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MLA FORMAT & CITATIONS PACKET
1) General guidelines for MLA format
page 2
2) Online resources for MLA format
page 2
3) Works cited and parenthetical citation (in-text) definitions
page 3
4) Examples of common works cited and in-text citations
page 4-6
I.
II.
III.
Books
Online articles
Images taken from websites
5) 1st page of thesis paper in MLA format
page 7
6) Works Cited page with expanded examples
page 8
I.
II.
Article, website, no publishing date
III.
Article, website, all information complete
IV.
Online encyclopedia
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
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Book, print
Interviews – telephone & in person
Magazine article, print
Magazine article from an online database (JSTOR)
YouTube video
Article, website, author unknown
Digital image, photographer unknown
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General guidelines for a paper written in MLA format:
1. 3-5 pages of text (not including images, graphics, etc. and the Works Cited page)
2. Header includes your name, page #
3. Pages formatted 1 inch all sides; double-spaced; Times New Roman font; size 12
4. Edited for spelling, typos and grammar
5. Correct use of in-text, parenthetical citations
6. Include a Works Cited page with a 3-5 sources (see MLA guidelines in this packet)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Books, magazines, newspapers, specialty journals, etc
Online research
Possibly – your site visit
Possibly – your personal interview
7. Possibly: Appendix including:
a. Form #5 Results of Personal Interview and
b. Form #6 Results from Site Visit
For questions about formatting in MLA style use the following resources:
1) Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) website:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
2) Citation websites – look for MLA formatting tabs: (Cut and paste resutls into your Works
Cited page).
EasyBib
http://www.easybib.com/
or
Citation Machine
http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/
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MLA Format for your sources of information
1) Works Cited – a page at the end of your paper listing all the resources you used in your
paper, including images and graphics.
Whenever you use someone else's words or ideas in your paper or presentation, you must
indicate that this information is borrowed by citing your source. This applies to written sources
you've used, such as books, articles and web pages, as well as other formats, such as images,
sounds, TV/film clips, and DVDs. Failure to cite such sources may be considered plagiarism.
Avoid distress and embarrassment by learning exactly what to cite – the who, what, where and
when of your source!
Basic Concept for a works cited page – for each resource, find the publication information:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Who created it – a person(s); corporation; filmmaker, etc
Who published or produced it – print; online; cd; video
What type of material is it – book; magazine article; online article
Where was it published – magazine; newspaper; website
When was it published – month/year in a magazine; website; book
2) Parenthetical Citations – brief in-text citations identifying the source of the information
you presented in a sentence or paragraph.
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1)
Book – In Works Cited page
The basic form for a book citation is:
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium
of Publication.
1.1) Book cited in the basic MLA format:
Smith, James. Welding: A Beginners Guide. New York: Penguin, 2014. Print.
1.2)
A quote from this book, and the parenthetical (in-text) citation:
Smith states “it is possible to weld aluminum with other welding processes, such as MIG
welding, but TIG welding is the most painless method and is well-suited for beginners” (17).
1.3)
Paraphrasing this information would be cited in the following manner:
Although there are other ways to weld aluminum, the best way for a beginner is the TIG method
(Smith).
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2) Online Resources – In Works Cited page:
The basic form for an online citation is:
Last name, First name. "Article Title." Website Title. Publisher of Website, Day Month Year
article was published. Web. Day Month Year article was accessed.
Use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.
2.1) All information is known:
Smith, James. "Welding: A Beginners Guide." Online Welding Corner. American Welding
Society, 2 May 2014. Web. 8 Aug. 2014.
2.2) Publisher and published date are not known:
Smith, James. "Welding: A Beginners Guide." Online Welding Corner. N.p., N.d. Web.
8 Aug. 2014.
2.3) Only the title of the article, the website name and the date you accessed it are known:
"Welding: A Beginners Guide." Online Welding Corner. n.p., n.d. Web.
8 Aug. 2014.
2.4) Citing online sources in the body of the paper in a parenthetical citation: The concept is
the same as citing information from a book – when you don’t know the name of the author, cite
the name of the article. If you know the author’s name, use his/her last name.
