The MLA citation style helps scholars answer three questions about the resources used in a work:
These questions are answered by identifying the Core Elements of MLA citations. See Paper Formatting below.
Container: "a work that contains another work" (MLA, 2021, p. 134). For example, for a journal article published in a professional journal, the article is the work and the journal is the container. To take it further, the journal is a work when it is indexed in a database, which is the container. This concept is important to understand because information can have more than one container. There are also works that are "self contained" such a print book or a movie playing at your local theater (MLA, 2021, p. 135).
Works: the resources you are use to support your writing. Works can be physical or virtual, print or video. Works that you reference in your paper need to appear on your Works Cited page and all resources listed on your Works Cited page should appear, either through summarizing, paraphrasing or quoting, in your paper. You can also list the resources you read but did not refer to in a Works Consulted page.
The MLA Style Center, published by the Modern Language Association, is the only authorized Web site about MLA style. This free, evolving resource is designed as a companion to the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.
Holy Names University's ISAC Department has compiled a guide for students.
MLA has the above set of Core Elements that drive its style. These elements will guide your paper and citation formatting.
When you open a MS Word document to begin your paper, you'll want to set-up some basic formatting for MLA that apply to the entirety of your paper.
Open this template in MS Word. The margins, font, spacing - along with the Title page, running head and page numbers have been formatted.
In-Text Citations generally require:
Note: Do not include paragraph numbers or page numbers generated a web browser for electronic, or web-based sources.
You can write in-text citations a few different ways:
You can use introduce the author's name as part of the sentence and then place the page number, or page range in parentheses after the author's name.
Examples
According to Smith (201), graduate students...
According to Baker (20-24), professional students......
Another option is to place both the author's name and the page number, or page range in parentheses.
Examples
Graduate students tend to utilize..... (Smith; 201)
Professional students self-report.. (Baker; 20-24).
When you are using a direct quotation you must include the exact page number (for print items). Do not include paragraph numbers or page numbers generated a web browser or electronic, or web based sources.
Example
As Smith explained, some of the items are written in "the positive direction and need to be key-reversed before totaling the scores" (313).
Remember: Any source cited in the text of your paper must appear in your Works Cited and any sources included in your Works Cited must have in-text citation in your paper!
Cite both authors' last names throughout the work. Note that citations both inside and outside of parentheses should use the word "and," typed out in full
According to the study, 25% of graduate students...(Smith andJennings 78).
To cite sources with more than three authors, the last name of the first author is listed and "et al.," is to be included for each citation.
According to a recent study, the average graduate student...(Smith, et al. 145-56).
When citing a group or organization, the full name is spelled out in the first citation, with the abbreviation in brackets. All subsequent citations may use only the abbreviation. Abbreviating the organization's name is optional.
First citation: (American Association of Colleges & Universities [AACU] 87).
Subsequent citations: (AACU 478-84).
If the author is not identified, the title of the work replaces the author's name position within the citation. An unknown authored book would be cited with the title of the book in italics and an article would be in quotations.
Use an abbreviated version for long titles. To abbreviate a title, use as few words as possible, dropping articles and prepositions, but keeping the first word of the title as alphabetized in your Works Cited. The abbreviated title should be a noun phrase, so likely the first noun in the title along with any adjectives that come before it. Titles of an article, chapter, or web page should be placed in double quotation marks. Titles of a periodical, book, entire website, report, or brochure should be italicized.
*Please note, when your citation includes a title instead of an author's name, it is correct to capitalize each word of the title within the in-text citation. Sentence case is used within the reference list. Book with no identified author: What They Don't Tell You About Graduate School 367) Article with no identified author: ("Expert Advice for Thriving Through Graduate School" 45-67)Example
If the author is not identified, the title of the work (ex. webpage, or blog post) replaces the author's name position within the citation.
*Please note, when your citation includes a title instead of an author's name, it is correct to capitalize each word of the title within the in-text citation. Sentence case is used within the reference list.
Webpage with no identified author: Although food services are high on the list, students use quiet study areas more frequently (Student Services All Graduate Student Should Utilize).
The MLA Handbook suggests using paragraph numbers when no page numbers are available but only if the paragraphs are explicitly included in the original text. If there are no page, chapter, paragraph, or section numbers in the original text, then no numbers should be included in the citation. Never count pages or paragraphs yourself or invent your own numbers.
Graduate school is "not for everyone" (Smith, par. 5).
It's time for everyone's favorite part of writing a research paper: formatting your Works Cited page! In the MLA style you put any sources you cite in the body of your paper on your works cited page. Sometimes your teacher will also require a Works Consulted page where you list all the additional research you consulted in the process (kind of like extra credit).
The following instructions are straight from Microsoft support, which you can access HERE.
The example is of an APA Reference List, but the instructions are the same. Instead of Reference List, yours will say Works Cited. See below for guidance on how each citation on the Works Cited page should look.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Media.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name, and Author’s First Name Author’s Last Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Media.
Editor’s Last Name, Editor’s First Name, ed. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Media.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine, Date Published: page(s). Media.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, Date Issued: page(s). Media.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article on Website.” Title of Website. Sponsor of Site, Date Site Updated. Media. Date Site Accessed.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical. Sponsor of Site, Date Published. Media. Date Accessed.
NOTE: This is the ONLY online source that is considered a “print” source:
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, Volume.Issue (Year): page(s). Name of Database. Media. Date Accessed.
Title of Film Italicized. Director, Publisher, Publication Date.
Title of Episode. Title of Television Program italicized , Season, episode, Publisher, Publication Date.
Creator of video. "Title of Video (Video)". Platform italicized, Date published, URL.
Narrator/host. "Title of Episode. Name of Podcast italicized, Season and Episode Number, Publisher, Date, URL.
