![]() |
![]() |
02/05/10 |
|
|
|
MLA Bibliographic Style--A Brief Guide
Also try a free online citation generator! ...
You can find advice on using APA style at the Purdue OWL http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.htm and at the APA site http://www.apastyle.org/aboutstyle.html . ( Some teachers might suggest you use APA, an alternate style used more often in scientific research and developed by the American Psychological Association. ) This handout is designed to be a quick reference guide to the MLA style of documenting sources in research papers. Your "Works Cited" section should appear at the end of your paper and works should be arranged alphabetically by author (or title, if no author appears in the entry.) In this section you should list only works actually cited. (Your teacher may also request a list of works consulted.) For further information about types of entries not listed here, consult Joseph Gibaldi's MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th edition, which is available at the circulation desk. For further information, consult the official page of the Modern Language Association http://www.mla.org . Check out the Citation Styles Online at:
Underlining vs. italics: Though MLA style traditionally recommended underlining the titles of major works, many publications now utilize italics. The MLA Web site addresses this fascinating controversy! "Most word processing programs and computer printers permit the reproduction of italic type. In material that will be graded or edited for publication, however, the type style of every letter and punctuation mark must be easily recognizable. Italic type is sometimes not distinctive enough for this purpose. . .If you wish to use italics rather than underlining, check your instructor's or editor's preferences." Other tips:
Note: MLA recommends double spacing citations, but many teachers prefer citations single spaced. Please check to determine your teacher's preferences.
Parenthetical CitationsMLA format follows the author-page method of citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in your works cited list. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example:
If the work you are making reference to has no author, use an abbreviated version of the work's title. For non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page. For example:
Sometimes you may have to use an indirect quotation. An indirect quotation is a quotation that you found in another source that was quoting from the original. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source. For example:
Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even her or his full name if different authors share initials) in your citation. If you cite more than one work by a particular author, include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the other works by that same person. For example:
For more about using parenthetical citations, visit MLA In-Text Citations (at Research and Documentation Online) or MLA Documentation: Citations in Text (from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center), or see the additional resources section at the Purdue Owl http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
QuotationsWhen you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on whether they are long or short quotations. Here are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Short QuotationsTo indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks and incorporate it into your text. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference in the works-cited list. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text. For example:
Long QuotationsPlace quotations longer than four typed lines in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented one inch from the left margin, and maintain double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.) For example:
Adding or Omitting Words In QuotationsIf you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text. For example:
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or word by using ellipsis marks surrounded by brackets. For example:
