MLA Citation Style - Indian River State College

MLA Citation Style (7 th Edition, 2009)
Indian River State College Academic Support Center (Version 2012)
In-text Citations
In the written body of your paper, you must give credit whenever you quote or use
another’s words, ideas, or thoughts. You give credit by using in-text citations that
typically consist of the author’s last name (or the title of the source if the author is
unknown) and a reference marker (e.g., page number). Place a citation as close to the
quoted or paraphrased material as possible without disrupting the sentence.
Subsequent Citations Within a Paragraph – MLA 6.3
If you borrow more than once from the same source within a single paragraph and
no borrowing from another source intervenes, you may give a single parenthetical
reference after the last borrowing.
Missing Citation Information
*If no author is given, use an abbreviated version of the title (see examples).
*When a source lacks page numbers or any other kind of reference number, cite
the author without a page reference. If a source has numbered paragraphs or sections,
use the abbreviation "par." or “sec.” followed by the number (Hall, par. 5).
General Guidelines for Quotations
If a quotation is less than four typed lines in length, incorporate it into the text of
your report. Do not use a quotation as a complete sentence all by itself.
Note: When you use quotations, you must use the author’s exact words (and
interior punctuation and spelling). Note some exceptions in the examples that follow.
Examples
Circadian rhythms are “[biological] processes that occur repeatedly on
approximately a twenty-four hour cycle” (Feldman 125).
Note: Brackets are used to enclose a word for clarification that was not in the
original quote. Since the quotation is blended into the sentence, a comma before the
quotation and a capital letter on the first word in the quotation are not required.
Czeisler writes, “The timing of the light . . . had to be sinchronized [sic] with
particular phases of a person’s circadian rhythm in order for it to be effective.”
Note: Ellipsis points are used to show that some of the author’s words have been
omitted, and brackets enclosing “sic” are used to indicate that the word “synchronized”
was misspelled in the source.
Long Quotations (more than four typed lines) – MLA 3.7.2
*Use a colon to introduce the quotation.
*Starting a new line, indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin.
*Use the normal right margin and double space.
*Do not put quotation marks around an indented quotation.
*Place the citation in parentheses at the end of the quotation.
Example (long quotation)
Other studies have revealed similar results. For example, researcher Czeisler explains
his findings:
People exposed to five hours of bright lights during the nighttime over a threeday
period reset their internal clocks as much as twelve hours. The timing of the
light could not be haphazard, however. The exposure had to be synchronized
with particular phases of a person's circadian rhythm in order for it to be
effective. (72)
In-text Citation Examples
In-text citations are written either as a signal phrase or parenthetical reference:
The reference marker for the cited material is placed in parentheses at the end of the
sentence containing the quotation, paraphrase, or summary, followed by a period after
the parentheses.
Signal phrase in a quotation
Czeisler reports, "Bright light produces a clear resetting of the subject's circadian
rhythms, yet it is too early to know why this happens" (137).
Signal phrase in a paraphrase or partial quote
Czeisler reports that bright light affects one's "circadian rhythms" although the
explanation is not yet known (137).
Signal phrase in a summary
Czeisler finds that the proper timing of bright lights causes a longer period of
alertness and clearer thoughts (137).
Parenthetical reference in a summary.
Other researchers confirm that bright light produces an actual resetting of the
circadian rhythms (Rosenthal 147).
Parenthetical reference in a quotation
Circadian rhythms are “[biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately
a twenty-four hour cycle” (Feldman 125).
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A Work with One Author– MLA 6.2-6.3
Signal phrase
In fact, Mapes believes that the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power
plant happened because engineers ignored a series of warning signals (15).
Parenthetical reference
The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant happened at 4:00 a.m.,
and the Chernobyl reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. (Mapes 15).
A Work with Two or Three Authors – MLA 6.2-6.3
List all authors in the signal phrase or parentheses each time you cite the source.
Signal phrase
Worchel and Shebilske report that a person's biological clock is internally set at
twenty-four hours (125).
Parenthetical reference
A person's biological clock is internally set at twenty-four hours (Worchel and
Shebilske 125).
A Work with Four or More Authors – MLA 6.2
When the work has more than three authors, follow the form you use in the Works
Cited section of your paper; i.e., either list the first author's name followed by et al.
(Latin for “and others”) or give all the last names.
Signal phrase
Czeisler et al. find similar results in monkeys (155).
Parenthetical reference
Similar results have been found in monkeys (Czeisler et al. 155).
Similar results have been found in monkeys (Czeisler, Johnson, Duffy, Brown,
Ronda, and Kronauer 155).
Unknown Author – MLA 6.4.4
If the author is not given, either use the complete title in the signal phrase or use the
full title (if brief) or a shortened form of the title in parentheses.
Complete title in the signal phrase
The article "Are You a Day or Night Person?" states that the pineal gland, which
releases melatonin at night, regulates the biological clock (14).
Partial title in the parenthetical reference
The pineal gland, which regulates melatonin at night, regulates the biological clock
("Are You" 14).
Corporate Author – MLA 6.4.5
For names of groups that serve as authors, use the name of the corporate author in
the signal phrase or the parenthetical reference. If you give the name in the
parenthetical reference, you may abbreviate it.
Signal phrase
The National Institute of Mental Health is studying the effect that altering circadian
rhythms has on the memory (91).
Parenthetical reference
Scientists are studying the effects that changing circadian rhythms may produce on
the memory (Natl. Inst. of Mental Health 91).
A Work in an Anthology or Collection Edited by Another– MLA 6.2
If you are citing an essay that appears within a collection or anthology, cite the author
of the essay or article – not the editor.
The black box in “The Lottery” symbolizes the towns people’s fear as evident in the
words “the villagers kept their distance” and “there was hesitation” before two men
volunteered to help steady the box (Jackson 572).
Note: On the Works Cited page, you will cite the author and the title of the essay
followed by the editor, title, and publishing information for the anthology or collection.
(5.5.6)
A Scholarly Article Reprinted in a Collection – MLA 6.2
If you are quoting or paraphrasing a work that was previously published, cite the
author of the work, not the collection’s author or editor.
Demont reports that most individuals feel sleepy in mid-afternoon, a phenomenon
due solely to the time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch (103).
Note: On the Works Cited page, you will indicate that you were reading an article
reprinted in Feldman’s book and were not reading the originally published Demont
article. You will cite the original publishing information of Demont (usually found at the
end of the article). Then you will add Rpt. in followed by the title, editor, publishing
information, and page numbers of the book in which the article appears. If you are
citing an excerpt of Demont’s work that you found in Feldman’s book, you will add
Excerpt from instead of Rpt. in. (5.5.6)
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Indirect Sources – MLA 6.4.7
When quoting or paraphrasing a quotation from an indirect source (a source quoted
in the source you used), put the abbreviation qtd. in (“quoted in”) before the indirect
source cited in your parenthetical reference.
A reprinted quotation with a signal phrase
Demont states that “feeling sleepy in mid-afternoon is a phenomenon due solely
to the time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch” (qtd. in Feldman 65).
Note: In this situation, Demont’s entire article is not found in the book by
Feldman; Feldman has only quoted from Demont’s article. In the Works Cited page, you
will include a cite for Feldman (and not for Demont) because the quote was obtained
indirectly from Feldman’s book.
Literature – MLA 6.4.8
For verse plays and poems, cite the canto, stanza, and line number. For plays, give
the act, scene, and line numbers (if used). Use periods between these numbers. If only
line numbers are cited, the first cite should include the word line; subsequent cites will
be only the number.
For novels, if you give the chapter and the page number, your citation will be easier
to find in any edition of the novel. If you use both a page number and chapter number,
follow the page number with a semicolon and precede the chapter number with the
abbreviation ch.
A poem with a signal phrase
In “The Bustle in a House,” Emily Dickinson describes the emotional
housecleaning after death by the words “The Sweeping up the Heart / And putting
Love away” (lines 5-6).
A verse play with a parenthetical reference
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” is a frequently quoted line from Hamlet
(Shakespeare 3.2.206).
A novel with a signal phrase
Conrad is quite adept at using animal imagery as when Gentleman Brown identifies
himself as “a rat in a trap” (232; ch. 41).
Works Cited Format: Printed Resources
Note: Abbreviate publishers’ names.
Book with One Author – MLA 5.5.2
Hartman, Charles. The Sleep Book. Chicago: Foresman, 1987. Print.
Book with Two or Three Authors – MLA 5.5.4
Worchel, Stanley, and William Shebilske. Psychology: Principles and Application. Newark:
Prentice, 1996. Print.
Book with Four or More Authors – MLA 5.5.4
Gillman, Sandra, et al. Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley: U of California P, 1993. Print.
Unknown Author of an Article in a Weekly Magazine – MLA 5.4.6 and 5.4.9
If the page numbers are not consecutive, cite only the first page number and a plus
sign.
"Are You a Day or a Night Person?" Newsweek 7 Mar. 1994: 26+. Print.
Corporate Author – MLA 5.5.5
Cite the author by the corporate author (American Medical Association, Public
Health Foundation) even if the corporate author is the publisher. Omit any article (A,
An, The) in the beginning of the name.
