By Asmaa Kh. A

MLA Style53-79

What is MLA style?The Modern Languages Association of America (MLA) style is the MLA’s standard for acknowledging source materials and it is used internationally in humanities subjects. It is a standard – a set format – for citing sources.

MLA in Text CitationThe MLA style requires you to either include the name of the author and page numbers

Parenthetical in-text citations should not distract the reader

It must be complete enough to allow the reader to locate the corresponding entry easily in the list of works cited.

Author named in text and the page(s) number, which is enclosed in parentheses ( ), one space after the last punctuation mark, with blocking the quotations.

If you are citing a source that uses paragraph numbers rather than page numbers, e.g., electronic journal, use the abbreviation of “par.” or “pars.” before the number.

The best place for a citation is just before final punctuation of the sentence, if it is not appropriate, put it before a comma or other internal punctuation or, if nothing else is possible, before a natural pause in the sentence.

E.g. As John states, “you should cite all sources and present full details of these in your list of references” (37).

If we have 2 authors with the same last name, include the first initial or first name of each one in the in-text citations.

If the author not named in text, in parentheses , give both the author’s last name and the page number, separated by one space.

E.g.“The conversation between a patient and their doctor can be an awkward interaction” (john 10).

If the source has no more than 3 authors, name them all in the text or in parenthetical citation.

E.g. McCrum, Cran, and MacNeil call the Development of the English language “the story of three invasions and a cultural revolution” (51).

If the source has more than 3 authors, list them all or use the first author’s name followed by “et al.”, which means “and the others”

If the list of works cited includes more than one work by the name of the author, the source must be identified by both the author’s name and a short version of the title.

E.g. the full title of the work in this example is Sensational Designs: The Cultural Work of American Fiction 1790-1860).

Certain nineteenth-cetury American novels played an important role by “providing society with a means of thinking about itself” (Tompkins, sensational 200)

Example: “A single whisker twitched” (Jones, Tiger Thief 16). Example: Finally, Jones sends her detective to Yemen (Kat

Tales

The corporate or agency name should match the entry in the list of works cited, it means cite the name include it in the sentence. E.g. “United States. Department of Commerce,” in-text citation should be “U.S. Department of Commerce” rather than "Commerce Department”

E.g. The Canadian Mental Health Association agrees ………(195).

If the source is not signed, a brief article in a news paper or magazine for e.g. , use its full title or a shortened version in the citation. A short title should begin with the same word, excluding articles, as the full title, so that the work can be located in the list of works cited;

E.g. Both physicians and entrepreneurs have recently become

interested in how the mind can effect physical health.Can be shortened to (“can your mind heal your body?” 107)

If you are referring to the entire work rather than to a specific passage, no page number is necessary in the in-text citation.

E.g. Tompkins’s eloquent argument is this: American literature gives its readers nothing less than a means of comprehending their history and constructing their social consciences.

If you consulted a Multivolume work in your research, the in-text citation must include the volume number, followed by a colon, as well as the page number.

E.g. like paintings of Braque. Dali, and Picasso, the compositions of Stravinsky and Schoenberg come from the intellect, not the emotions (Hauser 4: 230).

When you are quoting a literary work that has been published in many editions, include information that will enable the reader to locate the passage in any edition.

For novels, first give the page number, followed by semicolon, and the chapter or part number.

Fifty years ago, Richard Wright wrote, “who knows when some slight shock shall send the skyscrapers in our cities tumbling?” ( Native Son 25; bk. 1).

For poems, cite only the line number; a page number is unnecessary. Use a hyphen to indicate inclusive lines.

In earlier parts of “In Just-” e. e. Cummings's darker references to the little\lame balloonman” (4-5) and to the queer\old balloonman” (11-12) have prepared us for the perhaps not-so-innocent “goat-footed\ balloonman” of the poem’s conclusion (20-21).

For prose, give the page number followed by a semicolon, the number of the act, a comma, and the number of the scene (43; 1, 3). Use Arabic numerals unless your instructor specifies a preference for Roman numerals. For verse plays, omit the page number but include the line number (s).and separate the act, scene, and line number with periods.

E.g. the 1970s musical Hair turned Hamlet's meanings –”what a piece of work is man! How noble in reason!” (2.2.320)– into a song.

Indirect source, to show that a quotation in your papers was also a quotation in your source, rather than written by the source’s author, use the abbreviation “qtd. in”, “quoted in”. In the list of works cited, include only the source you consulted.

Kenneth Bruffee observed, “while students often forget much of the subject matter shortly after class is over,…..” (qtd. In Trumbur 95).

If a point has 2 or more sources, separate them with a semicolon. E.g.

