Save Your Brain:
Patterns in MLA
DYNATEACH© RESOURCE
Why does it exist?

“MLA style for documentation is widely
used in the humanities, especially in
writing on language and literature.
Generally simpler and more concise
than other styles, MLA style features
brief parenthetical citations in the text
keyed to an alphabetical list of works
cited that appears at the end of the
work.”
~mla.org
Part I: Bibliography and
Work(s) Cited Entries
PART I OF II
See the Pattern
Who?
• Author
What?
• Title
• Where did it come
from? (specific)
Where? • Where did it come
from? (general)
When? • Date
accessed
Example
Who?
Periods mark the
different units of
information
• McConnell, D.
Frank.
What?
• “H.B. Wells:
Utopia and
Doomsday.”
Specific >
General
• The Wilson Quarterly
4.3 (1980): 176-186.
Where? • JSTOR.
• Web.
•2
When? Novembe
r 2013.
Example cont.

McConnell, D. Frank.

“H.B. Wells: Utopia and Doomsday.”

The Wilson Quarterly 4.3 (1980): 176-186.

JSTOR. Web.

2 November 2013.

McConnell, D. Frank. “H.B. Wells: Utopia and
Doomsday.” The Wilson Quarterly 4.3 (1980): 176186. JSTOR. Web. 2 November 2013.
Identifying “Where”
Got a journal? Realize you’re identifying
the specific location in the journal
Journal Name
Edition + Year
Page Numbers
The Wilson Quarterly 4.3 (1980): 176-186.
What to Include
Web
Sites
Books
Journal
Articles
Click
me!
Click
me!
Click
me!
Part II: In-Text Citations
PART II OF II
Cite a Quotation
1.
Copy the necessary
bibliographical information
 author,
title, publisher, city, & date
Place quotation marks around the
information (quote)
3. Insert the quote in your text and
use parentheses to share some
info about where the quote came
from.
2.
Cite a Quotation

Is this citation correct?
Some believe that Hamlet is the most
important character in Western
Literature: “The phenomenon of
Hamlet is unsurpassed in the West’s
imaginative literature” (Bloom 384).
Cite Paraphrases

Is this citation correct?
Some argue that Shakespeare’s
Hamlet is meant to be an almost
biblical character. He is charismatic,
not unlike King David from the Bible
(Bloom 384).
What to Cite

No, just specific, not readily
accessible information…

You do NOT need to cite:
 Familiar
proverbs
 Well-known
 Common
quotations
knowledge
Common Knowledge
NO CITATION:

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th
president

Hawaii was the 50th state

Golden Retrievers are popular pets

Mel Gibson played William Wallace
Uncommon Knowledge
INCLUDE CITATION:

Abraham Lincoln regretted
appointing George McClellan

Alaska was going to originally be
incorporated as two separate states

Golden Retrievers bite more humans
per year than any other dog breed

Mel Gibson fabricated many of the
details of William Wallace’s life
Plagiarism
or Not?
Nope 
•
Though nothing is
directly quoted, there is
some uncommon
knowledge.
•
A citation is given in a
place that does not
disrupt the flow of
information.
Ernest Hemmingway was a
notable author but he was
also probably clinically
depressed. He suffered
from well documented
bouts of depression and
eventually committed
suicide in 1961. Workers at
his Cuba hacienda often
praised his gentle nature,
but they also speak of long
periods where
Hemmingway would sit
alone refusing any visitors
(Thomas, 43).
Plagiarism
or Not?
YES!
•
•
•
No direct citation here
True, this could be the
author’s own assertion,
but in this case it’s not.
It should’ve been cited
directly. They merely
mention “critics”.

The difference between
Orwellian satire and
Swiftonian satire is usually
the level of hyperbole
created in the setting.
Orwell’s satire, while
certainly filled with
hyperbole, maintains a
believability according to
critics, while Swift’s satire is
never meant to be
believed.

Plagiarism
or Not?
YES!
•
•
These lines are lifted
directly from
Sparknotes.com!
Here’s how the lines
could’ve been cited
correctly…
Though there is little
character development in
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream and no true
protagonist, critics
generally point to Puck as
the most important
character in the play. The
mischievous, quick-witted
sprite sets many of the
play’s events in motion
with his magic, by means
of both deliberate pranks
on the human characters
(transforming Bottom’s
head into that of an ass)
and unfortunate mistakes
(smearing the love potion
on Lysander’s eyelids
instead of Demetrius’s).
See how easy this is!

“Though there is little character development in A
Midsummer Night’s Dream and no true
protagonist, critics generally point to Puck as the
most important character in the play. The
mischievous, quick-witted sprite sets many of the
play’s events in motion with his magic, by means
of both deliberate pranks on the human
characters (transforming Bottom’s head into that
of an ass) and unfortunate mistakes (smearing the
love potion on Lysander’s eyelids instead of
Demetrius’s)” (Sparknotes).
Consequences of
Plagiarism

College notification

Zero on assignment

Failing grade in the class

Detention

Call home

More…
Pop Quiz!
1.
What is common knowledge and why don’t you
have to cite it?
2.
Do you have to cite paraphrases?
3.
What purpose do periods serve in the MLA
citation.
4.
What are the two key parts of the MLA citation
system?
*teachers: the key to this pop quiz is in the
PowerPoint notes*