Transcript MLA Citations Style Guide

MLA Citations Style
Guide
Guidelines for Making a
Bibliography and
Documenting Sources
MLA
Most schools grades 1- 12 use the
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Style Guide, which has been used in
schools for half a century. MLA
provides rules and guidelines about
how to format research papers and
give credit to sources you use.
Citing Sources
• To “cite” a source is to give credit to
the source from which you gathered
your information.
• Citing sources is simply
acknowledging that someone else
had an idea before you did.
Why Must You Cite
Sources?
• The rights of the author and creator are
protected by law.
• If you do not cite your sources, it is considered
plagiarism.
• Giving credit shows that you are respectfully
borrowing other people’s ideas, not stealing
them.
•Citing sources gives additional information to
readers who may want to pursue your topic.
Reasons (cont.)
• Citing sources gives your teacher/reader a way
to check your sources for accuracy.
• Citing sources inspires reader confidence in your
writing.
• Citing sources is required by your teacher.
• Learning how to cite works correctly will help you
in middle school, high school, college, and in
business.
7/22/2015
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Plagiarism
What is plagiarism?
According to Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary, to plagiarize is to “steal or
pass off the ideas or words of another
as one’s one without crediting the
source” (Webster 886).
How can I avoid
plagiarism?
The easiest way to avoid plagiarism is
to simply be sure to give credit to the
sources you use. If you are using
direct quotes (someone’s exact
words), be sure to place the words
within quotation marks.
Parenthetical Citation
What is Parenthetical Citation?
• Parenthetical citations are simply in-text
documentation. You point to the specific
source and page number where the
original information can be found.
• When do you use in-text documentation?
-if you use an original idea from a source
(whether quoted or paraphrased)
-if you summarize someone else's ideas
-if you quote directly
Put the author's last name and the page
number within parentheses and usually at
the end of a sentence.
Example:
The Romans called the German tribes
“plundering, godless barbarians” (Hinds 19).
Since the words are contained within quotes,
the above example illustrates that this is a
direct quote from that page.
• Direct Quote— the exact words spoken or
written by someone else
Here is an example of the same idea
presented as an indirect quote:
Example:
The Romans thought of the German tribes
as barbaric and immoral (Hinds 19).
Indirect Quote - someone else’s words
which have been changed but maintain the
same meaning as the original words
Works Cited Page
What is a “Works Cited”
Page?
A “Works Cited” page is the name that
MLA gives to a bibliography. It is a
listing of all of the sources you cited in
the body of your paper. Here are a
few things to keep in mind about the
“Works Cited” page:
Format:
1.
The “Works Cited” page is always going
to be the last page of your essay or
report. You should type the words “Works
Cited” and center it on the page.
2.
Each entry must be complete and
accurate.
3.
Each entry reads like one long sentence.
It does not matter where the second line
begins in an entry; it begins on the
second line only because you ran out of
room on the first line.
Format (cont.)
4.
The second and subsequent lines are
always indented five spaces. This is
called hanging indent.
5.
Double space all citations, but do not skip
spaces between entries.
6.
The sources are listed alphabetically by
the first word or name of the entry
(excluding a, an, the). This first word or
name should be what you use in your
parenthetical citation.
Example of a “Works Cited” page:
Examples of Common
Forms of Sources for
Citation
Print Resources (Viewed in
Print Form)
Book by One Author
Author. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher,
Year.
• Take the title from the title page, not the cover.
• The author's name should be written Last Name, First
Name.
Example:
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York: Knopf, 1993.
Other Print Resources (Viewed
in Print Form) :
•
•
•
•
•
Book by Two Authors
Encyclopedia
A Work within an Anthology
Newspaper Article
Magazine Article
Non-Print Resources (Viewed
Electronically)
Internet Website
Author. "Title of Web Page." Title of the Site. Editor. Date
and/or Version Number. Name of Sponsoring
Institution. Last update date. Date of Access <URL>.
Example:
Sherman, Chris. "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About
URL." SearchEngineWatch. Ed. Danny Sullivan. 24 Aug.
2004. 4 Sept. 2004
<http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3398
511>.
Other Non-Print Resources
(Viewed Electronically)
include:
• Online Database
• Online graphics (photographs, clip
art, etc.)
• TV Programs
On-line Tools and Resources for Writing
Citations
In MLA Format
EasyBib.Com
Essential Information Needed for
Creating Parenthetical Citations
MLA Citation Guides
Citation Data Form