MLA-2a: Understanding how the MLA system works

MLA-2aUnderstand how the MLA system works.

Here, briefly, is how the MLA citation system usually works. (See MLA-4 for more details and model citations.)

  1. The source is introduced by a signal phrase that names its author.
  2. The material being cited is followed by a page number in parentheses (unless the source is an unpaginated Web source).
  3. At the end of the paper, a list of works cited (arranged alphabetically by authors’ last names) gives complete publication information for the source.

in-text citation

Bioethicist David Resnik emphasizes that such policies, despite their potential to make our society healthier, “open the door to excessive government control over food, which could restrict dietary choices, interfere with cultural, ethnic, and religious traditions, and exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities” (31).

entry in the list of works cited

Resnik, David. “Trans Fat Bans and Human Freedom.” American Journal of Bioethics, vol. 10, no. 3, Mar. 2010, pp. 27-32.

This basic MLA format varies for different types of sources. For a detailed discussion and other models, see MLA-4.