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Citing Sources MLA

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7 views

Citing Sources MLA

Uploaded by

nicoleeggleton
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Citing Sources

Creating a Works Cited page and Parenthetical Citations


MLA (Modern Language Association) Documentation Style
LaFayette JSHS Library

This is a short introduction to citing sources using MLA style format. Please refer to the
link to “How to Cite your Sources” on the LIBRARY HOME PAGE
(www.lafayetteschools.org).

There are two major components to documenting your work: Parenthetical Citations and
a Works Cited page. The two are linked. Parenthetical citations will refer your readers to
the Works Cited page where they will find complete citations for your sources.

Works Cited page (citing sources at the END of your paper)


A Works Cited page is a list of the sources you consulted to write your paper or
presentation. It contains complete source information, so your readers can re-locate the
source if they want more information.

Parenthetical Citations (citing sources WITHIN your paper)


If you use a quote or paraphrase in the body of your paper you will need to document
where you get the quote or idea(s). These are called parenthetical citations because they
are in parentheses. The citations contain the author’s LAST NAME and the PAGE where
you found the quote or information. The sentence punctuation goes AFTER the final
parenthesis. Ex. “The library is great” (Mann 1).

In creating Works Cited entries and Parenthetical Citations YOU MUST:


 Double space between all lines on the Works Cited page.
 Indent each line AFTER the first line of Works Cited entries.
 List all Works Cited entries alphabetically by the author’s last name.
 Parenthetical citations follow the quote but occur inside the punctuation for the
sentence.
 A Works Cited Page is a separate page – all by itself.
 On the Works Cited page you must center the title, one inch from the top of the
page. There are no quotes around the words Works Cited.
 Print out all web pages you plan to use. You WILL need them.

Examples are on the back. Turn the page over.

This covers the most common citation formats. Check out the library web page if you
have something less common or see Mrs. Mann for more information.

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*To save space these examples are not double spaced, you will double space all lines on your Works Cited page.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES: USE THIS PUNCTUATION

General format for Works Cited page


Author (Last name, First name). “Title of Article”. Title of Source. Publication information. Date
created. Name of Sponsoring Institution or Database. Date YOU accessed site. <URL>.

-Web site (Professional)


ESPN.com. 12 Nov 1999. ESPN Internet Ventures. 24 Nov 1999. <http://espn.go.com>.

Parenthetical citation: (ESPN 1).

-Authored Article within a website


Devitt, Terry. “Flying High.” The Why Files. 9 Dec 1999. University of Wisconsin, Board of Regents.
4 Jan 2000. <http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/shorties/kite.html>.

Parenthetical citation: (Devitt 1).

-Personal web site (You NEED AN AUTHOR. Otherwise, DON’T USE THE SITE!
FIND SOMETHING ELSE.)
Hamilton, Calvin. Views of the Solar System. 12 Nov 1999. <http://solarviews.com/end/homepage.htm>.

Parenthetical citation: (Hamilton 1).

-Informational database (GaleNet, Grolier, etc.)


COPY and PASTE MLA citation information found at the end of the article or under heading, “How to
cite”. You MUST reformat it so it is double spaced and indented correctly.

BOOK SOURCES USE THIS PUNCTUATION

General format for Works Cited page


Author’s Last Name. Author’s First Name. Book Title. City: Publisher, Copyright date.

-Book with one author


Petroski, Henry. To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design. New York:
St. Martin’s, 1985.

Parenthetical citation: (Petroski 145).

-Book with two or three authors


Diehl, Daniel and Mark Donnelly. Medieval Furniture: Plans and Instructions for Historical
Reproductions. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 1999.

Parenthetical citation: (Diehl and Donnelly 26).

-Book with an editor


Hall, Donald, ed. The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1981.

Parenthetical citation: (Hall 66).

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