MLA Citation of Sources

A Plain Spoken Approach

Why Citation Is Important

• Modern Language Association (MLA) format avoids plagiarism

• Plagiarism is defined as:“the unauthorized use or close imitation of the

language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, as by not crediting the author”.

Taken from: “Plagiarism.” In Dictionary.Com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism

Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is too common today.

• There are even coupons available for it as shown below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/85348757/

Fryer, Wesley (Photographer). (January 11, 2006). “Coupon for plagiarism “(photo of coupon). Original in Texas Tech University Coupon Book. Lubbock, Texas . In Flickr. Retrieved October 29, 2011 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/85348757/ (Creative Commons License).

MLA Citation of Sources

• Two Parts:

1.In-Text Citations (in parentheses)

2.Works Cited Page (end of essay)

• Both parts are required for a correct citation.

MLA Citation of Sources

• In-Text Citations are bookmarks for where sources are used

(Smith 78)

• A Works Cited Page is a full list of all source information

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Norton,1997. Print.

MLA Works Cited Page Entries

• Hardest Part of MLA Citation

• Always use a book or a web site as a guide

• Always appears on its own page or pages

• Ends the essay

How To CreateMLA Works Cited Page Entries

• Find the type of source that you are using in your guide

• Copy this format exactly

• Change only the title, author, etc. as necessary

How To CreateMLA Works Cited Page Entries

• Example from a guide:

• A book with one author:Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of

Music and theBrain. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.

Taken from: Hacker, Diana and Barbara Fister. (n.d.). Basic format for a book. In Research and Documentation Online. Fifth Edition. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/

How To CreateMLA Works Cited Page Entries

Parts of the Citation:

Author Last Name First. Book Title (in italics). Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.

City of YearPublication: Publisher, Published. Medium.New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.

Taken from: Hacker, Diana and Barbara Fister. (n.d.). Basic format for a book. In Research and Documentation Online. Fifth Edition. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/

How To CreateMLA Works Cited Page Entries

• If your source was:

Frankenstien by Mary Shelley printed by Norton Publishers in New York in 1997

• Then your citation would be:

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Norton, 1997. Print.

The Author

• Author’s Name always comes first in a citation (if it is available)

• Author’s Name is listed as first name, last name.

• Example: Mary Shelley = Shelley, Mary

• After the first author, other authors are listed normally

• Example: Shelley, Mary and Frank Baum

The Title

• The second item in a citation is the title of the work used in the essay.

• The title can come first if there is no author or the work is anonymous.

• From our example:

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.

More Than One Title

• If a larger work contains the work used, then the title of the larger work comes next.

• For example, if you are using only one article from a magazine:

“Article Title.” Magazine Title.

Example:

“Why We Love Horror Movies.” Time.

Publication Information

• Next comes the city of publication

• Only give the state if the city is not well known

• Then comes the name of the publisher

• Then comes the year in which the source was published

• From our example:New York: Knopf, 2007.

The Medium

• This is the way in which the source is presented

• For Example: Print, eBook, Web, Video

• From our example:New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.

• Most sources today are either Print or Web.

Important Notes

• End all Works Cited Page entries with a period.

• Never add any abbreviations that are not asked for in your guide

• Where items fall inside the citation tells your readers what each item involves.

The End Result

• Using a guide to create your citations insures that they are correct.

• Good things come from well-documented research.