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MLA Format: MLA Works Cited
PARENTHETICAL
CITATIONS
(Including
a Few Notes on Citation of Electronic Sources)
General
Rules for Parenthetical Citations:
USING
AUTHOR NAME
The
author of a source is always mentioned either in your text or in the
parenthetical citation--unless no author is provided. (See "Special
Cases" below for information regarding those situations.)
Author's
name mentioned in text
Use
the author's name in a single sentence to introduce the material. Then, cite the
page number(s) in parentheses.
Example
Pope
was clear to point out that, although many of his ideas were idealistic,
Rousseau held ambivalent feelings toward women (138).
Author's
name not mentioned in text
When
you do not include the author's name in the text, place the author's last name
in the parenthetical citation before the page number(s). There is no punctuation
between the author's name and the page number(s).
Example
During
World War I, British and American women could, for the first time, earn
first-class pay for first-class work (Gilbert 236-7).
More
than one work by the same author(s)
If
you use more than one work from a single author, when you refer to either of the
sources, give the author's last name, an abbreviated title of the work, and the
relevant page number(s). A comma separates the author's last name and the title;
however, there is no punctuation between the title and the page number(s).
Example
When
calculating the number of homeless animals in the United States, the author
comically stated that "Maybe man would not overrun the planet, but his pet
poodles and Siamese cats might" (Westin, Pethood 6). She then
further stated that there are 50 million homeless animals in the country
(Westin, "Planning" 10).
Note:
If you mention the author's last name in the sentence, you do not need to
include the author's last name in parentheses.
Two
authors with the same last name
If
you use sources by authors with the same last name, always include the author's
first and last name in the sentence or in the parenthetical citation.
Example
Children
will learn to write if they are given the freedom to choose their own subjects,
Allison Faye argues, citing the city school council study of the early 1970s
(42-51); however, Robert Faye believes that children will learn how to write
regardless of their school subjects (102-115).
Two
or three authors in a single source
If
a source is written by two or three authors, place all of the authors' last
names in the single sentence or in the parenthetical citation.
Example
Richards,
Jones, and Moore maintain that college students who actively participate in
extracurricular activities achieve greater academic excellence because they
learn how to manage their time more effectively (185).
or
The
authors maintain that college students who actively participate in
extracurricular activities achieve greater academic excellence because they
learn how to manage their time more effectively (Richards, Jones, and Moore
185).
Four
or more authors in a single source
If
a source is written by four or more authors, use the first author's last name
followed by "et al." (Latin for "and others") either in the
single sentence or in the parenthetical citation. You can also name all of the
authors in the single sentence or in the parenthetical citation.
Example
Chazon
et al. argued that ethnic groups are culturally based social organizations in
which members have multiple identities (105-6).
or
The
authors argued that ethnic groups are culturally based social organizations in
which members have multiple identities (Chazon, Riley, Jacobs, and Rutherford
105-6).
MULTIVOLUME
WORKS
Citing
an entire volume of a multivolume work
When
using an entire volume in a multivolume work, it is not necessary to
include the page number(s). Give the author's last name and then the volume
number, including the abbreviation "vol." A comma separates the
author's last name and the volume number.
Example
Between
1762 and 1796, the economy of imperial Russia experienced profound changes under
Empress Catherine II (Spielvolgel, vol. 3).
Using
part of one volume of a multivolume work
When
using part of one volume of a multivolume work, name the author in the
single sentence or in the parenthetical citation. Place the volume number first
and then the page number(s) with a colon and one space between them.
Example
According
to Flint, Japanese women of the Tokugawa period had key roles and functions in
the home (5: 139).
Classic
works available in several editions:
If
you use an edition of a classic prose work, poem, or play, you need to give more
information than just a page reference because readers might be using other
editions.
For
prose works:
1.
If you are basically using writing about 1 or 2 prose sources, include a
footnote, which clearly provides information as to the edition that you are
using following the first citation.
Example:
Iago suggests that Othello AStrangle
her in her bed, / even the bed she hath contaminated@
(Othello. 4.1.203-204).
2.
If you are using several prose sources, give information about parts, sections,
or chapters in addition to page number(s) in an edition. (You can use standard
abbreviations, such as "pt." [part], "sec." [section], and
"ch." [chapter].) Use a semicolon to separate the page number(s) from
the other information.
Example:
When the reader first encounters the
character Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky presents
the reader with a man contemplating a devilish act but terrified of meeting his
talkative landlady on the stairs (1; pt. 1, ch. 1).
