English 1302 – Comp II
Santiago Lopez, M.A.
Guide to Citations and Works Cited for Academic Essays (MLA Style)
Whenever you write an academic paper that involves some amount of research, you
will inevitably use citations. A citation is a note in the text that indicates an idea, quote, or
paraphrased section comes from a source; that is, the citation is a way of indicating to the
reader that the information contained in a sentence is not your original idea and came from
an article, web site, book, movie, or some other medium.
Citations are important in giving credit to the original source for using the cited
information in your own essay. Without the citation, you have engaged in plagiarism – which
is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author
and the representation of them as one's own original work, or something used and
represented in this manner (Dictionary.com).
Right there, that was a citation. In using the definition of plagiarism from the
dictionary.com web site, verbatim in this case, I employed material from another source in
this handout. As such, I must give credit to where the material came from, or else I am a
plagiarist. And you do not want to be labeled a plagiarist. See the course syllabus for the
penalties for plagiarism.
The following is based entirely on the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) guide
for formatting academic essays.
Anyhow, now the question becomes what should you cite? Simple. The following –
•Any sentence or sentences you use verbatim from another source.
•A paraphrase, rewording, interpretation, or summary of a sentence or
passage from another source.
•Any sentence in which you state a word, phrase, or entire section in
quotation marks “ ”.
•Dates – be they the month and year; day and month; day, month, and year;
or whenever.
•Historical information that is not common knowledge.
•Any information that is not commonly known.
•Statistical information that is not common knowledge.
These are the general guidelines for what to cite. If you are unsure of what you
should cite, use a citation anyway – better to over-cite than not cite enough and find yourself
accused of plagiarism.
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Now, how should these citations appear in your essay? As follows –
•Any sentence or sentences you use verbatim from another source.
Without the citation, you have engaged in plagiarism – which is the unauthorized use
or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of
them as one's own original work or something used and represented in this manner
(Dictionary.com).
•A paraphrase, rewording, interpretation, or summary of a sentence or
passage from another source.
Then there is Tootsie’s leading man, Michael, who falls in line with the cinematic
tradition of showing that a man dressed as a woman is neither a transsexual or a drag queen,
but someone out to get a paycheck (Tomasulo 6).
•Any sentence in which you state a word, phrase, or entire section in
quotation marks “ ”.
It is in the latter situation where Robin tells Alvy that he is “using sex to express
hostility” (Annie Hall).
•Dates – be they the month and year; day and month; day, month, and
year; or whenever.
In April of 1769, Beethoven’s parents laid to rest another son with the maestro’s first
name (Morris 13).
•Historical information that is not common knowledge.
Emily Dickinson preferred to be alone much of the time, as she found the electricity
between just a couple of people in a room overwhelming, when she did not find it stifling
(McIntosh and Hart 3127).
•Any information that is not commonly known.
William Blake was a devout reader of the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation as
much as he was a devotee of John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained (Hagstrum 97).
•Statistical information that is not common knowledge.
A recent poll found that Americans favor stronger financial regulation by a 3 to 1
margin (Ritholtz).
This information is all well and good, but whatever is in the parentheses ( ) looks like
some jumble of information without knowing what the source material is and how to go
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about writing the citation. So, how will you know what information to use in the citation?
Simple –
If the source is a web site and there is no author, use the name of the web site:
(Dictionary.com).
If the source is from a journal article, use the last name of the author – or the
last name of both authors if there are two; more than three, use only the last name of
the first author listed on the article – followed by the page number where the
information comes from in the article:
(Tomasulo 6).
If the source is a film, television show, play, or other performed work – use
the name of the work and place it in italics:
(Annie Hall).
If the source is a book, use the last name of the author – or the last name of
both authors if there are two; more than three, use only the last name of the first
author listed on the title page – followed by the page number where the information
comes from in the book:
(Morris 13).
If the source is from an article, chapter, or essay within a larger text (such as
an anthology) use the last name of the author – or the last name of both authors if
there are two; more than three, use only the last name of the first author listed on the
article, chapter, or essay – followed by the page number where the information
comes from in the text:
(McIntosh and Hart 3127).
If the source is a web site with an author listed on the page, then use the last
name of the author – or the last name of both authors if there are two; more than
three, use only the last name of the first author listed on the page’s by-line:
(Ritholtz).
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If the source is a web site without an author, that is no specific person is listed
as the writer, then use the name of the article in the citation and place it in quotation
marks:
(“Narcissism”).
Now, for a few more pointers –
•The following appear in italics:
Names of web sites, newspapers, journals, movies, television shows, plays, titles of books.
