When writing an essay, it is necessary to use evidence to support your arguments. Whether you include research, quotations, or both, you must cite your sources correctly. It is important to give credit when using the words and ideas of others because it will make your writing more credible and allow you to responsibly avoid plagiarism. Being able to properly cite resources is an essential skill to develop during your academic career. This blog post will focus on in-text citations and Works Cited pages using the MLA 8 format, but keep in mind that different teachers and classes will have different citation requirements.
Before learning how to cite sources, you should know how to integrate information into your work. Remember to always explain or elaborate on a quotation after using it; do not assume that the reader will understand the information you are giving them without any explanation, because they likely do not have the same level of knowledge and insight about the topic. When it comes to formatting, there are several rules you should follow:
Flow: Maintain fluency when adding short quotes. If you cannot merge a quotation into your own sentences, use a comma or colon when introducing it.
Clarity: If a quote contains both dialogue and text narration, use the appropriate kind of quotation marks to make it comprehensible. Typically, double quotation marks, “ ”, are placed at the start and end of the entire quote, and single quotation marks, ‘ ’, are placed around any dialogue within the quote.
Modification: Sometimes you might have to add or remove words from a quotation. Square brackets, [ ], signify alteration. When adding or changing words to provide context, or when changing capitalization, use square brackets around the changes you make. For example, in Act 2, Scene 2 of Macbeth, line 76 was spoken in first-person, but here it has been altered to be in third-person: “[her] hands are of [his] colour.” When removing words, use an ellipsis within a set of square brackets, [...], to show that you have excluded words.
Format: Longer quotations—four or more lines—must be formatted in a specific manner. They are separated from your writing by a new line before and after the quote. The quote itself is indented from the left margin, and quotation marks are omitted.
Quoting Verse/Poetry: Works that are written in verse or poetry have unique formats. Lines are broken apart and the first letter of each new line is often capitalized. For longer quotations, the original line breaks and capitalization should be maintained. For shorter quotes, the original capitalization should be used alongside slashes, /, with spaces on either side to indicate line breaks.
After having a basic idea of how to integrate quotes into your writing, the next step is to learn how to cite your sources. Typically, two forms of citations are used together: in-text citations, which are used within your writing, and a Works Cited page, which appears at the end of your work.
In-text citations are used to briefly credit a source you have used, allowing the reader to easily locate the full reference on your Works Cited page. This type of citation is also known as a parenthetical citation because the information is put in brackets after the quote or idea you have used. Here is the standard MLA format for such citations: within a pair of brackets, the author’s last name is followed by the page number on which the quoted information can be found (Last Name Page Number). There is no comma or punctuation separating the two pieces of information, only a single space. For short quotes, the citation is placed after the second quotation mark and before the final punctuation. Here is an example: “How could all of them hate me so? I had never felt so alone” (Ye 222). For long quotes, where no quotation marks are used, the citation is put at the end of the quoted text, after the punctuation mark.
Sometimes, you may not have all the necessary information to follow the standard “last name page number” format. Below you will find some examples of certain situations and how you should format your in-text citation accordingly:
Unknown Author or Using Multiple Works By One Author: If you cannot use the author’s last name due to lack of information or the possibility of causing confusion, use the title of the work or a shortened version of the title. A shortened version must include keywords from the title, so that the reference can easily be found in your Works Cited Page. If the work used is short (i.e., part of a larger source such as a book or website), write the title within quotation marks; if the work is long (i.e., not part of a larger source), format the title in italics.
Different Works By Authors With The Same Last Name: If two authors share the same last name, include the author’s first initial in your parenthetical citation.
Multiple Authors: If a work has two authors, write both their last names, separated by “and”. If there are three or more authors, write the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”.
Indirect Sources: If the information you are using was quoted in a different work, add “qtd. in” at the start of your in-text citation.
No Page Number: If you are using digital sources with no page number, you do not need to include a number in your parenthetical citation. However, you should ask your teacher how they would like you to format such a citation, as they may want you to include a paragraph number instead.
A Works Cited page is a list of all the references you used in your work—any sources that you have quoted or used ideas from should be found in it. It is a separate page that is placed at the end of your work. This page should be titled “Works Cited”, with no quotation marks or italics. Your references should be left-aligned and double-spaced without skipping lines. If a single citation is longer than one line, the second and subsequent lines should be indented using a hanging indent. The sources should be ordered alphabetically unless your teacher has asked otherwise. Each reference should include: Author (Last Name, First Name). “Title of source.” Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location. Below is an example of what a full reference looks like on a Works Cited page:
Redfield, James M. “Bellerophon.” Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, edited by C. Scott
Littleton, vol. 9, 2005, pp 230-232.
Including a date accessed at the end is recommended for electronic sources, as they are often subject to change. Any information you cannot find for a source should be omitted from your reference. If a work has two authors, the formatting is as follows: “Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name.” For works with multiple authors, write the last and first name of the first author, followed by “, et al.”.
Those are the basics of MLA citations! This blog article only covered the standard rules and briefly went over a few scenarios you may find yourself in, but there are a large number of unique resources you may use, and situations you may encounter. Sometimes, you might be unsure about how you should format a citation, but you do not need to worry as there are informational guides you can use for help. In my personal experience, Purdue OWL has always been a useful resource, and I recommend taking a look at it if you have any questions or doubts about quote integration or citations.
Edited by Jamie Zhang.
Rida Zainab is a grade 11 student in the IB programme at Milliken Mills High School. Her favourite subject is English, and she likes to spend her free time reading and writing.
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