MLA STYLE – 7TH

EDITIONHoffman Family Library

http://www.goodwin.edu/library

SO WHAT? WHY SHOULD I CITE?

Citing identifies and credits sources used in a research paper or project. This allows others to follow-up on or retrieve this material.

When you borrow from other sources to support your argument or research you must give proper credit. By crediting your sources, you avoid plagiarism. If you do not cite a source, you are guilty of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a form of cheating or stealing. It is the unacknowledged use or adoption of another person’s words or ideas.

WHEN SHOULD I CITE?

Many students plagiarize unintentionally. Remember,

whenever you summarize, paraphrase or quote

another author's material you must properly credit

your source.

If you are using another person’s idea, you must also

cite your source!

When in doubt, give

credit to your source!

MLA STYLE GUIDE

Titles for books, web sites, and databases are

italicized, not underlined

No longer include URLs for web pages or

databases unless required by your professor

Must include the format of publication (print, web)

WHICH OF THESE IS WRITTEN IN MLA?

A B

YOUR INSTRUCTOR KNOWS BEST

#1 Rule for any formatting style:

AlwaysFollow your instructor’s

guidelines

FORMATTING YOUR PAPER

WHAT IS AN IN-TEXT CITATION

References to an author and page number inside

your paper.

They always correspond to what’s on your Works

Cited list!

They are found in parentheses, inside your paper,

and can look like the examples below:

(Smith 14) or (14)

IN-TEXT (PARENTHETICAL) CITATION

If the author’s name is included in the text, then add the page numbers

for the source in parenthesis at the end of the sentence or quotation (MLA

Handbook 216-217; A Writer’s Resource 289-297).

Example A:

Cross writes that Austen’s writing has both the “humor and technique of a

Shakespearean comedy” (28).

Example B:

Cross (28) writes that Austen’s writing has both the “humor and technique of

a Shakespearean comedy”.

Citing a Book

Book:

Diorio, Mary Ann L. A Student’s Guide to Nathaniel

Hawthorne. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow

Publishers, 2004. Print.

Ebook:

Miller, Edward Haviland. Salem is My Dwelling Place:

A Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Iowa City: University

of Iowa Press, 1991. Ebrary. Web. 2 Nov. 2005.

WEBSITE FORMAT

Title of Web Page. Sponsor of Site, date of

publication. Web.Date of access.

(If no date of publication- use n.d.)

Nathaniel Hawthorne Society. Lee Person, 9 Sept.

2005. Web. 28 July 2009.

Civil War Homepage. n.d. Web. 5 Aug 2009.

I STILL NEED HELP!!!!Citing and Writing Guides

MLA Citation Libguide

Ask one of your librarians! We are here to help!