For
verse plays, supply only the act, scene, and line number(s) (either with
Arabic or Roman numerals) separated by periods.
Example
As William Shakespeare's play, Othello,
begins, Iago lets loose his wicked passion on Brabantino: "Look to your
house, your daughter, and your bags!" (I. i. 85).
or
As William Shakespeare's play, Othello,
begins, Iago lets loose his wicked passion on Brabantino: "Look to your
house, your daughter, and your bags!" (1. 1. 85).
Verse
quotations of more than three lines in length need to begin on a new line.
Indent each line one inch (two tabs) from the left margin and double space
between the lines. Do not add quotation marks unless they appear in the original
text. The parenthetical citation, located at the end of the verse quotation and
after the end punctuation, will include the author's last name and the line
numbers (unless previously mentioned in text).
Example
Othello
again displays his calm and control when he speaks to the political authorities
and to Desdemona's father in act one scene two:
Most
potent, grave, and reverend signiors,
My
very noble and approved good masters,
That
I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It
is most true; true I have married her. (78-81)
Note:
this quotation is from a classic
work that has been identified in text through the title character, the act and
scene numbers have been identified in the text, and only the line numbers need
to appear in the parenthetical citation. Since
the quotation is over three lines long, the parenthetical citation appears after
the end punctuation.
Note:
Be sure to copy the verse exactly as it appears in the text.
For
poetry:
See Rules for Citing Poetry Below
SPECIAL
CASES:
No
author identified in a source
If
you use a source that does not supply an author's name, substitute, by using the
title or an abbreviated title, for the author's name in the sentence or in the
parenthetical citation. In the citation, do not forget to include the page
number(s) unless the source is one page or less in length. Be sure to italicize
the title if the source is a book, and if the source is an article, place
quotation marks around the title.
Example
Goddess
religions are thought to have originated somewhere between 25,000 and 7,000 BCE (When
God Was a Woman).
Indirect
quotations
If
you are citing an author who was quoted by another author, include both names.
First, give the name of the author whose words you are citing, followed by
"qtd. in." Then, give the name of the author of the source you used.
If you include the author whose words you are quoting in your text, you do not
need to include the author's name again in your citation.
Example
In
last month's issue of Rolling Stone, Lenny Cravitz admitted that
Jimmy Hendrix was an "extraordinary man" (qtd. in Riverwell 220).
Note:
Whenever you can, try to take material from the original source and not from
a secondhand one. Your credibility as a writer could suffer if you depend too
heavily on secondhand sources.
Citing
more than one work in single parenthetical reference
If
you need to acknowledge two or more works in a single reference, cite each
source as you normally would, but use semicolons to separate the reference.
Example
Several
critics have noted that Butler is unique in being a female African American
writer who has excelled in the science fiction genre (Crossley xii; Salvaggio).
Rules
for Citing Poetry:
1.
The name of a poem is always enclosed in double quotations
B
not underlined and not in italics.
2.
When quoting or paraphrasing from a poem, always capitalize whatever is
capitalized in the original.
3.
Be certain to identify the name of the poet in your text or in parentheses
following the quotation. This is
particularly important if you are writing about more than one poem.
Also, be certain to give the line reference in parenthesis following your
quotation. Once you have established that the numbers designate lines, it is
only necessary to use numbers (and the poet=s
name) in subsequent citations.
Example:
"For the Anniversary of My Death" begins with the suggestion that
after death the soul starts a journey through time "Like the beam of a
lightless star" (Merwin, line 5). The
poem ends with Merwin's affirmation of concrete experience, behind which lies
the mystery of existence:
As
today writing after three days of rain
Hearing
the wren sing and the falling cease
And
bowing not knowing to what. (11-13)
Note:
In the 2nd quotation Merwin=s
name was omitted because it was part of the text and only the actual numbers of
the lines were included B
not the word Aline@
or Alines@.
4.
When directly quoting only one line of poetry, the line should be worked into
the text.
Gerard
Manley Hopkins presents his view of life best in a single line: "The world
is charged with the grandeur of God" (line 7).
Note:
Name of poet is omitted from parenthesis because it is specified in the text.
If
you quote two to three lines of poetry, separate each line with a slash (with
space before and after the slash) and enclose the entire quotation in quotation
marks.
Example:
Reflecting on the "incident" in Baltimore, Cullen concludes,
AOf
all the things that happened there / That=s
all that I remember" (lines 11-12).
Note:
Name of poet is omitted from parenthesis because it is specified in the
text.
Quotations
of more than three lines should begin on a new line.
