In-Text Citations & Works Cited: MLA 8th Edition
*In-Text Citations
-In-text citations (also known as parenthetical citations) are included in the body of the paper to give credit to people’s thoughts that we use. All in-text citations referenced in the body of the paper must be included in the works cited page.
-You need to give credit for: · Direct quotes · Paraphrasing · Summarizing
-General formatting guidelines: · The in-text citation goes in parentheses. · Place after the end quotation mark but before the end punctuation.
-Specific formatting guidelines: · Print sources · For full length texts (i.e. novel, textbook) include the author’s last name and the page number(s) where the information is located. Do not include a comma between the author’s last name and the page. Do not write “page” or “p”, rather just write the number for the page. · For short texts (i.e. short story), include the author’s last name and the line numbers instead of page numbers. Although you don’t write the word “page” for full-length text, you will need to write “lines” for short texts. · If the author is unknown, use the title of the text instead. If it’s a short text, use quotes around the title. If it’s a full-length text, italicize the title. · If there are two authors, list both in the order in which they appear. · If there are three or more authors, list the first author’s name followed by “et al.” · Non-print sources or sources from the internet · Follow the guidelines for print sources with the following exceptions: · You do not need to include page numbers for electronic sources (i.e. web site). · If neither the author’s name nor an article title is available, provide the short version of the URL. This should be included in italics (i.e. CNN.com). · For movies & podcasts, include the time range instead of page numbers. · For more detailed guidelines and examples, click here.
*Works Cited Page
-A works cited page includes full reference details for sources cited in the body of your paper.
-General formatting guidelines: · Put entries in alphabetical order. · Double-space all entries. · Only include entries actually cited in your paper. · If you’re missing part of the formatting guidelines (i.e. author’s name), simply skip that part. · Put the first line at the margin on the left. If you need to go to a second line for an individual source, indent the second line.
-Specific formatting guidelines: · Use the following formatting order for works cited. Pay attention to the punctuation that follows each component. · Author. · Title of source. · Title of container, · Other contributors, · Version, · Number, · Publisher, · Publication date, · Location.
* Details/explanation for each of the above components: · Author: Last name followed by a comma and then the rest of the name. End with a period. · Title of source: · For full-length texts, the source will be simply the title of the book. Put the title in italics. · For short texts, web sites articles, videos, etc., use the title. It should be in quotes. · Container: The container simply tells the reader where the source is located. For example, if your source was a short story from the anthology used in class, the anthology itself would be the container. If you watched a video on YouTube, YouTube would be the container. · Other contributors: If other contributors are included (i.e. translator, editor), include them in the works cited. If not, simply skip this section. · Version: Some reference sources (i.e. encyclopedias) will have multiple editions. If that’s the case, include it in the works cited page. · Number: Some reference sources (i.e. journals) might have various volumes. If that’s the case, include it in the works cited page. · Publisher: You will need to include the publisher for many reference sources. · Exceptions include (no need to include the publisher for the following): · Web site whose title is the same as its publisher · Web sites that make work available but don’t publish them (i.e. YouTube). · Publication date: When a source has multiple publication dates (i.e. shown on TV on one date, but on Netflix on another), simply use the date that’s most relevant. · Location: · For short texts (print), include line numbers. · For full-length text (print), include page numbers. · For online sources, use the full URL. For a sample works cited page, click here.
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