MLA REFERENCING

How to reference materials using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style

2013 Revised

What is referencing?

What is referencing?

• When you research a topic for an assignment, you may use ideas or information from a number of sources, including books, articles from journals or newspapers and websites to support your own work. •

Referencing is a way of showing what sources you have used, giving credit to the original authors.

Why do we reference?

Why do we reference?

• To

avoid plagiarism

by giving credit to the original source of an idea, piece or information or resource.

• To

support your work

with the authoritative work of another author.

• To

demonstrate your knowledge

and familiarity with a topic that you have researched. • To help readers of your work to

find the original

source of information of ideas that you have used.

Ultimately…

• Without referencing,

you

’

re not really producing anything of value

– you

’

re just giving opinions without evidence to support them!

•

So, let

’

s take a look at some specific to MLA style referencing…

What is a

“

Works Cited

”

list?

• Contains all of the sources you used for your research • Also called a bibliography.

• Many styles, but we use

MLA style

at our school.

• The purpose is to show your reader where you got your information and that you did research.

• The key here is information. • The ideas should be yours!

What should a works cited list contain?

• Books • Textbooks • Web sites • Online or printed newspaper articles • University research papers • Online or printed magazine/journal articles • Interviews • Videos or movies • TV/radio programs • Any printed information like brochures or newsletters • Documentaries

Works Cited

Citations for a book written by

one

author

• Author’s name (last name and first name) • Name of the book (in Italics) • Place of publishing • Publishing company’s name/publisher • Year of publishing • Page numbers • Medium of publication (“Print” or “Online”)

Example:

Joyce, James.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

. New York: The Freeman Press, 1961. (67) Print.

NOTE: Notice the punctuation and the indentation of the

second

line (opposite of a paragraph – called a ‘hanging indent’). These are non-negotiable!

Citations for a book by

two

authors

• Last name of the first author and then the first name.

• Then the first name and the second name of second writer.

• After that, simply follow the same process as a book with one writer.

• Type the word “ Print ” or “ Online ” • Put a period at the end.

to show the medium.

Example:

Engels, Fredrich and Karl Marx.

The Communist Manifesto

. London: Independent Press, 1857. (67-85) Print.

NOTE: To create a hanging indent on Word, select the citation, right click, click on Paragraph, under Indentation, select Hanging. The indentation should be 1/2 ” or 1.27 cm.

Citations for a book with more than two authors

• Last name of the first writer, then the first name • • Then type “

et al.

” After that, do the same as a book with one or two authors • Type the word “ Print ” or “ Online ” to show the medium • Put a period at the end

Example:

Jones, Sally et al.

Why I like to teach.

New York: ABC Publishing Co. 1988. (57) Print.

NOTE: You only need to include the first author ’ s name. Note that there is a period after the “ al ” in “ et al.

” Also note there is never a period after the “ et ” in “ et al.

”

Printed copy of magazine, journal, or newspaper article

• Name of author (last name, first name) • Name of article (in quotation marks) • Name of magazine, journal, or newspaper

(in italics)

• Date of issue (normally day number, abbreviated month, then year – however, it might be just the month or season depending on the magazine or journal) • Page number(s) • Type the word “ Print ” • Add a period at the end

Examples of Printed Articles

Smith, John. “ Genocide in Bosnia.

”

Time

Apr 1994: 25. Print. Smythe, Jane. “ The Dangers of Teenaged Drug Use.

”

The New England Journal of Medicine

Summer 1998: 35-37. Print.

Online copy of magazine, journal, or newspaper article

• Name of author (last name, first name) • Name of article (in quotation marks) • Name of magazine, journal, or newspaper

(in italics)

• Date of issue and a colon (normally the day, abbreviated month, and then year) • Date might be just the month or season depending on the magazine or journal • Colon • Page number(s) (

Do not use page, p

.

or pg

.) • Type “ Online.

” – this shows it is an online copy of the article and not a paper one • Add a period at the end

Examples of magazine, journals, or news article

Smith, John. “ Genocide in Bosnia.

