 |
MLA Citation Format Directions & Frequently Asked Questions |
Instructions
Choose which of the sections you need information about.
In that section, click on the link that will answer your specific question.
Go directly to:Part 1: General MLA Directions
Part 2: Frequently asked questions about Works Cited
Part 3: Frequently asked questions about In-text References
(parenthetical references put in your paper to refer to the Works Cited)
MLA Format |
Note: For specific examples of Works Cited entries, see the District 214 Citation Guide.
You will have entrties in your working bibliography that you end up not referring to in your project, and they will be left out of the Works Cited.
Works Cited In-text reference examples are imaginary and do not refer to real sources. |
You would use the author listed first as the main entry, last name first. Then add the additional author(s) listed with first name followed by last name in the order given in the book, with commas between and the word 'and' before the last one.
Example:
Smith, John, and Sue Miller.
Smith, John, Sue Miller, and Tom Jones.
You would list the editor as the main entry instead of the author, followed by 'ed.'
Example:
Smith, John, ed.
You would use the first editor listed as the main entry, followed by the additional names in the order given in the book, first name followed by last name, and 'eds.' after all.
Example:
Smith, John, Sue Miller, and Tom Jones, eds.
You would use the first author or editor listed as the main entry, followed by the words 'et al.'
Example:
Smith, John, et. al. [3 or more authors]
Smith, John, et. al., eds. [3 or more editors]
Example:
American Medical Association.
You would use the title of the book or article as the main entry, where the author would normally be. Omit 'A,' 'An,' and 'The' at the beginning of the title. The entry would be arranged alphabetically with all the other citations. [Note: Do not list 'Anonymous' as the author.]
You would list two of them alphabetically by the title. The first book would be entered an ususal. For the second book, the author's name would be left out, with 3 hyphens instead, followed by a period. The name should be repeated in full if it is part of a different authorship, such as a book co-authored.
Example:
Smith, John. Book Title 1 Alphabetically. City: Publisher, Date.
---. Second Book Title Alphabetically. City: Publisher, Date.
Smith, John, and Sue Miller. Book Title. City: Publisher, Date. [alphabetized after those with Smith as the only author]
You would use the first one listed.
You would list the edition information after the title, or, if an editor appears after the title, after the editor's name. Use an abbreviation of the wording on the title page of the book, as shown below.
4th ed. for Fourth edition Rev. ed. for Revised edition Abr. ed. for Abridged edition
You would list the volume number of the volume you used after the title or, if an editor appears after the title, after the editor's name.
Example:
Author last, First. Book Title. Vol. 3. City: Publisher, Date.
Author last, First. Book Title. Ed. Vol. 3. City: Publisher, Date.
| Jan. | Apr. | July | Oct. |
| Feb. | May | Aug. | Nov. |
| Mar. | June | Sept. | Dec. |
In-text References Parenthetical reference examples do not refer to real sources. |
Your reference should mention each source. This shows the reader that you have done thorough research on the topic.
Example:
BackResearchers have found that high school students believe their skills in doing research are better than they actually are (Smith 34; Jones 567).
Make a reference to the work of the other person, using the term 'see also.' Otherwise the reader may think you have plagiarized that person’s work.
Example:
My experience with students has led me to conclude that the lack of ability to create a visual image as they read greatly hinders reading comprehension (see also Jones 65).
You would include the information, with the reference showing the source it was originally from and also where you read it ('cited in').
Example:
Research done by John Smith found that 46% of high school students are not effective at doing online research (Smith, cited in Miller 789).
If the authors have different first names but the same last name, the reference would include the first initial of the first name with the last name (J. Smith 23).
If the first initials are the same, you would use the first names (Jonathan Smith 23).
You would list the entire page number of each page with a hyphen between (Smith 396-401).
You still include reference information, but indicate that you have adapted it.
Example:
Fig. 1 adapted from Smith, John. "Article title."
Magazine name. Date: page.
You would quote as you normally would, but use 3 spaced periods, called ellipsis points, to show that a part was omitted.
Example:
"You would quote as you normally would, but use 3 spaced periods . . . to show that a part was omitted" (Smith 45).
"You would quote as you normally would, but use 3 spaced periods . . ." (Smith 45).
You would put the reference information at the end of the quote, even if it is the middle of the sentence.
Example:
"You would put the reference in the middle" (Jones 3), if the quote ends there.
You would put the quote you're using in quotation marks and change to single quotations marks for the part that was quoted within that larger quote.
Example:
"You would put quotation marks around the quote you are using, and 'use single quotation marks, the librarian said, around quotations within your quote' " (Smith 678). [note the single and double quotation marks together at the end]
If the quote is 4 lines or longer, you would indent the entire quote one inch (10 spaces), double space it, and use no quotation marks. In most cases a quote like that would be introduced with a colon.
Example:
According to John Smith, an MLA expert, a long quote is usually introduced in this way:
A long quote begins on a new line and is indented one inch, or 10 spaces. The entire quote is double spaced. There are no extra indentations, and quotation marks are left off. If the quote includes 2 paragraphs, each is indented an additional 3 spaces. The reference information comes at the end of the quote, just as it would in a shorter quote. It includes the last name of the author and the page number (Smith 5).
You would incorporate the quote into your text, enclosing it in quotations marks. Use a slash ( / ) to indicate where each new line began.
Example:
Some poems are memorized by most children. "Mary had a little lamb / Its fleece was white as snow" (author page).
If the poem you quote is 4 lines or more in length, begin it on a new line, indent one inch (10 spaces), double space it, and omit the quotation marks. The reference comes immediately after the last poem line.
If your quote begins in the middle of a line, the partial line should be positioned as it was in the original poem. If the original poem has unique spacing, copy it as exactly as you can.
Example:
E. E. Cummings often uses interesting spacing:
It's
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloon-Man whistles
far
and
wee (16-24).
Go to a new line, indent one inch (10 spaces), double space, and begin each new dialogue line with the character's name, all in capitals letters, followed by a period and the dialogue. If one person's words continue to a second line, indent that line an additional 3 spaces. The reference appears at the end of the last line of the quote.
Dialogue from a play would appear as follows:
TEACHER. Each character's name is in capitals followed by a period and then what was said.
LIBRARIAN. If what the character said is long enough that the dialogue continues to more than one
line, each additional line is indented an additional 3 spaces, which is 1/4 inch (Smith 34).
MLA format specifies using the paragraph numbers, if given. Most Web site do not have them.
Until there is a uniform way to handle this, most teachers request using the notaiont 'n.pag.' for 'no pagination.'
Example:
"This Web site has no paragraph numbers listed" (Name n.pag.).
