Creating Citations
Objective: Students will
understand how to create a
citation using MLA format
Academic Paper Formats
Academic research papers may be written in
different formats depending on the type of
paper being written. Commonly used styles
are:
MLA (Modern Language Association) - used in
literature, arts and the humanities
APA (American Psychological Association) - used in
social sciences, such as psychology and education
AMA (American Medical Association) - used in
biological sciences, such as medicine and health
And There are More!
Chicago – commonly used by individuals in
the humanities
Turabian - designed to be used by college
students for any subject
IMPORTANT RULE OF THUMB –
Always ask your teacher which format he/she
wants you to use!
This tutorial will explain how to cite sources
using the MLA 7th Edition Format.
Citation Locations
Sources used to write a paper are acknowledged
in two different places within the paper:
1. As in-text citations within the text of the paper
(parenthetical citations), and
2. In the Works Cited page at the end of the paper.
In-Text Citations
In the text of your paper, you should credit
any work done by another person. You do this
by using the basic format of (Author’s Last
Name_Page Number). These citations match
up with the citations in your Works Cited page.
Example:
The writer should place the source information
directly after the end of the paraphrase or quote by
the source (Ratcliff 25).
Works Cited Page
At the end of your
paper, list all of the
sources you used in a
Works Cited page. Your
sources are formatted in
a specific way and are
called “citations.”
Each type of source such as books,
journal articles, newspapers, magazines,
websites, and images require specific
information to be cited correctly.
Let’s look at some examples!
Book Citation
A book citation has six elements:
• Author
• Title
• Place of Publication
• Publisher
• Copyright Date
• Medium of Publication
Book Citation-How to Write
These pieces are combined in a certain order with
punctuation to create the book’s citation.
Basic Book Format:
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Title.
Place of Publication: Publisher, Copyright Date.
Medium of Publication.
Book Citation-How It Looks
When the pieces for an example book are inserted
into this format, the citation looks like the
following:
Basic Book Format:
Sawyer, Sarah. Body Piercing and Tattooing:
The Hidden Dangers of Body Art. New
York City: Rosen, 2007. Print.
Journal Article Citation
A journal article citation contains different elements
than a book. In general, a journal citation includes the
following:
• Author(s)
• Article Title
• Journal Name
• Volume Number
• Issue Number
• Publication Year
• Page Numbers
These pieces are combined in a certain order with
punctuation to create a journal citation.
If the article is retrieved from an article database, it
also needs to include the database information as
shown below.
Basic Journal Format:
Author(s). " Article Title." Journal Name
Volume Number.Issue Number (Publication Year): Page
Numbers. Database Name. Medium of Publication. Date of
Access. <URL>. (if required)
When the pieces for an example article are
inserted into this format, the citation looks like the
following:
Journal Citation:
Atkinson, Michael. "Pretty in Ink: Conformity, Resistance,
and Negotiation in Women's Tattooing." Sex Roles 47
(2008): 219-35. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8
Sept. 2008.
Website Citations
Website citations can be very tricky. It is sometimes
difficult to find all of the required information on the
website. Here is some of the information to look for:







Author
Title of website
Sponsoring organization
Date updated
Medium of publication
Date of access
URL (MLA 7 does not require this, but your teacher may!)
Website Citation
Basic Website Format:
Author(s). “Title of Website”. Sponsoring Organization.
Date Published/Updated. Medium of Publication.
Date of Access. <URL>. (if required)
When the pieces for an example website are inserted
into this format, the citation looks like the following:
Website Citation:
Van Vranken, Michele. "Tattoos." KidsHealth - the
Web's most visited site about children's health. The
Nemours Foundation, Apr. 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2010.
<http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/body_art/s
afe_tattooing.html>.
There are so many different types of sources
that we can only show you a few examples
here. To find how to correctly cite ALL types
of sources, refer to an MLA Handbook.
Other online citation help pages may also be
useful including:
Concordia Libraries
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Long Island University
Cornell University Library
For an MLA Format Works Cited page
• All entries are alphabetized by the author’s
last name.
• Each line after the first line of an entry is
indented. (This is called a hanging indent.)
• All citations are double spaced.
Automatic Citation Makers
Automatic citation makers create your in-text
citations and Works Cited page in the correct format.
Several even alphabetize your sources for you.
All you do is fill in the boxes for all of your sources,
save your work, and then print!
Warning! Automatic citation makers are not perfect.
Make sure you carefully look at the citation created
using these tools to verify the citation format is
correct.
Citation Creation Resources
EasyBib – http://www.easybib.com/
Son of Citation Machine - http://citationmachine.net/
OSLIS MLA Citation Maker http://www.oslis.org/resources/cm/mlacitationss
KnightCite - http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/
The References Tab in Microsoft Word
Summing Up
To acknowledge the
sources you use in your
academic research
papers, you must use intext citations in the
body of your paper AND
a list of Works Cited at
the end.