MLA Formatting “Cheat Sheet”
In-text Citations:
Any time you reference information that is not reflective of your own original thoughts, be it by
direct quote or a paraphrased quote, you must include an in-text citation. Refer to the following
guidelines to ensure that you are citing your information correctly.
Author-Page Method:
According to the OWL at Purdue, “the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which
the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should
appear on your work cited page. The author’s last name may appear in the sentence itself or in
parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always
appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.” Please note that the author and
page number is underlined in the examples below to aid you in locating the information. You
should not underline the author and page number when you are citing quotes or paraphrased
quotes in your paper.
a. If you mention the author in the sentence itself, you do not need to include the
author in the parentheses. You must always include the page number in the
parentheses.
Example from the OWL at Purdue:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
b. If you do not mention the author in the sentence itself, you must include the author
in the parentheses. You must always include the page number in the parentheses.
Example from the OWL at Purdue:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
c. If you paraphrase information, you must include a parenthetical citation just as you
would with a direct quote.
Example from the OWL at Purdue:
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
All examples above allow readers to locate the author in the writer’s Works Cited page. If
readers turn to the Works Cited page for any of the above citations, under the name of
Wordsworth, they would find the following information:
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., 1967. Print.
Mid-Sentence Quotations:
According to the Modern Language Association, if you have a quotation in the middle of your
sentence “To avoid interrupting the flow of your writing, place the parenthetical reference
where a pause would naturally occur (preferably at the end of a sentence), as near as
possible to the material documented. The parenthetical reference precedes the punctuation
mark that concludes the sentence, clause, or phrase containing the borrowed material.”
Ultimately, you should put the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence like this:
Example:
Saussure, “the founder of modern linguistics”, called for a reassessment of the field (Cullers 15).
Indirect Quotations:
If you have read a text and a single idea from that text has inspired you to come up with a new
idea for your paper, you should cite the author and page numbers at the end of the paragraph.
Even though you are not utilizing paraphrased quotes or direct quotes, you must acknowledge
that the ideas within your paper stem from another individual. If you fail to do so, you are
committing plagiarism.
Short Quotations:
To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in
your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific
page citation in the text, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page.
Example:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
Long Quotations:
For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in
a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with
the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing. Only indent
the first line of the quotation by an additional quarter inch if you are citing multiple
paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When
quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. You should maintain double-spacing throughout
your essay.
Example:
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)
Punctuation
Periods and commas should come after the citation, a reference to your source. Question marks
and explanation marks may go inside or outside quotation marks depending on whether they
belong to your sentence or to the quote.
Example: Quotation/explanation mark belongs to the student’s sentence
Does Cullers believe that Saussure was “the founder of modern linguistics” (Cullers 15)?
1. To indicate that the quotation mark or explanation mark belongs to the student’s sentence and
not to the quote, it is placed after the citation
Example: Quotation/explanation mark belongs to the quote
Stewart finally asks, “Where is our society heading?” (Cullers 41).
1. To indicate that a quotation mark or explanation mark belong to the same sentence that you
are quoting, place the question mark or exclamation mark inside the quotation marks and place a
period outside the citation
2. PLEASE NOTE: There is a comma before the quote above because the structure of the student’s
sentence requires one. Unless the structure of a sentence requires a comma, you SHOULD NOT use
a comma prior to a quotation mark.
Capitalization
The portion of the quote that you are citing and the structure of the quote in your sentence will
dictate whether or not the first letter of your direct quote should be capitalized.
1. Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence.
Example:
Mr. Johnston, who was working in his field that morning, said, “The alien spaceship
appeared right before my own two eyes.”
2. Do not use a capital letter when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the
original material’s complete sentence.
Example:
Although Mr. Johnston has seen odd happenings on the farm, he stated that the
spaceship “certainly takes the cake” when it comes to unexplainable activity.
3. If a direct quotation is interrupted mid-sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the
quotation.
Example:
Though many claim Mr. Johnston spotted extraterrestrial life, “[he]
didn’t see an actual alien being,” but he asserts that “[he] sure wish [he] had.”
Adding or Omitting Words in Quotations
If you locate a quote that substantiates your thesis, but it does not flow with the rest of your
sentence due to awkward word structure, you may add or omit words so long as you format
the change correctly. Any additions or omittances must not alter the original meaning and
intent of the quotation.
1. 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.
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).
2. 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.
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).
This MLA Cheat Sheet is reflective of the wordings and phrases present on the OWL at Purdue’s website. Some material
has been adapted and rephrased, but most is worded verbatim.
Works Cited Page
1. Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your paper.
2. Place your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner. Please be sure to
continue the numbering from your paper. If the last page of your paper is page 10, your Works
Cited page should be numbered page 11.
3. Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
4. Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by pressing the “tab” key so that you
create a hanging indent.
5. List page number of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that
appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the numbers of your Works Cited page as 225-50.
Basic Format for a Book with One Author:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
Two or More Books by the Same Author:
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York, St. Martin’s, 1997. Print.
---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993. Print.
A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection:
Last Name, First Name. “Essay Title.” Title of Collection. Ed. Editor’s Name(s). Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication.
Harris, Muriel. “Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One
to One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print.
An Article from an Online Database (or Other Electronic Subscription Service):
Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Original Publication Source Volume and Issue Number
(Year): Page Range. Online Database. Web. Day Month Year of Access.
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical
Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.
MLA Formatting “Cheat Chart”
Citing Situation
When you DO NOT mention the author’s name in
your sentence, the author’s name and page number
are placed in the parentheses at the end of your
sentence:
Examples
One researcher has found that dreams move
backward in time as the night progresses (Dement
71).
When you mention the author’s name in your
sentence, the page number is placed in parentheses at
the end of the sentence:
Freud states that “a dream is the fulfillment of a
wish” (154).
When you cite more than one work by the same
author, you must cite the author’s last name, the page
number and the name of the piece:
One current theory emphasizes the principle that
dreams express “profound aspects of personality”
(Foulkes, “Sleep” 184).
Investigation shows that young children’s dreams
are “rather simple and unemotional” (Foulkes,
“Dreams” 78).
When the work has two or three authors:
Psychologists hold that no two children are alike
(Gesell, Brear, and Ilg 68).
When the work has more than three authors, use
the Latin term “et al” which means “and others” after
the first author’s last name:
Child psychology is not a new field, but it is a
difficult one due to the nature of the subjects
(Rosenberg et al. 14).
When the work has NO AUTHOR, begin with the first
few words of the citation as it will appear
alphabetized in your Works Cited page at the end of
your paper:
Random testing for use of steroids by athletes is
facing strong opposition by owners of several of
these teams (“Steroids” 22).
When you quote or paraphrase a quotation from a
book or article that appeared somewhere else:
Bacon observed that “it is hardly possible at once to
admire an author and to go beyond him” (qtd. in
Guibroy 113).
When you are citing several sources for a single
passage:
There are negative implications to computerizing
commercial art (Parker 2; “Art Nonsense” 43).
When you paraphrase a whole passage or several
passages, begin your citation with the author’s or
article’s name and end it with the page number.
Chart Credit: Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School
According to Brown, every time you read an essay,
you are preparing to write one. Therefore, you
should pay careful attention to content and form (9).