Introduction to MLA
What is MLA?
MLA (Modern Language Association) is a style used to document sources that deal with
literature, languages, and other fields in the humanities. If this were a social sciences course,
such as psychology or economics, you’d be citing in APA style (American Psychological
Association). The point is: each discipline, or subject, uses its own citation style. Many of your
college instructors will not show you how to cite properly; most likely, you’ll have to learn this
on your own.
Interesting factoid: Citation styles aren’t arbitrary; there’s a reason why they are the way they
are. For example, when you cite something in MLA, you give the author’s name first. Why is this?
Because in the field of English and literature, the author (Shakespeare, Dickinson, etc.) is viewed
as the most important. In APA style, instead of emphasizing the author, you emphasize the date
of publication. Why do you think this is?
Why do I have to cite in the first place?
There are many reasons why we cite. Here are a few:
1) We cite so that we give credit where credit is due. How would you like it if you came up
with some brilliant idea, and then somebody else wrote about it without giving you any
credit?
2) Citing tells your reader that you’ve done your homework; you’ve gained some expertise
on a topic.
3) Citing demonstrates fairness – when you cite from more than one source, you show your
reader that you’ve considered several points of view (this helps improve your credibility,
which, in turn, makes you more persuasive).
4) Citing provides background for your research by placing it in the context of other thinking
on the topic. For example, let’s say you’re going to write a paper arguing against Berger’s
ideas. If you don’t cite his ideas, the reader will have no idea what your paper is about, or
where it came from. Citing, then, helps the reader follow your thoughts and understand
how your thoughts relate to other people’s thoughts.
5) Citing lets the reader know where to go to find more information on the topic. Let’s say,
while reading one of your classmate’s papers, you spot an interesting statistic that you
could use in your own paper. Because the writer cited the source and the page number,
finding the statistic will be easy.
How do I learn to cite properly (in MLA, or any other citation style)?
1. Consult our writing handbook.
2. Check out Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab. To the right, under “Most Popular
Resources,” you’ll find links to citation styles. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
3. Visit the writing center listed in your 101 course syllabus, and ask the writing tutor for
help with citing.
4. Come to my office hours for help.
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When Do I Have To Cite?
1. Quotes, Paraphrases, and Summaries. Whenever you use another person’s words, ideas, or
opinions, credit the source.
2. Facts not widely known or claims that are arguable. If your readers would be unlikely to
know a fact, or if an author presents as fact a claim that may or may not be true, cite the source.
If you’re not sure if the fact is familiar, or whether the statement is arguable, it’s best to be safe
and cite the source.
Q: What if I include a famous saying in my paper?
A: I’m not sure if there’s a formal rule about this, but, personally, I don’t cite famous sayings. Instead,
I simply tell the reader who said it, and sometimes I tell them where it came from (a certain book, or
play, etc.).
Q: What if I’m citing something I know (like a fact about US history, for example), but I don’t
know how I know it, or remember where I got it from?
A: Unless you’re an expert in that particular field (unless you’re a well-respected historian, for
example), you must cite the fact. You might find the fact online, or in a library database. You might
find the fact in your lecture notes from another class, or you might e-mail a professor and have him/her
verify the fact. There are lots of ways/sources you could use (but, again, you’d have to cite where you
got the fact from: “my head” is not an option).
Q: Can I use Wikipedia as a source?
A: Wikipedia is a great starting place for information – I use it all the time. But I would never use
Wikipedia in a formal, academic paper. Why? Because it would hurt my credibility. Anyone can post
information on Wikipedia, so how can I verify the information is true? I can’t. I couldn’t even cite an
author (the most important part of an MLA citation). Every professor has his/her own preferences
about Wikipedia, but most of them will not allow you to use Wikipedia as a source in your papers.
TIP: If you find info on Wiki that you want to use in your paper, click on the links that Wiki provides,
and see if you can find the same info on a more reputable web site.
How to Cite in MLA Format
There are two components to citing. One is the “in-text citation.” This citation appears in your
actual writing, when you refer to someone else’s work. The other component is a “Works Cited”
page. This appears at the end of your paper, and is a list, well, of the works you cited in your
paper.
In-text Citations
Correct
Yen, from Vietnam, says America is “freedom” (Gordon 410).
In Gordon’s piece, Yen, from Vietnam, says America is “freedom” (410).
Incorrect
On page 410, Yen, from Vietnam says, America is “freedom” (Gordon).
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Give your readers the author name and then the page number – NO COMMA!
You must include the author’s last name and the page number(s) where you found
the material. If you already mentioned the author’s name in the sentence, then you
don’t have to repeat the author’s name in your citation.
