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Best if printed in landscape. General Guidelines for Citing References Adapted from Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_mla.html Last visited: February 23, 2005. Last revisions to this adaptation: March 28, 2005 Outline for Web Page
Basic Rule - Cite Your Source (top of page) When you make reference to someone else's idea in your writing, either by paraphrasing or quoting them directly, you must cite the source to
Here are some basic guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text. Parenthetical Citations Within Your Writing and Works Cited List Modern Language Association (MLA) format follows the author-page method of citation. This means
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.
Parenthetical Citations Within Your Writing (top of page) The author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work must appear in the body of your writing in a parenthetical citation (usually at the end of the sentence). Examples:
Two works by the same author 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. Example:
Two authors with the same last name 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. Example:
Book or article with no author named For parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version of the title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and underlining as appropriate. For example , parenthetical citations of the following sources would appear as follows: (Encyclopedia 235) and ("Cigarette" A17).
Electronic source with no author named For
non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media,
or electronic sources with no author, include the name that begins the
entry in the Works Cited page. Example:
Quotations Within Your Writing (top of page) When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on whether they are long or short quotations. Short Quotations To 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. Examples:
Long Quotations Place 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. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. Examples:
Adding or Omitting Words In Quotations If 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.
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or word by using ellipsis marks (i.e., 3 periods) surrounded by brackets.
If there are ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work, do not put brackets around them; only use brackets around ellipsis marks to distinguish them from ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work. Indirect quotation 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.
"Works Cited" List (top of page) The works cited list should appear at the end of your writing. The list provides the information necessary for a reader to locate any sources you cite. Each source you cite in the essay must appear in your works-cited list; likewise, each entry in the works-cited list must be cited in your text. Here are some guidelines for preparing your works cited list. List Format
Basic Rules for Citations
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Sources in Print (top of page) Books General format: Author(s). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Government publication, example
Pamphlet, example
An article in a periodical (such as a newspaper or magazine) General format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Source Day Month Year: pages. When citing the date, list day before month; use a three-letter abbreviation of the month (e.g. Jan., Mar., Aug.). If there is more than one edition available for that date (as in an early and late edition of a newspaper), identify the edition following the date (e.g. 17 May 1987, late ed.).
An article in a scholarly journal General format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Vol (Year): pages. "Vol" indicates the volume number of the journal. If the journal uses continuous pagination throughout a particular volume, only volume and year are needed, e.g. Modern Fiction Studies 40 (1998): 251-81. If each issue of the journal begins on page 1, however, you must also provide the issue number following the volume, e.g. Mosaic 19.3 (1986): 33-49.
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Electronic Sources (top of page) If no author is given for a web page or electronic source, start with and alphabetize by the title of the piece and use a shortened version of the title for parenthetical citations. A web site General format: Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access <electronic address>. It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address; MLA requires them for clarity.
An article in an online journal or magazine General format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): Pages/Paragraphs. Date of Access <electronic address>. Some electronic journals and magazines provide paragraph or page numbers; include them if available. This format is also appropriate to online magazines; as with a print version, you should provide a complete publication date rather than volume and issue number.
An Online Image or Series of Images General format: Artist if available. "Description or title of image." Date of image. Online image. Title of larger site . Date of download. <electronic address>.
E-mail (or other personal communications) General format: Author. "Title of the message (if any)" E-mail to person's name. Date of the message. This same format may be used for personal interviews or personal letters. These do not have titles, and the description should be appropriate. Instead of "Email to John Smith," you would have "Personal interview."
A listserv posting General format: Author. "Title of Posting." Online posting. Date when material was posted (for example: 18 Mar. 1998). Name of listserv. Date of access <electronic address for retrieval>.
Electronic source with no author THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT INFORMATION For non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources with no author, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page.
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Article or Publication Retrieved from an Electronic Database (top of page) If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an online database that your library subscribes to, you should provide enough information so that the reader can locate the article either in its original print form or retrieve it from the online database (if they have access). Provide the following information in your citation:
General format: Author. "Title of Article." Publication Name Volume Number (if necessary) Publication Date: page number-page number. Database name. Service name. Library Name, City, State. Date of access <electronic address of the database>.
Article in a reference database on CD-ROM, example
Article from a periodically published database on CD-ROM, example
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Oral Sources (top of page) Interview that you conducted or conversation you had, examples
A lecture or a speech To cite a lecture or a speech, "give the speaker's name, the title of the lecture or speech (if known) in quotation marks, the meeting and the sponsoring organization (if applicable), the location [including place and city, if available], and the date. If there is no title, use an appropriate descriptive label (e.g., Lecture, Address, Keynote speech), neither underlined nor enclosed in quotation marks" (MLA Handbook, 206).
Quick Reference List for Common "Works Cited" (top of page) Government publication, example
Pamphlet, example
Web site, general format Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access <electronic address>. It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address; MLA requires them for clarity. Web site, examples
Last Updated March 28, 2005 |
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Email: David.Saxowsky@ndsu.edu This material is intended for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for competent professional advice. Seek appropriate advice for answers to your specific questions. |
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