MLA Referencing  and Citation

When researching, quoting authors, or using evidence properly citing sources is essential to establishing credibility in writing. The Modern Language Association (MLA) provides a standardized way to format academic papers and cite sources. MLA has evolved over time and ensured consistency across publications, allowing readers to locate cited works while giving proper credit to original authors. 

MLA citation rules apply in two main ways: the bibliography (works cited page) and in-text citations, the primary focus of this summary. In-text citations help readers identify the sources of specific information within the text without proper citation, the redbilly of the writing is weakened, and the original authors are not given recognition. This webpage serves as a guide to MLA reference, covering formatting resources, and examples to help writers cite sources accurately.

A multitude of different free resources exist online which provides premade MLA citations for scholarly articles, including Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, and JSTOR. These sources can be extremely valuable when assisting in citing sources, but everything must be doublechecked before use. While helpful, these online sites often overlook factors or improperly cite sources. There are often errors in generated citations and must always be revised before use. Using the formatting and examples in the sections below, check any citation to ensure the format adheres to the MLA standard. Additionally, more online resources exist to assist in the creation of MLA citations, including the MLA Handbook and the Purdue University Online Writing Lab website. Clicking the images below will access these links. 

In-Text Citation Variations: 

• There is a wide variety of different types of in-text citations, which are used differently based on the type of source being cited.

Scholarly Article (One Author):

• If an article cited was published by one author, the author’s last name must be included in the in-text citation in ONE of two places:

• In a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, along with page number.

  • “Students are increasingly asserting that they have a mental or psychiatric impairment and that an animal provides them therapeutic benefit” (Von Bergen 17).

• Within the sentence, with a parenthetical citation of only the page number at the end of the sentence. In these cases, the author’s last name should NOT be used in the parenthetical citation.

  • Von Bergen explains that “students are increasingly asserting that they have a mental or psychiatric impairment and that an animal provides them therapeutic benefit” (17).

Scholarly Article (2 Authors):

• The last names of both authors, separated by “and” must be included in the in-text citation in one of two places:

• In a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, along with page number.

  • “The witches are too busy crying to notice anything but their grief” (Morgan and Paige 2).

• Within the sentence, with a parenthetical citation of only the page number at the end of the sentence. In these cases, the authors’ last names should NOT be used in the parenthetical citation.

  • Morgan and Paige reveal in their article that “the witches are too busy crying to notice anything but their grief” (2).

Scholarly Article (3+ Authors):

• There are two distinct potential styles to cite scholarly articles with three or more authors:

• In a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, use the first author’s last name followed by et al. along with the page number.

• “The family hadn’t fallen too far in the world’s self esteem” (Hand et al. 5).

• Within the sentence, with a parenthetical citation of only the page number at the end of the sentence. In these cases, the authors’ last names should NOT be used in the parenthetical citation.

  • Hand and colleagues stated in their article that “the family hadn’t fallen too far in the world’s self esteem” (5).

Articles Without a Page Number:

• When citing articles without a page number, the parenthetical citation stays the same as scholarly articles with page numbers, but page number is omitted and replaced with “np”. When a text without a page number has multiple authors, the same author listing rules apply as scholarly articles with page numbers.

  • “There are currently no mental health practice guidelines related to ESAs” (Hoy-Gerlach np).

  • According to Hoy-Gerlach, “There are currently no mental health practice guidelines related to ESAs” (np).

Articles Without a Listed Author:

• When citing an article that does not list any authors, the parenthetical in-text citation should include a shortened title of the article, along with the page number. When listing titles of works, short works, such as articles, journal entries, or referendums, the titles are put in quotations, whereas longer works such as websites or books should instead be put in italics.

  • “Angina…is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart” (“Angina–Symptoms and Causes” 1).

 In-text Citations of Movies:

• When creating and providing citations for movies, the italicized title of the movie (or a shortened version of the title)  and then the timestamps of the portion of the movie that is being referenced and quoted should be included. Cite the relevant hour, minutes and seconds of the film as displayed. If the film is less than an hour, cite the minutes and seconds only.

  • (The 100 20:50-20:54)

  • (Sins 20:47-20:50)

In-text Citations of Videos:

• For video citations, include the video creator's last name, and then the timestamp of video quote being cited. Finally, place parentheses around the creator’s last name and the timestamp. 

  • “...” (Charles 6:22).

In-text citations for Speeches:

• When citing a speech in-text, the speaker’s last name must be included in the citation. The citation format varies based on whether the speech is published or delivered live.

Live Speeches:

For speeches that were heard in person and not published, cite the speaker’s last name in the text or

in parentheses. Since there are no page numbers, no number is included. NP for this class.

• King stated in his speech, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the

true meaning of its creed."

• "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its

creed" (King).

Published or Recorded Speeches:

For published speeches, include the speaker’s last name and the year of publication. If quoting 

directly, also include a timestamp or page number if available. Place this information in parentheses.

• “...” (Goggins 2020).

• According to Goggins, “...” (2020).

In-text citations for Social Media Posts (Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

For social media posts, include the username (handle) and the year of the post. If citing a specific quote, you can use the year as well.

• "Farm-to-table initiatives are making fresh, local food more accessible" (@SustainableAgri 2023). 

• Or:
  @SustainableAgri noted, "Farm-to-table initiatives are making fresh, local food more accessible" (2023).

In-text citations for a Government Report

• When citing a government report, use the name of the agency or department as the author, followed by the page number (if available).

  • "Water conservation efforts have significantly improved in recent years" (U.S. Department of Agriculture 15).
    Or:
    According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "water conservation efforts have significantly improved in recent years" (15).

In-Text Citations for Classical Works (Shakespeare, The Bible, etc.)

When citing classic works with multiple editions or translations, include act, scene, and line numbers (for plays) or chapter and verse numbers (for religious texts).

• Shakespeare Plays: "To be, or not to be: that is the question" (Shakespeare Hamlet 3.1.56-58).

The Bible: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (The Holy Bible, Gen. 1.1). 

Before adding a quote think what's the purpose?

• To provide evidence 

• To explain an opinion 

• To explain a concept 

Think about the purpose before deciding to add a quote to the argument.

TEMPLATES TO AVOID:

• “…” (Citation).

• In the scholarly article called “Title”, it is said that “...” (Citation).  

• In the scholarly article called “Title”, the author mentions that “…” (Citation).

• In the book called “Title”, the author writes “…” (Citation).

• The scholarly article called “Title” shows that “…” (Citation).

Possible Correction: According to [Author’s Name], “…” (Citation).

Directly quoting an author without introducing the source and its origin does not follow proper MLA format. While it is important to provide context for the quote, full source details should be included in the Works Cited page, not within the main body of the text. Exchanging verbs such as said, shows, and mentions with stronger verbiage such as describes, argues, indicates will have a stronger effect on how the statement is structured. Instead of solely referencing the work and its title to introduce the citation, reference to the author should be used to introduce the topic of the work or the point being argued.