CITATIONS

MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA)

cite:  to mention (something) especially as an example or to support an idea or opinion

(Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cite)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CITE?

There are two ways you must cite using MLA style:1.Works cited page2.In-text citations

HOW DO YOU CITE USING MLA STYLE?

• The works cited page lists all sources used in a paper. • This is different from a

bibliography page. • A bibliography page lists ALL sources whether or not they were actually used in the paper.

THE WORKS CITED PAGE

There are two types of in-text citations:1.Parenthetical citations (the

most common)2.In-sentence citations

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

• They are called parenthetical citations because you put the citation in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

• The standard citation is to put the author’s name followed by the page number(s).

• Example: Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

STANDARD PARENTHETICAL CITATION

• Instead of putting the author’s last name and page number in parentheses, you can mention the author’s name in the sentence and put the page number in parentheses.

• NOTE: The page number is NEVER used in the sentence.

• Example: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). 

INSTEAD OF…

Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

IN-SENTENCE CITATION

• What goes in the parentheses is determined by your works cited page.

• Remember, if you know the author’s name, you MUST use the last name in the parentheses or in the sentence.

Examples from the works cited page:Amrol, Daboul, et al. "A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Five Loci Influencing Facial Morphology In Europeans." Plos Genetics: 1- 13. Academic Search Premier.

Web. 26 Nov. 2012.DNA Manipulation. Dir. Frank Griffin. All About DNA. Scientific Technologies, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. <http://scientifictech.com/dna/manipulation>.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO PUT IN THE PARENTHESES?

You will cite EVERY reference to the source material:1.Direct quotations2.Paraphrasing

WHAT DO I CITE?

Now, look at the sample MLA paper on The Giver and do the following:1. READ THE WORKS CITED PAGE.2. GO INTO THE TEXT AND MARK

EVERY CITATION.

1. PUT TWO LINES UNDER PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS.

2.CIRCLE IN-SENTENCE CITATIONS.

MLA CITATIONS IN ACTION