MLA documentation style

56MLA documentation style

In English and other humanities classes, you may be asked to use the MLA (Modern Language Association) system for documenting sources, which is set forth in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (New York: MLA, 2009).

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR HANDBOOK

A works cited list includes all the sources cited in the text of a paper.

image MLA works cited list: 56b

image Preparing the list of works cited: 57a

image Sample lists of works cited: pages 198, 661

MLA recommends in-text citations that refer readers to a list of works cited. A typical in-text citation names the author of the source, often in a signal phrase, and gives a page number in parentheses. At the end of the paper, the list of works cited provides publication information about the source; the list is alphabetized by authors’ last names (or by titles for works without authors). There is a direct connection between the in-text citation and the alphabetical listing. In the following example, that connection is highlighted in orange.

in-text citation

Jay Kesan notes that even though many companies now routinely monitor employees through electronic means, “there may exist less intrusive safeguards for employers” (293).

entry in the list of works cited

Kesan, Jay P. “Cyber-Working or Cyber-Shirking? A First Principles Examination of Electronic Privacy in the Workplace.” Florida Law Review 54.2 (2002): 289-332. Print.

See a list of works cited that includes this entry.