What it is and how to use it MLA Citation What it is and how to use it

What it is? A standard format for all high school scholars to use when giving credit to outside resources OR IF YOU PREFER… Designed by a bunch of old guys who figured we better have a set way for everyone to tell someone where they found “stuff”

How to use it

References within a text Example 1: "There are two basic types of sociodramatic play training: outside intervention and inside intervention" (Christie 29). By putting the author's last name, Christie, and the page number, 29, in parentheses after your quotation about play training, you are telling the reader where you found this information.

Example 2: Christie states that "there are two basic types of sociodramatic play training: outside intervention and inside intervention" (29). Because you have mentioned the author's name in your sentence, you do not have to repeat it in the parentheses.

Example 3: Margaret Sanger was thought to be primarily responsible for the introduction of birth control in this country (Kennedy 251). or David Kennedy says that Margaret Sanger was primarily responsible for the introduction of birth control in this country (251).

Reasoning for Example 3: Sentences in your own words about the idea(s) of an author are treated in much the same way. Here there are no quotation marks because you are describing an author's idea, not quoting word-for-word. This is called "paraphrasing" and is as important to cite correctly as if it were a direct quote.

Example 4: Issue…I have no author!!! “The learned are not so learned if the learned have not learned how to listen” (“Learning 101” 27). Use the title of the work (or the first item listed in your works cited). If this is a lengthy item, give an abbreviation of it 

Example 5: Quote longer than 4 lines Bart and Lisa, the scapegrace and the overachiever, the delinquent yin and bookish yang, id and superego of American children everywhere, are characters far richer and more fully evoked than the one-dimensional little wisenheimers so often seen dissing their parents on other sitcoms (The Simpsons and Philosophy 138). The quote itself is not put in quotes. It is indented one inch on both sides of the text and single spaced.

Mr. Burns on his public image: Example 6: Dialogue Mr. Burns on his public image: SMITHERS: I’m afraid we have a bad image, sir. Market research shows people see you as something of an ogre. BURNS: I ought to club them and eat their bones! (“Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”) Quote is led into, then placed on a new line, indented an inch and not put in quotes. The full needed dialogue is single spaced and the paragraph would continue a space below the closing of the quote, explaining its significance

Example 7: Poetry Quoted 2 ways to do it: “Those who know don’t talk./Those who talk don’t know.” (Citation) OR Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know. (Citation) If placed within the text, the lines are separated by a “slash”. If removed from the text, it is indented 1 inch and single spaced, but would flow through the text with a lead in and explanation to follow.

MLA Bibliography/Works Cited Page Rules Arrange the citations in alphabetical order by the first element of the citation, usually the author’s last name. Hanging Indents are required. That is, the first line of the citation starts at the left margin. Subsequent lines are indented 5 spaces or 1 tab. As with every other part of an MLA formatted essay, the bibliography is double spaced, both within the citation and between citations. Do not add an extra line between the citations. The right margin is the normal right margin of your document.

Example of Citation with one author Printed book with one author Kennedy, David. Birth Control in America: The Career of Margaret Sanger. New Haven: Yale UP, 1970.

Practice 1 Brodhead, Richard H. "Hawthorne Among the Realists: The Case of Howells.“ American Realism: New Essays. Ed. Eric J. Sundquist. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 1982. Ed. should come after Sundquist The period after Essays is unnecessary Sundquist's name should be the first entry Page numbers are missing

Practice 2 Miller, David. "Tightening the Belt." Seattle Times. 5 Jan. 1992: A1. The period after Times is unnecessary Place of publication is missing Because it's a front page story, the A in A1 is unnecessary January should not be abbreviated

Practice 3 Wernerfelt, Birgner. "The Magical Realism of Lynch's Blue Velvet." Film Language Quarterly Mar. 1990: 91-98. Page numbers are unnecessary Place of publication information is missing Blue Velvet should not be underlined The month should be replaced by the volume number

Practice 4 Tutwiler, Cammie. "Buddy, can you spare a snack?" KnoxNews 6 July 2001. <http://www.knoxnews.com/news/32651.shtml>. July should be abbreviated as Jul Period between snack? and the quotation mark is missing Date of access is missing Page number of print version is missing

Practice 5 Hammond, William H. "Media and the War." Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. New York: Macmillan Library Reference, 1996. 17-18. Author's name is unnecessary Period after Vietnam War is unnecessary Place of publication is unnecessary Page numbers are unnecessary