MLA CITATION

HELPFUL RESOURCESLibrary Website (Specifically, “Citation Tools”

Page)Purdue OWL – Online Writing LabMLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

(7th Edition) – several copies in our libraryYour Librarian!

Library Overview Page

“Citation Tools” Page

“How-To” Guides Page

The OWL at Purdue U.Note the plethora of MLA help

pages here!

The BasicsIn-text or Parenthetical Citation (Author-style:

mostly used for English)In-text or Parenthetical Citation (electronic

source)Works Cited Page (formerly known as

Bibliography)

Parenthetical Citation (Author)

WHAT: In MLA style, refer to the works of others by using a parenthetical citation. You place the relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase.

HOW: 1) Romantic poetry is characterized by the

"spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

Source: OWL at Purdue University

Use author’s

last name and page

quote found

Parenthetical Citation (Electronic Source)

For electronic and Internet sources, follow the following guidelines:

Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited (bibliography) entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name)

You do not need to give paragraph numbers or page numbers

Do not include URLs in-text

Parenthetical Citation (Electronic Source) – Pg. 2Examples:One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is

"...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”).

The Purdue OWL is accessed by millions of users every year. Its "MLA Formatting and Style Guide" is one of the most popular resources (Stolley et al.).

Note different style of citing

Source: OWL at Purdue University

Works Cited Page Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your

paper. It should have same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.

Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the at the top of the page.

Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries. Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to

create a hanging indent. Example: Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP,

1967. Print. Example: Stolley, Karl, et al. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The

OWL at Purdue. 10 May 2006. Purdue University Writing Lab. 12 May 2006. Source: OWL at Purdue University