MLA Documentation Guide. Download printable version Try our animated tutorial that explains the why and how of MLA documentation in a visual way. Note: This has the MLA rules from the new 7th edition of the MLA Handbook, 2009. When you use the words or original ideas of another person in your writing, you need to document, or give credit to, the sources of those words or ideas. If exact words from the original are used, quotation marks are necessary.
If you paraphrase, or restate the idea in your own words, quotation marks are not required, but documentation of the source is still required. There are several different formats for documentation. This page explains the MLA format (named for the Modern Language Association, which developed it). How to document quotations and paraphrasing is explained first, then how to do the "works cited" list is explained. Parenthetical Documentation The general rule is to cite the source right in the text of your paper. Works Cited Works Cited Box, Scott. Web. Other Rules. MLA Documentation: Printed & Other Sources. MLA In-Text Citations (printable version here) Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation is used primarily for English papers and uses a parenthetical format. This is a system of using parentheses within the body of the paper, instead of footnotes or endnotes.
Don't forget to also include a Works Cited list at the end of the paper. Only a few typical references are offered below. Consult the MLA Handbook, on reserve at the Boatwright Library's circulation desk, for complete information. Books with Single Author If you use the author to introduce the quotation, then only the page number would appear in the parentheses: Ex. If you don't use the author to introduce the quotation, state the author's last name and the page number within parentheses: Ex. Note: In both cases, there is no comma within the parentheses, and the period for the sentence follows the citation. Long Quotations Ex. Books with Multiple Authors Ex. If there are more than three authors use "et al. " showing there are others: Research and Documentation Online 5th Edition. Thousands of newspapers on the Net.
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