**Information is pulled from the Purdue Owl Webpage available here.
MLA is the most commonly used style to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This process teachers writers a flexible method that is universally applicable.
Formatting Your Paper
Citations
The basic information that is needed for citations are:
1. Author.
2. Title of Source.
3. Title of Container,
4. Other Contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication Date,
9. Location.
Citation Format for Books
Author Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publishing Company: Name of Publishing Co, year.
Citation Format for Online Databases or Encyclopedia
Author Last name, First name. "Article's Title." Publisher of Database, Publication Date. URL. Date of Access.
Citation for Newspaper Article
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year, pages.
Citation for Article in a Magazine
Authors(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Day Month Year, pages.
Citation Format for Websites
Author Last name, First name. "Title of Webpage." Title of the Site. Editor. Date Site was Created. Name of Sponsoring Institution. URL of website. Date of Access.
In-Text Citations
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.
Samples:
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).
Formatting Quotations
Basic Rules for Works Cited Page
**Much of this material was taken directly from the Purdue OWL webpage. All credit is given to this organization.
MLA is the most commonly used style to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This process teachers writers a flexible method that is universally applicable.
Formatting Your Paper
- Do not use a title page
- In upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
- Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place the title in quotation marks.
- In the upper right corner of the header, create a header that includes your last name followed by a space with the page number (this can be formatted in Word)
Citations
The basic information that is needed for citations are:
1. Author.
2. Title of Source.
3. Title of Container,
4. Other Contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication Date,
9. Location.
Citation Format for Books
Author Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publishing Company: Name of Publishing Co, year.
Citation Format for Online Databases or Encyclopedia
Author Last name, First name. "Article's Title." Publisher of Database, Publication Date. URL. Date of Access.
Citation for Newspaper Article
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year, pages.
Citation for Article in a Magazine
Authors(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Day Month Year, pages.
Citation Format for Websites
Author Last name, First name. "Title of Webpage." Title of the Site. Editor. Date Site was Created. Name of Sponsoring Institution. URL of website. Date of Access.
In-Text Citations
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.
Samples:
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).
Formatting Quotations
- Short quotations- fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse)
- Enclose quotation in double quotation marks.
- Provide the author and specific page citation in the text, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page.
- Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are part of your text.
- Examples:
- According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.
- According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).
- Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?
- Long quotations
- Place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks.
- Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double spacing
- Parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.
- See Purdue OWL webpage for long quotation sample.
Basic Rules for Works Cited Page
- Separate page from the rest of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.
- Page is labeled "Works Cited" (do not italicize or use quotations). Center the label at the top of the page
- Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries
- Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent
**Much of this material was taken directly from the Purdue OWL webpage. All credit is given to this organization.