. ---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993. Print.  Book with no author

General Format: Title of Book. Place of Publication, Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Example:

MLA Format 5 (last updated 9/2012) Encyclopedia of Indiana. New York: Somerset, 1993. Print.

 Entry from a Reference Book (Dictionary/Encyclopedia)

General Format: Author’s Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Reference Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Example: Marcus, Brian. “Panda.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 2nd College ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985. Print.  Journal Article

General Format: Author’s name. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume.Issue (Year): Inclusive page numbers. Medium of Publication.

Example: Hyder, Clyde K. “Swinburne’s Laus Veneris and the Tannhauser Legend.” PMLA 40.4 (2009): 1202 – 1213. Print.

 Item in Anthology

General Format: Author’s name. “Title of the Work.” Title of the Anthology. Ed. Name of Editor. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Inclusive Page Numbers. Medium of Publication.

Example: Eliot, T.S. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. Eds. Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair. W.W.Norton &Company Inc. 1988. 482-485. Print.  Magazine Article

General Format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.

Example: Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.

Newspaper Article

General Format:

MLA Format 6 (last updated 9/2012) Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.

Example: Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Print.

INTERNET PUBLICATIONS

 Entire Internet Site/Personal Homepage

General Format: Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number1. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation. Medium of publication. Date of access.

Example: Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.

 Individual Website Page

General Format:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). “Page Title.” Name of Site.

Version Number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

 Article in an Online Scholarly Journal

General Format: Author name. “Title of Article.” Journal Title. Volume number.Issue number (Year): pages. Database. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

Example:

1 Websites rarely include a version or edition number due to the constantly changing nature of the Internet. To find a site’s version number look at the bottom of the webpage or under the “About” heading.

MLA Format 7 (last updated 9/2012) Hemilich, Joe E. “Adult Learning in Nonformal Institutions.” Educational Review 173 (1996): 1 – 7. Web. 15 Aug. 2007.

 Article in Online Magazine

General Format: Author name. “Title of Article.” Magazine Title. Publication Date. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

Example: Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.

 Article in Online Newspaper

General Format: Author name. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Title. Date of Publication. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

Example: Ruggerio, Frank. “ASU Seeks New Options with College.” The Watauga Democrat. 23 February 2007. Web. 26 February 2007.

 Online Book General Format: Author’s name. Title of Work. Ed. Name of Editor. Original Publication Information. Title of Internet Site. Editor of Site. Date of electronic publication. Medium of Publication. Date of Access. Example: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlett Letter. Ed. Millicent Bell. New York: Literary Classics, 1983. NetLibrary. Web. 26 February 2007.

 Part of an Online Book

General Format: Author’s name. “Title of Part.” Title of Work. Ed. Name of Editor. Original Publication Information. Title of Internet Site. Editor of Site. Date of electronic publication. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

Example: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Chapter 6: Pearl.” The Scarlett Letter. Ed. Millicent Bell. New York: Literary Classics, 1983. NetLibrary. Web. 26 February 2007.

MLA Format 8 (last updated 9/2012)  Entry from Online Reference Material

General Format: Author’s name. “Title of Article.” Title of Reference Book. Year. Title of Site. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

Example: “Silk Road.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Web. 27 Feb. 2007.

 An Interview Published Online

General Format: Name of the Person Interviewed. “Title of Interview.” Title of Publication. Date of Interview. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

Example: Ackroyd, Peter. “Interview.” Bold Type. Nov. 2001. Web. 25 June 2002.

 Listserve, Discussion Group, or Blog Posting

General Format:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version Number.

Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

Salmar1515 [Sal Hernandez]. “Re: Best Strategy: Fenced Pastures vs. Max

Number of Rooms?” BoardGameGeek. BoardGameGeek, 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 5 Apr. 2009.

 An Email Communication

General Format: Author name. “Subject Line.” Message to Recipient’s Name. Date Sent.

Example: Kunka, Andrew. "Re: Modernist Literature." Message to the author. 15 Nov. 2000.

MLA Format 9 (last updated 9/2012)  An Image (Including a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph)

General Format:

Artist Name. Title of Work. Date of Creation. Institution, City where work is

housed. Name of Website. Medium. Date of access.

Example:

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo Nacional del Prado,

Madrid. Museo National del Prado. Web. 22 May 2006.

 Notes on Electronic Sources Use the abbreviations:

.n.p. --- if there is no publisher

Example: Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of site. Version Number. n.p. , date of resource creation. Medium. Date of access.

.n.d. --- if there is no publication date Example: Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version Number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), n.d. Medium. Date of access.

Author is the person, organization, institution, or company that created or was represented by the website. An email contact does not necessarily imply authorship of the site.

If no author is cited begin with the name of site or the title.

MLA Format 10 (last updated 9/2012) NOTE: This handout is intended as a supplement to the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 7th edition. It is not meant to replace it.

MLA Format 11 (last updated 9/2012)