MLA Format

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MLA Format

• Using In-Text Citations

2

• In-text citations, also called parenthetical
  citations, are used to document any critical
  sources used within an essay or research paper
  (unless the material cited is considered general
  knowledge)
• It is crucial to remember that you must document
  all ideas you take from your critical sources,
  not just the direct quotations. 
  
• If you fail to do so, you are plagiarizing and
  your paper may fail

3

• If you are writing about a work of fiction, you
  only need in-text citations for direct
  quotations
  
• Do not use in-text citations for summaries of the
  plot, character descriptions, and other comments
  about what takes place in a fictional work

4

• Citations direct readers to the full
  bibliographic citations listed in the Works Cited
  page located at the end of the paper 
  
• In the body of your paper or in your citation,
  you must clearly indicate the source so that your
  reader can find the proper entry on the works
  cited page by scanning the alphabetically-organize
  d entries
• In most cases, in-text citations include the
  author's last name and the specific page number
  for the information cited

5

• Always mention the author's nameeither in your
  paper or in the parenthetical citationunless no
  author is provided
  
• If the author's name is used in the text
  introducing the source material, then cite only
  the page number(s) in parentheses
  
• If the author's name is not used in the sentence
  introducing the source, include the author's last
  name in the citation before the page number(s)

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Examples

• Zipes argues that we really cannot absolutely
  separate the oral, folkloric fairy tale from the
  literary fairy tale because we cannot trace
  stories to their origins (222). 
• Zipes states that "there are very few if any
  records with the exception of paintings,
  drawings, etchings, inscriptions and other
  cultural artifacts that reveal how tales were
  told and received thousands of years ago" (222).

7

• When no author is provided, you may use the first
  important word or words of the title (omitting a,
  an, and the)
  
• Note that no comma comes between the title and
  the page number
  
• Example
• He said, take the fishs bones and hide them
  them in your room (Yeh-hsien 107).
  

8

• If the author's name is not used in the sentence
  introducing the source material, then include the
  author's last name in the parenthetical citation
  before the page number(s)
• Note that no comma appears between the author's
  name and the page number(s)

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Examples

• We really cannot absolutely separate the
  oral, folkloric fairy tale from the literary
  fairy tale because we cannot trace stories to
  their origins (Zipes 222). 
• there are very few if any records with the
  exception of paintings, drawings, etchings,
  inscriptions and other cultural artifacts that
  reveal how tales were told and received thousands
  of years ago (Zipes 222).

10

• If a document uses more than one work by an
  individual author, include the first important
  word or words of the title of the work in
  addition to the author's name and relevant page
  number(s)
• Separate the author's name--if you need it in the
  citation--and the title with a comma

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Examples

• Zipes states, "there are very few if any
  records with the exception of paintings,
  drawings, etchings, inscriptions and other
  cultural artifacts that reveal how tales were
  told and received thousands of years ago" (Great
  222).
• We really cannot absolutely separate the oral,
  folkloric fairy tale from the literary fairy tale
  because we cannot trace stories to their origins
  (Zipes, Great 222). 

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• If a source has two or three authors, place all
  of the authors' last names in the text or in the
  parenthetical citation
  
• If a source has four or more authors, you can use
  the first author's last name followed by et al
  (Latin for and others), either in the text or
  in the parenthetical citation
• You can also use all of the authors last names

13

• If your source quotes someone else, indicate that
  person's name in your sentence
  
• put your source's name inside the citation
  preceded by the abbreviation for "quoted in."  
  
• Example
• Janet Smith pointed out that "the Grimms did
  not refrain from changing stories when it suited
  their purposes" (qtd. in Tatar 321). 

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• If you have information that comes from different
  sources, indicate them all.
  
• Example
• Women across the social spectrum shared and
  modified fairy tales (Smith 172, Warner 316-17).

15

• If a source has a corporate author, include the
  its name and the page(s) in the citation
  
• If the corporate author's name is long, it
  should be included in the text rather than the
  parentheses

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Example

• According to the Centre for Development and
  Population Activities, interest in gender roles
  and responsibilities over the past decade has
  been "driven by the realization that women often
  do not benefit from development activities and in
  some cases become even poorer and more
  marginalized" (3).

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• Electronic texts do not have page numbers (unless
  the source is in PDF format, etc)
  
• Sometimes, numbered paragraphs appear on an
  electronic source. In such cases, use paragraph
  numbers instead of page numbers
  
• The paragraph number should appear in your
  citation following the abbreviation par. If the
  source includes section numbers or screen
  numbers, use those numbers after the word
  section or screen
• If there are no paragraph or other numbers,
  include no number in the parentheses

18

• Treat feature films, videocassettes, and DVDs
  much the same as you treat electronic sources and
  works of fiction
  
• Clearly indicate the name of the film in your
  paper (the title usually begins a works cited
  entry for a movie)
  
• You will need no parenthetical citation unless
  you have directly quoted from the film and have
  not clearly indicated the film title

19

• Treat documentary films, videocassettes, and DVDs
  much the same as you treat electronic sources and
  critical sources
  
• Clearly indicate the name of the film in your
  paper (the title usually begins a works cited
  entry for a movie)
  
• You will need no parenthetical citation unless
  you have not clearly indicated the film title
  

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Punctuation in Relation to Citations

• For most quotations, the periods ending the
  sentence go after the in-text citation, and the
  closing quotation marks go before the citation
  
• If a quotation is longer than four lines in the
  body of your paper, drop the quotation marls and
  indent two tabs from the left margin
  
• With lengthy quotations, the period should come
  before the in-text citation
  
• Lengthy quotations should be double spaced like
  the rest of your paper