MLA Format
Citations and Works Cited Pages
In-Text Parenthetical Citations
• To document parenthetically, you must do two
things:
• provide a signal phrase; and
• identify the source of the quotation, paraphrase, or
summary in parentheses after the information.
Signal Phrases
• According to Steven E. Landsburg, “if you know
you’re going to treasure something, you don’t
hesitate to buy it.”
Signal Phrases
• In his January 1991 letter to the editors of PMLA,
Jason Mitchell suggests that the “pretentious
gibberish” of modern literary critics—“Eurojive,”
as he calls it—is often produced by English
professors who need to prove that their
professional status is equal to that of math and
science faculty.
Signal Phrases
• Shakespeare uses alliteration in the following line
from “Sonnet 30,” “Hen to the sessions of sweet
silent thought/I summon up remembrance of
things past” (1-2).
Citing the Source
• To identify the source of a quotation, paraphrase,
or summary, place the author’s last name in
parentheses after the cited material. If the
source is not a computer source, include the page
number where the information can be found.
• If the author’s name is not available, use the first
piece of information from the Works Cited entry—
usually the title of the piece.
Citing the Source
• One researcher stated that “Parents know in
advance, and with near certainty, that they will
be addicted to their children” (Landsberg).
computer source
Citing the Source
• One researcher stated that “Parents know in
advance, and with near certainty, that they will
be addicted to their children” (Landsberg 89).
book source
Citing the Source
• One researcher stated that “Parents know in
advance, and with near certainty, that they will
be addicted to their children” (“Parenting with
Love”).
Works Cited Page
Guidelines
• A Works Cited page is a separate page that
attaches to a research paper. It lists the sources
that are actually cited in the paper.
Guidelines
• It is a separate page from the paper.
• It should be titled, Works Cited
• Center the title at the top of the page
Guidelines
• It should be double-spaced.
• Each entry should be alphabetized according to the first
word of the entry
• excluding the words the, a, and
• Use reverse indentation
• The first line is NOT indented, but every line after it
IS indented for that entry:
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the
Planet." New York Times.
New York Times, 22 May
2007. Web. 25 May 2009.
Guidelines
• End EVERY entry with a period.
Sample Works Cited Page
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense
Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis
Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June 2006.
Web. 24 May 2009.
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.