Citing Sources (MLA-Style)

Citing Sources (MLA-Style)

When you use information from any source, you need to make sure you cite those sources. This is a way to verify your information, add veracity to your arguments and [prevent plagiarism.There are many different styles one can use to cite sources, but we are going to focus on MLA.

In Paper Citations

Did you quote a source? Or use a specific fact you found? If so, you need to cite it! Your in-text citation must include the author's name and page number if applicable. If citing from a song, movie, podcast or TV show, you need to include the hours, minutes, and/or seconds your quote/reference comes from. If citing from a website, you should include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) - common in most online journals OR the url minus https://.

Some examples:

Explore each section in the tabs below to learn more. Elements are bolded for emphasis in this lesson only and should not be bolded in your final paper.

Author Listed After

 

When evaluating the idea of WeRateDogs being more than a media snack, parody and the need for belonging cannot be overlooked. Humor and parody unite us. They create like experiences in which those laughing at the joke are part of something bigger then themselves.  “When audience members choose to pass along media texts, they demonstrate that they belong to a community, that they are “in” on the reference and share some common experience.“ (Henry Jenkins, Ford, & Green, 74) Jenkins argues that parody, much like the media snacks, can be more than what they appear, and become a vital coping mechanism which increases the desire to spread “joy.”  

 

 

 

 

Works Cited Page

At the end of your paper/presentation you will need to include a works cited page. This page serves as a bibliography and should include all of the resources you consulted to write your paper. It also serves to list the full reference of any items you directly quote within your work.

Here's how you should format it:

  • At the top of the page, title the page Works Cited and center justify it.
  • Then you will list each reference used in alphabetical order.These will be left justified on the page.

There are specific formats for each type of reference you use, but all follow the same basic format with the same 9 core elements.  Here are the elements:

  1. Author
  2. Title of source
  3. Title of container
  4. Other contributors
  5. Version
  6. Number
  7. Publisher
  8. Year Published
  9. Location

You will only use the elements relevant to your specific sources. Some may include all 9, but if you don't have an element present in the work you are referencing, you won't need to list it.

Commas, periods and italics are used to finish the citations. Let's take a closer look at what the elements mean, what punctuation you need to use and examples of how to format.

 

MLA Formatting

Element

(includes the correct punctuation you need after each element)

 Description of Element Format
Author. Who wrote the cited work? Engerman, Stanley L., and Kenneth L. Sokoloff.
Title of Source. What is the title of the cited work?

Stand alone work:
Team of Rivals.


Contained in another source:
"Newspapers Use Unnamed Sources Less Often in High-Stakes Coverage."
Title of Container, Is the work contained inside another source, such as a book or journal? Newspaper Research Journal,
Other Contributors, Did others, such as an editor, translator, director, etc, contribute significantly to the work? edited by Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee et al.,
Version, Are there other versions, such as a director’s cut or updated edition? 2nd ed.,
Number, Does the work have a volume and issue number or season and episode number? vol. 37, no. 3,
Publisher, What is the name of the organization that published, produced or posted the work? Palgrave Macmillan,
Publication Date, When was the work published? 21 June 2017
Location. Location may refer to page numbers, URL, DOI, or place where the work is held or available for viewing. pp. 299-311.

(Table and examples courtesy of Agnes Scott College Library's MLA Guide)

 

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Things to remember:

  • The elements above are listed in order.
  • Commas are used after every element EXCEPT Author and Title of Source which use periods.
  • You need to end every full citation with a period.
  • Titles of Books, Parent websites, and Journals are italicized
  • Titles of webpages, albums. articles, poems, TV Shows and Movies are listed in quotations.

Keep in mind - Containers are italicized while the specific item is listed in quotations. Because books are the specific item AND the container, they are listed in italics. (Ex. "Title of Poem," Title of Collection of Poems)

 

Below you will find examples of common citations you will use. Need a citation style for something that is not listed? You can search multiple online resources such as Purdue University's Online Writer's Lab (OWL). There are also online citation generators you can use to help format your citations - just be sure to double check your citations are formatted correctly and make any necessary changes before submitting.

 

Common Citation Examples
Type Example Elements Used/Format
Scholarly Article

Sobel, Meghan R. and Daniel Riffe. "Newspapers Use Unnamed

Sources Less Often in High-Stakes Coverage." Newspaper Research Journal, vol. 37, no. 3, Summer 2016,
pp. 299-311.

 Author Lastname, Firstname and Author
Firstname Lastname. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Number, Publication Date, Location.
Book Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals. Simon & Schuster, 2005. Author Lastname, Firstname. Title of Source.
Publisher, Publication Date.
Book Chapter

Engerman, Stanley L., and Kenneth L. Sokoloff. "Colonialism,

Inequality, and Long-run Paths of Development." Understanding Poverty, edited by Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee et al., Oxford University Press, 2006, pp. 37-62.

 Author Lastname, Firstname and Author Firstname Lastname. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Other Contributors, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.
Website

Geiger, Abigail. "Millennials are the Most Likely Generation of

Americans to use Public Libraries." Pew Research Center, 21 June 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/21/millennials-are-the-most-likely-generation-of-americans-to-use-public-libraries/.

 Author Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Source." Title of Website, Publication Date, Location.
Magazine Article

Weir, Kristen. "Why We Believe Alternative Facts." Monitor on

Psychology, May 2017, www.apa.org/monitor/.

 Author Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Publication Date, Location.
Newspaper Article

Stafford, Leon. "MARTA to Take Over Operations of Atlanta Streetcar."

The Atlanta Journal Constitution, 21 June 2017, www.ajc.com.

 Author Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Publication Date, Location.

(Table and examples courtesy of Agnes Scott College Library's MLA Guide)

 

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Things to Remember:

  • Same author, more than one work? Use their full name in the first citation. For the second citation, use three dashes instead of the name. EX: ---.
  • Author has a title? You only need to list their name. EX: Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be listed as Gupta, Sanjay.
  • Multiple authors in a work? Format depends on how many authors are listed. For 2 authors: you will follow the Last name, First name format for the first author only. EX: Engerman, Stanley L., and Kenneth L. Sokoloff. For 3 or more authors: List the first author, then list "et.al." (Latin for "and others") to represent the additional authors. EX:  Engerman, Stanley L., et. al.
  • Indent the second and any subsequent lines of any citation.
  • P vs PP? Use p. before any single page. Use pp. if multiple pages are listed EX: p.184; pp.205-219.

 

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