*MLA 8

In-Text Citations & Works Cited: MLA 8^th 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.