•The following appear in quotation marks:
“Names of articles”; “names of web site articles.”
Note:
→ Nothing will ever appear in your paper underlined or in boldface. ←
*** If you need to emphasize a word, phrase, or passage – then use italics. ***
Works Cited Page
Now that you have done all that writing and citing, the final piece of your academic
essay is the Works Cited page. This should be the final page or pages of your essay. The
notation for each source is as follows –
If the source is a web site and there is no author, use the name of the website, the
date you accessed, that is looked at, the page, and the internet address:
Dictionary.com. 22 December 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism>.
If the source is from a journal article, use the last name of the author – or the
last name, first name of the first author followed by & the first and last name of the
second author; three authors – last name, first name of the first author followed by a
comma then the first and last name of the second author then a comma and first, last
name of third author; followed by the article name, title of the journal, volume,
number, year, and page numbers:
Tomasulo, Frank P. “Masculine/Feminine: The “New Masculinity” in Tootsie (1982)”. The
Velvet Light Trap, 38 (1996): 4-13.
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If the source is a film, television show, play, or other performed work – the
title first, followed by the director’s name, followed by one or more of the performers,
followed by the production studio, followed by the year:
Annie Hall. Dir. Woody Allen. Perf. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. United Artists, 1977.
If the source is a book, use the last name of the author – or the last name, first
name of the first author followed by & the first and last name of the second author;
three authors – last name, first name of the first author followed by a comma then the
first and last name of the second author then a comma and first, last name of third
author; followed by the title; then the city it was published in and the publisher,
followed by the year :
Morris, Edmund. Beethoven: The Universal Composer. New York, New York: Harper Collins
Publishers, 2005.
If the source is from an article, chapter, or essay within a larger text (such as
an anthology) use the last name of the author – or the last name, first name of the
first author followed by & the first and last name of the second author; three authors
– last name, first name of the first author followed by a comma then the first and last
name of the second author then a comma and first, last name of third author;
followed by the title; next the editor; then the city it was published in and the
publisher, followed by the year :
McIntosh, Peggy and Ellen Louise Hart. “Emily Dickinson 1830-1886.” The Heath Anthology
of American Literature Volume B – Early Nineteenth Century: 1800-1865. Ed. Paul Lauter.
Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009.
If the source is a web site with an author listed on the page – the last, first
name of author; followed by name of article; followed by the name of the web site;
the date you accessed the article; then the internet address:
Ritholtz, Barry. “Four Out of Five See Financial Reform as Ineffectual.” The Big Picture. 22
December 2010. < http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/07/four-out-of-five-seefinancial-reforms-as-ineffectual/>.
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If the source is a web site without an author, that is no specific person is listed
as the writer, then use the name of the article first and place it in quotation marks;
followed by the name of the web site; the date you accessed the article; then the
internet address:
“Narcissism.” ChangingMinds.org. 22 December 2010.
<http://changingminds.org/disciplines/psychoanalysis/concepts/narcissism.htm>.
For more information on how to use MLA citations and completing a Works Cited
page in MLA format, visit the Purdue OWL Online MLA resource –
“MLA Formatting and Style Guide”
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Finally, you may wonder just how the Works Cited page should appear. An example
can be found on the next page.
Keep in mind, each source should appear in alphabetical order, and the second and
subsequent line of each citation is indented.
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Works Cited
Annie Hall. Dir. Woody Allen. Perf. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. United Artists, 1977.
Dictionary.com. 22 December 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism>.
Hagstrum, Jean H. William Blake: Poet and Painter – An Introduction to the Illuminated Verse.
Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1964.
McIntosh, Peggy and Ellen Louise Hart. “Emily Dickinson 1830-1886.” The Heath Anthology
of American Literature Volume B – Early Nineteenth Century: 1800-1865. Ed. Paul Lauter.
Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009.
Morris, Edmund. Beethoven: The Universal Composer. New York, New York: Harper Collins
Publishers, 2005.
“Narcissism.” ChangingMinds.org. 22 December 2010.
<http://changingminds.org/disciplines/psychoanalysis/concepts/narcissism.htm>.
“MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” Purdue OWL. 22 December 2010.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/>.
Ritholtz, Barry. “Four out Five See Financial Reform as Ineffectual.” The Big Picture. 22
December 2010. < http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/07/four-out-of-five-seefinancial-reforms-as-ineffectual/>.
Tomasulo, Frank P. “Masculine/Feminine: The “New Masculinity” in Tootsie (1982)”. The
Velvet Light Trap, 38 (1996): 4-13.