MLA 8TH EDITION

Modern Language Association

WHAT IS CITATION?

WHY DO WE NEED TO DO IT?

Format (& 1st page)

• Your Name
• Name of the Class
• Name of Instructor
• Date

Title

Last name #

Text

Double Space, 12 pt., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri

WORKS CITED PAGE

• It comes at the end of your essay
• It is supposed to be on its own separate page.
• You only need this page if you are citing from sources. 
• ALPHABETIZE YOUR AUTHORS BY LAST NAME.
• CREATE A HANGING INDENT: For PCs, highlight and press CTRL T, for Macs hit COMMAND T, or CTRL T. 

WHAT COMES IN THE WORK CITED ENTRIES?

1. AUTHOR

2. TITLE OF SOURCE

3.TITLE OF CONTAINER

4. OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

5. VERSION

6.NUMBER

7. PUBLISHER

8. PUBLICATION DATE

9. LOCATION

• Last name, First name. 
• Two authors
  • Last name, 1st name, and then normal order, Bob Smith.
• Three or more authors:
  • Last name, 1st, et al.

TITLE OF SOURCE

• THIS WILL APPLY TO JOURNAL/DATABASE ARTICLES AND COLLECTION/ANTHOLOGIES

• This will be in "quotes" such as "Modes of rhetoric."

TITLE OF CONTAINER

• A Container is the bigger work that the source is inside of. 
• The container is always Italicized.
• Examples:
  • "Hansel and Gretel." Grimm's Fairy Tales.
  • "Murders in the Rue Morgue." Tales of the Grotesque and Macabre.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

• You list editors, translators, or artists here.
• Example: Edited by Jane Dupree, Charlotte Smit, and Bob Tree.

• You also would list the container or book's edition after the title. Example: Tales of Suspense. 3rd ed.

Version

• ONLY APPLIES TO JOURNAL/DATABASE SOURCES

List them like this:

Vol. 3, 

Number

• ONLY APPLIES TO JOURNAL/DATABASE SOURCES

List them like this:

No. 3

Publisher

• In MLA, just list the name of the group:
  • Penguin Books
  • Oxford UP
  • Mega Books Inc.
• You don't list the location of the Publisher

Publication Date

• List month and year
  • Aug 2016, 
• Always include information if given. If there's only a year list it. 

Location

• This can refer to the page numbers (pp. 89-100)
• For online sources this can be a URL (www.animalsancturary.com/12345PDF.
• For Database or Journal articles this can be a DOI #
  • doi:dx1295730968

Resources to USE

• Type "Purdue Owl MLA" into Google

• OR Copy and Past the Link below

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html

MLA (continued)

• Works cited (seperate page at the end)
• In-Text Citations
  • This is where you show physical proof of using a source in your paper.
  • You don't want to list something in Works Cited if it doesn't show up in the  main body. 
  • In-Text and Works Cited work together to establish your credibility
  • Two types of In-text citations

In-Text Citations

• Direct Quote
  • With these you are taking the material right from your source without altering anything.
  • In MLA it would look like:
    • "The conflated use of fossil fuels has long been a contestable issue that has caused much speculation in the scientific community" (Breckinridge 76).
• You want to use DQ especially when you find the quote powerful. Don't overuse DQ.
  • Overusing leads to: Overly long passages
    • Run-On sentences
    • Lack of an understanding towards the text

In-Text Citations

• Paraphrase: This is where you cite a source but put it into your own words
• One example may look:
  • The big problem with fossil fuels is what happens when they run out and many people wonder about this (Breckinridge 76)
• Very useful feature of citation: Allows you to shorten long, and confusing passages to make sense. 

• Summary: Sometimes, you can cite multiple authors without quotes by summing up similar ideas they propose
• One example may look like: 
  • Most found the BP Oil Spill the turning point for marine biologists to engage in more aggressive activism and legislation (Smith, Watson)

Side By Side

• "The perplexed man of sluggish disposition walked his obese dog down the perpetual sidewalk" (Smitee 89).

• The confused, lazy guy paced down the long sidewalk with his fat dog (Smitee 89).

Other comments in MLA

• Allows both the use of Direct Quote and Paraphrase while other citations styles like APA want more Paraphrase
• If the quote is too long (4-5 lines or longer) you have to create a "block quote" which is indented and centered