Citing in MLA Format

The BasicsCiting in MLA FormatWhat is a Works Cited Pageand why do we need it?Its a list of all the resources you used in your project, paper, etc. Your reader must be able to find the source quickly and efficiently with the citation you have provided in your Works Cited page. Properly citing your sources gives you credibility. It lets the reader know that you have done your research and the information presented can be trusted. Properly citing your sources will keep you out of serious trouble. Plagiarism is NOT tolerated and considered theft in the real world.

The Basics of the MLA Works Cited PageThe Works Cited Page is always the last page of your paper or project. It stands by itselfmeaning nothing else is on this page. It is titled Works Cited. Works Cited must be centered.The title can NOT be italicized, bold, colored, etc. The font must be 12 point and in something normal like Times New Roman (it should be in the same style that you wrote the paper in)Everything on the Works Cited Page must be double spaced.Must use hanging indentions on the second line of the entries. Must be alphabetized. All entries end with a period.What information do you need to cite a book?Author, authors, or organization responsible for the book TitlePublisherEdition (if applicable) Place of publication Year of publication Medium (is it a print, ebook, Web, etc.) Example of a book citationStringer, Christopher and Robin McKie. African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity. New York: Henry Holt, 1996. Print.

Authors. Title. City of publication: Publisher, date. Medium.

Use italics (instead of underlining) for titles of larger works (books, magazines) and quotation marks for titles of shorter works (poems, articles)What information do you need to cite a periodicalAuthor(s) of articleTitle of article (put this in quotation marks)Title of magazine (put this in italics)Day, month, year of magazinePages the article is found onMedium of publication (print or web)

Example of a Magazine ArticleAuthor(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.

Preston, Douglas. The 9000-Year-Old Man Speaks. Smithsonian Sept. 2014: 52-63. Print.

NOTE: The title of the article is in quotation marks.The title of the magazine is in italics. What Information do you need to cite a webpageAuthor and/or editor names (if available)Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print publications have Web publications with slightly different names. They may, for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified information, like domain names. Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.Take note of any page numbers (if available).Medium of publication.Date you accessed the material.URL (if required, or for your own personal reference; MLA does not require a URL).

Example of a Webpage CitationEditor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.