Introduction
27
Citing and Documenting Sources in MLA Style
When using the MLA system of documentation, include both an in-text citation and a list of works cited. In-text citations tell your readers where the ideas or words you have borrowed come from, and the entries in the works-cited list allow readers to locate your sources so that they can read more about your topic.
In most cases, include the author’s last name and the page number on which the borrowed material appears in the text of your research project. You can incorporate this information in two ways, often used together:
| SIGNAL PHRASE | By naming the author in the text of your research project with a signal phrase (Simon described ) and including the page reference (in parentheses) at the end of the borrowed passage: |
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| PARENTHETICAL CITATION | By including the author’s name and the page number together in parentheses at the end of the borrowed passage: |
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| WORKS-CITED ENTRY | Simon, Kate. “Birthing.” Bronx Primitive: Portraits in a Childhood. New York: Viking, 1982. 68-77. Print. |
In most cases, you will want to use a signal phrase because doing so lets you put your source in context. The signal-phrase-plus-page-reference combination also allows you to make crystal clear where the source information begins and ends. Use a parenthetical citation alone when you have already identified the author or when citing the source of an uncontroversial fact.
The in-text citation (with or without a signal phrase) should include only as much information as is needed to lead readers to the source in your list of works cited and allow them to find the passage you are citing in that source. In most cases, that means the author’s last name and the page number on which the borrowed material appears. In some cases, you may need to include other information in your in-text citation (such as a brief version of the title if the author is unknown or if you cite more than one work by this author). In a few cases, you may not be able to include a page reference, as, for example, when you cite a Web site that does not include page numbers. In such cases, you may include other identifying information, such as a paragraph number or section heading.
The most common types of in-text citations follow. For other, less common citation types, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition. Most libraries will own a copy. If the handbook does not provide a model citation, use the information here to create a citation that will lead your readers to the source.