Referencing Quotes MLA Style

Short quotes: 4 lines or less Introduce the quotation with speaker, source, or context phrase Signal Phrases may also come after the quote A comma comes after the phrase

More about short quotations If the quote is incorporated into the sentence surrounding it, then do not start with a capital letter If the quote stands alone, then it should begin with a capital letter Quote marks surround the quoted words Citation comes outside of the quotation

Short Quote Formatting Signal phrases precede or follow quote Citation is in parentheses after the quotation There is no special spacing or indenting A short quote is double-spaced and should be part of the paragraph Example: Expert opinion argues “the best solution is to cut calories and increase exercise” (16). Many people struggle with that advice.

Citing Short Quotations In MLA, all citations come at the end of the quote and are contained in parentheses. Periods come outside the parenthesis mark. For a direct quotation, if you use the author or speaker’s name in a signal phrase, you need only add the page number (87). For another style of direct quotation, put the second set of quotation marks before the first parenthesis then add the citation and put the sentence’s period after the second parenthesis, not before. e.g. “…making short sentences” (Author 87). Only question marks and exclamation marks that are part of the direct quotation go before a parenthesis mark. Never put a comma or period before one.

Citing Short Quotations If there is not an author, for a long title, merely use the first significant word or two (not a or the). Remember, you want your reader to be able to immediately find the source on the Works Cited page. Use either quotation marks or Italics/underlining depending on the Works Cited punctuation of your title (Do the same!). If two titles are the same, include the first significant word that is different. For sequential chronological cites of the same source, cite only the page number.

Examples According to Professor Green, “College graduates will double in the next decade in the US” (17). Although costs are rising, “college graduates will double in the next decade in the US” (Green 17). Sources point out that, “one in three children begin school before the age of five” (American School Update 3). Electronic sources should be cited in the same way as print materials.

Longer Quotations: More than 4 typed lines Introduction phrase or signal phrase is followed by a colon Set the quote off: Indent one inch (ten spaces) from the left margin Do not use quotation marks Do not change the right margin Long quotes are double-spaced At the end of the quotation the parenthetical citation goes outside the final period.

Example English teacher Mary Smith illustrates the fine points of quoting in papers: Make sure that you cite where your information comes from. Whether it is a direct quotation or a paraphrase, the source must be given credit for the research that has been done by someone other than you. Introduce your information with some context. There are so many different resources out there and each has its own rules for citing with the text of your paper. (25)