MLA style guide seminar

MLA Style Guide

In-text Citation, Documentation, and Miscellaneous Conventions

MLA requires sources be acknowledged in two ways: • in-text citation and •documentation

In-text Citations

• Mark uses of sources• Used for identifying borrowed

quotations, paraphrases, summaries, and ideas• Let readers know which material is

yours and which belongs to which source

In-text Citations• Two basic styles for creating in-

text citations: Signal phrase

Includes author’s name and a verbPage number comes in parentheses

In-text CitationsUsing A Signal PhraseExample:Constance Hale cautions that “a metaphor has the shelf life of a fresh vegetable” (224).

In-text Citations• Parenthetical noteIn parentheses, include

Author’s surname and page number

In-text CitationsUsing a Parenthetical NoteExample:• Be aware that metaphors have

“the shelf life of a fresh vegetable” (Hale 224).

In-text Citations• You can place in-text citations

wherever you need to in order to eliminate or prevent confusion:

In-text CitationsPlace an In-Text Citation Following

a Sentence• Example:

Underground comix artists are not controlled by corporate interests that discourage “daring” material (Daniels, 165, 180).

In-text CitationsPlace an In-Text Citation Following a

ClauseExample:

While underground comix artists are not constrained by the conservatism of large corporations (Daniels 165), they are beholden to a different set of standards.

In-text CitationsPlace an In-Text Citation

Following a PhraseExample:

Free from the control of large corporations (Daniels 165), underground comix artists are still beholden to their readers’ standards.

In-text Citations• Block quotations are a special

case: • Used for quotation more than four lines long• Indented half inch from left margin• Uses no quotation marks• Parenthetical citation goes after

closing punctuation

Documentation

Each in-text citation must be accompanied by a corresponding entry in a list entitled “Works Cited.” Different types of sources have different formats.

Documentation

Books—Printed and Electronic• Basic format:

Author’s surname, First name. Title: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher (shortened), date of publication. Medium of publication.

Documentation

Books—Printed and ElectronicExamples:

PrintedMorrison, Toni. A Mercy. New York: Knopf, 2008. Print.

Documentation

Books—Printed and ElectronicExamples: Electronic:

Wharton, Edith. The Age of Innocence. New York: D. Appleton, 1920. Bartleby.com. Web. 5 July 2007.

Documentation

Books—Printed and ElectronicExamples: E-book:

Morrison, Toni. A Mercy. New York: Knopf, 2008. Kindle e-book file.

Documentation

Books—Printed and ElectronicExamples: Book with an editor or translator:

Larsson, Asa. Sun Storm. Trans. Marlaine Delargy. New York: Delacorte, 2006. Print.

Documentation

Books—Printed and ElectronicExamples: One or more selections from an

anthology:Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw, 2009. 79–84. Print.

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicBasic format:

Surname, First name. “Title.” Journal title volume.issue (year): pages. Medium of publication.

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicExamples:Article in a scholarly journal: printed

Cantor, Nancy, and Steve Schomberg. “What We Want Students to Learn: Cultivating Playfulness and Responsibility in a Liberal Education.” Change 34.6 (2002): 47–49. Print.

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicExamples:Article in a scholarly journal: online

databaseCantor, Nancy, and Steve Schomberg. “What We Want Students to Learn: Cultivating Playfulness and Responsibility in a Liberal Education.” Change 34.6 (2002): 47–49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2008.

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicExamples:Article in a scholarly journal:online (general)

Lohnes, Sarah, and Charles Kinzer. “Questioning Assumptions about Students’ Expectations for Technology in College Classrooms.” Innovate 3.5 (2007): n. pag. Web. 28 June 2007.

(Most online magazines do not include page numbers. In this case use n. pag.)

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicExamples:Article in a magazine: printed

Bolanos, Enrique. “Facing Down the Sandinistas.” Washington Times 12 May 2005: A20. Print.

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicExamples:Article in a magazine: online database

Bolanos, Enrique. “Facing Down the Sandinistas.” Washington Times 12 May 2005: A20. LexisNexis. Web. 2 Dec. 2008.

Documentation

Periodicals—Printed and ElectronicExamples:Article in a magazine: online (general)

Woo, Elaine. “Edna Parker Dies at 115; Former Teacher Was World’s Oldest Person.” LATimes.com 28 Nov. 2008. Web. 2 Dec. 2008.

Documentation

Websites• Basic format:

Author’s surname, First name. Website title. Copyright date or date last updated. Sponsor. Medium. Access date.

Documentation

WebsitesExamples: Web page

Bahri, Deepika. “Yehuda Amichai.” Postcolonial Studies. Dept. of English, Emory U. 13 Nov. 2002. Web. 7 Feb. 2007.

Documentation

WebsitesExamples: Article on a wiki

“The Knife of Never Letting Go.” ChildLitWiki. Created and maintained by Mat Berman. 14 Sept. 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2008.

Documentation

WebsitesExamples: Home page (academic)

English. Dept. home page. U of CA– Santa Barbara. 2005. Web. 20 July 2007.

Documentation

WebsitesExamples: Source published in more than one

medium

Davis. Robert L., H. Jay Siskin, and Alicia Ramos. Entrevistas: An Introduction to Language and Culture. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 2005. CD-ROM, print, website.

Miscellaneous Conventions

Note that, in MLA format style, the first word and all subsequent

key words except articles and prepositions are capitalized in book and article titles;


Note that, in MLA format style, book titles are italicized (not

underlined except in handwritten work);


Note that, in MLA format style, article titles are set off in quotation

marks;


Note that, in MLA format style, the first line of the citation goes

flush with the left margin; the second and subsequent lines are indented ½ inch;


Note that, in MLA format style, entries use double spacing;


Note that, in MLA format style, comma or period follows the in-text

citation except in block quotations; and


Note that, in MLA format style, • period goes inside quotation marks

in documentation.