Critics have long had difficulty justifying serious consideration of the works of James Fenimore cooper (Reynolds 102; Tompkins 9).

If you name the author in the text which are citing an electronic source that uses screen, section, or paragraph numbers instead page numbers, precede the number with “screen=sec.” , “paragraph= par. Or pars.” if the author is not named in the text, place a comma between the author’s name and “screen” , “sec.”, “par.” pr “pars.” if you are referring to an entire electronic work or to a part of one that has no numbered screens, sections, or paragraphs, no screen, section, or paragraph numbers are necessary in the in-text citation.

E.g. In “Petruchio’s Horse: Equine and household mismanagement in the Taming of the Shrew,” Peter Heaney describes ganders',……….. (par. 3).

MLA Information NotesNotes are used when you need to comment on a source or to include information that is necessary, but it causes to interrupt the flow of the text.

Use an Arabic numeral raised above the line after the final punctuation of a sentence, and a number the notes consecutively through out the paper.

Place the notes themselves, with the centered title “Notes,” on a separate page before the list of works cited. Indent the first line of each note half an inch, or 5 spaces for using typewriter, and begin with it without punctuation. It the note is longer than 1 line, the second and subsequent lines begin at the left margin. Double space within and between the notes.

Or if the instructor specifies as footnotes at the bottoms of the pages on which the corresponding raised numbers appear in the text, it is single spaced, with double spaces between notes, and begin 4 lines- 2 double spaces-below the text.

MLA List of Work CitedBeginning on a separate page at the end of your paper

List in alphabetical order all he sources you cited

Give full publishing information for them

Title the list “work cited,” and center this heading an inch from the top of the paper.

Double space within and between entries, and indent the second and subsequent lines of each entry half an inch (5 spaces on a type writer).

Books Book entries have 3 parts, and each one ends with a period:

1. Author’s name 2. The title and subtitle of the books,

which are italicized or underlined3. Publishing information, which include

place of publication, publisher, and year. Use a short version of the publisher’s name, e.g. (Harcourt for Harcourt Brace and company, and Beacon for Beacon Press, Inc.,). If the abbreviation for the publisher’s name is familiar to your audience use it, e.g. ALA=American Library AssociationUP= University PressGPO= Government Printing Office

Book with one authorBoorstin, Daniel J. The Discoverers. New York: Random, 1983.

Book with 2 or 3 authors, list the author’s name in the order in which they appear on the title page. Invert the first author’s name (to alphabetize); enter the coauthor’s names in regular order (first name, last name), and separate them with commas. Write out “and” before the name of the last author rather than using an ampersand.Gilbert, Sandra, and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic:

The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale UP,1979.

Book with more than 3 authors. Give all the authors’ (or editor’s) names with only the first one inverted, or include only the name of the first author followed by the abbreviation “et al.” which means “ and the others”.Malson, Michelin R., et al., eds. Black Women in America: Social Science Perspectives. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1990.

2 or more books by the same author. List the author’s name in the first reference only. For succeeding references, instead of the author’s name, enter 3 hyphens (---) followed by a period and one space, and then enter the title of the work. Alphabetize works by the same author by the first significant word in the title ( ignor the articles “a”, “an,” and “the”).Brophy, Brigid. Beardsley and His World. New York: Harmony, 1976. ---. Black and White: A Portrait of Aubrey Beardsley. New York: Stein and Day, 1969.

Book by a corporate author. Alphabetize the entry by the name of the corporation or institution.CompuServe. CompuServe Information Service: User’s Guide. Columbus, OH: CompuServe,1985.

Book with editor. Follow the first name with a comma and the abbreviation “ed.” Van Thal, Herbert, ed. The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories. London: Robinson, 1985.

Book with author and editor. Give the author’s name , in inverted order, before the title; give the editor’s name, in normal order, after it, preceded by the abbreviation “Ed.” = edition

James, Henry. Selected fiction. . Ed. Leon Edel. New York:

dutton, 1953.Translated work. Give the author’s name (in inverted order) before the title , give the translator’s name (in normal order) after it, preceded by the abbreviation “trans.” =translated by

Gacia Marquez.Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Trans. Greogy Rabassa. New York: Harper,1970.

Book without a listed author. Alphabetize the book by the first significant word in the title (delete the articles a, an, the).

Waterston's Guide to Books. London: Waterston, 1981.

Book edition, if not the first. Place the abbreviation edition number (“Rev. ed.” or “2nd ed.,”) after the period following the title.Kiniry, Malcolm, and Mike Rose. Critical Strategies for Academic Thinking and Writing.2nd ed. Boston: Bedford,1993.