The page number should always appear in parenthesis (never in the sentence
itself).
The period goes after the parenthesis.
More Examples:
In the essay “Ways of Seeing,” art critic John Berger explains that mystification “is the process of
explaining away what might otherwise be evident” (282).
- You don’t necessarily have to tell readers the title of the work (in this case “Ways of
Seeing”), but I often do, as a courtesy to my readers who may not be familiar with my
paper topic or sources.
- Again, if you mention the author (in this case, Berger) in the actual sentence, then you
don’t have to repeat his/her name in the citation.
Mystification “explain[s] away what might otherwise be evident” (Berger 282).
- In this example, I changed the verb tense in the word “explains.” In the original text,
Berger said “explaining.” I changed it to “explains” because I thought it sounded better,
and it also tightened up my sentence. You are allowed to change verb tense in a quote, as
long as it doesn’t change the original meaning, but you must put the new tense (in this
case the “s”) in brackets.
Mystification keeps viewers in a state of awe; by mystifying a painting, the critic negates the
social and political context of art (Berger 279, 282).
- Sometimes your sentence may be based on more than one part of an essay (which you
may have found on more than one page). In that case, list the page numbers in
parenthesis, separated by commas.
In the beginning of his essay, Berger says that “every image embodies a way of seeing” (277), but
later he says that each painting has an “original, independent meaning” (293).
- Instead of listing the page numbers at the end of this sentence (277, 293), you could
choose to cite them like this. If you want to include citations in the middle of a sentence
because you think it will help with clarity, that’s fine but only if the citation comes before
a comma. If you’re not 100 percent sure on this rule, don’t cite in the middle of a sentence.
Just cite at the end. Either method is correct.
More Examples:
According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others
disagree.
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According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).
Remember: Punctuation marks, such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear AFTER the
parenthesis.
What about question marks and exclamation points?
- If the question mark or exclamation point is part of the quote, then include it inside of the
quotation marks:
Foulkes asked, “Do dreams express profound aspects of personality?” (184).
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If the question mark or exclamation point is not part of the original quote (but instead is part of
your own writing), then do not include it in quotes.
Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?
Long Quotations
Let’s say you’re going along, typing your paper, and you notice that your quote is longer than four
lines long. Then, you have to cite it differently. Here’s how:
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Indent the entire quote.
-
Omit the quotation marks.
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There should be no period after the citation.
-
Maintain double-spacing.
NOTE: In general, you want to use long quotations sparingly. Teachers know that long quotations are
often just a way for you to take up space in your paper, so that you’ll meet the page requirement. If you
find a compelling reason to include a long quote, here’s what it would look like:
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Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more
sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By
chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he
found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to
confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house.
(Bronte 78)
Adding or Omitting Words In Quotations
If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that
they are not part of the original text. For example:
Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban
legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78).
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using
ellipsis marks, which are three periods (...) preceded and followed by a space. For example:
In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of
learning every recent rumor or tale ... and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78).
Reminder: Never put ellipsis at the beginning of your quote. The reader knows that, unless you’re
quoting the very first line of an essay, something came before that quote, right? It could be five pages!
Or ten pages! In general, the most common place you’ll see ellipsis is in the middle of a quote, when
you’ve omitted something.
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Works Cited Page
On the following page, you will see a correctly formatted Works Cited page. Here are some guidelines
for you to use when you create your own Works Cited pages:
1. Start the Works Cited on a new page, and include it after your essay.
2. All of your papers should have your last name and the page number in the right up-hand corner
(see this page). Continue this on the Works Cited page.
3. Type the heading Works Cited, WITHOUT underlining, italicizing or putting it in quotations.
Center Works Cited.
4. Start each entry flush with the left margin; indent subsequent lines. Double-space the entire list.
5. List sources alphabetically by author’s last name. If the author is unknown, alphabetize the
source by the first major word of the title.
Works Cited
Berger, John. “Ways of Seeing.” Situating Inquiry: An Introduction to Reading, Research, and
Writing at the University of Washington. Ed. Angela Rounsaville, Rachel Goldberg,
Keith Feldman, Cathryn Cabral, and Anis Bawarshi. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.
276-298. Print.
Gordon, Jess. “What is America?” Situating Inquiry: An Introduction to Reading, Research,
and Writing at the University of Washington. Ed. Angela Rounsaville et al. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 410-412. Print.
NOTE: That word “et al” is used when there is more than one author/editor and you’ve
already listed them all in a previous citation. Look at my second citation; I chose not to
list all the editors’ names because I already listed them in the Berger citation. Why would
I repeat them all?