MLA Basics
MLA stands for Modern Language Association. MLA gives a very specific way students should cite sources they use to write a paper or conduct research. MLA says how to site a source in the text of your paper, what the works cited page should look like, and how to create full citations for each of your sources.
Citing a Source in the text of your paper (In-Text Citation)
Create an in-text citation any time you use a direct quote or paraphrase one of your sources.
To cite a source, add parenthesis at the end of the sentence and include the author's name and the page number.
If the quote is at the end of the sentence the period should go outside of the parenthesis.
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Creating a full citation for each of your sources
At the end of your paper, you will need to create a works cited page where you list all the sources you used for your paper. Each of these sources will need a citation created. There are many different types of sources including websites, books, journals, or videos. The rules for creating correct citations are very detailed so it is recommended to use a tool called a citation generator to create citations. Good citation generator sites include:
Google Docs Citation Tool - create citations in google docs.
Citation Owl - more detailed information on the rules of citations
Formatting the Works Cited Page at the end of your paper
According to MLA style, you should list your sources on a Works Cited page at the end of your paper and there are rules on how it should be formatted. This is where you will put all the citations your created above.
Title: Begin a new page for your works cited page, and write the words Works Cited as the Title
Add the citations - once you create citations using a citation machine add them to your works cited in alphabetical order
Formatting -
Double space all citations and do not include any extra spaces between citations
Hanging indent - Each citation should have a hanging indent. This means the first line starts at the left hand margin but any lines after are tabbed. This formatting can be a little tricky to create if its not already there from the citation generator so here are my tips
if you go to the second line of the citation and just push tab, the document will sometimes tab the first line, which is annoying
my tip is when you go to the second line, push return first and then hit tab.
End of citation - Each citation should have a period at the end
For more specific information visit Purdue Owl
Sample Works Cited Page