Published book. Place the original publication date after the title. Separate it from the publication information with a period.Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. 1929. New York:

Vintage Random, 1946Multivolume series. List the total number of volumes after the title of the work. Use Arabic numerals. If you used only one volume of the series in your research, identify that volume at the end of the entry.Sewall, Richard B. the Life of Emily Dickinson. 2 vols. New York: Farrar, 1974. Vol. 1.

Selection in an anthology or edited book. Give the author and the title of the selection and then the title of the collection or anthology in which it appears and the editor (s) of the volume , preceded by “Ed”= edited for. Include the page numbers of the selection.Gordimer, Nadine. “The Bridegroom.” African Short Stories. Ed. Chinua Achebe and C. L. Innes. London: Heinemann, 1985. 155-63

Article in a reference work. If the article is signed, begin with the author’s name; if it is unsigned, begin with its title, followed by the title of the work. If the articles in the reference work are listed alphabetically, omit the volume n. and page numbers.Levinson, Sanford. “supreme court.” the reader’s Guide to American History. Ed. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty. Boston: Houghton, 1991.

Foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword. If you quote or use information from one of these elements, cite the name of the author of that element, followed by the name of the element (do not underline it or put in quotation marks). The names of the author, editor and translator (if any) follow the title. The page n.s of the element go after the publication information.Weir, Charles I., Jr. Introduction. Madame Bovary. By Gustave Flaubert. Trans. Eleanor Marx Aveling. New York: Holt, 1948. vii-xii.

Dissertation. For unpublished dissertation, enclose the title in quotation marks. Follow with the name of the dgree-granting instutution and the date. For a published dissertation, underline the title, and add publishing information at the end of the entry.Marks, Barry Alan. “the idea of Propaganda in America”. Diss. U of Minnesota, 1957.

PERIODICALSEntries for articles from periodical have 3 parts and each one ends with a period:

1. Author’s name2. Title of the article, which is

enclosed in quotation marks3. Title of the periodical, which is

italicized or underlined. The publication information such as the volume number and the date of publication, followed by a colon and a space, and the page numbers.

Article in a monthly magazine. Abbreviate all months except may, June, and July. When a title ends with a quotation mark or exclamation point it is not followed by a period. If an article is continued from its first page to a nonconsecutive page, give only the first page followed , without a space, by a + sign.Johnson, Fenton. “Beyond Belief: A Skeptic Searches for anAmerican Faith”. Harper’s sept. 1998: 39-54

Articles in a weekly magazine. The format is the same as that for a monthly magazine, except that the publication information includes the day as well as the month and the year.Franzen, Jonathan. “Imperial Bedroom.” New Yorker 12 Oct. 1998: 48-53

For journals whose pagination is continuous throughout each annual volume, follow the journal name with the volume number, the year, in parenthesis followed by a colon, and the page numbers.Boettcher, Bonna J., and William L. Schurk. “From Games to Grunge: Popular Culture Research Collections at Bawwling Green State University.” Notes 54 (1998): 849-59.

for journals that begin each issue with page 1, give the volume number, followed by a period, the issue number, the year, and the page numbers.Sloan, Jacob. “Days of Our Year.” Commentary 106.4 (1998): 51-54.

Articles in newspaper. The entry follows the format of an entry for a weekly magazine, with addition of the number or letter of the section in which the article is found. If an addition is given on the news paper’s masthead, specify the edition, preceded by a comma, after the date.Sack, Kevin. “A Literary Sherman in Pastels. Tom Wolf Takes Atlanta.” New York Times 2 Nov. 1998: A7.

When the section identify by number rather than letter:Austin, Elizabeth. “The Truth Is Not There Conspiracy-laden Series ‘The X-files’ Is Bad For America.” Chicago Tribune 8 Nov. 1998, Sec. 2:1.

Unsigned article. Use the form for the appropriate kind of periodical, but begin with the article title, and alphabetize the entry according to the first main word in the title. Use a shortened form of the title in the text citation.“the master of ambiguity. “Maclean’s 30 Nov. 1993:2.

Review. List the reviewer’s name, followed by the abbreviation “Rev. of” = review of, and the title reviewed work. Separate the title from the author of the work with a comma and the word “by.”Barnes, Julian. Rev. of Birds Of America, by Lorrie Moore. New York Review of Books 45.16 (1998): 15.

Editorial. Begin with the title of the editorial ,(if it is signed, begin with the author’s name). Follow the title with a period, the word “Editorial,” and another period. Give the day, month, and year of the newspaper, followed by the section and page number on which the editorial appears.“The Clout Is Out There.” Editorial. Los Angeles Times 30 Nov. 1998: A14.