Unless the quotation involves unusual spacing, indent each line
one inch (or ten spaces on a typewriter) from the left margin and double-space between
lines, adding no quotation marks that do not appear in the original.
A parenthetical reference for a verse quotation set off from the text
follows the last line of the quotation.
Example:
Elizabeth
Bishop's
"In the Waiting Room" is rich in evocative detail:
It was winter. It got dark
early.
The waiting room
was full of grown-up
people,
arctics and overcoats,
lamps and magazines.
(lines 6-10)
5.
Put punctuation--except commas or periods that come at the end of the
quotation--in where it is in the original. Use double quotation marks around
what you quote. Also, cite the line numbers or numbers in parentheses after the
quotation. Be sure you put any end punctuation after the parentheses after the
quotation.
EXCEPTION:
If you quote more than three lines of poetry or if you quote something in prose
that takes up more than four typed lines of your paper, no quotation marks are
necessary because when you set the lines off from your paper by indenting (i.e.,
a "double" indent--both left and right margins are indented), you make
clear that the passage is a quotation. Also, the parenthetical citation goes after
the end punctuation.
6.
If you need to leave a few words out of a line of poetry you are quoting, make
sure you indicate that you have done so by using an ellipsis mark
-- 3 periods with a space before each and a space after the last
( . . . ).
Use
a row of evenly spaced periods to indicate that one or
more
lines of poetry have been omitted from a quotation.
Example:
Earth
has not anything to show more fair ...
Dull would he
be of soul who could pass by
A sight so
touching in its majesty
.......................................................................
Ne'er saw I,
nor felt, a calm so deep!
Electronic
Citations:
Definitely
consult my plagiarism handout! Also
check out: http://www.thewritesource.com/mla.htm
In-Text
(Parenthetical) Citations
Because
Internet sources typically have no page or paragraph numbers, and Web sites in
particular are often anonymous, people are often confused about how to refer to
these sources within their papers. The answer is to cite the author's name
whenever possible and use the source's title otherwise (or a shortened version
of the title). If no page or paragraph number is provided in the document (NOT
on your printer), leave that portion of the citation blank. Keep in mind that
the primary purpose of an in-text citation is simply to point readers to the
correct entry on the Works Cited Page.
Example
Despite
the many challenges she has faced on the Internet, the author still enjoys the
"magic" of the MOO (Dibbell).
If
the electronic document does not have an author, use identifying words from the
title.
Example
Each
of the teletubbies has his/her own language acquisition level, and, because of
this, a child can identify and progress to the next language level when the
child feels comfortable ("The Inside Story").
Note:
Do not cite page numbers from printouts because pagination may vary in different
printouts.
REMINDERS
_
Make parenthetical citations brief and accurate.
_
To avoid long parenthetical citations, place reference information, such
as the author's name, in your sentence.
_
Place a citation as close to the relevant material as possible without
disrupting the sentence.
_
Use one citation at the end of a long section of material that comes from
one source and the same page(s)--do not cite at the end of each sentence in this
case.
_
Parenthetical citations always go outside of a quotation and
always before a punctuation mark, such as a period.
EXCEPTIONS:
-
If
a quotation of over three lines, double indent the quotation, use no
quotation marks, and place the parenthetical citation after the
punctuation mark. Do not include a period after the parenthetical
citation.
-
If
a quotation ends with a question mark (?) or an exclamation point (!),
include the given punctuation followed by a closing quotation, then insert
your parenthetical citation, and insert a period after your parenthetical
citation.
_
Place the parenthetical citations in your essay as your write. Do
not wait until the essay is finished.
Excerpted
and adapted from:
Adams,
Mindy "Re: MLA Documentation."
E-mail to MIchelle Garbis. 19 Aug. 2001.
Carmel
High School's Web Page. 25 Aug. 2000. 19 Aug. 2001 <http://www.carmelhigh.org/resources/biblio.html
>
Chico
High School Library Examples of MLA Style Citations of Electronic Sources.
Librarian Peter Milbury. 3 Dec. 1999. 5 June 2000
<http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/mla-examples.pdf>.
Devoe,
Kristina. "MLA Parenthetical Documentation." Literacy Education
Online. 14 February 2000. The Write Place. 19 Feb. 2001 <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/mlaparen.html>.
Electronic
Sources: MLA Style.
21 Feb. 2000. The writesource.com. 19
Feb. 2001 <http://www.thewritescource.com/mla.htm>.
Garbis,
Michelle. "MLA Documentation Revised." Email to Mindy
Adams. 20 Jan. 2002.
Gibaldi,
Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York:
MLA, 2003.
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