Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

Watch this excellent, short video from Hayden Memorial Library of Citrus College, that walks you through creating an MLA citation and corresponding in-text citation.

The Rules:

• Margins: 1" all around (except for the page number)
• Font:  Easily readable typeface set to a standard size (Times-New Roman 12pt is always safe)
• Line-spacing: Double-space throughout the paper, including heading, title, block quotes, and Works Cited. 
• Page Numbers: All pages are numbered in right hand corner, 1/2" from top. Last name appears before the page numbers.
• Heading: Top left corner. Your name, your instructor's name, course number, date. Date must be written dd Month yyyy. 
• Title: Centered. Plain (no italics, underlining, or font variation). Standard double-spacing between heading/title, and title/first line of paper.

Use Word to Format Your Paper:

This brief video will show you how to use Word 2010 to format your paper.

Use Google Docs to Format Your Paper:

This brief video will show you how to set up your document in MLA format using Google Docs.

Sample MLA Papers:

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.

Citation Examples and Template:
 

 Each citation in your list of works cited is composed of elements common to most works. These are called the MLA core elements. They are assembled in a specific order as shown to the right.

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.

Handouts:

Citation Examples by Format:

What Are In-Text Citations?

MLA tells us that, in-text citations are brief references within the body of your paper that direct readers to the works-cited-list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the source being cited. 

The citation can appear within your prose (your written text) or in parentheses.

You need to cite all direct quotations, paraphrased information, and summarized ideas.

What To Include in an In-Text Citation

• An in-text citation begins with the shortest piece of information that di­rects your reader to the entry in the works-cited list. Therefore, it begins with what ever comes first in the entry: the author’s name or the title (or descrip­tion) of the work.
• Most often, an MLA in-text citation begins with the author's last name followed by the page number: (Jones 14).
• If there is no author, use the "Title" of the source:  ("Global Warming" 129).
• If page numbers are available, they MUST be listed. This often means examining the pdf version of database articles to locate page numbers.
• For most citations, the parenthetical reference is placed BEFORE the punctuation: Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty 42).
• Direct quotes longer than 4 lines are indented an extra 1/2 inch, the quotation marks are removed, and the parenthetical comes AFTER punctuation.
• If author name or title is used within the text, do NOT list it again within parenthesis. Haggerty notes magnesium is effective at relieving some symptoms of PMS (42).

Learn More

• MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue.
• In-Text Citations: An Overview from the MLA Style Center.

MLA Style

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.

To learn more about annotated bibliographies click on the link below from Purdue OWL

Sample Annotated Bibliography Using MLA

Annotated Bibliography Template

You may also want to use the template below. Just type over the words in the template with your own information, citations, and annotations.

Use NoodleTools to help you create your citations. It's easy; it's a form you fill out with the information about your source; it helps you catch mistakes.

NoodleTools Help: