MLA STYLE
Beijing National Day School
Grade 11
What is MLA?
•Modern
•Language
•Association
Adapted from MLA.org
Using MLA style
MLA (Modern Languages Association) dictates documentation
style for literature and the arts.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Why Use MLA Format?
• Allows readers to cross-reference your sources
easily
• Provides consistent format within a discipline
• Gives you credibility as a writer
• Protects you from plagiarism
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Three Areas of MLA Style
• Document Format
• Ensures that all student papers “look” the same.
• Works Cited Page
Citing Sources
• List of references
• Last page (separate) of your paper
• Parenthetical Citations
• Acknowledges your source in the text, with the relevant information or
quote.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Document Format: General Guidelines
Type on white 8.5” x 11” paper.
Document Format: General Guidelines
Double-space everything.
Document Format: General Guidelines
Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
Document Format: General Guidelines
Leave only one space after punctuation.
Document Format: General Guidelines
Set all margins to 1” on all sides.
Document Format: General Guidelines
Indent the first line of paragraphs.
Press
to
indent a paragraph.
Why We Cite in Academic Writing
When Should I Cite?
When in doubt, give
credit to your source!
• Many students plagiarize
unintentionally. Remember,
whenever you summarize,
paraphrase or quote another
author's material you must
properly credit your source.
• If you are using another person’s
idea, you must also cite your
source!
My mother always
said, “Make your bed”
(Mom 12).
In any of these cases, you must credit your source…
Summary, Paraphrase, Quote
• A summary (aka ‘abstract’) briefly captures the main
ideas of your source.
• A paraphrase is a restatement of the text of your source
in your own words.
• Quotations can be direct (using quotation marks) or
indirect (no quotation marks and often introduced by
‘that’).
• A noted scientist states, “A hundred years ago, the average
temperature of the earth was about 13.7°C (56.5°F); today, it is
closer to 14.4°C (57.9°F)” (Silver 11).
• A noted scientist observes that the earth’s current average
temperature is 57.9°F compared to 56.5°F a hundred years ago
(Silver 11).
How Do I Cite?
There are two parts to citing according to MLA style:
1. Brief in-text citations (in parentheses) within the body of
your essay or paper
2. List of full citations in the Works Cited page at the end of
your paper
Note:
•References cited in the text must appear in the Works Cited.
•Conversely, each entry in the Works Cited must be cited in
the text.
Works Cited Page
• A complete list of every source that
you make reference to in your essay.
• Provides the information necessary
for a reader to locate and retrieve any
sources cited in your essay.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Example from the OWL Purdue University
A Sample Works Cited Page
Formatting a Works Cited page
Formatting a Works Cited page
Formatting a Works Cited page
Formatting a Works Cited page
Creating Individual Entries
Most citations should contain the following basic
information:
• Author’s name
• Title of work
• Publication information
• Publishing house
• Country & city
• Date of publication
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Works Cited: Book
Basic Format:
Last name, First Name. Title of Book. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of
Publication.
Example:
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. London: Penguin
Classics, 2000. Print.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Works Cited: Magazine Article
Basic Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month
Year: pages. Medium of publication.
Example:
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20
Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." TIME.
TIME Magazine, 20 Nov. 2000. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Works Cited: Some Examples
• Web page
Poland, Dave. “The Hot Button.” Roughcut. 26 Oct.
1998. Turner Network Television. 28 Oct. 1998
<www.roughcut.com>.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Works Cited List
• A newspaper article
Tommasini, Anthony. “Master Teachers Whose
Artistry Glows in Private.” New York Times 27
Oct. 1998: B2.
• A source with no known author
“Cigarette Sales Fall 30% as California Tax
Rises.” New York Times 14 Sept. 1999: A17.
Use Parenthetical Citations…
A parenthetical
citationany
is a reference
your are
source
• When
quoting
words tothat
that appears in your text, as opposed to your works
not your own
cited page (Author 42).
• Quoting means to repeat another source
Double-check your parenthetical citations:
word for word, using quotation marks
1. All citations should be consistent within the text.
2. All citations should match the corresponding entry
on the works cited page.
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Use Parenthetical Citations…
• When summarizing facts and ideas from a source
• Summarizing means to take ideas from a large passage of
another source and condense them, using your own
words
• When paraphrasing a source
• Paraphrasing means to use the ideas from another source
but change the phrasing into your own words
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Keys to Parenthetical Citations
• Keep references brief
• Give only information needed to identify the
source on your Works Cited page
• Do not repeat unnecessary information
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Handling Quotes in Your Text
• Author’s last name and page number(s) of quote must
appear in the text…
Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked
by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Handling Parenthetical Citations
• If the source has no known author, then use an
abbreviated version of the title:
Full Title: “California Cigarette Tax Deters Smokers”
Citation: (“California” A14)
• If the source is only one page in length or is a web
page with no apparent pagination:
Source: Dave Poland’s “Hot Button” web column
Citation: (Poland)
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools
Handling Long Quotations
David becomes identified and defined by James Steerforth, a young man with whom
David is acquainted from his days at Salem House. Before meeting Steerforth, David accepts
Steerforth’s name as an authoritative power:
There was an old door in this playground, on which the boys had a custom of
carving their names. . . . In my dread of the end of the vacation and their coming
back, I could not read a boy’s name, without inquiring in what tone and with what
emphasis he would read, “Take care of him. He bites.” There was one boy—a
certain J. Steerforth—who cut his name very deep and very often, who I conceived,
would read it in a rather strong voice, and afterwards pull my hair. (Dickens 68)
For Steerforth, naming becomes an act of possession, as well as exploitation. Steerforth
names David for his fresh look and innocence, but also uses the name Daisy to exploit David's
romantic tendencies (Dyson 122).
Citation Generator Websites
www.easybib.com
www.citationmachine.net
Other Useful Resources
• The MLA Handbook
• Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
• Humanities Teachers
Adapted from the OWL Purdue University online tools