How to Cite in MLA Format

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  • Follow the examples on this page for information on how to cite in MLA format. Also see Mahalo's guides for how to cite in APA format and how to cite in Chicago manual of style format.

  • Introduction

    • The Modern Language Association or "MLA" is a professional organization that represents scholars, professors and graduate students in the general field of the Humanities (English, Comparative Literature, Modern Languages, etc). The MLA publishes a style manual that provides guidelines on the proper citation methods for research papers in this field. Here is a brief description of the MLA citation style:

  • MLA Citation Parts

  • Citations in the Text

    • In the MLA style, works that are being cited must have a brief parenthetical reference to the source directly in the text of the paper. This serves to identify the source of an idea or statement as well as point them to the Works Cited List where they can find more detailed information on that source. Here are some general guidelines regarding citing a source within the text:
      1. Always use parentheses () around your citation information.
      2. Place the citation as close to the material you are citing as possible.
      3. If you're putting the citation at the end of a sentence, it should always be placed before the period.
      4. Use the most basic information necessary to identify your source. The author's last name and the pages of the text you are referencing are usually sufficient.
    • Examples:
      • When referring to an author's work:
        • Naked Lunch has been described as a perfect example of Post-Modern literature (Bernard 25-26).
      • When using an author's name:
        • Bernard says that Naked Lunch is a perfect example of Post-Modern literature (25-26).
      • When a work has multiple authors:
        • Post-Modern literature has been described as a reaction to Modernism (Williams and Blake 78).
      • When citing two different works:
        • Modernism's decline coincided with World War II and the rise of Post-Modernism (Smith 45, Walsh 122).
      • When referencing a specific volume:
        • The specific qualities of Post-Modernism are often hard to define (Cheng 2:25-26)
      • More examples

  • Works Cited List

    CC photo by Alexandre Duret-Lutz
    • The Works Cited List (as its name suggests) is basically a list of all of the works that you have cited in your text. Readers of your work can refer to this list when looking to get further information on the sources you have used. In general, each entry in the Works Cited List should include the following, this order:
      1. The author(s) or editor(s) of the book, essay or article
      2. The complete title of the work
      3. The Publication title (for articles and periodicals only)
      4. The Volume number (for articles and periodicals only)
      5. The edition (if applicable)
      6. The place where it was published (for books)
      7. The publisher (for books)
      8. The date it was published
      9. The specific pages referenced (if applicable)
    • Examples:
      • When a work has one author:
        • Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin, 1968. 35-36.
      • When a work has two authors:
        • Collins, Bob, and Joe Franklin. The Beat Generation. Chicago: Bantam, 1992. 125.
      • When a work has more than three authors:
        • Williams, Smith, et al. Following the Beats. San Francisco: City Lights, 1978.
      • When citing multiple works by one author:
        • Scott, Gerald D. Kerouac: A Life Uncovered. New York: Oxford UP, 1980.
        • ---. San Francisco in the Sixties. New York: Oxford UP, 1986.
      • When citing a magazine or journal article:
        • Reed, Sally. "Jack Kerouac and the Poetry of the Beats." Poetry Today 10.2 (2002): 167-178.
      • More examples

  • General Rules for MLA Citations

    • Here are some general rules regarding how your Works Cited List should be arranged:
      1. Your Works Cited List should be on a separate page at the end of your paper.
      2. The page should be titled "Works Cited" - which should be centered at the top of the page.
      3. Use the same sized margins as the rest of your paper and be sure to include a page number.
      4. The entries should be arranged in alphabetical order (using the author's last name)
      5. All citations should be double-spaced (if necessary), although there should be no spaces in between citations.
      6. If one of the entries is longer than one line, the second line should have a hanging indent.

  • Resources


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