Although there are other ways to weld aluminum, the best way for a beginner is the TIG method
("Welding: A Beginners Guide").
Although there are other ways to weld aluminum, the best way for a beginner is the TIG method
(Smith).
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3. How to cite a photograph, graph, other media from a website:
Last, First. Description or Title of Image. Digital Image. Website Title. Website Publisher, Date
Month Year Published. Web. Date Month Year Accessed
The citation for the image on this page, a screenshop from EasyBib.com:
Citing a Digital Image. Digital Image. EasyBib. Imagine Easy Solutions,
n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
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Smith
1
7
Your name,
Teacher, etc.
Mike Smith
Your last name and page #
in upper right of top margin.
Double-spaced
Margins are .50 inch
Mr. Angiello / Mr. Zavodsky
Auto Body Year 1 / A.M. Session
Due Date: November 12, 2012
Ellis Island Deserves Remembrance
Despite its small size, Ellis Island -- a tiny strip of land located in Upper New York
Bay -- holds a huge chunk of the history of the United States. Sixteen million immigrants
Entire paper is
doublespaced; Times
New Roman
font; 12 pt.;
paragraphs
are indented
.50 inch;
margins 1
inch all sides.
arrived in the U.S. from 1892 to 1954, and 12 million of them passed through the island
(Smith). In fact, it has been estimated that 40 percent of all U.S. citizens can trace at least one
of their ancestors to Ellis Island (Miller).
In-text citation – Smith and Miller = author’s last name; full source
info will be found in Works Cited page.
Many immigrants left their homes in the Old World because of war, drought, famine,
and religious persecution. All had hopes for greater opportunity in the New World. People did
not come if they did not want a better life.
People with first or second-class tickets were processed onboard their ships and did not
Italicize the
names of
books,
magazines,
newspapers
journals,
websites,
films, and
spacecraft
have to go to Ellis Island. In his book Beyond the Statue of Liberty, Robert Carmichel tells about
five brothers who came on the same boat. Three were in steerage, but the older two got better
tickets and were passengers in second class. They did not realize they would be separated in
New York Bay. They spent two years trying to find each other (27).
In “My Grandfather’s Journey,” published in The Journal
American Genealogy, the author interviewed…..
Place in quotations titles of articles,
essays, chapters in books.
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In-text citation – since paragraph
includes source title and author, citation is
only page number where info was found.
The compete source info will be on
Works Cited page, under Carmichel,
Robert.
List is
alphabetized
by author’s
last name (or
title if author
not known)
1st line of citation is
justified to left margin.
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2nd line of citation is
indented .50
Works Cited
Book,
print
Adams, Scott. Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel. New York: Harper, 2002. Print.
“n.d.” = no
known
publication
date.
“n.p.” if
publisher
not known
Flynn, Nancy. “Internet Policies.” ePolicy Institute. ePolicy Inst., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2006.
Frauenheim, Ed. “Stop Reading This Headline and Get Back to Work.” CNET News.com.
Website
articles
CNET Networks, 11 July 2005. Web. 17 Feb. 2006.
“Internet Safety.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2009.
Web. 19 Sept. 2006
Online
encyclopedia,
unsigned
Johnson, Paul. Telephone Interview. 09 Sept. 2006
Interviews
Kane, Charles Foster. Personal Interview. 08 Oct. 2006
Lambert, John. "Is the Internet Dead?" PC World Magazine 12 Mar. 2005: 15-18. Print.
Magazine
Laver, David. "Searching for Nobody." Internet Monthly 17 July 2005: 34-40.
Magazine
from online
database.
JSTOR. Web. 23 Sept. 2006.
“Mom’s Computer is Watching You.” 2 April 2003. YouTube. Web. 12 Oct. 2006
“Nobody Online?” Spector Pro 5.0 FAQ’s.” Netbus.org. Netbus.org, n.d.
Web. 17 Feb. 2006
Author
unknown
Use title.
Zoning Out Online. Digital image. Internet Journal. Internet Journal,
n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2006.
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Digital
Image from
a website.
No known
author.
YouTube