MLA Presentation 2018

1. Citing Your Sources

2. Resources
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/

5. You MUST cite borrowed ideas
Put the page # in (Parentheses) at the
end of the sentence before the
punctuation.
• Huckleberry Finn says, “All right then, I’ll go to hell” (Twain
179).
• Huck says, “All right then I’ll go to hell” and then he goes to free
Jim (Twain 179).
• Huck says, “All right then I’ll go to hell” (Twain 179), and then
he goes to free Jim.
• Huck says, “All right then I’ll go to hell” before he goes to free
Jim (Twain 179).

6. Punctuation
Punctuation goes after the citation.
• Huckleberry Finn says, “All right then, I’ll go to hell”
(Twain 179).
• Huck says, “All right then I’ll go to hell” and then he goes
to free Jim (Twain 179).
• Huck says, “All right then I’ll go to hell” (Twain 179), and
then he goes to free Jim.
• Huck says, “All right then I’ll go to hell” before he goes to
free Jim (Twain 179).

7. Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.
Punctuation goes after the citation.

8. More Citation Stuff
In a paper that uses more than one outside source, you
must make clear who you are referring to.
• In his essay Conserving Conservatism, George Will
discusses the concept of a tax-free economy (33).
• WRONG: In his essay Conserving Conservatism,
George Will discusses the concept of a tax-free
economy (Will 33).
Since you’ve mentioned the author, you don’t need to
mention anything again.

9. If you don’t refer to the author in the body of
the sentence, you refer to him or her in the
citation.
Set on the frontier, Westerns often reveal a “pattern of linguistic
regression” (Rosowksi 170).

10. These are wrong
Susan J. Rosowksi argues that Westerns often reveal a
“pattern of linguistic regression” (p. 170).
Susan J. Rosowksi argues that Westerns often reveal a
“pattern of linguistic regression” (page 170).
Susan J. Rosowksi argues that Westerns often reveal a
“pattern of linguistic regression”(Rosowki page 170).
Susan J. Rosowksi argues that Westerns often reveal a
“pattern of linguistic regression (170).”
Susan J. Rosowksi argues that Westerns often reveal a
“pattern of linguistic regression.” (170)
This is right:
Susan J. Rosowksi argues that Westerns often reveal a
“pattern of linguistic regression” (170).

11. Try this
Put a citation and the correct punctuation after it:
John Shawcross explains that there was a “strongly negative reaction to his views on divorce”

12. Try this
Put a citation and the correct punctuation after it:
However, it has been noted that there was a “strongly negative reaction to his views on divorce”

13. What if you have multiple authors?
Two authors
Some environmentalists seek to protect wilderness areas so that they can preserve
the past (Katcher and Wilkins 174).
Three authors:
The authors state that “Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second
Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).
More than three
Legal experts counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting that the
current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun
laws (Jones et al. 4).

14. This is wrong
Legal experts counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting
that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law
makers to adjust gun laws (Jones, Williams, Parker, Davis, Scott,
Evans, Bradley, Berkovitch 4).
The authors state that “Tighter gun control in the United States
erodes Second Amendment rights" (Smith Yang Moore 76).
Some environmentalists seek to protect wilderness areas so that
they can preserve the past (Katcher, Wilkins 174).

15. What if you don’t know the author?

16. What if you don’t know the author?
When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an
author name.
Put the title in quotation marks if it’s a short work (an article), in italics if it’s longer
(plays, books, TV shows).
We see so many global warming hotspots in
North America likely because this region has
“more readily accessible climatic data”
(“Impact of Global Warming”).

17. Or if it’s a web-site with no page
numbers:
If it has no page numbers, you don’t have to include them.
Take part, not all of the title and put it in quotations.
We see so many global warming hotspots in
North America likely because this region has
“more readily accessible climatic data”
(“Impact of Global Warming”).

