The Basics of MLA Style

49a Think about what readers need from your citation.

Why does academic work call for very careful citation practices when writing for the general public may not? The answer to that question is pretty easy: readers of your academic work (your instructor, other students, perhaps even researchers and professionals in your field) expect to get certain information from source citations:

Source citations demonstrate that while you may not yet be a recognized expert on the topic you’ve nevertheless done your homework, and you are a part of the conversation surrounding it. You include sources that you find credible and that provide evidence and good reasons to back up your claims, as well as sources that you need to respond to or refute (see 17a). Careful citation shows your readers what you know, where you stand, and what you think is important.
Source citations show that you understand the need to give credit when you make use of someone else’s intellectual property. Especially in academic writing, when it’s better to be safe than sorry, include a citation for any source you think you might need to cite. (See Chapter 18 for details.)
Source citations give explicit directions to guide readers who want to look for themselves at the works you’re using.

The guidelines for MLA style (or APA, Chicago, or CSE—if you are asked to use these systems, see Chapters 53–55) help you with this last purpose, giving you instructions on exactly what information to include in your citation and how to format that information.