MLA Reference Format



TEST

MLA Reference Format

Prepared by Judy Arzt, Ph.D.

Academic Resources Center, Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT

September 1999

THE MLA (Modern Language Association)

STYLE OF REFERENCING

The following departments generally use the MLA referencing style:

English Philosophy

Foreign Languages Religious Studies

Professors in other departments may accept MLA. Please check with your individual instructor.

Parenthetical Citations

The MLA style uses parenthetical citations to document a reference in the text of a paper. When you quote a source, you need to cite the author and give the page number(s) on which the material appears. You may do this in different ways. If you mention the author’s name in the text, you put only the page number in the parenthetical citation:

Willa Cather describes Paul as “tall for his age and very thin, with high cramped shoulders and a narrow chest” (144).

If the author’s name is not used in your sentence, you must give the name in the parenthetical citation in the following format:

Paul was “tall for his age and very thin, with high cramped shoulders and a narrow chest” (Cather 144).

Punctuation Rules for In-Text Citations:

a. Place the period at the end of a sentence after the closing parenthesis.

b. Do not place a comma between the author’s name and page number:

(Cather 144).

c. The quotation mark to close quoted text is placed before the parenthetical citation.

Paul was “tall for his age and very thin, with high cramped shoulders and a narrow chest” (Cather 144).

The quotation mark abuts the last letter of the last word in the quotation; then a space is used, followed by the opening parenthesis.

The period to end the sentence:

The period after the parenthesis abuts the parenthesis; do not place a space between the closing parenthesis mark and the period.

Willa Cather describes Paul as “tall for his age and very thin, with high cramped shoulders and a narrow chest” (144).

Note that in the above example the period comes right after the closing parenthesis and no period appears after the word “chest.” In essence, the parenthetical citation becomes a part of the sentence.

If you are transcribing an exclamation point or question mark that appeared in the source you are quoting, those marks will appear inside the quotation marks:

The older waiter in Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” asks himself, “What did he fear?” (79).

Voices in the house of “The Rocking-Horse Winner” haunt its inhabitants, incessantly telling them that “There must be more money!” (297).

Note that a period follows the parenthetical citation.

Many times you will use quotations in the middle of a sentence rather than at the end. In this case, your punctuation rules depend on how you are using your quotation:

Edith Wharton suggests that while “the test of the novel is that its people should be alive,” short stories depend more on “the dramatic rendering of a situation” (389).

The comma included in the first quotation did not appear in the original text but was added to make the grammar of the sentence correct.

However, you may not include within your quotation marks punctuation that does not appear in the original text. If you rewrote the above example and used a semicolon, your sentence would look like this:

Edith Wharton claims that “the test of the novel is that its people should be alive”; however, she feels that short stories depend more on “the dramatic rendering of a situation” (389).

The p. and the & are not used with MLA in-text citations:

The abbreviation p. is not used before the page number with MLA parenthetical citations. Please be wary of this rule. Often people mistakenly include the p.

(Cather 144). p. is not used; the reader knows 144 is the page number.

If a work has two authors, the parenthetical citation would look like this:

(Roberts and Jacobs 142). & is not used to separate the two names.

Two authors:

“The skills needed for writing strong essays about literature cannot be separated from the skills involved in intelligent reading” (Roberts and Jacobs xiii).

The above example might work equally well with a single phrase to introduce the quotation:

Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs claim, “The skills needed for writing strong essays about literature cannot be separated from the skills involved in intelligent reading” (xiii).

Block quotations:

Block form is used for long quotations (4 or more lines), in which case quotation marks are omitted because the block form substitutes for quotation marks. Block quotations should be double spaced and indented 10 spaces from your left margin. In block quotations, the period at the end of the quotation comes before the parenthetical citation, as in the example below.

Holcombe highlights the conflict faced by women with intellectual aspirations in the Victorian Period:

Indifferently or frivolously educated, often empty-headed and limited in outlook, idle and dependent upon men for their livelihood and their status in society, middle class women not unnaturally were considered a subordinate species altogether, while women of intelligence and ability were frustrated by the narrow, stultifying lives which were their lot. (5)

Use of References’ First Names and Middle Names or Initial(s):

The author’s full name is given in the text of the paper. However, parenthetical citations use only last names. See the below two examples.

Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs claim, “The skills needed for writing strong essays about literature cannot be separated from the skills involved in intelligent reading” (xiii).

“The skills needed for writing strong essays about literature cannot be separated from the skills

involved in intelligent reading” (Roberts and Jacobs xiii).

The first sentence acknowledges the reference within the text of the actual sentence, and the full names (first name, middle initial if known, and last name) are used. The second example acknowledges the reference in the parenthetical citation, so only the last names of the references are given.

