MLA FORMATTING AND REFERENCING GUIDE

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1 MLA FORMATTING AND REFERENCING GUIDE Modern Language Association (MLA) format for referencing is now the preferred formatting for citations in Languages and the Social Sciences, but is also used for other subjects as well. MLA format consists of THREE parts: In-text citations and the Works Cited reference list, and general formatting rules. Basic in-text citation rules In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. General Guidelines The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1.) upon the source medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD) and (2.) upon the source s entry on the Works Cited (bibliography) page. Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text, must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works Cited List. In-text citations: Author-page style MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). Both citations in the examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information:

2 Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., Print. In-text citations for print sources with known author For Print sources like books, magazines, scholarly journal articles, and newspapers, provide a signal word or phrase (usually the author s last name) and a page number. If you provide the signal word/phrase in the sentence, you do not need to include it in the parenthetical citation. Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke as "symbol-using animals" (3). Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3). These examples must correspond to an entry that begins with Burke, which will be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of an entry in the Works Cited: Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, Print. In-text citations for print sources with no known author When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name. Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number. We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has "more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change..." ("Impact of Global Warming" 6). In this example, since the reader does not know the author of the article, an abbreviated title of the article appears in the parenthetical citation which corresponds to the full name of the article which appears first at the left-hand margin of its respective entry in the Works Cited. Thus, the writer includes the title in quotation marks as the signal phrase in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader directly to the source on the Works Cited page. The Works Cited entry appears as follows: "The Impact of Global Warming in North America." Global Warming: Early Signs Web. 23 Mar We'll learn how to make a Works Cited page in a bit, but right now it's important to know that parenthetical citations and Works Cited pages allow readers to know which sources you consulted in writing your essay, so that they can either verify your interpretation of the sources or use them in their own scholarly work.

3 Author-page citation for classic and literary works with multiple editions Page numbers are always required, but additional citation information can help literary scholars, who may have a different edition of a classic work like Marx and Engels's The Communist Manifesto. In such cases, give the page number of your edition (making sure the edition is listed in your Works Cited page, of course) followed by a semicolon, and then the appropriate abbreviations for volume (vol.), book (bk.), part (pt.), chapter (ch.), section (sec.), or paragraph (par.). For example: Marx and Engels described human history as marked by class struggles (79; ch. 1). Citing authors with same last names Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even the authors' full name if different authors share initials) in your citation. For example: Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46). Citing a work by multiple authors For a source with three or fewer authors, list the authors' last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation: Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76). For a source with more than three authors, use the work's bibliographic information as a guide for your citation. Provide the first author's last name followed by et al. or list all the last names. Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (4). Or

4 Legal experts counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (Jones et al. 4). Or Jones, Driscoll, Ackerson, and Bell counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (4). Citing multiple works by the same author If you cite more than one work by a particular author, include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the others. Put short titles of books in italics and short titles of articles in quotation marks. Citing two articles by the same author: Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for small children ("Too Soon" 38), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year ("Hand-Eye Development" 17). Citing two books by the same author: Murray states that writing is "a process" that "varies with our thinking style" (Write to Learn 6). Additionally, Murray argues that the purpose of writing is to "carry ideas and information from the mind of one person into the mind of another" (A Writer Teaches Writing 3). Additionally, if the author's name is not mentioned in the sentence, you would format your citation with the author's name followed by a comma, followed by a shortened title of the work, followed, when appropriate, by page numbers: Visual studies, because it is such a new discipline, may be "too easy" (Elkins, "Visual Studies" 63).

5 Citing multivolume works If you cite from different volumes of a multivolume work, always include the volume number followed by a colon. Put a space after the colon, then provide the page number(s). (If you only cite from one volume, provide only the page number in parentheses.)... as Quintilian wrote in Institutio Oratoria (1: 14-17). Citing the Bible In your first parenthetical citation, you want to make clear which Bible you're using (and underline or italicize the title), as each version varies in its translation, followed by book (do not italicize or underline), chapter and verse. For example: Ezekiel saw "what seemed to be four living creatures," each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (New Jerusalem Bible, Ezek ). If future references employ the same edition of the Bible you re using, list only the book, chapter, and verse in the parenthetical citation. Citing indirect sources Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source. An indirect source is a source cited in another source. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For example: Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd. in Weisman 259). Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source, rather than citing an indirect source. Citing non-print or sources from the Internet With more and more scholarly work being posted on the Internet, you may have to cite research you have completed in virtual environments. While many sources on the Internet should not be used for scholarly work, some Web sources are perfectly acceptable for research. When creating in-text citations for electronic, film, or Internet sources, remember that your citation must reference the source in your Works Cited. Sometimes writers are confused with how to craft parenthetical citations for electronic sources because of the absence of page numbers, but often, these sorts of entries do not require any sort of parenthetical citation at all. For electronic and Internet sources, follow the following guidelines: Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).

