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49a Understand MLA citation style.

49a

Understand MLA citation style.

Why does academic work call for very careful citation practices when writing for the general public may not? The answer is that readers of your academic work will expect source citations for several reasons:

Source citations demonstrate that you’ve done your homework on your topic and are a part of the conversation surrounding it. 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 15f.)
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 help you with this last purpose, giving you instructions on exactly what information to include in your citation and how to format that information.