MLA for Essays: Basics, In-text/ Parenthetical Citations, and Works Cited Mrs. Taft
! When typing.! Books=italicized! Articles=quotation marks! Magazines, Journals, Newspapers=italicized! Poems=quotation marks! LONG poems (such as The Odyssey)=italicized! When handwriting! Books=underlined! Articles=quotation marks! Magazines, Journals, Newspapers=underlined! Poems=quotation marks! LONG poems (such as The Odyssey)=underlined
In-Text/Parenthetical Citations! Also called in-text citations, parenthetical citations are used to show ownership.! You MUST cite work/knowledge/ideas that are not your own.! Even items that are not directly QUOTED need to be cited, including SUMMARIES and PARAPHRASES! Citations will depend on what kind of source you will use and how it is cited in the works cited
Quotes, Paraphrases, Summaries! Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.! Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.! Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
Why?! Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing! Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing! Give examples of several points of view on a subject! Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with! Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original! Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own! Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
Quotes! When providing support or proof in an essay, one may include a quote from the text to back up the idea/thought.! At least one quote should appear in each body paragraph when writing an essay specifically about a piece of literature. If the essay is not specifically about literature, quotes may be used sporadically when appropriate.! Most of the time, one will cite his/her quotes with the author s last name a page number.! Place the quote, end with the marks and THEN put the author s last name and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence including the quote! Punctuation (except for question marks and exclamations) go AFTER the parentheses. There will ALWAYS be a period after the parentheses
Example: A student was writing about The Giver by Louis Lowry, his works cited for the novel was, Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Dell Laurel Leaf, 1993. Print. And he used the following quotes in his paragraphs For example, One part of his consciousness knew that he was still lying there, on the bed, in the Annex room, showing there is an interruption in the chronological sequence of his thought process (Lowry 81). Lowry writes, Jonas was identified as a possible Receiver many years ago, illustrating that Jonas does not have the correct qualities to be a protagonist for this story (62). NOTICE: Since the author was NOT mentioned in the sentence of the first quote, the last name was in parentheses. Since the author WAS mentioned in the sentence of the second quote, the last name was omitted from the parentheses It is to your benefit to use both ways of citing.
Paraphrases! When providing support or proof in an essay, one may include paraphrased information to add to the topic.! Paraphrasing can be done, but one s entire essay should not be paraphrased. One s own ideas/explanation should be the bulk of the essay.! Place the paraphrased information where necessary, then end the sentence or paragraph (ONLY if the entire paragraph is paraphrased) with a citation.
Example: A student is writing about the life of Edgar Allen Poe. He/ she reads an article about Poe s life and wants to paraphrase some of the information. The article s citation (for the works cited) appears as follows White, Caroline. Edgar Allen Poe. The Senator May 2014: 1-2. Print. He/she uses the following paraphrase in a paragraph (remember, this information is not word for word, but contains the same information): Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston, MA to his parents, but he was later orphaned and taken in by his uncle (White 2). In the article Edgar Allen Poe, Caroline White states Poe was born in Boston, MA to his parents, but he was later orphaned and taken in by his uncle (2).
Summaries! When providing support or proof in an essay, one may summarize information from a source. This is perfectly acceptable, but the source MUST be given credit!! Place the summary of information in the paragraph where needed, then end the summarized information with an in-text/parenthetical citation.! Again, punctuation will go AFTER the parentheses. There will ALWAYS be a period after the parentheses!
Example: A student is writing about the novel Divergent. He/she must explain what happens in the novel for the essay. The novel would be cited as follows in the works cited Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2011. Print. He/she uses the following paraphrase in a paragraph (remember, this information is not word for word, but contains the same information): In Divergent, Beatrice Prior must choose whether or not she stays Abnegation, like her parents, or another faction, such as Dauntless (Roth 47). In Divergent, Roth tells the story of Beatrice Prior, who must choose whether or not she stays Abnegation, like her parents, or another faction, such as Dauntless (47).
Other In-Text/Parenthetical Citation Tips! Make sure to ALWAYS use multiple strategies and ways to include citations! Do NOT always cite at the end of a paragraph (summarizing/paraphrasing)- this should only be utilized one time per essay! When in doubt, check with me or the OWL at Purdue online
The Works Cited What is the difference between a bibliography and a works cited? You will need to complete a Works Cited for all essays since you should have at least one item to cite, whether it is a quote, paraphrase, or summary!
Remember The Works Cited consists of every work you cited in your essay. Each time you cited a source, even if it was just for an attention getter, you MUST cite that source. The Works Cited will be a separate page in your essay, and it will be the last page with its own page number. (If you had three pages of writing, the Works Cited will be a fourth page with a page number including your last name and 4.) The Works Cited will begin with the title Works Cited in the center of the top of the page (Remember- 1 margins) DO NOT italicize, underline, or bold the title Works Cited- it will remain in Times New Roman, 12 point font
The Works Cited will be double-spaced along with the rest of your essay. Indent the second and each subsequent line of an entry by ½ ; this is a hanging indent. Alphabetize your entries by the first letter in each entry whether it is by last name or title. There are other rules to follow when you have special circumstances, so please check with your teacher, the MLA handbook, or OWL at Purdue.
Books Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Example: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
Magazine Article Lastname, Firstname. Title of Article. Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication. Example: Buchman, Dana. A Special Education. Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 14-48. Print.
Newspaper Article Almost exactly like a magazine article, except page numbers may look strange Lastname, Firstname. Title of Article. Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication. Example: Brubaker, Bill. New Health Center Targets County s Uninsured Patients. Washington Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Print.
Journal Article Lastname, Firstname. Title of Article. Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication. Example: Bagchi, Aleknanda. Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi s Bashai Tudu. Tulsa Studies in Women s Literature 15.1 (1996): 41-50. Print.
Databases Lastname, Firstname. Title of the article. Title of the Periodical Day Month Year: Pages. Title of the Database. Medium of Publication. Date accessed by you. Example: Junge, Wolfgang, and Nathan Nelson. Nature's Rotary Electromotors. Science 29 Apr. 2005: 642-44. Science Online. Web. 5 Mar. 2009.
A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection Lastname, Firstname. Title of Work. /Title of Work. Title of Collection. Ed. Editor s Name(s). City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication. Example: Stockton, Frank R. The Lady, or the Tiger? Glencoe Literature Course 4. Ed. Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., Douglas Fischer, Beverly Ann Chin, and Jacqueline Jones Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 12-18. Print. OR Stockton, Frank R. The Lady, or the Tiger? Glencoe Literature Course 4. Ed. Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. et al. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 12-18. Print.
Websites Editor, Author, or compiler name (if available). Name of the Site. Version number. Name of institution/ organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access. Example: The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 20 October 2009.
What about more than one author? For more than one author, you will list the first one as normal and then any others firstname lastname afterwards. If there are more than two names, some people just like to place et al. (Latin for and others after the first name. Example: Taft, Melissa and Rowan Taft. Taft, Melissa, et al.
What about more than one work by the same author? List the works alphabetically, placing the authors name (lastname, firstname) for the first entry, and for subsequent entries place three hyphens with a period Example: Taft, Melissa. Freshman are Amazingtastic. Springfield: SHS Publications, 2013. Print. ---. Sophomores are Sophomoric. Springfield: SHS Publications, 2013. Print.
Anything else? I got all my information from the OWL at Purdue: The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 20 October 2009. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/