Important!!
If you include information in your paper that is not original to you -- whether it's directly quoted or paraphrased -- you must include an in-text citation that corresponds to an entry on your Works Cited page!
MLA Resources
- MLA Citation Guide (8th ed.)
This is the digital version of the citation guide available in the library, updated for the newest version of MLA released in 2016. - How to Format Your Doc in MLA StyleAlso available in print at the library. This 2-page guide gives you a bird's-eye view of an MLA paper from start to finish with guidance on what to click on in MS Word to create the proper formatting.
Additional help online:
In-Text and Parenthetical Citations
A basic MLA in-text citation includes the author's last name and specific page number. See examples below:
*Paraphrased: The moon is made of green cheese (Smith and Jones 134).
*Paraphrased, author in text: Lunar geologists Smith and Jones agree that the moon is made of green cheese (134).
*Direct quote: Experts agree that “the moon is comprised of green cheese” (Smith and Jones 134).
*No author: Experts agree that “the moon is comprised of green cheese” (“Moon Analysis”).
*Indirect/secondary citation: Hausinger’s study reveals the moon is made of green cheese (qtd. in Smith and Jones 134).
Elements of MLA Citation
Author(s). Title of Source. Publication Name, other contributors, number, publisher, publication date, location. Container
Title, contributors, number, publisher, date, location. Optional access date.
*Note: Some elements may not be used and others might not be available. Just proceed to the next element.
Example 1: Citation for Scholarly Article in Online (Library) Database
​Scarantino, Andrea, and Michael Nielsen. "Voodoo Dolls and Angry Lions: How Emotions Explain Arational Actions." Philsophical Studies, vol
172, no. 11, 2015, pp. 2975-2998. Academic Search Complete.
Example 2: Citation for eBook
Behnke, Alison. Up for Sale: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. E-book, Twenty-First Century Books, 2015. EBSCO eBook
Collection.
*Note: If you know the type of e-book you consulted (ex, Kindle, EPUB, PDF), use that as a “version.” Otherwise just put “e-book.”
Example 3: Citation for Online Periodical (with permalink)
Remnick, Noah. "Yearbook Project Collects Stories of Children Killed in Shootings." The New York Times, 19 June
2016, https://nyti.ms/2lxKi1p.
Example 4: Citation for Video in Online (Library) Database (with URL)
“Starting Over.” Produced by George Osterkamp, Columbia Broadcasting System, 2014. Academic Video Online: Premium,
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/3165347.