Public Health Foundation. The Timing is Wrong. Boston: Public Health Foundation, 1992.
Print.
Work/Essay in an Anthology or Collection Edited by Another – MLA 5.5.6
Cite the author and title of the work; then cite information for a basic book entry. The
edition follows the name of the editor if there is one (if not, after the name of the
book). Place the title of the work in quotation marks unless it was originally published
independently (such as novels and plays). Italicize the title of independently published
works.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and
Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6 th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2008. 1545-1648. Print.
Dickinson, Emily. “The Bustle in a House.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.
Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6 th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2008. 936. Print.
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A Scholarly Article Reprinted in a Collection – MLA 5.5.6
Cite the author, title of the work, and earlier publication information. Then add Rpt.
in (“Reprinted in”) followed by information for page numbers and print medium of the
collection in which the article appears. The print medium for the earlier publication is
not required.
Demont, Alex. "Like Clockwork." The Science Monitor 9 Aug. 1993: 127. Rpt. in Essentials
of Understanding in Psychology. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert Feldman. New York: McGraw,
1994. 102-104. Print.
Article in a Journal – MLA 5.4.2
Newman, Timothy. "Can We Regulate Circadian Rhythms?" Journal of Natural Healing
6.2 (1994): 72-78. Print.
Aslan, Joseph. "Group Treatment of Sleep Disorders." Journal of Health 22 (1993): 221-
26. Print.
Works Cited Page: Electronic Resources
Article, Scholarly Journal (Online database) - Full Text – MLA 5.6.4
Clemmitt, Marcia. “Cyber Socializing.” CQ Researcher 16.27 (2008): 625-648. CQ
Researcher Plus Archive. Web. 3 Aug. 2008.
Article, Scholarly Journal (Web) – Full Text – MLA 5.6
Howe, Jeff. “Social Networking Hits Campus.” Journal of Students 3.2 (2009): 32-43. Web.
13 May 2009.
Article, Magazine (monthly) (Online database) – Full Text – MLA 5.6.4
Lane, Mandy. “Cyberscope.” Ms Magazine Aug. 2008: 16. Business Source Complete. Web.
21 June 2008.
Article, Magazine (weekly) (Online database) – Full Text – MLA 5.6.4
Corey, Patti. “H1N1 Scare.” Time 4 Aug. 2009: 59. Business Source Premier. Web. 23 Aug.
2009.
Article, Online Magazine (monthly) (Web) – Full Text – MLA 5.6
Howe, Jeff. “H1N1 Hits Campus.” Campus Health Issues. Campus Health, Aug. 2009.
Web. 3 Sept. 2009.
Article, Online Magazine (weekly) (Web) – Full Text – MLA 5.6.2b
Letterman, David. “CBS Librarian Researches Top Ten Lists.” TelevisionToday.com.
Television Today, 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 3 Sept. 2009.
Article, Newspaper (Online database) – Full Text – MLA 5.6.4
Craig, Kevin. “Differing Views of One Truth.” Globe & Mail 8 Jan. 2003: 20. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 17 Mar. 2008.
Article, Newspaper (Web) – Full Text - MLA 5.6
Lomartire, Paul. “Spielberg‟s Earth 2.” Palm Beach Post. The Palm Beach Post, 5 Nov.
1994: C2. Web. 3 May 2009.
Blog – MLA 5.6.2b
If there is no title for the blog entry, label it Weblog comment, but do not add
quotation marks. If there is no sponsor or blog publisher, type N.p.
Kendrick, Marta. “Future of Novels.” Free Range Librarian. Wordpress, 23 June 2009.
Web. 31 Jul. 2009.
Book (eBook from the Web) – MLA 5.6
Carroll, Lewis. Hunting of the Snark. NY: Macmillan, 1891. University of Virginia Library.
Web. 21 Oct. 1995.
Dictionary Entry – MLA 5.6.2 and 5.5.7
Oftentimes, the dictionary will provide several definitions for the same word and
number them (Def. #).
“Literature.” Def. 3a. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online, 2008.
Web. 19 Aug. 2011.
Discussion Groups, eConferences, Bulletin Boards, etc. (Web) – MLA 5.6.2b
Magnuson, Nancy. “Digitizing Books.” Online posting. 15 June 1995. College Libraries
Bulletin Board. Web. 21 Oct. 1995.
Encyclopedia Article – MLA 5.5.7 and 5.6.2
“Henri Bergson.” Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008. Web. 15 Aug. 2011.
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Government Documents (Web) – MLA 5.5.20 and 5.6
United States. Dept. of Justice. Crime Rates Increase during Winter Months. By John
Timmons, Mary Jones, and Tom Bluestone. Feb. 2002. Web. 21 Oct. 2002.
