MLA+Formatting

Click here for Common Questions & Notes for Citing in MLA

[|Complete Guide to MLA formatting]

Click here for a detailed example of an MLA research paper with in-text citations, Works Cited, etc.

In-text citations

__Author-page style:__
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).

Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

__No known author:__
We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has "more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change . . ." ("Impact of Global Warming" 6).

__Citing non-print or sources from the Internet__

 * Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).
 * You do not need to give paragraph numbers or page numbers based on your Web browser’s print preview function.
 * Unless you must list the Web site name in the signal phrase in order to get the reader to the appropriate entry, do not include URLs in-text. Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes, for example, a domain name, like //CNN.com// or //Forbes.com// as opposed to writing out http://www.cnn.com or http://www.forbes.com.

__Electronic sources__
One online film critic stated that //Fitzcarraldo// is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”).

The //Purdue OWL// is accessed by millions of users every year. Its "MLA Formatting and Style Guide" is one of the most popular resources (Stolley et al.).

__When a citation is not needed__
Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known quotations or common knowledge. Remember, this is a rhetorical choice, based on audience. If you're writing for an expert audience of a scholarly journal, for example, they'll have different expectations of what constitutes common knowledge.

Helpful (I hope) examples...*NOTE: This forum will NOT ALLOW ME TO HIT 'TAB' in order to show the Hanging Indent for the 2nd line*
 * For an article from a WEBSITE:
 * Klein, Andrew. "Can a Vaccine Prevent Brain Cancer Recurrence?" Weill Cornell Medical College. //weill.cornell.edu//. 11 May 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.**

"Aestheticism." The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Credo Reference. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.
 * D'Antonio, Patricia, PhD, RN, FAAN. "History of Psychiatric Hospitals." Penn Nursing Science. //nursing.upenn.edu//. n.d. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.**
 * For an article WITHOUT an obvious author from a WEBSITE. The italicized title indicates the name of the periodical.

Douglass, Frederick. “My Bondage and My Freedom: Life as a Slave.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: 1240-51.W.W. Norton and Company, 2012. Print. ---. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: 1174-1235. W.W. Norton and Company, 2012. Print.
 * For sources that involve more than one title by the SAME AUTHOR:

“Module Seven: Continuing to Explore the Victorian Period.” LIT 503: Topics in British Literature. //snhu.edu//. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. Lecture.
 * For a lecture off a website...the //italicized information is the WEBSITE//:

Duggan, Patrick. “ The Conflict Between Aestheticism and Morality in Oscar Wilde’s //The Picture of Dorian Gray//.” //bu.edu//. n.d. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.
 * For a WEBSITE without an obvious DATE USE 'n.d.' - NOTE BOTH the title of the book AND the website are //ITALICIZED//:

As the emblem for narcissism, Dorian Gray exemplifies “poisonous, self-negating confluence signifying madness” (Riquelme 610).
 * In-text citations:

Block quotes: (see me - the formatting will not cooperate on this website)!

Click the PowerPoint below for quick tip suggestions on all MLA formatting:



Sample of how to cite resources:

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA
//The Purdue OWL//. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. Date of access. Contributors' names and the last edited date can be found in the orange boxes at the top of every page on the OWL. Contributors' names. "Title of Resource." //The Purdue OWL//. Purdue U Writing Lab, Last edited date. Web. Date of access. Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth Angeli. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." //The Purdue OWL//. Purdue U Writing Lab, 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 July 2010.
 * Entire Website**
 * Individual Resources**