MLA and APA Documentation
A brief introduction
Presented by the Writing Support Lab
P-602
Writing Support Lab
 Open Monday- Thursday 8am-8:30 pm
 writing@columbustech.edu
 706-649-1728
 More info on the bookmarks we handed out!
What are MLA and APA?
 Provide readers with cues they can use to follow
your ideas more efficiently and to locate
information of interest to them
 Allow readers to focus more on your ideas by not
distracting them with unfamiliar formatting
 Establish your credibility or ethos in the field by
demonstrating an awareness of your audience and
their needs as fellow researchers
 Protect you against claims of plagiarism by showing
that you have properly documented your source
material
Standards established by the styles
 These documentation styles establish standards of
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written communication concerning:
the organization of content
writing style including stylistic technicalities (e.g.
abbreviations, footnotes, quotations)
citing references/sources
formatting and page layout
and how to prepare a manuscript for publication in
certain disciplines.
A rundown of the major parts of the
documentation styles
 Basic Manuscript format in each (example shown
in Word) – look at handouts from OWL. We have
more complete manuscript guides in the Writing
Lab.
Basic MLA format
Basic APA format
Basic APA format
Exercise – Preparing some sample
sources in reference pages for MLA
and APA
 Puzzle pieces – What order do they go in?
APA – Book with Multiple Authors.
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for
journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
APA – Article from a database
Smyth, A. M., Parker, A. L., & Pease, D. L. (2002). A study of enjoyment of peas.
Journal of Abnormal Eating, 8(3), 120-125.
APA - Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor &
B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.
MLA – Book with Multiple Authors
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring.
Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print.
MLA – Article from a Scholarly journal in a database
Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the
Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious
Diseases 6.6 (2000): 595-600. Web. 8 Feb. 2009.
MLA – Article or Chapter in a Book
Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s).
Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of
Publication.
Examples of sources in each style
 Look at your Answer Sheets handout for examples
of three common sources in MLA and APA style.
In-text Citations in MLA and APA
What are they?

In MLA: In-text citations provide a map for readers and scholars to
follow. A reader should be able to look at your in-text citation and refer
to the Works Cited page for more information on the source that is
used in the paper. Generally, in-text citations include the last name(s)
of the author(s) and the page number(s) of the information cited. No
comma within the parentheses.

In APA: In-text citations provide a map for readers and scholars to
follow. A reader should be able to look at your in-text citation and refer
to the References page for more information on the source that is used
in the paper. Generally, in-text citations include the last name(s) of the
author(s) and the year of publication, separated by a comma. Page
numbers are generally used when quoting or paraphrasing a source.
In-text Citations in MLA and APA
MLA
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Examples:
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Many people quote scholars (Jones 456).
Jones states that “many people quote scholars” (456).
o
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General:
Two Authors:
(Jones and Williams 456)
According to Jones and Williams, “Quoted text goes here” (456).
No author: (“Name of Article” 456)
o
Author/No page: (Jones).
APA
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Examples:
o
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General:
Many people quote scholars (Jones, 2003).
Jones (2003) agrees with the idea that…
o
o
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General- Direct Quote: (Jones, 2003, p. 456).
Two Authors: (Jones & Williams, 1999)
No author: (“Name of article,” 2003)
Resources to help you with MLA or
APA
 The Writing Support Lab
 OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue.edu
 CitationMachine.net
 Galileo Databases
 Style Handbooks (APA and MLA or Easy Writer)
 DO NOT USE MS Word References feature.
Questions?