MLA Guidelines

MLA stands for Modern Language Association.  It is one of several common citation methods researchers use to document their sources.  Some other methods include American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Style, and Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).  Each method has its own guidelines.  These guidelines are called a "style sheet."  Every method is created as a communication tool to support the researcher/writer and to assist the audience/reader in understanding and trusting the information presented.  Most AP Seminar classes use either MLA or APA.  At GHS, we will use MLA because you will also use it in your English classes.  As mainly sophomores and juniors, what you learn will be reinforced in more than one class, making it easier to understand.  If you decide to take AP Research, the next course in the AP Capstone program, you will likely learn to use APA.

Annotated Bibliography: A document that lists all sources you are considering using as part of your research project in a properly formatted, alphabetized list with a paragraph or more of annotation after each source justifying the credibility and relevance as it related to your topic

Citation Tool: An app or tool that is already built into a platform such as Word, Google, or Canva to support you in creating and formatting citations

Citation Maker/Citation Machine: A third-party website that helps you create works cited entries for your citations page or bibliography

MLA Version 8/9: The most recent edition of MLA style updated in 2021

Parenthetical Citations (PCs): The notation that follows any quote, paraphrase, and/or summary of information taken from a source (sometimes called "internal citations") referring readers to the correct source on your Works Cited page

Works Cited (WC): The sources, or works, you cite within the body of your paper that appear in a properly formatted, alphabetized list on the final page of your document

There are multiple editions of MLA because as technology changes the way we access information, the guidelines we use to document our information must change as well.  The most recent edition of every citation method is designed to best reflect the needs of our current society.  It should be noted that your PWCS-sponsored Microsoft account does not include the most updated version of MLA, so you will not be able to use the citation tool available in Microsoft Word on your school device.

Below are example citations for the most common sources you will need to cite in AP Seminar for both the 7th and 8/9th editions of MLA.  Your Works Cited entries should look like the examples listed for the MLA 8/9.  The 7th edition examples are provided here to help you identify if your citation machine or citation tool is using the correct edition.

🛑 MLA 7th Edition

Database Journal Article Example

Telham, Raj. “Hunger Games: Wrestling with the Appetites.” Virginia Quarterly Review 98.1 (Spring 2022): 139-45. Web.

Website Example

Alaimo, Kara. “Target’s Bold Holiday Move is a Win for Us All.” CNN Opinion. CNN, 23 Nov. 2021. Web. Accessed 21 Oct. 2022. 

✅ MLA 8/9th Editions

Database Journal Article Example

Telham, Raj. “Hunger Games: Wrestling with the Appetites.” Virginia Quarterly Review, vol. 98, no. 1, spring 2022, pp. 139-45. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=156267035&site=ehost-live. Accessed 20 Oct. 2022. 

Website Example

Alaimo, Kara. “Target’s Bold Holiday Move is a Win for Us All.” CNN Opinion, 23 Nov. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/23/opinions/target-closes-stores-for-thanksgiving-impact-alaimo/index.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2022.

The purpose of parenthetical citations has two main parts--protection and communication.  Each PC credits the author/creator of the original source, adding a layer of protection for the writer/researcher against accusations of plagiarism.  The PCs also serve as a communication system, helping the audience/reader to locate the information about the original source quickly by flipping to the Works Cited page and locating the matching first word of the correct entry.

Example PC with Attribution - MLA 8/9

In her 2021 CNN opinion piece, Kara Alaimo, associate professor at Hofstra University and former spokesperson for the Treasury Department during the Obama administration, believes the company's recent decision to close on Thanksgiving day "will likely give Target an edge in the hiring wars" (Alaimo).

• Attribution providing the reader with key information about the credibility of the author/source

• PC using the first word of the Works Cited entry, in this case the author's last name in parenthesis

*Use the resources below to learn more about MLA guidelines and to answer your questions about how to correctly cite sources.*