Format for the "WORKS CITED" section: A Book By One AuthorEnglish, Carol. The Cliffs Won't Do: Read the Book . Philadelphia: McGraw Hill, 1997. Two or More Books by the Same AuthorSmall, Chris. Please, Help Me Carry My Keys! Topeka: Rand, 1993. - - - . Don't Measure a Chemist by Her Size . New York: Feminist, 1993. A Book By Two AuthorsDrucker, Darla and Amy Jones. How to Survive Your Wedding . New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. A Book by Three Authors Simpson, Homer, Bugs Bunny, and Charlie Brown. Cartoon Life is a Drag. Los Angeles: Warner Bros., 2004. A Book by a Corporate AuthorSpringfield Township Home Economics Department. Cooking with Spice. New York: Scribners, 1993. A Book with an EditorValenza, Joyce ed. Bagels and Books: An Anthology. Brooklyn, NY: Random House, 1991. A Work in an AnthologySmith, James. "The Physics of Sushi." The Fabulous Physics Paper . Ed. Samuel Klein. Rome: Cambridge UP, 1854. 46-59. A Work (Essay, Story, etc.) in an Anthology Previously Published in Another CollectionGirard, Rene. "Hamlet's Dull Revenge." Literary Theory / Renaissance Texts . Ed. Patricia Parker and David Quint. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1986. 280-302. Rpt. in Major Literary Characters: Hamlet . Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1990. 166-185. An Edition Other Than the FirstPeters, Michael. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Keeping Your Classroom Neat and Clean . 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lysol, 1995. A Signed Article in a Reference BookCopaset, Sandra. "Zen and the Art of Wearing Blue and Khaki." Encyclopedia Americana . 1996 ed. back to top An Unsigned Article in a Reference Book"Best Beards of All Time." Encyclopedia of Anatomy and Hair . 15th ed. 1993. An Article in a Journal with Continuous Pagination Skater, Andrew. "Rollerblading on a Secondary Level." Secondary Education 54(1990): 113-25. An Article From a Monthly or Bi-Monthly PeriodicalRamsey, Pamela. "Where's My Smiley Face?" MacWorld Sept. 1997: 86-94. An Article from a Weekly or Biweekly PeriodicalHenry, Mary Ann. "Announcing Bus Changes With Flair." Time 4 July 1991: 17-76. back to top A Signed Article from a Daily NewspaperGoldberg, Grace. "The Inside Track: Alumni Life." Trojan Times 10 Oct. 1991: 17. Smith, Bob. “Schools Losing Ground.” USA Today 5 May 2001:5D An Unsigned Article from a Daily Newspaper"Striking a Pose With Sally Miles." New York Times 15 Oct. 1997, late ed. sec.: 35+. A Critical Analysis, Signed Excerpt / Previously Published Scholarly Article (Option #1) Check for your teacher's preferred option. Ross, Stephan S. "Tom Wolfe." Rpt. of "The Rhetoric of the Right Stuff." Journal of General Education 33 (1981): 113-22. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism . Ed. Daniel G. Marowski. 35: 458-460. back to top A Critical Analysis, Signed Excerpt (Option # 2) Check for your teacher's preferred option Ross, Stephan S. "Tom Wolfe." Contemporary Literary Criticism . Ed. Daniel G. Marowski. 35: 458-460. Facts on File"Berger's Greatest Speeches." Facts on File World News Digest 3 Sept. 1998: 535. SIRS (Print Notebooks)McLaughlin, Janet. "AP History--The McLaughlin Group." Forbes June 1993: 21-23. History. Ed. by Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 5. Boca Raton, Fla: Social Issues Resources Series, 1995. Art. 35. back to top Films; Radio and Television Programs"Starring the Other Peggy Lee." Slightly Off Broadway--The Series . Prod. Sheldon Wang. PBS. WNET, New York. 6 Aug. 1995. Making Creative Bookcovers . Dir. Tom Martin. Videocassette. Clemens, 1997. Personal or Telephone InterviewCraig, John. Personal interview. 23 Sept. 1994. Personal photograph (Good for your scanned images!)(Begin with a description of the photo. Do not use italics or quotation marks. Indicate who took the photo and the date it was taken.) Grandpa Al at Home. Personal photograph by Susan Student. 28 May 2003. back to top Citing works within your text:To document your sources, cite the author's name and the page number of the source in parentheses at the end of the sentence, before the final period: Lowfat cream cheese can save you 300 grams of fat per year (Valenza 35). If the author's name is used in your sentence you may just refer to page numbers: Copaset argues that "yellow simply does not interact well with khaki" (45). If you are referring to the whole work rather than a specific section, you may omit any reference in parentheses: Berger's main thesis is that by using motifs, organic unity is easier to achieve