Letter to the editor. follow the water's name with a period and the word “letter,” followed by a period.Aronson, Michael A. Letter. Chronicle Of Higher Education 16 Oct. 1998: B11.

Electronic sources Documentation for electronic publication is similar to that for publications in print, but some additional information must be included so that the electronic data can be retrieved.

CD-ROM or other portable database1. Give the author’s name2. Title of the work (underlined)3. Publication medium; place of publication,

name of publisher, and date of publication. E.g. of a citation for an entire CD-ROM database:

The English Poetry Full-text Database. CD-ROM. Rel. 2. Cambridge, Eng.: Chadwyck-Healey, 1993.

e.g. for a poem in that database:Blunt, Wilfrid Scawen. “Gibraltar.” The Poetical Works: A Complete Edition. London: MacMillan, 1914. 234-35. The English Poetry Full-text Database. CD-ROM. Rel. 2. . Cambridge, Eng.: Chadwyck-Healey, 1993.

Web site1. Provide the name of the person who created the web site

(if given and relevant)2. The title of the site (underlined) or a description

such as “home page” if there is no title; the name of any organization or institution associated with the site.

3. The date of access4. Electronic address, or URL.

Rivera, Javier A. Diego Rivera Web Museum. 28 July 1998. Latin World. 13 Dec. 1998 http://www.diegorivera.com\diego_home_eng.html.

Online reference database or scholarly project:

1. The name of the editor (if given)2. Version number (if given)3. Data of electronic publication or latest update4. Name of sponsoring institution5. Date of access6. URL

Victorian Women Writers Project. Ed. Perry Willett. 26 Oct. 1998. Indiana U. 6 Nov. 1998 Http://Www.Indiana.Edu\~letrs\vwwp.

To cite an article, short story, or other short text within an online database, begin the author’s name and the title of the work (enclosed in quotation marks)Schreiner, Olive. “Dream Life And Real Life: A Little African Story.”Victorian Women Writers Project. Ed. Perry Willett. 26 Oct. 1998. Indiana U. 6 Nov. 1998 Http://Www.Indiana.Edu\~letrs\vwwp.Online book.

1. Provide the author’s name2. The title of the work (underlined)3. The name of the editor, compiler, or translator (if

relevant) preceded by abbreviation (Ed., Comp., or Trans.)4. Publication facts about the original print version (if

they are given)5. Publication information about the electronic version, such

as the name of the online source, the date of electronic publication, and the name of any sponsoring institution; the date of access; and the URL

Article in an online periodical:1. Give the author’s name2. The title of the article (in quotation

marks)3. The name of the periodical (underlined)4. The volume number, Issue number, or

other identifying number (if avilabe)5. The date of publication6. The number range or total number of

pages, paragraphs, or other sections, if they are numbered

7. The date of access8. URL

Online posting in an e-mail discussion:1. Give the author’s name2. The title of the posting, followed by

the description “online posting’, 3. The date of the massage was posted4. The name of the forum (if known)5. The date of access6. The URL of the list’s Internet site or

the e-mail address of the list’s moderator.

Online map 1. Give the name of the map (in quotation

marks)2. The description “map”3. The source of the map4. The date of the map5. The name of the Web site (underlined)6. The sponsor of the Web sitr7. The date access8. And the URL

Online work of art1. Give the author’s name2. The title of the work (underlined)3. The date the work was created4. The museum that houses it, or its

owner,If it is in private collection5. The city where it is located6. The name of the Web site (underlined)7. The date of access8. And the URL

OTHER SOURCESGovernment document. If the author is not listed, name the government (followed by a period) and then the name of the agency (which may be abbreviated)United States. Dept. of State. Foreign Relation of the United States: Diplomatic Papers—the Conferences of Cairo and Tehran 1943. Washington: GPO, 1961.

Pamphlet. cite a pamphlet as you would a book. If the pamphlet has no listed author, begin with the title.This Is Apartheid: A Pictorial Introduction. London: Intl. Defence And Aid Fund, 1978.

Interview, published or broadcast. Begin with the name of the person interviewed, followed by the title of the interview (if it is untitled, use “Interview”) give the name of the interviewer after the title of the interview. Sanchez, David. “Gimme 5: David Sanchez. “By Michael Bourne. Down Beat 65.12 (1998): 15.

For a broadcast interview, include the name of the program and information about the broadcast.

Smith, Anna Deavere. Interview With Terry Gross. Fresh Air. Natl. Public Radio. KQED, San Francisco, 6 Aug. 1992.

