MLA CitationThe Works Cited Page & In-Text Citations

The Works Cited PageDo it as you do your research to make your in-text

citations easier to format.

The easiest way to do your in-text citations, which appear in your essay itself, is to do the works cited page first.

Why?

When you do the in-text citations, you will include the first bit of information included in your works cited page in the parentheses of your in-text citation.

Here’s an example.Sumner, Thomas. "States Ranked On Climate Change

Preparation." Science News 189.2 (2016): 5. Vocational and

Career Collection. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.

Works Cited entry

“Report cards are out and some states are better prepared

for climate change threats than others” (Sumner 5).

In-text citation

The in-text citation uses the first item from the works cited entry!

In-Text CitationsInclude one every time you put information in your paper that you found somewhere else, i.e. somewhere other than your own brain.

Two reasons for the in-text citation

• To show that you found the information in your paper elsewhere, i.e. to show that you are not plagiarizing.

• To tell the reader where to look on the works cited page for the resource where you found that information.

When to include an in-text citation

When you directly quote a section from another text.

Example: “The paper takes stock of the wide-ranging implications for fiscal, financial, and macroeconomic policies of coming to grips with climate change” (“IMF Releases Paper”).

When to include an in-text citation

When you directly quote pieces from another text.

Example: “Environmentalists chose” not to participate in state efforts to remedy the pollution at Silver Springs “and say they have no regrets” (Hiers).

When to include an in-text citation

When you paraphrase a section or idea from a text.

Example: In Australia, the middle class will be both the ones who lose the most from climate change and the ones with the most impact on government decisions (Bennett 16).

When NOT to include an in-text citation

• When you are including commonly known information, such as the fact that George Washington was the first president of the U.S.

• When you are including a quote that is well-known or from a very famous person, such as “I have not yet begun to fight,” by John Paul Jones.

How to Format an In-Text Citation“In other words, the people who will figure out a response -- if not a solution -- to climate change will be working in the forests, in the waterways and in the farmland” (Trillhaase).

Use quotation

marks around the words you copy from the source.

Place the in-text citation after the quotation marks.

Place the period after

the parentheses,

not inside the quote

itself.

How to Format an In-Text Citation—the

block quoteIf the quote extends beyond four lines on your page, format it as a block quote.Start the

quote on a new

line, and indent

each line of the quote.

Place the end

punctuation (the period) before the

parentheses.Continue

your paper on the next

line after the quote.

Basic Format for an In-Text Citation

When you know the author’s name and the page number:

Example: “The disappearance ofmammoths and giant sloths has defiedexplanation since the turn of the 19th

century” (Keats 14).Include the author’s last

name and the page number(s) where the quote appeared, no

comma.

Format for an In-Text Citation

When you know the author’s name but there is no page number:

Example: “There is no reason free tradeand climate progress can't coexist” (Boyd). Include the

author’s last name only.

Format for an In-Text Citation

When you don’t know the author’s name, but the information comes from an organization:

Example: “The United States and the world are warming, global sea level is rising, and some types of extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe” (US Global Change Research Program).

Include the name of the organization

in parentheses.

Watch out!Sometimes you have to dig to find the author’s name, especially when you are getting information from a website.

Try clicking on the “about us” link if there is one to discover the name of the author or organization.

If you can’t find an author or organization name, you might not want to use the resource in your paper.

Format for an In-Text Citation

When you don’t know the author’s or organization’s name:

Example: “I am grateful to those who reach out to me, to others, when they are clearly in need or just to nod in understanding” (“Bears Repeating”).Include an

abbreviated name of the article in

quotation marks.

RememberWhatever you put in the parentheses will match the first item in the full citation. That’s why it’s a good idea to do your citation (or even the whole works cited page) first.Full Citation:

"IMF Releases Paper On Implications Of Climate Change For Fiscal, Financial, And Macroeconomic Policies."Arabia 2000 (2016): Newspaper Source. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

Parenthetical Citation:(“IMF Releases Paper”)

The parenthetical citation matches the first

thing in the full citation.

The Works Cited PageUse cheats like CitationMachine, KnightCite, or

EasyBib to create individual entries.

Create your works cited entries (the full

citations)Tip One:

Most library databases have tools that will create the full citation for you.

Student Research Center1. Click “E-mail.”

2. Choose MLA.

2. Get the citation from the email sent to

you.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context

1. Click “Citation Tools.”

2. Copy the citation. (Don’t include the URL underneath.)

CQ Researcher1. Click “Cite

Now.”

2. Choose MLA Style and copy

the citation.

Academic Search Complete

1. Click “Cite.”

2. Scroll down to MLA Style and

copy the citation.

Warning!Sometimes databases give an incorrectly formatted citation. Be sure to check the citation to ensure it is formatted correctly. For example, it should not be in all caps. Always check! Don’t take for granted that the citation is correct!

Create your works cited entries (the full

citations)Tip Two:

If the citation isn’t readily available, use an online tool to create the citation for you.

Try one of these.

CitationMachine

EasyBib

KnightCite

Warning!If you enter the information incorrectly, the citation will be incorrect. Always check for errors.

The Works Cited Page (Cont.)

Make sure you format the works cited page correctly.

Begin your works cited page on a new page.

Center the title “Works Cited” in the middle of

the page. Don’t misspell it as “Sighted” or “Sited.”

Include one blank line

between the title and the first citation.

Double space the page.

How to format your works cited page.

Left align the first

line of each citation.

How to format your works cited page.

Indent any subsequent

line(s) of each

citation.Alphabetize the entries

according to the first word

in each citation.

Questions?• Try Googling your question, such as

“How do I cite a Tweet in MLA format?”

• Refer to the OWL at Purdue: owl.english.purdue.edu

• Look in your textbook.

• Ask your professor.