Citing sources in MLA style is about honesty, respect, and supporting your ideas with evidence. It’s a skill that will help you write better papers and be a responsible researcher. MLA helps us give credit to the sources we use, and it’s pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. Here are some details why we cie sources:
Giving Credit: When you use someone else’s ideas, words, or work, citing them gives credit to the original author. It’s like saying thank you for their hard work and ideas.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a big no-no in writing. Citing sources helps you avoid it by showing exactly where you got your information. It’s about being honest and showing that you did your research.
Backing Up Your Points: When you cite sources, it strengthens your own arguments and ideas. It shows that you’ve done your homework and that experts support what you’re saying.
Helping Others Learn More: Your citations let readers check out the sources you used. They can learn more about your topic or see where you found your information. It adds credibility to your paper.
Learning Academic Skills: Using MLA style teaches you important skills for high school and beyond. You’ll need to cite sources in all kinds of papers and projects as you move forward in your academic journey.
Respecting Copyright: Citing sources also shows respect for copyright laws. It’s important to give credit to creators and not use their work without permission.
Here’s how you do it for different types of sources that you will likely use:
Websites:
If the website has an author, write their last name in parentheses. For example: (Smith).
If there’s no author, use the title of the webpage. For example: ("Space Exploration").
Articles (from magazines or newspapers):
Use the author’s last name. For example: (Smith).
If there’s no author listed, use the title of the article. For example: ("Mars Exploration").
Books:
Write the author’s last name. For example: (Smith).
If there’s no author, use the title of the book. For example: (Space Exploration).
Including Page Numbers:
After the author’s name or title, include the page number where you found the information. For example: (Smith 45).
Examples:
Quoting from a book with author and page number: According to Smith, "space exploration has significantly advanced our understanding of the universe" (45).
Quoting from a website with no author and page number: The article on space exploration states that "scientists continue to discover new planets beyond our solar system" ("Space Exploration").
Formatting Tips:
Make sure the citation is in parentheses and comes right after the information you used from the source.
If you use the author’s name in the sentence, you only need to put the page number in parentheses, like this: According to Smith (45), space exploration has led to many discoveries.