MLA Documentation
The Gist:
Parenthetical
citation that refers
the reader to the
Works Cited page.
Works Cited Page
Works Cited Page
(often referred to as
a “bibliography”)
tells the reader
where to go find the
work you’re referring
to in your paper.
Books in Works Cited Page
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
Example:
Clapp, JC. Shoes and Society: A Retrospective.
Seattle: Blahnik Press, 2008. Print.
Periodicals in Works Cited Page
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical
Day Month Year: pages. Medium of
publication.
Example:
Grinley, Melissa and JC Clapp. “Kids are
Mesmerizing.” Books and Readers 23
January 2010: 56-60. Print.
Web Sources in Works Cited
Author name. “Title of Article or Entry.” Name
of Site. Name of sponsoring organization or
publisher (if not listed put np), date of
resource creation (if not listed put nd).
Medium of publication. Date of access.
Example:
Clapp, JC. “How to Buff.” Shoe Review. Shoe
Institute of Seattle, 20 May 2009. Web. 24 Feb
2010.
Lecture in Works Cited
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of
Lecture.” Physical Location.
Date. Type of Lecture.
Example:
Wylie-Weichers, Elayne.
“Transgender
Representations in Media.”
North Seattle Community
College, Seattle, WA. 17 May
2011. Class Lecture.
Films in Works Cited
Director Name, dir. Title of Film. Production
Company, Year Released. Film.
Example:
Lucas, George, dir. Star Wars. Twentieth Century
Fox, 1977. Film.
Parenthetical Citation
Use parenthetical
citation in your paper
to tell your reader
where to look in the
Works Cited page for
more information.
Requirements for Citations
Parenthetical Citations MUST include:
Author’s Last Name
Page Number
Example:
Shoes are fabulous (Clapp 42).
Note: period goes on the outside, and there’s no
comma between name and number
Exceptions!
If the author’s name is already mentioned, you
only need the page number in the citation!
Example:
Clapp, in her pivotal work on the subject, claims
that, “Sneakers, while functional, are hideous
items of footwear” (65).
Note: period goes on the outside!
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is when you include
thoughts, ideas, or words from a
source other than your own brain
without giving the original
author (or source) credit.
Including Source Materials
Three ways to include source
materials:
1. Summarize
2. Paraphrase
3. Quote
Summary
Summarize: Take a long
passage and condense it,
in your own words. This
is good for including big
concepts.
You must cite your source for
any summaries!
Paraphrase
Paraphrase: Restate author’s ideas in your own
words (approximately the same length). This
does not mean go through and find
synonyms. It must be entirely in your own
words. You must still cite your source!
Quotes
Quote: Exact copy of author’s words put in
quotation marks. Lead into all quotes
with your own words. Cite your source!
Altering Quotes
ANY change to a quote must be indicated.
Brackets indicate you added something.
Ellipsis indicate you deleted something.
Examples:
Clapp said, “We [teachers] are tired” (48).
Grinley said, “Learning to study well entails
. . . reading” (374).