Homepage (Web) – MLA 5.6.2b
Shelley, Mary. Victor Frankenstein: An Absent Parent. Mary Shelley. n.d. Web. 22 June
1998.
Note: When a professional or personal site has no title, use the description “Home
page” without italics and without quotations. You may want to include the Web address
for this type of citation. For example:
Chambers, Allison. Home page. Allison Chambers. 7 June 2003. Web. 8 July 2005.
.
Poem (Online database) - MLA 5.6.4
Browning, Robert. “Half-Rome.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. Web. 18 Aug.
2009.
Works Cited Page: Missing Citation Information
Use the following abbreviations for information that cannot be supplied.
n.p. No place of publication or no publisher.
n.d. No date of publication given.
n. pag. No pagination given.
Photographs of the Big Bend, Fort Davis, the Rio Grande, and West Texas Historical Sites. N.p.,
n.d. N. pag. Print.
For a more detailed guide to MLA style, visit the one of the following IRSC
library or ASC websites:
http://www.irsc.edu/libraries/tutorials/tutorials.aspx?id=1239
General MLA Guidelines
Use 8 ½ x 11 inch white, standard typing paper.
Double space the entire paper and use a standard black typeface (not script or italics).
Except for page numbers, leave margins of one inch on all sides of paper. Let the right
margin remain uneven. Do not justify.
Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by
a space and a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numbers, onehalf
inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
Center your title on the first page of the paper, and double space between it and the
header. If your instructor prefers a separate title page, see page 6 for a sample title page.
Do not underline your title, place it in quotation marks, or put it in all capital letters.
(Italicize or place in quotation marks only those words that would normally be italicized
or in quotation marks, e.g., the name of a book that you have included in your title.)
Space once after the following punctuation marks:
*After commas, colons, and semicolons.
*After concluding punctuation (unless your instructor prefers two spaces).
*After periods within author, date, title, or publishing information of a citation on
the Works Cited page.
*After periods following initials in personal names (J. R. Harris).
When writing about literature or general truths, use the present tense
Always check with instructor for exact requirements.
http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/researchpaper
/researchpaper.aspx?id=4294967444
5

Sample MLA First Page and Works Cited Page
Andrews 1
Pat Andrews
Professor Manning
Introduction to Research 1201, Section A1
17 November 2012
Texting While Driving: A Deadly Dilemma
When Gary Golatas climbed into the passenger seat of Allyson
P. Smitter’s sports car on the morning of July 4, 2011, he had no
idea that she would be taking him for his last ride. According to an
article in the Terlingua Daily Express, Golatas, 17, and Smitter, 18,
had planned a holiday excursion to festivities in nearby Appaloosa
County. Six months later, it was no holiday when a Kiva County
grand jury indicted Smitter for vehicular homicide (Buck A1+).
Texting, statistics prove, is not only rising but creating
problems on the nation’s highways. In the United States, texting
increased from 9.8 billion messages a month in January of 2009 to
99.4 billion in January of 2010 (Bandelier 28). As quoted in “Time
for a Change,” researcher Alan M. Tercero claims, “As many as 70
percent of those messages are being sent by people driving cars”
(Automotive Review Council 29). An insurance accident
investigator, Barry Hulicki, says that drivers using cell phones
Andrews 6
Works Cited
"Are You a Day or Night Person?" McCalls Mar. 1994: 12. Print.
Automotive Review Council. Time for a Change. Stuart: Automotive Review
Council, 2009. Print.
Bandelier, Adolfo. “Watching Out for You.” Scholarly Journal of Automotive
Safety and Security 22 (2007): 26-30. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.
Buck, Arva. “Texting Driver Involved in Fatal Accident.” Terlingua Daily
Express 10 July 2011: A1+. Print.
Demont, Alex. "Like Clockwork." The Science Monitor 9 Aug. 1993:127. Rpt.
in Robert Feldman. Essentials of Understanding in Psychology. 2nd ed. New
York: McGraw, 1994. 102-104. Print.
Howe, Jeff. “Social Networking Hits Campus.” Journal of Students 3.2
(2009): 32-43. Web. 13 May 2009.
Lane, Mandy. “Cyberscope.” Ms Magazine Aug. 2008: 16. Business Source
Complete. Web. 21 June 2008.
Rosenthal, Edgar. "Pulses of Light Give Astronauts New Rhythms." New
York Times 23 Apr. 1991, sec. 1: 1. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Victor Frankenstein: An Absent Parent. Mary Shelley. n.d. Web.
22 June 1998.
6