English 28
Instructor: Required parameters are missing or incorrect.
Citing Sources in MLA Style
Whenever you use outside sources in an academic paper, you must cite your sources or you are
committing plagiarism. You cite sources in MLA style in two ways, using (1) in-text citations
and (2) a Works Cited list.
In-text citations (see also pp. 480-490 of your Rules for Writers textbook)
An in-text citation should follow every use of a source, whether you quote, paraphrase, or
summarize. So even if you put something in your own words, any information or idea you get
from an outside source must be cited!
Example 1:
In his book The End of Poverty, economist Jeffrey Sachs argues, “We can realistically
envision a world without extreme poverty as soon as 2025” (51).
Since the quote is introduced with a signal phrase (introductory phrase) that includes the name of
the quote’s source and enough information to lend it authority, only the page number of the
quote needs to be included in the parenthetical in-text citation. Notice that the period at the end
of the sentence comes after the closing parenthesis.
Example 2:
Some experts believe, “We can realistically envision a world without extreme poverty as
soon as 2025” (Sachs 51).
In Example 2, the source of the quote is not indicated in the text, so the in-text citation includes
the author’s name, as well as the page number.
Even if you paraphrase or summarize information or ideas you get from a source, you must
include an in-text citation.
Example 3:
In 2010, increased attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) displaced thousands of
people in the Central African Republic (“Central African Republic: MSF Assists People
Seeking Refuge from LRA Attacks”).
If no author’s name is available (as in Example 3), use the title of the source. But if you have the
author’s name, use it – and not the title – in the in-text citation, as in Example 2. If no page
number is available, as with most Web sources, just leave it out.
Works Cited list (sample on back)
List all of your sources on your Works Cited page. This list should be on a separate page that
goes at the end of your paper (or project). Follow the guidelines for an MLA Works Cited page
in either of your textbooks Rules for Writers (pp. 418-75) or The Compact Reader (pp. 378-401).
You can also find a good Web resource for MLA style at the Purdue Online Writing Lab
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/) and at the Hacker Research and
Documentation Web site (http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch08_s1-0011.html).
English 28
Instructor: Required parameters are missing or incorrect.
Works Cited
Billitteri, Thomas J. “Afghanistan Dilemma.” CQ Researcher 7 Aug. 2009: 669-692. CQ
Researcher Online. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
“Central African Republic: MSF Assists People Seeking Refuge from LRA Attacks.” Doctors
Without Borders. MSF-USA Association. 22 July 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Hogan, Jenny. "Earthshine Whips Up Climate Storm." New Scientist 182.2450 (2004): 10+.
Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Khouri, Rami G. “Terrorists Are Also Spawned by Humiliation.” New York Times. The New
York Times Company. 29 June 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Lawler, Andrew. “Saving Afghan Treasures.” National Geographic. Dec. 2004: 28-41. Print.
Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty. New York: Penguin Books, 2005. Print.
Notice:
 The entire Works Cited page is double-spaced
 The title of the page, “Works Cited,” is centered, not bolded, underlined, italicized, etc.
 Only the first line of each entry begins flush with the left margin; successive lines of each
entry are indented.
 All entries are alphabetized using the author’s last name. If no author’s name, use the first
available item, which is usually the title.
 The order of the information, the punctuation, italics, and the format for dates, etc. all
follow a precise format.
To figure out how to create a Works Cited entry for a particular source, look up the source
type (book, newspaper article, article on a Web site, etc.) in a reliable MLA style guide, such
as the ones in in either of your textbooks Rules for Writers (pp. 418-75) or The Compact
Reader (pp. 378-401), and follow the model provided.
English 28
Instructor: Required parameters are missing or incorrect.
Partner Activity
Five extra credit points will be awarded to both partners of the team that turns in both parts of the
activity with the fewest errors.
Part 1
Below are three research questions and answers; each answer is followed by information about
the source of the answer. Add correct MLA in-text citations after each of the answers.
1. What is factory farming?
According to the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, factory farming refers to “highly
mechanized systems for raising large numbers of livestock, usually many thousands. Livestock
producers raise the animals in confinement so that they can more easily manage the large
numbers of animals”
Notice that the quote is introduced with a signal phrase that tells the reader the source of the
quote. Quotes should always be introduced with a phrase!
The quote comes from the library database article cited below (citation was created using the
database cite tool, then copied and pasted below):
"Factory Farming." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2014): 1p. 1. Funk &
Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
2. Do factory farms harm the environment?
The excessive manure produced by the more than 600 million factory farm chickens raised on
the Delmarva Peninsula pollute rivers, streams, and groundwater that is used for drinking
This answer is paraphrased from a passage, which appears on page 29 of the book
The Ethics of What We Eat by Peter Singer and Jim Mason, published by Rodale in New York,
2006.
3. Do factory farms provide a lot of good jobs?
Factory farm workers get low wages for working long hours in harsh conditions. Workers who
were interviewed reported enduring sexual harassment and threats of deportation from their
employers
This answer was summarized from a section of the article “The Overlooked Plight of Factory
Farm Workers” by Lucas Spangher, which was posted on 08/18/2014 on the Web site The
Huffington Post, which is published by TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
Part 2
Now create a Works Cited page that includes all three sources. For guidance, see the resources
listed at the bottom of page 1 and the sample on page 2. Use underlining to indicate italics.