MLA Citation User Guide

WHY CITE?1. Academic honesty — give credit

where credit is due.2. Accuracy ---- making sure

information is credible and accurate3. Requirements ---- It is standard

practice for not only scholars and academic institutions but the music and business industry.

WHAT IS A CITATION?

The citation summarizes bibliographic data to provide the reader information to locate the book, website, or magazine that you used:

Author (if given)Title of article, webpage, or entryPublication information (publisher, website, magazine title, date, location)

Medium (Print, Web, etc.)Date of access

HOW IS A CITATION FORMATTED?

Each citation or entry follows a specific format. Punctuation used in the citation defines different types of information in the entry. Formatting is very important.

The parts of the citation follow a specific order and have their own function.

HOW TO CITE A WEBSITE SOURCE

“Global Warming: the Greenhouse Effect.” World Conservation

Feb. 2006. Web. 28 June 2006.

Title of Webpage Title of Website

Date of PublicationMediumDate of Retrieval

PUNCTUATION

“Global Warming: the Greenhouse Effect.” World Conservation Feb. 2006. Web. 28 June 2006.

Titles of articles, webpages, or entries in a reference work are usually noted by quotation marks.

Titles of books, websites, or reference sources are usually noted with italics. This is a change from MLA 6th ed.

Dates in MLA citations follow a specific format.

You need to define what medium you accessed the material.

Each part of the citation is completed with a period.

The web address or URL is no longer required in the citation, unless specified by the instructor.

QUOTE OR ITALICIZE?Quote

Article titles from magazines, newspapers, journals - "Censorship is Harmful to Society"

Essays - "Feminism in British Literature"Short Stories - "Gramma" (short story by

Stephen King)Poems - "The Tyger" (poem by William

Blake)Book Chapters - "The American Economy

Before the Civil War"Specific pages within a website -

"Crohn's Disease" (page found within the CDC's website)

Specific episodes of TV shows - "The Trouble with Tribbles" (an episode of Star Trek)

Specific episodes of radio programs -  "A Conversation with Margaret Atwood" (a specific epside of the radio named All Things Considered) 

Songs - "Thriller" (song by Michael Jackson)

ItalicizeBooks - Twilight by Stephanie MeyerNewspapers - USA TodayMagazines - Sports IllustratedJournals - Journal of Fiction StudiesWebsites - CNN.comOnline databases - Opposing Viewpoints Resource CenterPlays - Romeo and Juliet by Williams ShakespearePamphlets - What You Should Know About the H1N1 Virus (pamphlet from the Center for Disease Control)Films/movie titles - The Breakfast ClubTelevision shows - GleeRadio programs/broadcasts - All Things ConsideredAlbum titles - No Line on the Horizon (album by U2)Operas - La boheme (opera by Giacomo Puccini)Dance Performances - The NutcrackerLong Musical Compositions- Symphonie Fantastique (composition by Berlioz)Paintings -  I and My Village (painting by Marc Chagall)Sculptures - The Minute Man (sculpture by Daniel Chester French)Ships - USS ArizonaAircraft - Airforce OneSpacecraft - Challenger

MEDIUMSPrint . Used for almost anything printed on paper: books, reference

magazines, pamphlets,etc.Web. Used for any web-based content.

CDFilmRadioTelevisionAudiocassetteAudiotape – reel to reelLPFilmDVDVideocassetteLaser disc

PhotographGraphite on paperBronzeOil on canvasPersonal interviewTelephone interviewEmailTweetSound filmstripSlide program

Other medium examples include:

CITATION HELPERS

With so many different mediums and sources it is impossible to recreate each one without help.

There are manuals and online citation helper sites to use as resources:

WHAT’S A WORKS CITED PAGE?

The works cited page is an alphabetical listing of all cited sources for your research. This list could include books, websites, databases, interviews, and any other source of information used.

Remember that if you use someone else’s ideas, words, quotes, data, or other information, you must cite your source.

WHAT IS A BIBLIOGRAPHY?

There may be situations where you read or consult other sources but do not use them directly in your paper. In this case, you can include them in a bibliography.

A bibliography will contain all sources in your works cited list plus any additional sources used.

HOW DO I FORMAT A WORKS CITED PAGE?

The entire page is double spaced Title “Works Cited” 1 inch from the top,

centered. Use a hanging indents (1/2”) for

multiple line entries. Size 12 font, Times New Roman

throughout the document.

FORMATTING HANGING INDENTS

Select “Hanging” in the “Special” section of the “Indentation” area

WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? “Works Cited’ centered at top of

page Entries alphabetized Page has hanging indentsWhat’s wrong with this page? ‘cited’ should be capitalized!

WHAT IS IN A PARENTHETICAL REFERENCE?

Because the parenthetical reference is a pointer to an entry in your works cited list, you put the last name of the author or the first word of the title of the source if no author is given.

If you are using information from a book, magazine, or print source, include the page number where the information was found.

WHAT’S THE CONNECTION?

The parenthetical reference should match the first word of the entry in your works cited page.

PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

Include a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, paragraph, or section that uses information from that source.

Place the reference before the period if at the end of a sentence.

Author and page number.

WHERE CAN I GO FOR MORE HELP?

Links to various citation help sites are available on

Mrs. McCauley’s Blackboard under:Citation Helpers

CREDITS