The MLA 8 Handbook is the official 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.
SJCC Library MLA 8 Citation Guide
Use this downloadable guide to formatting citations for some common source types. When in doubt, always check the official MLA 8 guide or see the additional MLA 8 resources in this guide.
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:
Click the image for an informative sample of a MLA research paper with explanations of formatting:
This MS Word document template is pre-formatted according to proper MLA standards. Just insert your information and you are ready to go!
The Purdue OWL MLA Formattting and Style Guide is a helpful resource for MLA citation (giving credit for any quotes, facts, paraphrases, or summaries in your paper). Check here for help with your works cited page (bibliography page).
BibMe A guided citation builder -- entering your citation information and EasyBib will help you format your citation.
There are two parts to the MLA citation: the parenthetical reference (also called the in-text citation) and the full citation to the work that goes in your Works Cited list.
Your In-Text Citation (or Parenthetical Reference)
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 in-text citation is often included at the end of a quote or paraphrase and is formatted like this:
(Author's Last Name p#).
However, the placement of the in-text 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).
More on MLA In-Text Citations at Purdue OWL.
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. Here is the universal format to follow:
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.
DETAILS ON EACH CATEGORY:
| 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, check out Purdue's Online Writing Lab MLA guide on:
