Citation Guide  

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009. Print. 

(Ask at the Information Desk)

MLA Web Site

Some other useful sites are:

Lansing Community College Library MLA Online Sources

Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide

In the text of your paper you acknowledge the sources you used with a brief parenthetical citation that refers to an alphabetical Works Cited list at the end of the paper. The brief citation should include just enough information for a reader to find the full citation in the list as well as a page number, if appropriate. For example, if you are citing a fact found on page 359 of Up from History by Robert J. Norrell, the brief citation might be (Norrell 359); it might be (Norrell Up 359) if your list contains two books by Norrell.

Information on formatting your paper is found in chapter 4 of the handbook.

• Margins. 1” on all sides.
• Font. Times New Roman 12 pt. is preferred (required by some instructors).
• Justification/Alignment. Do not justify text with the right margin. Most of the text is aligned left; the titles of the paper and of the works cited page are centered; the header is aligned right.
• Line spacing. Double spaced.
• Word and sentence spacing. Use a single space between every word and after the final punctuation mark of every sentence.
• Heading. The first lines of the paper contain your name, the instructor’s name, the course number, and the date.
• Title. The line after the heading is the title of your paper. It should be centered and typed in the regular style (not bold, italicized, or all capitals). For all titles used in the paper, capitalize the first word, last word, and all significant words (i.e., not articles, prepositions, or conjunctions).
• Page header. Each page contains your last name followed by the page number in the upper right corner, ½” from the top of the page. Many instructors do not want the header on the first page.
• Indentation. Indent the first word of a paragraph ½” from the left margin. Indent long quotations (more than 4 lines) 1” from the left margin. Citations on the Works Cited page use a ½” hanging indention; that is, the first line starts at the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented ½”.

Additional information on formatting the Works Cited list is found primarily in sections 5.3.2 and 5.3.3 of the handbook.

• Start the list on a new page with the page number in the upper right-hand corner, .5” from the top, flush with the right margin.
• Center the title (Works Cited) 1” from the top of the page.
• Double-space the entire list, including between the title and first entry.
• Start the first line of each entry flush with the left margin, and indent subsequent lines of the entry .5” from the left margin.
• Use the abbreviations listed in section 7 of the handbook where appropriate
• Sort the entries in alphabetical order (see 5.3.3 for details).

You can download one of the following Microsoft Word templates (1 or 2 below)  to use as the basis for your paper. Just replace the existing elements with your own information. Document 3 below contains detailed information on formatting the MLA paper. 

Changes from the 6^th edition:

·         Titles are italicized rather than underlined.

·         Include a medium of publication (Print, Web, Film, DVD, etc.).

·         For Web publications include a URL only when you think a reader would need it in order to find the work cited or if your instructor requires it.

·         All journal citations use an issue number, regardless of how they are paginated.

·         Use abbreviations for Web publications when there is no publisher (N.p.), no date (n.d.), or no pagination (n.pag.) available.

If the article is signed, give the author’s name first; if it is unsigned, give the title first. Often articles are signed with initials only; you will need to look for a list of “contributors” that identifies the initials.

When you cite a widely used reference book (such as Britannica, Americana, or World Book encyclopedia), do not give full publication information; instead list only the edition (if stated), year of publication, and medium of publication consulted.

When you cite a specialized reference book, such as a specialized encyclopedia, you do give full publication information (including editor, volume, city and publisher), but you omit page numbers if the encyclopedia entries are arranged alphabetically.

Examples of citations for articles from encyclopedias

General encyclopedia, unsigned article

“Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” The Encyclopedia Americana. 2005 ed. Print.

General encyclopedia, signed article

Manchester, William. “Kennedy, John F.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropaedia. 15th ed. 2007. Print.

Specialized encyclopedia, arranged alphabetically

Sellen, Robert W. “John F. Kennedy.” Great Lives from History: The 20^th Century, 1901-2000. Ed. Robert F. Gorman. Rev. ed. Vol. 5. Pasadena: Salem P, 2008. Print.

Specialized encyclopedia, not arranged alphabetically

Lee, Joseph Edward. “Kennedy is Elected President.” Great Events from History: The 20^th century, 1941-1970. Ed. Robert F. Gorman. Vol. 4. Pasadena: Salem P. 2008. 2113-2115. Print.