6 You do not need to give paragraph numbers or page numbers based on your Web browser s print preview function. Unless you must list the Web site name in the signal phrase in order to get the reader to the appropriate entry, do not include URLs in-text. Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes, for example, a domain name, like CNN.com orforbes.com as opposed to writing out or Miscellaneous non-print sources Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo stars Herzog's long-time film partner, Klaus Kinski. During the shooting of Fitzcarraldo, Herzog and Kinski were often at odds, but their explosive relationship fostered a memorable and influential film. During the presentation, Jane Yates stated that invention and prewriting are areas of rhetoric that need more attention. In the two examples above Herzog from the first entry and Yates from the second lead the reader to the first item each citation s respective entry on the Works Cited page: Herzog, Werner, dir. Fitzcarraldo. Perf. Klaus Kinski. Filmverlag der Autoren, Film. Yates, Jane. "Invention in Rhetoric and Composition." Gaps Addressed: Future Work in Rhetoric and Composition, CCCC, Palmer House Hilton, Presentation. Electronic sources One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, Herzog: a Life ). The Purdue OWL is accessed by millions of users every year. Its "MLA Formatting and Style Guide" is one of the most popular resources (Stolley et al.).

7 In the first example, the writer has chosen not to include the author name in-text; however, two entries from the same author appear in the Works Cited. Thus, the writer includes both the author s last name and the article title in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader to the appropriate entry on the Works Cited page (see below). In the second example, Stolley et al. in the parenthetical citation gives the reader an author name followed by the abbreviation et al., meaning, and others, for the article MLA Formatting and Style Guide. Both corresponding Works Cited entries are as follows: Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May Web. 8 Jan Stolley, Karl, et al. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The OWL at Purdue. 10 May Purdue University Writing Lab. 12 May Multiple citations To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semicolon:... as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21). When a citation is not needed Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known quotations or common knowledge. Remember, this is a rhetorical choice, based on audience. If you're writing for an expert audience of a scholarly journal, for example, they'll have different expectations of what constitutes common knowledge.

8 Works Cited Page Rules In-text citations will correspond with an entry in your Works Cited page, which appears on a separate page from the body of your composition, and, for the citations above, would look something like this: Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: University of California Press, Print. Human and Animal Psychology. Psychology Online. American Psychology Institute, 12 Dec Web. 23 May < Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row. New York: Penguin, Print. Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. New York: Penguin, Print. The Human Animal. Penn State University, 20 Feb Web. 3 Mar < Notice in the Works Cited, which comes as a separate page after the main text, that references are listed alphabetically, and are reverse-indented or have what is called a hanging indentation (the first line is not indented, but all subsequent lines are). NOTE: When recording dates (both publishing and access), always use the most recent. NOTE: Sources with More Than One Author The first given name appears in last name, first name format; subsequent author names appear in first name last name format. Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, Print. If there are more than three authors, you may choose to list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names, or you may list all the authors in the order in which their names appear on the title page. (Note that there is a period after al in et al. Also note that there is never a period after the et in et al. ).

9 Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan: Utah State UP, Print. Or Wysocki, Anne Frances, Johndan Johnson-Eilola, Cynthia L. Selfe, and Geoffrey Sirc. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan: Utah State UP, Print. Style Guidelines for Citations of Print Sources Generally speaking, you must collect this information for each printed source and present it in your works cited in this order: Author s name (last name, first name / a second author then appears first name, last name, and for multiple authors simply add et. al. ) Title of article (in quotations, if applicable) Title of the book/publication (in italics) Editor s name (if applicable) Volume, number, and edition number of a magazine or printed encyclopedia (ex. Vol. 3, No. 8, 2 nd ed.) Place of publication (not necessary for magazine or newspaper articles) Publishing company (not necessary for magazine or newspaper articles) Date of publication (in the case of magazines or newspapers, this actually goes directly after the publication name with no punctuation between them) Page number(s) Medium of publication (Print). An example of a cited book and article would look like this (pay CLOSE attention to style and punctuation): Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories. Ed. Tobias Wolff. 3 rd ed. New York: Vintage, Print.

10 Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping 1 Mar. 2006: Print. Style Guidelines for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases) Not every Web page will provide all of the following information. However, you must collect as much of the following information as possible for your works cited entry: Author and/or editor names (if available) Article name in quotation marks (if applicable) Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print publications have Web publications with slightly different names. They may, for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified information, like domain names [e.g..com or.net].) Any version numbers available, including revisions, volumes, or issue numbers. Publisher and publishing date (separated by a comma) Page numbers (if available). Medium of publication. Date you accessed the material. URL (encased in angle brackets, and in plain format not a hyperlink) An example would look like this (again, style and punctuation are important!): Farnsworth, Helen. US Debt Crisis Heats Up. CBC News. CBC, 28 Jul Web. 30 Jul < NOTE: As of 2009, writers are no longer required to provide URLs for Web entries. However, if your instructor or publisher insists on them, include them in angle brackets after the entry and end with a period. For long URLs, break lines only at slashes. See example. NOTE: If a URL is longer than one line, simply add a space after a slash (/) to continue it on the next line. Style Guidelines for Citations of Other Common Sources Speeches, Lectures and Oral Presentations:

