MLA Citation Guide

Comp. 11: Argumentative Essays

Adapted from http://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/cms/lib01/NJ01001104/Centricity/Domain/736/MLA%20Style%20Guide.pdf

Why must I use the MLA Style Guide?

- Give credit and cite sources of any borrowed

information/ideas
- If you dont, you have committed plagiarism, which can
result in consequences such as failure, or in some cases,
expulsion.
- Help your readers find more information easily: in-text
citations and Works Cited list.

What is a Works Cited page?

- Also called a bibliography

- It is a list of all the sources that you cited in your paper.
- It should come at the end of your paper, on a separate
page, after your conclusion.

How do I Create a Works Cited page?

- The last page of your essay.

- Type Works Cited at the top of the page and make sure it
is centered. (Only the words Works Cited are centered,
the list of all your sources should be aligned to the left.)
- Sources should be cited based on the MLA format (see
example sheet)
- Your sources should be alphabetized by the first word or
name of the entry.

Works Cited
Advertisement for an Electric Fan. N.d. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
Division. American-American History Online. Web. 18 Sept. 2009.
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who
Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.
China. CultureGrams World Edition. Proquest, 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2011.

Basic Format

Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of
Publication.

In-Text Citation (Parenthetical Citation)

-

Use when you refer to information or ideas that you took from another source,
whether its a direct quote or if you are paraphrasing someone elses work.
Comes at the end of the sentence you are referring to.
You place parenthesis around the last name of the author, or if there is no
author then the first word in the title of the work you are referencing, as well
as the page number.

Example: One method that church officials would use to help them determine who
was a witch was a practice called witch swimming, which involved binding the
accused persons hands and feet, and toss them into a body of water to see if they
would sink or swim (Roleff 14).

Things to Remember!

Do not pass off someone elses idea or work as your own.

Any fact or idea that you received from a source needs to be cited.
Always cite sources in your writing (In-text Citation) AND at the very end of
your work (Works Cited page).
Whether or not you have intentionally forgot to cite a source, it is still
considered plagiarism. So dont forget to cite!