Interview, unpublished. Give the name of the person interviewed and the date.

Huber, Joy. Personal Interview. 5 Aug. 1992.

Letter, published. Follow the writers name with the words “Letter to” and the name of the recipient. Give the date on which the letter was written, and identify the source in which it was published.

To cite a Letter or e-mail, unpublished or written to you, begin with the writer’s name, followed by the phrase “Letter (e-mail) to the author” and the date, end each element with a period.

Parnell, George. E-mail to the author. 21spt. 1999.

Lecture or public address. In addition to the speaker’s name and the title of the address (in quotation), give the title of the meeting of the sponsoring organization, the location, and the date.

Film or video recording. Give the title, the director, the distributor, and the year of release. You may add other information, such as the name of leading cast members. If you are citing the contribution of a particular person, begin the entry with his or her name.

TV or Radio program. Give the title, network, producer, location, and date. Te title of an episode or segment is enclosed in a quotation marks; the title of the program is underlined; and the title of the series is neither underlined nor enclosed in quotation marks. You may add other relevant information, such as performers or director. If the reference is to the work of a particular individual, cite that person’s name before the title.

Recording. List either the composer, the conductor, or the performer first, depending on the desired emphasis. Include the title of the song. The performer, the title of the recording, the manufacturer, and the year of issue. If you are not citing a compact disc, indicate the medium (“Audiocassette,” “Audiotape.” or “LP”) before the manufacture's name. underline the titles of records, tapes, or CDs; enclose the names of songs in quotation marks.

Live performance. To cite a performance of a play, concert, ballet, or opera, usually begin with the title and include information similar to that for a film, plus the place and the date of the performance. If you are citing the contribution of a particular person – such as an actor, director, or choreographer – begin with that person’s name instead.

Work of art. Italicize or underline the title of a work of art, and include the institution and city where the work is located.

Advertisement. Give the name of the product or company that is the subject of the advertisement, followed by the descriptive label “Advertisement.” Conclude with the publication or broadcast information.

Map or other illustration. Follow the title of the illustration (italicized or underlined) with a descriptive label, such as “Map” or “Graph” then give the source of the illustration, including the page number (if there is one). If the creator of the illustration is credited, begin the entry with that name.

Legal source. For a court decision, include the names of the plaintiff and defendant (any word after the first one may be abbreviated); the volume, name (abbreviated and not underlined), and page of the law report cited; the name of the court that decided the case (if it was the U.S. Supreme court, no name is necessary); and the year of the decision.

MLA Manuscript Form1. Leave one inch at the top, bottom, and sides.2. Put the heading and the title of the paper at the top

of the first page, rather than making a separate title page.

Starting one inch from the top of the page and flush with the left margin,

type your name, the instructor’s name, the course name and number, and the date, double spaced on separate lines.

Double space again and center the title. Do not underline the title, enclose it in quotation marks, or type it in all capital letters.

Follow MLA’s conventions of capitalization for titles: capitalize the first and the last words, the first word after a colon, and all principle words; do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating, conjunctions, or the to marking infinitives.

3. Double space between the title and the first line of text.

4. page numbers starting with the first page, number all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, half an inch from the top of the page and flush with the right margin. Type your last name before the page number so that a mislaid page can be easily identified.

5. Corrections and insertions if you are using a word processor, proofread the final draft carefully, and reprint the corrected pages. If you are not using a computer and your instructor permit minor corrections, type them (or write them neatly in ink) directly above the line, use carets ( ˄) to indicate where they go. Do not write corrections in the margins or below the line. Retype that have more than a few corrections.

6. Block quotations a prose quotation longer than four typed lines should be set off from the rest of the text. Indent it one inch (10 spaces) from the left margin, double space it. Do not add quotation marks.

If the quotation is only one paragraph or part of one, do not indent the first line. If the quotation is 2 or more paragraphs, indent the first line for each paragraph an additional quarter inch (3 spaces), unless the first sentence quoted is not the beginning of a paragraph.

The in-text citation (often only the page number) is added after the final punctuation mark of the quotation.

A verse quotation longer than 3 lines should be set of from the text. Indent the lines one inch (or 10 spaces) from the margin, and double space them.

if the lines are too long to permit a one inch indentation, reduce the indentation, or continue on the next line and indent the continuation an additional quarter inch, or 3 spaces.

If the lines are indented irregularly reproduce the indention of the original as closely as possible.

If the quotation begins in the middle of a line of verse, do not shift it to the left margin.

Add the in-text citation after the final punctuation mark of the quotation.

If the last line of verse is too long to allow for the parenthetical reference, put the reference on the next line flush with the right margin.

Thank you