Uniform standards are being developed to address the changes in information. Sites devoted to cybercitation issues are popping up all over the Web. These sites vary in their interpretation of how MLA applies to online sources, but the patterns in each example are similar. What is most important in documenting electronic resources, is to give the reader as much essential information as possible (e.g. author, title, publication data) to identify the source you are citing. Remember to check http://www.mla.org for more information. Parenthetical notes: One of the most frequently asked questions these days is "How do I prepare a parenthetical note for a Web page if a Web page has no page numbers?" The MLA has an answer: "For any type of source, you must include information in your text that directs readers to the correct entry in the works-cited list. . .Web documents generally do not have fixed page numbers or any kind of section numbering. If your source lacks numbering, omit numbers from your parenthetical references. If your source includes fixed page numbers or section numbering (such as numbering of paragraphs), cite the relevant numbers. Give the appropriate abbreviation before the numbers (Moulthrop, pars. 19-20)." (Pars. is the abbreviation for paragraphs.) For a document on the Web, the page numbers of a printout should normally not be cited, because the pagination may vary in different printouts." World Wide Web (General Web site) : Format: Author (if known). “Title of Page or Document.” Title of Site or Larger Work (if applicable) . Date of electronic publication, last update, or date of posting. Name of any Associated Institution. Date of download. < http://address/filename>. Examples: Cassutto, George. “Social Studies and the World Wide Web.” 8 June 1996. Hagerstown High School. 3 Oct. 1997. <http://www.fred.net/nhhs/html3/article3.htm>. or Smith, George. “Graf Has Look of a Champion.” ESPNET SportsZone . 29 Aug. 1996. <http://www.espn.com/gen/top/0108716001.html>. back to top Article in an online magazine (not accessed through a subscription service) Format: Author of article. Title of article. Title of Magazine Date of electronic publication. Date of access. <http://address/filename>. Example: Smith, Jane. "Who Really Invented the Internet?" Web Weekly 26 Feb 2001. 4 May 2001. <http://webweekly.com/smithwho/>. Article in an online encyclopedia: back to top Format: Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Reference Work . Edition or version (if available). Date of electronic publication. Title of the Database or Online Service . Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System (if appropriate). Date of access. < http://address/filename>. Example: Cook, Sarah Gibbard. “Berlin, Germany.” Encyclopedia Americana Online . Sussex County Tech HS Lib. Mar. 1997. Grolier Online . 29 Feb. 1999. <http://grolier.go.com>. back to top Format: Author. “Article Title.” Periodical Title Date of print publication (if available): pages. Database Name (if any) . Publisher (if appropriate). Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access.<http://address/filename>. Example: Brown, Susan. “Writing the Perfect Paper.” High School Weekly 12 Sept. 1996: 22. EBSCOHost . ACCESS PA. 25 Nov. 2004. <http://ehostweb14.epnet.com/>. or Williams, Larry. “Speedy Internet May Spur Innovations.” Philadelphia Inquirer back to top 16 Aug. 1996: A03. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 7 Dec. 2005. <http://www.phillynews.com/archive.htm>. or Clark, Charles S. "The FBI Under Fire." CQ Researcher 11 April 1997:315-22. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 3 Sept. 2004. <http: resource.cq.com>. or Brown, Charlie. "My Life in Cartoons." Cartoon Week 21 Nov. 1999: 7-12. General Reference Center Gold on Student Resource Center . Gale Group. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 15 Dec. 2004. <http://www.galegroup.com/>. back to top Format: Author. "Article Title." Original source of article Date of original source: pages. Product Name . Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://address/filename>. Researcher example: Frick, Robert. "Investing in Medical Miracles." Kiplinger's Personal Finance Feb. 1999: 80-87. SIRS Knowledge Source: Researcher . (May substitute Renaissance or Government Reporter ) Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 25 July 1999. <http://sks.sirs.com/>. back to top Format: "Article Title." Original Source of the Article . Date of original source. Product Name . Publisher. Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://address/filename>. Facts.com example "Safe Drinking Water Act Signed." Facts On File World News Digest 22 Aug. 1996. FACTS.com . Facts On File News Services. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 20 Jan. 2004. <http://www.2facts.com>. "Issues and Controversies: Racial Disparities." Issues and Controversies On File 13 Jan. 1996. FACTS.com . Facts On File News Services. back to top Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 15 Nov. 2004. <http://www.2facts.com>. GaleNet/Student Resource Center or General Reference Center: Format for a periodical reference: Format: Author. "Article Title." Original Source of the Article Date of original source. Pages of original source. Specific Database on Larger Database (if appropriate). Gale Group. Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://www.galenet.com>. Example: Brown, Charlie. "My Life in Cartoons." Cartoon Week 21 Nov. 1999: 7-12. General Reference Center Gold. Gale Group. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 15 Dec. 2003. <http://www.galenet.com>. Format for an article that appeared in a book: Format: back to top Author. "Article Title." Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Date. Pages. Specific Database on GaleNet or Larger Database (if appropriate) . Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://galenet.gale.com>. Example: Hoffman, Baruch, Elaine. "The Golden Country: Sex and Love in 1984 ." 1984 Reviewed in Our Century . New York: Harper and Row, 1983. 47-56. Republished in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select on Student Resource Center . Sussex County Tech HS Lib. <http://www.galenet.com>. Format for a reference article (not previously published): back to top Format: Author (if provided). "Article Title." Specific Database on Student Resource Center. Gale Group. Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://www.galenet.com>. Example: "Classical Greek Civilization, 2000 B.C.-300 B.C." DISCovering World History on Student Resource Center . Gale Group. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 12 Oct. 2004. <http://www.galenet.com>. or back to top "Dean Koontz." DISCovering Authors Modules on Student Resource Center. Gale Group. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 3 Dec. 2000. <http://www.galenet.com>. Format for a republished journal essay: Format: Author (if provided). "Article Title." Original Source of Article Date of original source: Pages of original source. Specific Gale Database on Larger Database (if appropriate). Gale Group. Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://www.galenet.com>. Example: Levin, Harry. "Wonderland Revisited." The Kenyon Review Autumn, 1965: 591-93. Contemporary Literary Criticism Select on Literature Resource Center. Gale Group. back to top Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 13 Oct. 2004. <http://www.galenet.com>. or Berger, Carol. "Profile of a Basketball Great." Sports in Philadelphia 12 Nov. 1999. Biography Resource Center . Gale Group. Springfield Township HS. Lib. 20 Dec. 2004. <http://www.galenet.com>. Format for a journal article republished from a multi-volume reference series: Author (if provided). "Article Title." Original Source of Article. Editor. Volume : Pages of original source. Specific Gale Database on Larger Database (if appropriate). Gale Group. Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://www.galenet.com>. Examples: back to top Sturber, Robert. "Imagery in Great Expectations." Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Carol Packard. 26: 235-50. Literature Resource Center. Gale Group. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 23 Jan. 2003. <http://www.galenet.com>. Shostak, Debra. "Plot as Repetition: John Irving's Narrative Experiments." Critique 37 (Fall 1995): 51-70. Novels for Students on Literature Resource Center. Gale Group. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 5 Jan. 2004. <http://www.galenet.com>. Format: Author (if provided). "Article Title." Original Source of Article. Date of original source. Pages of original source (if available). Specific database on WilsonWeb . Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of access. <http://vweb.hwwilsonweb.com/>. Example: "Edward Albee." Current Biography . 1996. Wilson Biographies Illustrated Plus on WilsonWeb . Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 15 Dec. 2004. <http://vweb.hwwilsonweb.com/>. back to top Format: "Book: Section: Article Title." Date of Original Source. Name of Database. Apex Learning. Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System. Date of Access. <http://www.beyondbooks.com/>. Example: "Shakespeare: Shakespeare's London: Women." 13 March 2003. Beyond Books.com . Apex Learning. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 31 March 2003. <http://www.beyondbooks.com/sha91/1f.asp>. Non-periodical (encyclopedias, etc.): Format: Name of Author (if given). “Title of Part of Work.” Title of Product. Edition or release, if relevant. Publication medium CD-ROM. