Basic MLA Guidelines

When another author’s words, or even ideas, are borrowed, the source for that information must be credited or it is considered plagiarism. The crediting of the information is called “citing the source.” Although there are several styles for this activity, high school and collegiate English courses use the Modern Language Association (MLA) format.

The Basics

• It is important to give enough information so that the readers of the paper can locate the idea or quote in its original form. The key is to keep the information as brief as possible, so as not to distract the reader from the intention of the paper. The reader is on a need to know basis!
• The parenthetical information should not repeat information in the text.
• Do not use the word “page” or “p.” or “pp”; just use the number in a parenthetical citation.
• Place citation as close to borrowed material as possible without disrupting the sentence.
• Use one citation at the end of a long sentence of material borrowed from the same pages rather than citing the same source at the end of each sentence.

Rule 1: In a paper with only one source, if the author and title of the book are introduced early enough, then only the page number of the quote must be cited. The reader will already know that the quote comes from that particular book.

Example: We learn about the main characters’ unusual brotherly bond early in Of Mice and Men when George says to Lennie, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself” (13).

Rule 2: The shorter the quote, the better! The most professional essays use only a few carefully chosen words to prove a point. Long quotations distract the reader and make a paper sound choppy.

Rule 3: If the quotation is shorter than four lines, blend it into the paragraph. The quotation can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence.

Example: In The Great Gatsby, Nick initially notices Daisy’s special “low, thrilling voice” when he is first invited to his cousin’s home that early summer of 1922 (9). After he knows her better, he feels her voice is “indiscreet” (120).

Rule 4: When quoting dialogue, use pairs of apostrophes to represent what is said by the characters and quotation marks to contain the entire quote. If necessary, go to “Insert” – “Symbols” on the Microsoft Word toolbar to choose apostrophes and quotation marks facing the correct direction.

Example: “My father always said, ‘Measure twice, cut once in woodworking.’”

Rule 5: Use “signal phrases.” These phrases smooth the transitions from your words to the quotations by introducing the speaker or the situation. Do not pepper your paper with quotations that are not explained or are not carefully inserted. The reader must be told why the quote proves the point. It will assist the reader in following the organization of the essay if miscellaneous words are also eliminated.

Example: We learn about the main characters’ unusual brotherly bond early in Of Mice and Men when George says to Lennie, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself” (13).

Example: “Now the woman was old. And she had a daughter who grew up speaking only English and swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow,” concludes Amy Tan in her introductory story of The Joy Luck Club, thus depicting the frustration of immigrant mothers trying to relate to their Americanized daughters (3).

Rule 6: When words are deleted from the quotation, an ellipses must replace the missing segments. Three spaced periods indicate words have been removed, while four spaced periods indicate the elimination of a sentence or more. If the end of a sentence is removed, use three spaced periods. Do not use an ellipses if only the beginning of the sentence is purged.

Example: “This was Slim, the jerkline skinner. . . . His ear heard more than was said to him… (34).

Rule 7: Use brackets to show that a word has been added for clarification or the tense changed to assist the flow of your sentence.

Example: “My mother [Lindo Jong] named me [Waverly] after the street we lived on…” (91).

Example: Fitzgerald quickly establishes the snobbery of the Long Island society when Nick admits he “live[s] in West Egg, the less fashionable of the two [Eggs]…” (5).

Rule 8: If the quotation used is more than four lines, it must be set off from the text by beginning a new line and indenting the entire quotation ten spaces, or one inch. The quotation is double-spaced, without adding quotation marks. Usually, a colon is used to introduce the quotation, and the introductory statement is complete sentence.

Example:

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s depiction of the valley of ashes suggests the downside of the glittering decade:

This valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimney and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air (23).

Rule 9: Incorporate up to three lines of poetry into the text as any other quotation. Use a slash (/) with a space on each side to indicate the end of lines. The line of the poem is placed in parentheses. Quotations over three lines should be set off just as for long prose quotations and copied exactly as printed.

Example: “Of all the things that happened there / That’s all that I remember” (11-12).

Rule 10: For drama, use just numbers with periods between them to represent the act, scene, and line numbers.

Example: Act 2, Scene 4, Lines 254-258 is written (2.4.254-8)

Rule 11: Citations always go outside the quotation and always before the punctuation mark. Exceptions: copied exclamation points and question marks go before the citation so that the reader knows the emotion of the sentence. A period then follows the citation.

Example: Nick is shocked and full of questions when he finds out that Daisy is gone and says, “Left no address?.... Say when they’d be back?.... Any idea where they are?” (165).

MLA Research Guidelines

On a research paper, the majority of the information will be listed on the Works Cited page. In the text, the author’s job is to provide just enough information so the reader can figure out which entry off the Works Cited page is the source of the information.

Parenthetical Citations

Rule 1: If the author’s name is mentioned in the text, then only give the page number in the citation. Example: Rosenberg is correct when he writes, “All is not right with Hamlet” (35). If the author’s name is not mentioned, then it must appear in the citation. Example: Others hold the opposite view (Tannen 178). Do not add a comma between the name and the page number. Give only enough information to find what book these ideas came from.

Rule 2: If several books by the same author are listed, then add a one-to-two version of the title to help the reader locate the source on the Works Cited page. Use a comma between the name and title. Example: If there are two books by Ian Fleming, Dr. No and From Russia With Love, write (Fleming, From Russia 56).

Rule 3: If you have two authors with the same last name, include the author’s first initial followed by a period and the last name in the citation (J. Smith 56).

Rule 4: If you have two or three authors for the same source, list their last names in the order on the Works Cited page: (Harkins, Jones, and Garcia 413). If there are more than three authors, use the first name on the Works Cited page followed by et al with no comma. (Thompson et al 314).

Rule 5: If you have no author, use the first words alphabetized on the Works Cited page. Usually this is title to website, an article, or a book. If it is long, shorten it by using the first key word. Punctuate it exactly as it appears on the Works Cited page. Example: “The Amazing Romantic Poets of the 1800’s”, page 42 would become (“Amazing” 42).

Rule 6: If you are citing electronic sources, use only the author’s last name. If there is no author, cite the first key word or two of the title. Do not cite page numbers from printouts.

Works Cited Page

At the end of the paper, include a list of all the works used as quotations or information in your text.

Rule 1: Alphabetize by the first word in the entry. Ignore articles like “the” and “a”.

Rule 2: Use hanging indents so the first word of the entry stands out to the left of the lines. Use “Format” – “Paragraph” – “Indentation” – “Special” – “Hanging.”

Rule 3: Double space all lines.

Rule 4: Use international style dates (30 June 2003).

Rule 5: Place a period at the end of each entry.

Rule 6: Label sheet with “Works Cited” centered on the page.

Rule 7: Do not number or bullet the entries.

Cite each entry in a systematic way following this guide. If there are more examples needed, ask Ms. Culp to consult her book outside class time.

Book, Single Author:

Author Last, First. Title. City where published: Publishing Company, Date Published.

Feldman, Paula. British Women Poets. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1997.

Book, Two Authors:

Author Last, First, and Author First Last. Title. City where published: Publishing Company, Date Published.

Siegel, Lenny, and John Markoff. The Dark Side of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Penguin Books USA, 1992.

Encyclopedia Entries:

Author Last, First. “Article Title.” Encyclopedia Title. Year Edition.

Sipple, Charles. “Emily Dickinson.” Encyclopedia Americana. 1990 ed.

CD-ROM Encyclopedia:

“Article Title.” Encyclopedia Title. (CD-ROM). Year Edition.

“Emily Dickinson.” World Book Encyclopedia. (CD-ROM). 1994 ed.

Story, Poem, Essay, or Play from Anthology or Collection:

Author Last, First. “Poem Title.” Anthology Title. Editor’s Name. Publishing City: Publisher, Year. Page Numbers.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Raven.” Great American Poetry. Ed. Richard Johnson. New York: McGraw Hill, 1978. 45-55.

Newspaper Article:

Author Last, First. “Article Title.” Newspaper Date, edition: Page.

Lohr, Steve. “Now Playing: Babes in Cyberspace.” New York Times 3 Apr. 1998, late ed.: C1+.

Magazine Article:

Author Last, First. “Article Title.” Magazine Date: Page.

Mehta, Prtap Bhanu. “Exploding Myths.” New Republic 6 June 1998: 17-19.

Interview:

Subject Last, First. Type Interview. Date Conducted.

Pei, I. M. Personal Interview. 22 June 1993.

Kusak, Derek. Telephone Interview. 23 June 2003.

Online Sources: Cite what is available. If the URL (http:) is over one line, divide after a slash; do not add a hyphen.

Author’s Last, First. “Title of Section.” Title of the site. Date of Internet Publication. Date you are online <web site>.

Landsburg, Steven E. “Who Shall Inherit the Earth?” Slate. 1 May 1997. 24 Feb. 2004 <http://www.slate.com/Economics/97-05-01/Economics.asp>.