MLA Style: In-Text Citation and Works Cited Page

Documentation and MLA

Two Types of Documentation in MLA Style:• In-Text Citations• Works Cited

Basics of In-Text Citation• Author’s name, including first name the first

time name mentioned• Note page number in parentheses—without pg.

or p—at end of citation; final punctuation comes after final parenthesis– If using block quotation, final punctuation comes

before the information in parentheses• If including author’s name in text of your essay is

awkward, put only the last name in the parentheses before the page number:– (Lowe 79).

Additional Aspects of In-Text Citation • Last name of author is enough for reader to

reference in Work Cited • Page number makes it easy to find quotation• If authors have same last name, include first name• If in parentheses, initial:– (J. Mayers 79).

• If more than one work by same author, provide an abbreviation of the title

• If in parentheses, put comma after last name and before title and use abbreviation of title: – (Mayers, “A Bad Man” 79).

Additional Aspects of In-Text Citation

• Web sources usually don’t have page numbers, so just give author’s name– MLA prefers author’s name in text instead of in

parentheses – If no author, mention title in text

• Poems: if quote all or part of 2 or 3 lines of poetry, put in quotation marks and separate lines using a slash / with a space on each side. In parentheses put line numbers (7-9).

Additional Aspects of In-Text Citation

• Work quoted in another source, put “qtd. in” before the information about the indirect source: – (qtd. in Bauman 9).

• Mention direct source of quotation in signal phrase

• If two or more sources support a single point, separate them with a semicolon:– (Jones 8; Smith 7).

Basics of Works Cited Page• On a separate page at the end of your essay,

include the Works Cited page• Header: last name and page number. Page

number should follow the last page number of body of your paper

• Center and in regular type/font: Works Cited• Double space throughout • No extra spaces between title and entries or

between entries!• No numbers for entries!

More Basics of Works Cited• Use “hanging indentation”– First line of citation is flush left– Indent all subsequent lines for that citation one-half inch

• Alphabetize by author’s last name or, if no author, by title– “The” and “A” don’t count

• If you cite more than one source by same author, the individual works are alphabetized by title; author’s full name is given only for the first citation in the Works Cited, after which it is replaced by three hyphens:

Morris, Amy. “Filibuster Proof.”---. “The Senate, that August Body.”

• The rest of the citation is as it would have been for that source

More Basics of Works Cited Page

• Only include sources cited in your text• Don’t leave out any sources cited in your text! • Include primary and secondary sources• If any information called for is unavailable for

a particular source, skip that element and keep the rest of the entry as close as possible to the given format

Sears 18Works Cited

Abrams, Mark. “Poetic History.” History Journal 11.2 (2007): 489-97. Print.

Collier, Judith, and Francine Prose. Nomadic Subjects: The Bedouin Experience. Ed. Leslie Knox. Austin: U of Texas P, 2009. Print.

Glass, Meredith. “Enter the Abject.” PMLA 12.3 (2008): 245-49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.

---. “Reviewing the Horrors of Power.” The Kristeva Project. Kristeva Project, 21 Mar. 1999. Web. 30 Oct. 2009.

The Move. Dir. Oliver Parker. Perf. Robert Eady, Sandra Maxton, and Irène Jacob. Castle Rock, 1995. DVD.

Pratt, Mary Louise. “Arts of the Contact Zone.” Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petroksy. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2008. 499-512. Print.

“Thou Shalt Not Be Aware.” Notes on Pedagogy. N.p., 2006. Web. 28 Oct. 2009.

Citing a Book (skip any material not available)1. Name of the author(s) (or editor, if no author is listed), last name

first, followed by period2. Full Title, italicized, followed by period; if subtitle, put colon

between title and subtitle3. Name(s) of the editor(s) if the book has both an author and an

editor, following the abbreviation, Ed., followed by period4. Name(s) of translator or compiler, following abbreviation Trans. or

Comp. as appropriate, followed by period5. The edition, if other than the first—3rd ed.—followed by period6. Volume(s) used, if the book is part of a multivolume set—Vol. 8.—

followed by period7. City of publication (followed by a colon), name of the publisher

(comma), and year, followed by period8. Medium of publication: Print, followed by period9. Name of any series to which the book belongs, followed by period

More on Citing Books• If you have a book with multiple authors or

editors, list all names, but only the first name is given last name first and rest in normal order; put comma after first author’s name

• If there are four or more authors or editors, give only first full name listed on title page, followed by a comma and et al. (“and others”)

• A book with a corporate author—group, government agency, or organization listed as its author—treat as single author: National Society of Photographic Educators