Paraphrases and summaries:

A page number must be given for paraphrases and summaries. For instance, a summary of the literary critic’s interpretation of a story must give the page number even if the student writing the paper uses her own words.

One critic contends that the story is a tale of feminism gone wrong (Alberts 234).

Signal Phrases:

It is important that your reader be able to tell where the material taken from the source begins. A signal phrase to introduce material taken from a source is recommended.

You may choose from a variety of different methods for integrating quotations into the text of your paper. Note how signal phrases are used to start the acknowledgment and the parenthesis is used to close the acknowledgement. The examples which follow demonstrate a number of these ways using a quotation from Samuel Johnson’s preface to his edition of Shakespeare’s plays.

Johnson originally wrote:

“Shakespeare is, above all other writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature, the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life.”

1) Whole quotation:

Johnson claims that “Shakespeare is, above all other writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature, the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life ”(301).

2) Part of a quotation:

Johnson contends that Shakespeare’s writing is superior to other poets’ because he was “the poet of nature, the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life ”(301).

Note how the quotation is integrated into the syntax of the sentence.

Verbs help to clarify the context for the quoted material. In the above example, note the use of “contends.”

3) Key words:

Johnson praises Shakespeare for being “the poet of nature,” believing that he surpassed all other poets in his ability to construct “a faithful mirror of manners and of life ”(301).

Because the two quotations in this sentence come from the same page, the page number appears only after the second quotation.

4) Ellipses (...):

If you want to use most of the words of the quotation, but some seem unnecessary or not useful, you may replace them with an ellipsis.

Johnson claims that “Shakespeare is, above all other writers…the poet of nature, the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life ”(301).

5) Making adjustments:

If you need to add words for a quotation or change the capitalization or tense of a word to fit your text, place the letters that change the word in brackets:

Johnson claimed that “Shakespeare [wa]s, above all other writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature, the poet that h[eld] up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life ”(301).

Importance of Signal Phrases

Signal phrases help to introduce material borrowed from a reference. One word, a phrase, or a full sentence might be used to introduce the borrowing.

It is a good idea from time to time to identify the credentials of a source. For example, you might introduce a quotation, paraphrase, or summary taken from a science journal with a phrase such as the following:

Dr. Henry Morgan, Yale University professor of biochemistry, found after repeated experimentation that “genetic material could be replicated” (446).

A comment from a literary critic might begin with a phrase such as this:

In a New York Times Book Review article, Hans Smith contended: “Kenney has only a superficial understanding of Herbert’s poetry” (23).

Signal phrases often incorporate verbs or verb phrases. The verb needs to fit the context, such as whether the source claims, argues, observes, concludes, refutes, or states. A list of verbs follows to assist you with thinking about possibilities for your own writing; should you use any of these, be sure that it fits the context.

SOME VERBS TO USE IN SIGNAL PHRASES

acknowledges claims discloses implies recounts submits

adds comments discounts indicates refers suggests

admits compares disputes insists reflects supports

advances concludes documents maintains refutes theorizes

affirms concurs emphasizes narrates reiterates writes

agrees confirms explains negates relates verifies

alludes contends expresses notes remarks

argues contrasts extrapolates observes replies

asserts declares grants points out reports

attests defines highlights posits responds

characterizes delineates hypothesizes purports reveals

chronicles denies illustrates reasons states

Works Cited

Sources listed in the Works Cited are ONLY the ones that were cited in the paper.

Sources not cited in your paper are not included on this list, even if you have read them to inform your discussion of the research topic.

Some basic formats for commonly used sources appear below. Note the guidelines that govern punctuation, spacing, capitalization, underlining, and other formatting details. For additional assistance consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or an updated college composition book that includes a section on the MLA documentation format.

1. A book written by one author:

Daiute, Colette. Writing and Computers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1985.

Each section—author, title, and publication essentials—is punctuated with a period. The publication information lists the city, followed by a colon, then the name of the publishing company, followed by a comma, and the date of publication. Give the most recent date listed.

2. A book with two editors:

Williamson, Michael and Brian Huot, eds. Validating Holistic Scoring for Writing

Assessment: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations. Cresskill: Hampton, 1993.

Williamson’s name comes first because it is listed first on the title page of the book.

3. A short story found in an anthology:

Cather, Willa. “Paul’s Case.” The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. 3rd ed. Ann

Charters. Boston: Bedford, 1991. 83-94.

The page numbers for the short story are given at the end of the citation.