11 Provide the speaker s name. Then, give the title of the speech (if any) in quotation marks. Follow with the name of the meeting (in italics), the hosting organization, the location of the occasion, the date and finally the descriptor that appropriately expresses the type of presentation (e.g., Address, Lecture, etc.) Stein, Bob. Writing in the Digital Age. Computers and Writing Conference. Writer s Guild of America. Hyatt Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. 23 May Keynote Address. A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph: Include the artist's name, then the title of the artwork in italics. This is followed by the date it was finished, the name of the institution that houses the artwork and the location of the institution. Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV Museo del Prado, Madrid. Films and TV Programs: List films and TV Programs by their titles. In the case of a film, this would be in italics, whereas for a TV Program, the title of the episode would appear in quotation marks, followed by the Program name in italics. Next, put the name of the director, the production company, the date and the medium. The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Polygram, Film. "The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Dir. Chris Carter. Fox, Television. NOTE: If the film or TV Program is a DVD recording, simply put DVD as the medium. Sound Recordings: Start with the artist s name, then the individual song or track title in quotation marks. This is followed by the album name (in italics), the name of the recording publisher/manufacturer

12 followed by the publication date. List the appropriate medium at the end of the entry (e.g. CD, MP3, Audiocassette). Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind. Geffen, CD. This should cover nearly everything you would reference in an essay or a report. If you have any questions or need to reference a type of source not listed here, you can consult your teacher or visit the online complete MLA style guide at

13 Formatting a Paper in MLA Style This is what the top of your first page should look like: Here's how to make it look this way: 1. Spacing: The entire paper, including the heading, the title, indented quotations and the list of works cited, should be double-spaced. 2. Paper: Be sure the printer is stocked with good-quality 8½ x 11 paper or A4 depending on which country you are in. 3. Font and printing: Use a standard, readable font like Times New Roman for the body of the paper. The font size should be 11 or 12. (For my classes, use 12.) Be sure the printer you use produces clear, easily visible print. Do not use fonts that look like handwriting or italics. Do not print the text in color. 4. Justification: The paper should be left-justified (have an even left margin). It should not be right-justified (made to have an even right margin). The title, of course, should be centered. 5. Margins and indentations: There should be a 1-inch margin on all sides (top, left, right, and bottom), although the page number will appear in the top margin. Do not assume that your word-processing program's default margins are correct for MLA style; check them. When an element must be indented, follow these rules: a. Paragraphs should be indented ½ inch (or 5 spaces). b. Indented quotations (more than 4 typed lines of prose or more than 3 lines of poetry) should be indented 1 inch (or 10 spaces).

14 c. Items in the Works Cited list should be typed with a hanging indentation. Remember, the whole paper (including the list of works cited) should be doublespaced! 6. Page numbers: Type the page number ½ inch from the top of the page in the right-hand corner. Put your last name before the number, and space between your name and the page number. Do not use any other letters or symbols unless your teacher has given special instructions. Page numbers appear on all pages, including the first page and the pages of the list of works cited. (Some instructors may ask you not to number the first page.) 7. Heading: Unless your teacher specifically told you to do so, do not use a title page. Instead, begin the first page with a double-spaced heading typed even with the left margin. The first line is your name, the second is the teacher's name, the third is the course number, and the fourth is the date. Double-space again and type the title, centering it. (DO NOT UNDERLINE IT, PUT IT IN QUOTATION MARKS, PUT IT IN ITALICS, OR PUT IT IN BOLDFACE. JUST TYPE IT!) Use no extra spaces before or after the heading and title--the paper will be double spaced from the top of the first page to the end of the list of works cited. 8. List of Works Cited: Keep page numbering turned on (if the last page of your paper is page 11, your Works Cited begins on page 12). Begin the list on a new page. Type the heading, "Works Cited," at the top, centering it. (Do not put it in quotation marks, underline it, etc.) Then type your entries, using a hanging indentation (see #5) and double spacing (see #1). Do not put extra space between the items. 9. Styles and templates: Beginning with some sort of pre-formatted page can simplify following these rules, but remember that you are still responsible for the format of your paper. Check to make sure everything is correct, and be particularly careful to check that side margins are only 1 inch wide. 10. Electronic submission: If you are asked to submit your paper in electronic form, follow your teacher's instructions on formatting and also on the way the paper is to be submitted ( , through Blackboard, etc.). If the paper is for me, follow all the formatting rules given above so that the paper would meet MLA standards if it were printed.

Basic in-text citation rules

*Adapted from OWL @ Purdue Basic in-text citation rules In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing