MLA Style
A Guide to Citing Sources
First things first: What is a citation?
MLA citation style
Why you need to cite your sources
How to cite your sources
Works Cited list
Parenthetical citations
First things first: What is a citation?
A citation is a reference to a source used in a
research project.
Walker, Sally. Volcanoes: Earth’s
Inner Fire. Minneapolis:
Carolrhoda, 1994. Print.
Whenever you use another
person’s ideas or words in a
research paper, you must cite, or
give credit, to that person.
That’s called citing your source.
MLA citation style
Citations must be accurate and standard so
that anyone who reads your research can easily
find the information you used.
MLA style is a standard way of
citing sources. This means
each source you use should be
formatted in a specific way.
MLA style was developed by the
Modern Language Association.
Why you need to cite your sources
There are three important reasons to cite
your sources.
1. to find information
2. to show that you
understand your topic
3. to avoid plagiarism
Why you need to cite your sources
Citations help you remember
where you got your
information.
You can return to a source for more
information or to clarify facts.
Citations help your readers locate
information when they want to do
more research.
Why you need to cite your sources
Citations show that your research was careful
and thorough.
They also show that other people support what
you’ve written about your topic.
Why you need to cite your sources
Citations give credit to people whose ideas you
use.
Plagiarism is using
someone else’s
ideas or knowledge
without giving that
person credit. Avoid
plagiarism by giving
people credit for
their ideas and their
words.
How to cite your sources
Use two ways to cite your sources.
1. At the end of your paper,
add a Works Cited list.
2. Within the paper, use
parenthetical
citations.
How to cite your sources
A Works Cited list is a list of all the sources you used
in your research paper. Here are some entries for part of
a Works Cited list.
McNulty, Tim. “Under the Volcano.” Forest
Magazine 8 Sept. 2004: 12-15. Print.
Schmidt, Laurie J. “Sensing Remote Volcanoes.”
Supporting Earth Observing Science. Institute:
Science, Engineering and Technology. 2004. Web.
8 Oct. 2008.
Walker, Sally. Volcanoes: Earth’s Inner Fire.
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1994. Print.
Works Cited list
Books
Here is the basic format for a book entry in a Works
Cited list.
Author’s last name, Author’s
first name. Book Title. City
of publication: Publisher’s
name, year of publication.
Medium of publication.
Walker, Sally. Volcanoes: Earth’s Inner Fire.
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1994. Print.
Works Cited list
Periodicals
Periodicals are publications that are published
regularly, or periodically, such as newspapers,
magazines, and journals.
Works Cited list
Periodicals
Here’s the basic format for a magazine article.
Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Article Title.”
Magazine Name day Month year: page number(s).
Medium of publication.
McNulty, Tim. “Under the Volcano.” Forest Magazine
8 Sept. 2004: 12-15. Print.
If the article isn’t printed on consecutive pages, give
the first page and a plus sign.
Bruce, Victoria. “No Apparent Danger.” National
Geographic Adventure Mar.-Apr. 2001: 112+. Print.
Works Cited list
Citing nonprint sources
There are many other kinds of sources besides books
and magazines. You might use TV programs, DVDs,
CDs, or Web sites.
Web sites can be very useful as source material, but
you must cite them properly.
Works Cited list
Citing nonprint sources: Web site
Here’s the basic format for a Web site entry for the
Works Cited list.
Author’s last name, Author’s first name (if known).
“Document Title.” Title of Web Site. Name of
Sponsoring Institution. day Month year of
publication (or last update). Medium of Publication.
day Month year of access.
Wood, Chuck. “Current Volcanic Activity.” Volcano
World. NASA North Dakota Space Grant
Consortium. 13 Sept. 2007. Web. 29 Oct. 2007.
Works Cited list
Sources are put in
the Works Cited list
in alphabetical order,
double-spaced, and
indented one-half
inch.
Works Cited
McNulty, Tim. “Under the Volcano.”
Forest Magazine 8 Sept. 2004:
12-15. Print.
Here is an example
of a final Works
Cited list.
Walker, Sally. Volcanoes: Earth’s
Inner Fire. Minneapolis:
Carolrhoda, 1994. Print.
Parenthetical citations
Listing all your sources in the Works Cited list is an
important part of your research paper.
In the body of your paper,
you also need to tell
exactly where you found
any information that came
from other sources.
You do that using a
parenthetical citation.
Parenthetical citations
A parenthetical citation appears in the
body of your paper wherever you use
another person’s ideas, facts, or
words.
A parenthetical citation
always refers to a source
in your Works Cited list.
Parenthetical citations
To create a parenthetical citation, give the author’s last
name and the page number(s) from the source. Put
this information in parentheses at the end of the
sentence, before the final punctuation.
Experts believe that volcanoes are more likely to
explode after years of inactivity (Walker 100).
Readers can now find complete information about the
source in your Works Cited list.
Walker, Sally. Volcanoes: Earth’s Inner Fire.
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1994. Print.
Parenthetical citations
If the author’s name appears in the sentence, you
need to cite only the page number(s) in parentheses.
Dr. Sally Walker claims that volcanoes are more
likely to explode after years of inactivity (100).
For sources without page numbers, like most Web
sites, you should include the author’s name or the
title of the source within the text instead of using
parentheses.
Chuck Wood reports that there are as many as 22
volcanoes worldwide experiencing ongoing
eruptions.
Your Turn
All the examples in this presentation can be found in
the Works Cited List Model, which is part of the
Student Handouts for the MLA/APA Styles feature.
The handouts Your Turn: Create MLA Source
Citations and Your Turn: Create MLA
Parenthetical Citations also provide opportunities to
practice creating sources and parenthetical citations.
The End