MLA Citation
You must cite all quotations and facts in a paper.
For research papers you will need both a Works Cited page at the end of you essay and in-text citations in the paragraphs to show where quotations and facts come from. If you have more than one fact in a row from the same source, only one citation is needed after the facts.
In-text Citations for Books:
Put the author's last name and page number in parentheses after each quotation or fact when using multiple sources in your paper. If the book does not offer an author but has an editor, use the editor and page number instead. If you are writing about one specific literary work and that is your only source, some teachers allow you to just use page numbers in the parentheses.
Ex. "There were never many girls at all at the football games. Only seniors were allowed to bring girls with them" (Salinger 3).
In-text Citations for Websites:
Just include the author's last name as there are no page numbers.
Ex. "Water is the substance most essential to the preservation of human life" (Bromely).
If the website does not have an author use a short version of the title.
Ex. "An elephant has a memory more absorbent than a sponge" ("Animal Mysteries").
Notes:
- If you use the author's name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in the parentheses.
- For research papers: If you have a few sentences in a row all coming from the same source, you can simply include one citation after the last sentence. However, be careful not to have whole paragraphs of just facts! Always include some of your own ideas (which aren't cited); a good way to do this is to analyze the facts/quotations by linking back to your thesis.
Works Cited Page
Create a new page titled Works Cited. List your sources in alphabetical order by author's last name. Double space entries and indent after the first line of each entry. Do not separate by type of work (book, website); all should go in one list.
Updated MLA8 rules available here!
If you need help formatting, here are sites that can help:
For research papers you will need both a Works Cited page at the end of you essay and in-text citations in the paragraphs to show where quotations and facts come from. If you have more than one fact in a row from the same source, only one citation is needed after the facts.
In-text Citations for Books:
Put the author's last name and page number in parentheses after each quotation or fact when using multiple sources in your paper. If the book does not offer an author but has an editor, use the editor and page number instead. If you are writing about one specific literary work and that is your only source, some teachers allow you to just use page numbers in the parentheses.
Ex. "There were never many girls at all at the football games. Only seniors were allowed to bring girls with them" (Salinger 3).
In-text Citations for Websites:
Just include the author's last name as there are no page numbers.
Ex. "Water is the substance most essential to the preservation of human life" (Bromely).
If the website does not have an author use a short version of the title.
Ex. "An elephant has a memory more absorbent than a sponge" ("Animal Mysteries").
Notes:
- If you use the author's name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in the parentheses.
- For research papers: If you have a few sentences in a row all coming from the same source, you can simply include one citation after the last sentence. However, be careful not to have whole paragraphs of just facts! Always include some of your own ideas (which aren't cited); a good way to do this is to analyze the facts/quotations by linking back to your thesis.
Works Cited Page
Create a new page titled Works Cited. List your sources in alphabetical order by author's last name. Double space entries and indent after the first line of each entry. Do not separate by type of work (book, website); all should go in one list.
Updated MLA8 rules available here!
If you need help formatting, here are sites that can help: