Created by the Modern Language Association, MLA is most often used by the Humanities, which includes languages, literature, philosophy, visual & performing arts.
Watch this short but excellent video from Hayden Memorial Library at Citrus College, It walks you through creating an MLA citation and the corresponding in-text citation
This brief video will show you how to use Word 2010 to format your paper.
This brief video will show you how to set up your document in MLA format using Google Docs.
Placement: The Works Cited list appears at the end of the paper, on its own page(s). For example, If your research paper ends on page 8, your Works Cited begins on page 9.
Arrangement: Alphabetize entries by author's last name. If source has no named author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring A, An, or The.
Spacing: Like the rest of the MLA paper, the Works Cited list is double-spaced throughout. Be sure NOT to add extra spaces between citations.
Indentation: To make citations easier to scan, add a hanging indent to any citation that runs more than one line.
Each citation in your list of works cited is composed of elements common to most works -- author, title, publication date, etc. These are called the MLA core elements. The core elements are assembled in a specific order as shown to the left.
Use the links below to see examples of source citations and practice using one of the templates.
If you don't find what you need below, check out the MLA's, Ask the MLA.
In-text citations are brief references within the body of your paper that tell your readers that a) you've used an outside source, and b) point them toward that source in your Works Cited list. Where relevant, the in-text citation also points your reader to the location in the source being cited (e.g. page number).
The in-text citation can appear within the body of your paper, within a parentheses, or a combination of the two.
You need to cite all direct quotations, paraphrased information, and summarized ideas.
If page numbers are available, they MUST be listed. This often means examining the pdf version of database articles to locate page numbers.
Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty 42).
A preliminary study presented recently at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting found that getting enough sleep was associated with greater protection of death from all causes.If magnesium does work to help someone get a little shuteye, that may be because it is acting on certain receptors on the surface of brain cells to quiet down brain cell activity.The nutrient acts on the benzodiazepine receptor, which is the same receptor used by Valium-type drugs and the sleep medication Ambien. (Gurubhagavatula)
Haggerty notes magnesium is effective at relieving some symptoms of PMS (42).
MLA tells us that, you should cite a source in an annotated bibliography just as you would in a list of works cited and then append an annotation to the end of the entry. Annotations describe and/or evaluate sources. Further, annotations should not rehash minor details, cite evidence, quote the author, or recount steps in an argument. Writing an effective annotation requires reading the work, understanding its aims, and clearly summarizing them.
You may also want to use the template below. Just type over the words in the template with your own information, citations, and annotations.
It's easy; it's a form you fill out with the information about your source; it helps you catch mistakes.
