Modern Language Association

1. Modern Language Association How to Cite Sources in MLA

2. Why do I need to cite sources? • Academic Integrity • Authority • Prevents Plagiarism • Identify the sources used

3. What Needs to be Cited • Don’t Cite • Common knowledge • Your idea • Your thoughts • Your opinion • Your artwork/pictures Do Cite • Author’s idea • Author’s thought • Author’s opinion • Author’s research • Quotations • Summary of someone’s work / research • Other people’s pictures, illustrations, etc.

4. Two Ways of Citing In-text citation Pointing to where you got your information from (data, quotes, images, facts) inside the body of the text Pointing to where you got your information from (data, quotes, images, facts) inside the body of the text • Bibliography • Complete list of every source you used for the assignment • Works Cited • A list of all of the resources that were CITED in the assignment

5. MLA In-Text Citations A book with one author in the body of your paper Leroy predicted in 1998 that eBay would become the most lucrative Internet business, surpassing most businesses even during tough economic times (45). Or, Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, Jeff Skoll and Meg Whitman, eBay has become the most lucrative Internet business (Leroy 45).

6. A Book with Two Authors According to Franklin and Moss, “Approximately a half-million African Americans saw service overseas during World War II” (440). Or, A significant number of African Americans served in World War II (Franklin and Moss 440). TIP: When there are two authors, cite both of them. Three or more, use et al. Write the first name and et al. follows (Franklin, et al.)

7. No Author Associated The American Academy of Dermatology suggests using a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays and has a SPF of at least 15 (“Shining the Light on Sunscreen” 21). The higher the number, the more your skin will be protected. TIP: When the author is unknown, use the title of the book, article or organization. If the title is long, you can always shorten it.

8. In-Text Citation Tips • Try to introduce your author, the work, or the date it was written • i.e. According to Thompson’s article, • i.e. In the article “The Right Way To Do Laundry,” • i.e. Published in 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was hands-down the best book of the 21st century. • In-text citations allow you to find more information on the works cited page easily • Use author’s last name and page numbers. • Do not use “pp.” or “p.” or “pgs.” • If there’s no author, then use the article’s title.

9. Building Your Works Cited Page • Citations should be in alphabetical order. • If there’s no author, then use the article’s title. • Underline the title of books and magazines. • Citations should be double spaced. The second line and subsequent lines should be indented at least 5 spaces. • The Works Cited Page should also be numbered in chronological pagination with the entire essay.

14. Sample MLA Works Cited page

15. Citation Generators • Try one of the following to help create proper citations: • Knightcite • Citation Machine • BibMe http://www.ahs.albany.k12.ny.us/AHS/depts/library/index.html