Table for Basic MLA In Text Citations. For Print

Transcription

1 Table for Basic MLA In Text Citations Situation For Print Citation Style If you refer to the author s name in the text As Rocha asserts,... nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour s lecture on the MLA (75). Note: no author only page number If you do not refer to the author s name in the text (signal phrase). Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour s lecture on the MLA (Rocha 75). Note: author and page number Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour s lecture on the MLA ( How to Author unknown Drive Freshman Nuts 75). Note: Either use the complete title in a signal phrase or use a short form of the title in parentheses. Titles of books are underlined; titles of articles are put in quotation marks. If author is unknown but you use a signal phrase. 1

2 How to Drive Freshman Nuts relates the quickest and most effective means of inducing insanity in under classmen when it states, Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour s lecture on the MLA (75). Note: no author, page number only Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour s lecture on the MLA (Gerber and Two or three authors. Rocha 75). Note: both authors as listed on source and page number If you have more than three authors, simply list the first author followed by et al. (Cvejic et al. 75) Rocha notes how easily an underclassman will resort to destruction simply by a good hour s lecture on the MLA (How to 75). She also follows up this claim of instability in the hilarious I am Two or more titles by the same author Insane and So Can You, noting, It s a short walk from the joys of childhood to the anguish of the teenage years. And I m willing to lead them on that stroll just a little sooner (83). In previous writing however, Gerber has been less decisive. Mental patients in the classroom, while a great source of amusement and mockery, often divert attention from important activities like television and pizza parties. Take care when and how you induce psychosis (Insane Membrane 9). 2

3 Note: mention the title of the work in the signal phrase or include a short version of the title in the parentheses. Feel free to mix it up. For more than one source in the parentheses. The mind numbing effects of teaching MLA documentation to freshmen have been well documented. (Rocha 42; Gerber 114; Glotz 73). Note: Use this format to show that several authorities agree on this point. Note that this citation is NOT a direct quote within quotation marks. Also note that the punctuation within the parentheses, not commas but semicolons. If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text. Sandra Rocha, in an essay on teenage emotional instability, states: some individuals [who leave] make a point of never repeating ninth grade, just to avoid MLA (78). Note: Consider what s within the brackets as paraphrasing. Again, use this form to include the part of the quote relevant to your point. 3

4 If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipsis marks, which are three periods (...) preceded and followed by a space. In an essay on ninth grade emotional disorders, Sandra Rocha notes that, some individuals can muddle through in a relatively lucid manner... and in a short time they re just as unbalanced as the rest of the group" (78). Note: Consider what s within the brackets as paraphrasing. Again, use this form to include the part of the quote relevant to your point. Rules for long quotations Are for quotations longer than four full typed lines. the closing punctuation mark before a long quote is a colon (:). omit quotation marks start the quotation on a new line indented 10 spaces from the left margin maintain double spacing. Sandra Rocha identifies the lowly freshman as the ultimate and easiest victim for madness: You can nearly set your clock by the time it takes to make a freshman crazy once instruction in the MLA format begins. The ticker is set in motion by even the passing mention of items such as the heinous exacting page formatting, the beastly standard heading, the recalcitrant header. But true mental illness really takes root when, at long last, the word Works Cited rumbles through a crowd of fearful, beleaguered 14 year olds. Now that s when the fun truly 4

5 the parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. begins. (614) Note: Use this form sparingly as long quotes can become tedious and long winded. Again note that the end is before the citation. For Internet Websites present a special challenge. It is often difficult to determine the type of website you have and what you are to cite. The most important point to remember is that your reader must be able to quickly look up your in text citation on the Works Cited page. Rule of thumb: what you use to cite a website depends on what is available to you and follows the following priority: 1. Author (Last name(s) and likely no page number) 2. Article (Shorten the name to two words, no quotation marks) 3. Website (full name underlined) 5

6 Situation If you have the author s name Citation Style Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour s lecture on the MLA (Rocha). Note : ALWAYS use the author's last name if given. This is your first priority. Exposure to the MLA format can cause vomiting, lack of bladder control, memory loss, and in some You do not have an author but you do have an article name on a website extreme cases, an obsession with the Jonas Brothers (MLA Side Effects). Note : No author was listed so we go to the next most specific area, the article. In this case, the article was called The Dangerous Side Effects of the MLA Format and was found on the CNN website. The article name was too long to use so it is shorted to just two to three identifiable words. DO NOT USE THE WEBSITE WHEN THE ARTICLE NAME IS AVAILABLE. 6

