MLA Style in Reports

Formatting Works Cited

Les Hanson 2004Les Hanson 2004

Direct Quotations

• Use parenthetical references to show information obtained from other sources

• Put the author’s name and the page number after the reference – After receiving an editorial comment about

ending a sentence with a preposition, Winston Churchill was reported to have said, “This is the sort of pedantry up with which I will not put” (Halle 166).

Author & page #

Paraphrasing Information

• Paraphrasing information is usually preferable to quoting– Much of the deterioration of the Titanic is caused

by visitors (Ballard 108) .

– Ballard argues that much of the deterioration of the Titanic is caused by visitors (108) .

Author and page number

List only the page number if the author’s name has been given

Information from the Internet

• Information from the Internet must be cited

• If the author is unknown, use a shortened version of the title in the parenthetical reference.– Red River College has more than 100 full-time

programs (Admissions at RRC).

Common Knowledge

• Information that could be found in a number of sources does not require a reference– The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in 1912.

No reference needed

Works Cited Page

• Include full bibliographic information at the end of your paper

• Call this page “Works Cited”

• Entries should be arranged alphabetically by authors’ last names

• Format the entries with a hanging indent (outdent)

Sample Entry for a Book

Halle, Kay. The Irrepressible Churchill: Stories, Sayings and Impressions of Sir Winston Churchill. London: Robson Books, 1987.

Author Title and subtitle

Publishing Company

City where publishedPublication

Date

Use periods to separate the segments

Sample Journal Article Entry

Ballard, Robert D. “Why is Titanic Vanishing?” National Geographic 206.6 (2004): 96-113

AuthorJournal

Title

Article Title

Volume # and Issue #

PagesDate

Sample Web Page Entry

• Province of Manitoba. Odour-control Tax Credit In Place. 15 Dec. 2004. 15 Dec. 2007 <http://www.gov.mb.ca/finance/fedprov/odour.html>

Author (gov’t branch) Publication

Publication Date

Access Date

URL

Admissions at RRC. Red River College, Winnipeg. 15 May 2008. <http://me.rrc.mb.ca/Catalogue/Default.aspx?Link=Programs.asp?DeliveryCode=F>

Title of website Sponsoring agency

CD-ROM Citations

• Periodical CD-ROM databases– Gilliland, Steve. “Keeping Track of your Time.”

Computer Shopper. Jan. 1994:486 Magazine Article Summary. Computer Select CD-ROM. Aug. 1994, item 802 174 190 021 000 2.

Electronic Databases (Ebsco)

Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title. Volume.Issue # (Publication Date): pages. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Library Name, City, Province. Date accessed <http://search.epnet.com>.

McMinn, John. “Mainstreaming Green.”Canadian Architect. 48.1 (Jan 2003): 14-19 Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Red River College Library, Winnipeg, MB. 1 Nov. 2004 <http://search.epnet.com>.

Sources for this Presentation

Dr. Abel Scribe, PhD. The MLA Web Sheet: A Brief Guide to Referencing Internet Sources. Oct. 2004. Dec. 2004 <http://www.docstyles.com/mlaguide.htm>.

While this appears to be the author’s name, it is actually a fictional name that is the name of of the website

Publication Date

Access Date

URL

Look It Up!

• This covers only a small sample of bibliographic entries

• Complete information is available in style guides or your textbook’s appendix– (Meyer 336-38) – (Thill, Bovee, and Cross 575-76)