MLA REFERENCING AND
CITATIONS POWERPOINT
GUIDE
MLA Referencing and Citations
• You need to use referencing and citations
when:
• 1 – You use a quotation
• 2 – You use an idea that is not your own
• 3 – When you use a statistic
MLA Referencing and Citations
• You do not need to reference and cite:
• 1 – General knowledge (ie. The Declaration of
Independence was written in 1776)
• 2 – Common ideas that can be found in more
than three well known books (ie. Plato is a
rationalist)
MLA Referencing and Citations
• There are different manners in which to reference
and cite.
• Three of the most common are:
- MLA Style
- Chicago Style
- APA Style
MLA and Chicago are usually used for the
humanities (history, philosophy)
APA is usually used for the sciences
This guide covers MLA
MLA Referencing and Citations
• When you use a quotation, idea or statistic
that is not your own you need to:
• Place the author’s name and the page
number, from where you found the
information, in brackets directly following the
quotation, idea or statistic.
• List the book in the bibliography/works cited
list.
MLA In-Text Citations
• In-Text citations should appear in brackets
directly after the sentence that contains the
information that needs to be referenced.
• Quotations should appear in-text if under 25
words and should be indented, single spaced
and separated by a blank line if over 25 words.
MLA In-Text Citations
There is clear indication that Plato does not believe
his society could actually exist:
Do you suppose that what we say is
any less good on account of our not
being able to prove that it is possible
to found a city the same as the
one in speech. (Plato 472)
This demonstrates that the society introduced in The
Republic is a philosophic exercise as opposed to an actual
plan.
MLA In-Text Citations
It was the Sophist’s notion of moral relativity that inspired Socrates.
Protagoras’ declaration that, “Man is the measure of all things”
displayed a lack of understanding, or caring, for any higher truths.
(Gaarder 62) Thus, Socrates, had to teach the Athenians that there
were matters more important than the individual, and that a
universal ethics existed.
MLA In-Text Citations
Although Jefferson displayed progressive ideas,
he would not release his slaves. The reason was
a practical one, money. (Johnson 336) Jefferson
was constantly in debt, mostly to London banking
houses.
MLA In-Text Citations
In the years 1997 – 1999 Nike spent 85% of
their operating budget on advertisement as
opposed to 10% of their budget on wages and
salaries. (Klein 76) This statistic illuminates
how care for brands has become more
important than care for people.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Information in in-text citations must correspond to
information in the bibliography or works cited list.
• A teacher must be able to link an in-text citation to the
work in the bibliography or works cited list.
• A bibliography or works cited list should appear at the
end of an essay, with an underlined title.
• Works in the bibliography or works cited list must be
compiled alphabetically, by author, and if no author,
then by title.
• All in-text citations must have a corresponding
reference in the bibliography or works cited list.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Book with one author:
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs and Steel. New
York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1997.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Book with two authors:
Johnson, Paul and Anthony, James. A History of
the Jewish People. New York: Harper and
Collins, 1991.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Book with three authors or more:
Jackson, Steven, et al. The New America.
Boston: Harvard University Press, 1983.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Book with an author (translated):
Plato. The Republic of Plato. Trans. Allan
Bloom. The United States: Basic Books, 1968.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• An edition of a book:
Crowley, Sharon. Ancient History for Modern
Students. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson and
Longman, 2006.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• A work prepared by an editor:
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Margaret
Smith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• An essay or chapter from a book:
Klein, Naomi. “The Anti-Globalization
Movement.” Globalization in Focus. Ed.
Michael Lewis. Toronto: McGraw Hill, 2002.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Article from a magazine:
Buchanan, Phillip. “Censorship: A Modern
Necessity.” Time. December 2005: p. 24 – 27
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Article from a newspaper:
Bielski, Zosia. “The Homeless in Toronto.” The
National Post. 24 May 2004. E4.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Article from a newspaper taken off the web:
Stolley, Karl. “Grits Not Tough Enough.” The
Toronto Star. 10 May 2006.
<http://thetorontostar.ca/gritsnot/may/politic
s/nes>
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Article from a website:
Mayer, Mason. “Hannah Arendt.” The Internet
Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. 4 May 2002.
The University of Tennessee. 30 November
2008. <http://iep.utm.edu/arendt>
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Webpage with no author:
“Statistics Canada: Ontario.” Statistics Canada.
10 June 2005. Government of Canada. 12
September 2008.
<http://gov.stat.ca/ontario/pop/eth>
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Film or movie:
Tarantino, Quinton. Pulp Fiction. 1994.
Twentieth Century Fox.
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited List
• Television Show or Radio Broadcast:
“They Saved Lisa’s Brain.” The Simpsons.
Twentieth Century Fox. 1999.