7 Simple, single topic websites with no author and no article name Though following a specified guideline can be frustrating, and at times seemingly impossible, the form does ensure consistency and accountability ( Learning to Love MLA ). Note : This citation references an entire website devoted to the benefits of the MLA. It does not include a range of articles on different aspects. It is simple and to the point. Estimates of the number of freshman driven mad by the prolonged exposure to the MLA format vary Author s with the same last name. because little evidence is has been collected (L. Rocha). That situation, however, is slowly improving due to the increased use of technology in mental health wards (S. Rocha). Note: include the author's first initial in the parentheses. On December 6, 2000, reporter Sandra Rocha wrote that student Bret Carpenter had become addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol after completing an hour long session on in text Two or more titles by the same author citations. After completing his research paper, Carpenter hit the bottle, took to the road and was charged with "two counts of vehicular manslaughter... in the deaths of John and Carole Hall" (Couple Painful End). The next day Gerber reported the judge's ruling, noting that Carpenter, "was convicted of negligent driving and fined $500, the maximum penalty allowed" (Man Convicted Vehicular). 7

8 Note: must include authors name in a signal phrase and a portion of the article or website name (depending on what is available refer to priority list) 8

9 In order to determine if eye color could be generally altered, Mengele had dye injected into the eyes More than one article with the same name. of several twin subjects. This always resulted in painful infections and sometimes even death (Mengele 1) Note: This research paper cited several articles simply entitled Mengele, none of which included an author. You will need to adjust your Works Cited to match then numbers in your in text citation. As critic Bertrand Evans points out: "Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of unawareness" If the web page has a long title (Twayne s New Critical). Note: The title of this website is actually Twayne's New Critical Introductions to Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. It is way too long so I simply use the first three words of the title and do not underline it because it is not the proper name. 9

10 Priority List In text Citations for Internet Sources 1. Author 2. Article 3. Website For Authors If your source lists an author(s), the last name is the first citation you will use. Situation Citation One author Two authors Note: arrange as the source arranged it: sometimes it is not alphabetical Three authors Four or more authors citing only the first author listed Authors with the same last name Note: use first initial Multiple works by the same author Note: Use the author s name and 2 3 recognizable words from the article name (or (Rocha) (Gerber and Rocha) (Cvejic, Gerber and Gen) (Gerber et al.) (L. Brown) (R. Brown) (Rocha, Freshman Nuts) (Rocha, Miserable Freshman) 10

11 website name if you do not have an article). If you include the author s name to set up your quote, you can eliminate it from the in text citation A corporate author (Food and Drug Administration) (Department of Motor Vehicles) For Articles If you do not have the author or authors of a work, go to the next level: the article name. Situation The article name is How to Drive Freshman Nuts. This is way too long to write in each time. I will shorten the name to 2 3 words choose words that will make it easy to match this citation with the Works Cited Never duplicate the citation for 2 different sources The article name is Hitler s Lies Note: Use quotation marks when using the EXACT title of the article Titles that have the same name Note: You will have to adjust your Works Cited so that you number the articles that have the same titles. For example Citation (Freshman Nuts) ( Hitler s Lies ) (1. Nanking 1937 ) = source from History.com (2. Nanking 1937 ) = source from War on Reconciliation 11

12 1. Nanking History.com. 2. Nanking The War on Reconciliation. For Websites If you do not have the article name, move to the last level: the name of the website. Situation Citation The name of the website is The Holocaust: (Crimes, Heroes,Villians) Crimes, Heroes and Villains This is way too long to write in each time. I will shorten the name to 2 3 words choose words that will make it easy to match this citation with the Works Cited The name of the website is Jewish Virtual Library Note: Underline when using the EXACT title of the website ( Jewish Virtual Library ) Other Circumstances Situation When a writer's or a speaker's quoted words appear in a source written by someone else, begin the parenthetical citation with the abbreviation "qtd. in." Citation (qtd. in The History Channel ) If you quote the Declaration of Independence from a website called The History Channel, you will use this format. 12

13 NOTE: If an author s name is mentioned in the text, the in text citation will change to the next level (article). If the article name is mentioned, the next level of citation is the website. 13