Citing a Work in an Anthology

1. Name of the author(s) of the article/literary work, followed by period

2. Title of the shorter work, enclosed in quotation marks (unless longer work—full play—italics), followed by period

3. Title of the anthology in italics followed by a period4. Ed. and Names(s) of editors of collection or anthology,

followed by period5. Relevant publication information as in book citation,

followed by period6. Inclusive page numbers for shorter work, followed by

period7. Medium of Publication: Print, followed by period

Citing Articles in Periodicals

1. Name(s) of the author(s) of the article/short text, last name first followed by period

2. Title of the article/short text in quotations, followed by period: – “Theatre of the Obtuse.”

3. Title of the periodical italicized4. All relevant publication information (see next

slide) 5. Medium of publication: Print, followed by a

period

Different Types of Periodicals• For a scholarly journal—volume number and issue number

(sometimes only issue); year of publication in parentheses, followed by a colon, and the page numbers of the shorter work, followed by period: – PMLA 121.6 (2006): 1526-35. Print.

• For a magazine—month(s) of publication for monthly/bimonthly magazine OR date (day, abbreviated month, then year) for weekly/biweekly, followed by a colon, and page numbers, followed by period: – New Yorker 5 Nov. 2005: 65-73. Print.

• For a newspaper article—date (day, abbreviated month, year), edition if listed on the masthead, followed by colon and page numbers (including section number or letter, if applicable), followed by period:– New York Times 24 Mar. 2007, late ed.: A1+. Print.

Citing Library Databases

1. Print publication information—author’s name, title, publication information

2. Name of the database (italicized)—like Academic Search Premier, followed by period

3. Medium of publication—Web, followed by period

4. Date you accessed site (day, month abbreviated, and year), followed by period:– 30 Oct. 2010.

Citing the Internet: World Wide Web1. Name of the author(s), last name first, followed by a period2. Title of the section of the work accessed in quotation marks,

followed by a period; if not titled, identify by label like Home page or Introduction, but not in quotation marks

3. Title of the full document or site italicized (if different than title of the work accessed), followed by a period

4. Publisher’s or sponsor’s name, followed by a comma; if neither available, use N.p.

5. Date of publication by day, month, and year if available, followed by a period; if date isn’t available, use n.d.

6. The medium of publication—Web, followed by a period7. Date you accessed site (day, month abbreviated, and year),

followed by a period– 30 Oct. 2010.

Citing Publication on Web with Print Publication Data

1. Name of author, followed by period2. Print Publication Information (same format as

usual)3. Name of the Web site in italics, followed by

period4. Medium of publication—Web, followed by

period5. Date you accessed the site (day, month,

year), followed by period

Article in Scholarly Journal Published Only on Web

1. Name of author, followed by period2. Title of article, followed by period3. Name of journal in italics4. Volume and issue number (or just issue number)5. Year of publication in parentheses, followed by

colon6. Page numbers or n. pag., followed by period7. Medium of publication—Web, followed by period8. Date you accessed the site (day, month

abbreviated, year), followed by period

Article in Newspaper on Web1. Name of author, followed by period2. Title of article, followed by a period3. Name of newspaper in italics, followed by period4. Publisher’s name (New York Times) or N.p.,

followed by comma5. Date of publication (day, month abbreviated,

year), followed by period6. Medium of publication—Web, followed by period7. Date you accessed the site (day, month

abbreviated, year), followed by period

Article in Magazine on Web

1. Name of author, followed by period2. Title of article, followed by period3. Name of magazine in italics, followed by

period4. Publisher’s name or N.p., followed by comma5. Date of publication (day, month abbreviated,

year), followed by period6. Medium of publication—Web, followed by

period7. Date you accessed the site, followed by

period

Personal Communication or LecturePersonal Communication:1. Name of the person who gave you the information,

followed by period2. Type of communication (interview, letter, email),

followed by period3. Date of communication, followed by periodLecture, Public Talk, or Debate:4. Name of lecturer/speaker, followed by period5. Name of lecture or lecture series, followed by comma6. Place, followed by comma7. Date (day, month abbreviated, year), followed by period8. Medium (lecture, debate, commencement address)

Multimedia SourcesIf Film or DVD:1. Title in italics, followed by period2. Director’s name beginning with Dir., followed by period3. Optional—performers’ names, starting with Perf., followed by period4. Distributor (Universal, Paramount), followed by comma5. Year, followed by a period6. Medium (Film or DVD), followed by periodIf TV or Radio Program:7. Title of episode or segment in quotation marks, followed by period8. Title of the program and series, if any, in italics, followed by period9. Performers, narrators, directors or others who might be pertinent,

followed by period10. Name of network or call numbers and city for local station, followed by

period11. Broadcast date, followed by period12. Medium (either Television or Radio), followed by period

Informational Notes• Use a small superscript number in text to signal a

note, which will be on a separate page at end of essay before Works Cited page

• Be sure to include any sources mentioned in end notes in Works Cited page:

End Notes1 Several psychologists attribute paraphasia to schizophrenia (Roberts 72; Bond 89-91; Crowley 655-56).