Transcript MLA Parenthetical Citations

MLA Rules, Tips, and Guidelines
General Guidelines
 Formatting the First Page of your Paper:
 Do not make a title page for your paper.
 In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your
name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date.
 Be sure to double space the header as well as the text of
the paper!
 Example: Hugh Bedderknot
Ms. Medaglia
English 10
4 May 2010
General Guidelines Continued
 Formatting the First Page (continued)
 Double space again and center the title. DON’T underline
your title or put it in quotation marks; write the title in Title
Case, NOT in all capital letters.
 Use quotation marks and italicizing when referring to other
works in your title, just as you would in your text.
 Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
 Set a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the
upper-right hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush
with the right margin
 Set your margins at 1” top, bottom, left, and right.
What is a Parenthetical Citation and when
would you use one?
A reference at the end of a sentence
that refers to a source stated in the
works cited page.
For Example: (Smith 48)
Any time that you use another
person’s idea(s), EVEN IF you put
those ideas into your own words.
For Example: You want to use an idea that you
found in one of your articles.
 You have 2 choices:
 1. You can use the exact words of the
author and place them in quotation marks
followed by the author’s last name and the
page number.
 Example: “By age 24, up to sixty percent of
people who are identified as childhood
bullies have at least one criminal
conviction” (Harris 3).
Or…
 2. You can put that idea into your own words. Then
you place the author’s last name and the page number
the idea was on in the parentheses that follows.
 Example: Over 50% of childhood bullies have at least
one criminal conviction by the time they are 24 years of
age (Harris 3).
Things to remember…
 The punctuation mark for the sentence (even for a
quote) comes after the parentheses.
 The only information that does not have to be followed
by a parenthetical citation in your paper is what is
known as COMMON KNOWLEDGE (information that
YOU know or that can be found in several sources
written by different authors).
 Common sense and ethics should dictate your need for
documenting sources. This is a rhetorical choice,
based on audience. If you’re writing for an expert
audience of a scholarly journal, they’ll have different
expectations of what constitutes common knowledge.
Things to Remember Cont’d.
 The second time you use information from a source, IF
NO OTHER SOURCE HAS BEEN CITED IN BETWEEN,
you may write only the page number where you found
information in the parentheses.
 If you cite the author to introduce your quote, you may
also just put the page number in parentheses.
 According to Harris, bullying can lead to both physical
and psychological harm (9).
In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style
 MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text
citation. This means that the author’s last name and
the page number(s) from which the quotation or
paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a
complete reference should appear on your Works Cited
page. For example:
 Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked
by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
or
 Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
How do you cite multiple authors?
 For two or three authors give the last names of every
author in the same order that they appear in the
works-cited section.
 Example: Samuel Moore Walton, founder of Wal-Mart,
owed much of his ambition for success to the fact that
he grew up during the Great Depression (Vance and
Scott 1).
For more than three authors:
 Give the first author’s last name as it appears in the
works-cited section followed by et al. with no
punctuation in between.
 Example: Methane gas trapped in ice crystals on the
seafloor may be an important source of fuel in the
future (Suess et al. 80).
Citing authors with Same Last Names
 Sometimes more information is necessary to identify
the source from which a quotation is taken. For
instance, if two or more authors have the same last
name, provide both authors’ first initials (or even the
authors’ full name if different authors share initials) in
your citation. For example:
 Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning
will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note
that the advantages for medical research outweigh this
consideration (A. Miller 46).
Citing Multiple Works by the
Same Author
 If you cite more than one work by a particular author,
include a shortened title for the particular work from
which you are quoting to distinguish it from the
others.
 Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful
tools for small children (“Too Soon” 38), though he has
acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to
computer games does lead to better small motor skill
development in a child’s second and third year
(“Hand-Eye Development” 17).
Citing Indirect Sources
 Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source.
An indirect source is a source cited in another
source. For such indirect quotations, use “qtd. in”
to indicate the source you actually consulted. For
example:
 Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to
act as “social service centers, and they don’t do that
well” (qtd. in Weisman 259).
What do I do if I have a source with no
author?
 If your source does not have an author, use the title of
the source in place of the author in your parenthetical
citation. Place the title in quotation marks if it is a
short work, or italicize it if it is a longer work.