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Example: Wallechinsky, David. “Olympic Games.” Encyclopedia Encarta . CD-ROM. Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 2004. Examples of CD-ROMs: back to top When you are working with a journal reprint: Ochshorn, Kathleen G. "A Cloak of Grace: Contradictions in 'A Good Man is Hard to Find'," in Studies in American Fiction , Vol. 18, no.1, Spring 1990, pp. 113-7; republished in EXPLORING Short Stories 1.0 CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Gale biographies, character descriptions, overviews, or other material written by Gale on CD-ROM: "Biography of William Shakespeare." EXPLORING Shakespeare 1.0 CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. or Whicter, George F. "Dickinson, Emily Elizabeth." Dictionary of American Biography on CD-ROM . CD-ROM. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1997. back to top CD-ROM (Periodical) Format: Name of Author (if available). “Title of article.” Title of Journal or Newspaper Publication information for printed source. Title of Database . Publication medium CD-ROM. Name of Vendor (if relevant). Electronic publication date. Example: Nethead, Jane. “Email Rules.” New York Times 15 November 1995, late ed.: B3. New York Times Ondisc . CD-ROM. UMI-Proquest. Jan. 1996. back to top E-Mail : (Warning: Though many style sheets advise listing personal e-mail addresses in a citation, there is the danger of violating the privacy of the author or the recipient. The MLA Handbook does not recommend including addresses.) Format: Sender's Last Name, First Name. “Subject Line from Posting.” Day Month Year of Posting. Personal e-mail. (or E-mail to recipient's name.) Day Month Year of Access. Smith, William. "Trial results." 12 Jan. 1999. E-mail to John Henry. 29 May 1999. back to top Format: Author (if given). "Subject of Message." Date of posting. Online posting. Name of Discussion List. Access date. <URL or email address of the list.>. Williams, Jim. “Computer to T.V. Screen.” 6 August 1995. Online posting. Global Technology Discussion Group. 21 Nov. 1999. <http://www.gtdg.org> or <listserv@citation.edu.>. back to top Online Chat or synchronous communication: Format: Name of Speaker. (if available). "Description of the event." Date of session or event. Forum of the communication. Date of access.<Web or network address>. Example: Yente, Ima. "Online discussion of future fuels." 24 Oct. 1997. EnvironMOO. 28 June 2000. <telnet:// IRC@envirosite.edu>. Images/Sound/Video Clips / AP Photo Archive back to top Online images Format: Artist if Available. "Description or Title of Image." Date of image. Online image. Title of Larger Site . Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System (if appropriate). Date of download. <http://address.website.org>. Example: "Mars Landing." Online image. 3 Nov. 1999. NASA. 4 Oct. 2002. <http://www.nasa.org>. or Weaver, Bruce. "Challenger Explosion." 28 Jan 1986. Online image. AP Photo Archive . back to top Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 30 Jan. 1999. <http://accuweather.ap.org/cgi-bin/aplaunch.pl>. Online sound Format: Creator if Available. "Description or Title of Sound." Date of Sound. Online sound. Title of Larger Site. Date of download. <http://address.website.org>. Example: "This Week's Saturday Radio Address." 25 Oct. 1998. Online sound. Whitehouse Briefing Room . 23 Oct. 2000. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/briefroom.html>. Online video clip back to top Format: "Description or Title of Video Clip." Date of clip. Online video clip. Title of Larger Site . Name of Providing Library, Consortium or Library System (if appropriate). Date of download. <http://address.website.org>. Example: "Hindenburg Broadcast." 6 May 1937. Online video clip. Encarta Online Deluxe. Sussex County Tech HS Lib. 4 Nov. 2000. <http://encarta.msn.com/encarta/MediaMax.asp?z> back to electronic citations table _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Information based on: Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2003. "Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format." Purdue University Online WritingLab. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html> "What is MLA Style?" Modern Language Association. 9 July 1998. 4 Mar. 2004. <http://www.mla.org/main_stl-nf.htm>. Adapted from Power Tools: Recharged by Joyce Kasman Valenza. Copyright 2004. American Library Association. Used by permission of ALA Editions. <http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/mla.html>
|
||||||||||||||||
This site was last updated 02/05/10