Historical or legal document

In-text citation (historical document)

While the United States Constitution provides for the formation of new states (art. 4, sec. 3), it does not explicitly allow or prohibit the secession of states.

In-text citation (legislative act, law)

Government agencies are required to provide electronic access to certain types of public records, according to the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996.

In-text citation (court case)

In 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney declared in the case of Scott v. Sandford that blacks, whether enslaved or free, could not be citizens of the United States.

Note on historical or legal documents

Titles of historical documents, such as the US Constitution or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, are not italicized in an in-text citation or a works cited entry, nor are titles of legislative acts (laws). Titles of court cases are italicized in an in-text citation but not in a works cited entry.

Works cited entry (historical document)

United States Constitution. 1789. Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. Lib. of Cong., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2009.

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Works cited entry (legislative act, law)

Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996. Pub. L. 104-231. 110 Stat. 3048. 2 Oct. 1996. Print.

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Works cited entry (court case)

Scott v. Sandford. 60 US 393. Supreme Court of the US. 1857. Supreme Court Collection. Legal Information Inst., Cornell U Law School, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2008.

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Directory to MLA in-text citation models

Exercise: MLA documentation: in-text citations 1

Exercise: MLA documentation: in-text citations 2

Exercise: MLA documentation: in-text citations 3