4. An essay in an edited book:

Everingham, Jo-Anne. “Organizing for Television Study and Use.” English Teachers at Work: Ideas and

Strategies from Five Countries. Ed. Stephen N. Tchudi. Upper Montclair: Boynton, 1986. 224-227.

5. Article in a journal:

Haswell, Janis and Richard H. Haswell. “Gendership and the Miswriting of Students.” College

Composition and Communication 67.2 (1995): 223-254.

6. An article from a monthly or bimonthly magazine:

Wills, Garry. “The Words That Remade America: Lincoln at Gettysburg.” Atlantic Monthly June 1992:

57-79.

7. An article from a weekly or biweekly magazine:

Trillin, Calvin. “Culture shopping.” New Yorker 15 Feb. 1993: 48-51.

8. Material from a computer data base:

Rocco, Pier L. “Lithium and Suicidal Behavior in Bipolar Patients.” Medical Science Research 19

(1991): 910-16. psychLIT 78-34111.

9. Material from a computer service:

Schomer, Howard. “South Africa: Beyond Fair Employment.” Harvard Business Review May-June

1983: 145+. Dialog file 122, item 119425 833160.

10. Material from an information service, such as ERIC:

Spolsky, Bernard. Navaho Language Maintenance: Six-Year-Olds in 1969. Navajo Reading Study Prog.

Rept. 5. Albuquerque: U. of New Mexico, 1969. ERIC ED 043 004.

If the material was not previously published, use the information service as the publication.

Streiff, Paul R. Some Criteria for Designing Evaluation of TESOL Programs. ERIC, 1970. ED 040 385.

11. Speech or lecture:

Hurley, James. Address. Opening Sess. American Bar Assn. Convention. Chicago, 17 Jan. 1987.

12. Personal interview:

Slade, Hammer. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 1995.

Sledge, Sarah. Telephone interview. 24 Oct. 1995.

13. Television program:

The Infinite Voyage. PBS. WNET, New York. 6 May 1992.

14. Videocassette:

Alzheimer’s Disease. Prod. Hospital Satellite Network. American Journal of Nursing, 198.

Videocassette. 1993.

15. Internet:

To document web sources, include the same information as for print sources: Author, title, Editor (if appropriate), publication information, date of your access, and URL (electronic address in angle brackets). End with a period. For example, a citation for a magazine article from the Internet would look like this:

Viagas, Robert, and David Lefkowitz. “Capeman Closing This Week.” Playbill Online 5 Mar.

1998. 6 Mar. 1998. .

Additional examples of how to cite Internet sources can be found in another Academic Resources Center handout, "Citing Electronic Sources: MLA Format."

16. Listing two sources by the same author:

Murray, Donald M. A Writer Teaches Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1968.

---. “Internal Revision: A Process of Discovery.” Research on Composing: Points of Departure. Eds.

Charles R. Cooper and Lee O’Dell, NCTE, 1978. Rpt. in Learning by Teaching. Upper

Montclair: Boynton, 1992. 72-87.

In the text of your paper you need to make it clear which source is used. Thus, you need to include the first word of the title. Assume the author’s name had not been given in a signal phrase; your parenthetical citations for the two sources would look like this:

(Murray, A Writer 15).

(Murray, “Internal” 73).

If the author’s name was used in the text of the sentence or in the nearby vicinity of the paragraph, the author’s name would be excluded from the parenthetical citation and only the reference to the title of the work would appear in the citation.

(A Writer 17).

MLA Formatting Checklist

Title page: The MLA research paper does not need a separate title page. Instead, beginning one inch from the top of the first page and flush against the left margin, type your name, your instructor’s name, the course name and number, and the date all on separate lines with double spacing between lines. Double space again and center the title of your paper. Double space between the title and the first line of your paper.

The title: Do not underline your title, put it in quotation marks, or type it in all capital letters. Do not use periods at the end of your title or after any headings (e.g., Works Cited).

Margins: Except for the “header” (see next guideline), leave one-inch margins at the top and bottom and on both sides of the text. Always use standard, white 8 ½ by 11 inch paper.

Pagination: Page numbers are included in MLA “header.” The MLA header helps ensure consecutive pagination and guards against loss of pages. The MLA header includes the student’s last name and consecutive page numbers. The header must appear flush against the right margin in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top of the page. Do not use the abbreviation “p.” before the page number or add a period, hyphen, or any other mark or symbol.

Spacing: The entire text of the MLA paper must be double spaced. This guideline applies to blocked quotations, content notes, and the Works Cited page.

Indentation: Indent the first word of a paragraph five spaces from the left margin. Indent in-set quotations ten spaces from the left margin. Although the first line of entries on the Works Cited page abuts the left margin, subsequent lines in the Works Cited entries are indented five spaces.

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