”

Time

Apr 1994: 25. Print. Smythe, Jane. “ The Dangers of Teenaged Drug Use.

”

The New England Journal of Medicine

Summer 1998: 35-37. Print. Crossette, Barbara. "India Lodges First Charges in Arms Scandal."

The New York Times

23 Jan 1990: A4. Online.

Note:

Don ’ t forget the period at the end!

Citations for Electronic Sources

• Name of the author of the Internet story (last name, first name if given – look

carefully

for it!) • Website article title (in quotation marks) • Name of the website (in italics) •

Publisher

or

publishing organization

(if one exists – but like the author ’ s name, look

carefully

for it!) • The publisher is

not

website always the same as the name of the • Date of the article • Medium of publication ( “ Web ” ) • The date you visited the website • URL (in angled brackets)

Example of Internet Website

• If you don ’ t know who wrote the article, then you can leave it out and start with the title • Put the title of the article in quotation marks followed by the

name of the website in italics

• Next, the publisher of the website and the date of publication • Medium of publication ( “ Web ” ) • Then the date of access • Period at the end Smith, Sarah. “ The story of our protests in the Aegean Sea.

”

Greenpeace

. Greenpeace, 7 Nov. 2004. Web. 11 Dec. 2005. .

NOTE:

As of 2009, writers are no longer required to provide URLs for Web entries. However, if your instructor or publisher insists on them, include.

And another Internet Website

Davidson, Andrew. “ Riot-shocked Britain faces fresh violence.

”

CBC News

. CBC, 9 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 Aug. 2011. .

Author

’

s last name, first name.

“

Title of Story.

”

Name of

of Website. Publisher or Organization, Day+Month+Year publication. Medium of publication. Day+Month+Year of access. URL.

NOTE:

To make the URL fit properly on more than one line, simply add a space after a slash ( / ) at an appropriate point to separate it

Note as of 2009

As we we would like access to and will be checking your sources, we ask you to include the URL for any web resource used.

Movie, Video, or DVD

• Type the title in italics • Add a period • Type first “ Dir ” and a period • And the name of the director by typing his • Type the name of the production company or movie studio • Add the year of the movie and a period • Type the format (Film, DVD, VCD etc) • Add a period

Example of a Movie, Video, or DVD

The Usual Suspects.

Dir. Bryan Singer. Polygram, 1995. DVD.

Things to remember about your MLA Works Cited list…



Punctuation

: IT MATTERS!  The punctuation isn ’ t always the same. It depends on the type of source.

 Make sure that you

italicize

websites!

the titles of books and names of  Do not use active links for web addresses. They

should not

be underlined.

 Simply highlight the web link and select “ Remove Hyperlink ” to put it in normal format.

Some things to to remember about your

‘

Works Cited

’

page…

• Title is “ Works Cited ” – – without quotations marks

no bold, no underline, 12 point font

.

• All citations should be listed in

alphabetical order

by the author ’ s last name or the title if there is no author.

•

Continue to number pages

i.e. this page should be numbered.

• The first line margin .

of each source begins at the left • If a source is more than one line long, then you have to

INDENT EACH SUBSEQUENT LINE

. This is called a hanging indent – again you can format this under the are using Word.

‘ Paragraph ’ settings if you • Double space

everything.

• Use a period at the end of each item cited.

EXAMPLE

Smith 14 Works Cited Adams, Larry. “ Students Studying Abroad.

” The Straits Times. 30 Dec 2001, 34-35. Print.

Crossette, Barbara. "India Lodges First Charges in Arms Scandal." The New York Times. 23 Jan 1990, A4. Online.

Engels, Fredrich and K. Marx. The Communist Manifesto. London: Independent Press, 1857. Print.

Jones, Sally et al. Why I like to teach. New York: ABC Publishing Co. 1988. Print.

Smith 15 Joyce, James. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: The Freeman Press, 1961. Print.

Smith, Sarah. “ The story of our protests in the Aegean Sea.

” Greenpeace. Greenpeace, 4 Nov. 2004. Web. 11 Dec. 2005. .