 Example: (History of Bullying 14)
 Note: Your in-text citation will correspond with an
entry in your works cited page, which, for your
bullying citation above, will look something like this:
 History of Bullying: From 1800 to Today’s Cyberbullying.
Berkeley: U of California P, 2009.
Why do you want to include parenthetical
citations?
To support your thesis statement.
To support your main arguments.
To add meaning to your papers.
To give a real-life example for your
readers.
How do you introduce a quotation or a
reference?
 It is important that your citations are introduced and
not simply placed throughout your paper.
 If necessary, explain to the reader what your citation
means.
 The reader should see evidence that you understand
your citations and that they flow with the rest of your
paper.
Formatting Quotations
 When you directly quote the works of others in your
paper, you will format quotations differently
depending on their length.
 Short Quotations: To indicate short quotations
(fewer than four typed lines) enclose the quotation
within double quotation marks. Provide the author
and specific page citation.
 Example: In his recent article, Nelson claims, “A
cochlear implant is a device designed to give some
hearing to men and women who have hearing loss or
no hearing at all” (3).
Long Quotations
 Place quotations longer than four typed lines in a free-
standing block of text, and OMIT quotation marks.
 Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote
indented one inch from the left margin; maintain
double-spacing. Only indent the first line of the
quotation by a half inch if you are citing multiple
paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come
after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting
verse, maintain original line breaks.
Long Quotation Example:
 Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes
him throughout her narration as follows:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them,
or even in their room, and I had no more sense,
so, I put it in the landing of the stairs, hoping it
would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else
attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr.
Earnshaw’s door, and there he found it on
quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to
how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in
recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity
was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)
Adding or Omitting Words in Quotations
 If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put
brackets around the words to indicate that they are not
part of the original text.
 Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends,
states: “some individuals [who retell urban legends]
make a point of learning every rumor or tale” (78).
 If you omit a word or words from a quotation, indicate
the deleted word or words with an ellipsis (three periods
… ) preceded and followed by a space.
 In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvald notes
that “some individuals make a point of learning every
recent rumor or tale … and in a short time a lively
exchange of details occurs” (78).
Kindle Books or eReaders
 Works Cited:
 MLA recommends citing a book on a digital device using the
guidelines for citing a book but replacing the format type
(Print) with the name of the digital file format, followed by the
word "file.” For the “Digital file type” field on the form, enter a
file format such as "EPUB file" (a non-proprietary file format
used by Kobo, Nook, Sony and others). If an e-Book reader
uses a proprietary format (e.g., Kindle), you may use the name
of the file type ("AZW file") or, if this is not visible to you, the
name of the device ("Kindle file").
Example:
Slawenski, Kenneth. J.D. Salinger: A Life. New York: Random,
2011. N. pag. EPUB file.
Kindle Books or eReaders
 Parenthetical Reference:
 If page numbers do not remain constant when you enlarge the
text or if page numbers are device-specific, do not use them.
 For example, some Kindle books will include page numbers
that match print. They are displayed next to locations when
you push the Menu button. Other Kindle "location numbers"
are device specific and should not be used.
 If page numbers are not available or are device-specific, mark
the checkbox on the Noodlebib form that says "Book pages are
not numbered.”
Example: (Latifa)
Formatting your Works Cited Page
 The “Works Cited” should be the last page of your
project.
 Center the title “Works Cited” on the first line of your
page one inch from the top.
 Do NOT number your entries.
 All source entries are arranged alphabetically
according to the author’s last name. The author’s last
name comes first, then her/his first name, then middle
initial.
Works Cited Page Continued…
 Entries with no authors are listed alphabetically
according to the first word in the title.
 The first line of each entry starts at the left margin.
Indent the second and following lines of that entry 1
tab over (5 spaces) from the left margin.
 Double space the ENTIRE page but add NO additional
spaces.
 Make sure your running header follows the
consecutive numbering of the rest of your paper!
Works Cited
 Beck, Roger B., et al. Modern World History: Patterns of
Interaction. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2003.
 Donovan, Margaret E. The Industrial Revolution. New
York: Prentice-Hall, 1999.
NOTE: If the publisher lists several cities of publication,
choose the city closest to you.