The MLA 8 Handbook is the offical guide of MLA citation formatting. You can find the manual on reserve behind the circulation desk and in the reference section of the library's collection.
The point of citation is to give credit to the author of your sources and explain to your professor where you found the information to support the argument of your paper. It gives you confidence in your sources when you have strong, academic citations.
As a college student, you are required to cite all published quotations, ideas, arguments, research and obscure facts that you have used to write your paper. There are two main parts to MLA and APA citation, the in-text citation and the Works Cited/References list. When using MLA or APA, it is important to format your citations exactly as stated paying close attention to punctuation, capitalization and italics.
Click the image for an informative sample of a MLA research paper with explanations of formatting:
The Modern Language Association (MLA) published a new edition of the MLA Handbook in 2016. Changes to the MLA formatting have been made. Here are the most important to be aware of:
1. spell out vol. and no.--In MLA 7 it was: 24.1; for MLA 8 it is now: vol. 24, no. 1
2. Do not include place of publication.
3. Page numbers in ranges are designated with pp.
4. For websites, do not include date of access.
5. Medium of the publication is no longer required (e.g. print, web).
The Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide
a helpful resource for MLA citation. This page provides information about citing (giving credit for any quotes, facts, paraphrases, or summaries in your paper). Check here for help with your works cited page (bibliography page).
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You can download or print the guide to core elements of MLA citation style.
MLA requires specific formatting of your paper and Works Cited List.
Watch the video below for instructions on how to set up your paper in Microsoft word:
This MS Word document template is pre-formatted according to proper MLA standards. Just insert your information and you are ready to go!
The last page of your essay is called the "Works Cited" list. This is where you list the full citation of the sources you used to write your paper.
To create the citations for your sources:
1. Use the MLA universal set of guidelines to build your citations:
FORMAT:
Author. "Title of Source". Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location.
EXAMPLE MAGAZINE ARTICLE:
Kunzig, Robert. "The New Europeans: Voices from a Changing Continent". National Geographic, vol. 258, no. 5, Nov. 2015, pp. 58-75.
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| 1. Author. |
One author format: Last, First. |
|
2. "Title of Source." |
Capitalize all main words of the title. |
|
If your source is found in a larger source, like an article in a magazine, list the title of the overall source. |
|
| 4. Other Contributors, | These include editors, illustrators, translators, etc. |
| 5. Version, | Include if your source has an edition number, like you would see with a textbook. |
| 6. Number, |
Include if your source has a volume, issue, episode or series number. You will see this with volumes of encyclopedias, journal articles or tv shows. |
| 7. Publisher, | |
| 8. Publication date, | Include day, month and year when available. Abbreviate long month names. Format: Day Mo. Year; Ex.: 5 Dec. 2011, |
| 9. Location. | Include if your source has page numbers or if your source comes from a website. Example of source with pages: pp.12-54 Example of website: http://www.time.com/aj245/ |
2. Your source may not contain information in all of these categories, so only include the information you have.
3. Pay attention to the punctuation. Put periods after the author, title of the source, and at the very end. Put commas in between everything else.
This is a basic overview of MLA Works Cited page.
For more details and help with specific source formats, go here.
In addition to creating the Works Cited list, you are also required to include in text citation.
This is a brief citation within your research paper that is placed after information which is quoted or paraphrased from the sources you use. In text citation for MLA generally requires two pieces of information:
1. Author's last name
2. The page number the information came from
![Sample of MLA intext citation. It states: Farming’s Influence on Education. One result of the newly circulating print information was the “need for acquiring scientific information upon which could be based a rational technology” that could “be substituted for the current diverse, empirical practices” (Danhof 69). In his 1825 book Nature and Reason Harmonized in the Practice of Husbandry, John Lorain begins his first chapter by stating that “[v]ery erroneous theories have been propagated” resulting in faulty farming methods (1). His words here create a framework for the rest of his book, as he offers his readers narratives of his own trials and errors and even dismisses foreign, time-tested techniques farmers had held on to: “The knowledge we have of that very ancient and numerous nation the Chinese, as well as the very located habits and costumes of this very singular people, is in itself insufficient to teach us . . .” (75).](http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/22887/images/mlaintextsample.png)
The intext citation is often included at the end of a quote or paraphase and is formatted like this:
(Author's Last Name p#).
However, the placement of the intext can change depending on whether or not you introduce the author before your quote or paraphrasing, but the same information for the citation is still required. See examples below.
Example 1 (paraphrased): Eighty percent of children in the US eat grapes (Jenkins 3).
Example 2 (quoted): Jenkins states, "In the United States, grapes are consumed by 80% of children" (3).
For more information on MLA intext citation, click here.