18. While some may argue that Global Warming is a myth,
“compelling new evidence demonstrates that global warming is
already under” (“Early Warning Signs”)

19. Try This

20. • “Future cars will provide drivers with concierge services, web-based information,
online e-mail capabilities, CD-ROM access, on-screen and audio navigation
technology, and a variety of other information and entertainment services.”
• Matt Sundeen points out that in cars of the future drivers will have concierge
services, web-based information, online e-mail capabilities, CD-ROM access,
on-screen and audio navigation technology, and a variety of other information
and entertainment (1). This is plagiarism!
• Matt Sundeen points out that in cars of the future drivers will have “concierge
services, web-based information, online e-mail capabilities, CD-ROM access, on-
screen and audio navigation technology, and a variety of other information and
entertainment services” (1).
You must used borrowed language in
quotation marks.

21. Be VERY careful with plagiarism
• “The automotive industry has not shown good judgment
in designing automotive features that distract drivers. A
classic example is the use of a touch-sensitive screen
to replace all the controls, tape/CD players, and
heating/cooling. Although an interesting technology,
such devices require that the driver take his eyes off the
road.” – Tom and Ray Magliozzi, p.3 of a letter to a
Massachusetts state senator.
Plagiarism:
• “Radio show hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi argue that
the automotive industry has not demonstrated good
judgment in devising car features that distract drivers.
One feature is a touch-sensitive screen that replaces
controls for radios, tape/CD players, and
heating/cooling. Although the technology is interesting,
such devices require that a driver a driver look away
from the screen.”
You must used borrowed language in
quotation marks.

22. “The automotive industry has not shown good
judgment in designing automotive features that
distract drivers. A classic example is the use of a
touch-sensitive screen to replace all the controls,
tape/CD players, and heating/cooling. Although an
interesting technology, such devices require that
the driver take his eyes off the road.” – Tom and
Ray Magliozzi, p.3 of a letter to a Massachusetts
state senator.
Try this:

23. Acceptable
“The automotive industry has not shown good judgment in
designing automotive features that distract drivers. A
classic example is the use of a touch-sensitive screen to
replace all the controls, tape/CD players, and
heating/cooling. Although an interesting technology, such
devices require that the driver take his eyes off the road.” –
Tom and Ray Magliozzi, p.3 of a letter to a Massachusetts
state senator.
Radio show hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi claim that
motor vehicle manufacturers do not always design
features with safety in mind. For example, when
designers replaced radio, CD player, and temperature
control knobs with touch-sensitive panels, they were
forgetting one thing: To use the panels, drivers would
need to take their eyes of the road.”

24. What to do if you have a long quote
that you only want to use part of.
The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center
has begun a study assessing a variety of driver distractions.
According to Allyson Vaughan, “The research . . . is intended to
inject some evidence into the debate” (1).
An ellipsis is three periods, each separated by a space.

25. Important!
Do not use a lot of lengthy quotes in your
papers! Paraphrase and summarize. Use
quotes only because the language is
interesting and you want to preserve it.

26. Separating Quotes
In his poem, John Milton talks about the master of the house as a
“powerful Lord” who “answers violence with justice” (34).
Some words that Twain uses to describe Huck are “resourceful” and
“clever” (47).
Some words that Twain uses to describe Huck are “resourceful” (47)
and “clever” (60).
At various points in the novel, Huck is described as a “resourceful
little scoundrel” (47) and a “clever little rat” (54).

27. When a quotation is more than four lines
long, set it off from the surrounding text by
indenting all lines one inch from the left
margin
Block Quotes

28. Block Quotes
In a block quote, the citation goes after the
punctuation.

29. Block Quotes
• Always ask yourself . . . Do I really need this whole quote?
• Can you summarize it?
• What’s the point of it?
• When in doubt, don’t.
• English teachers are by and large skeptical of block quotes – we tend to
assume that you are just taking up space.

30. Block Quotes
Always double-space your block quotes, if
the paper itself is double-spaced.
Yes, this takes up more space, and keep in
mind that most teachers are suspicious of
block quotes. You had better analyze
every aspect of that quote, or find some
way to shorten or analyze it.

32. Works Cited
End Citations are the bane of
my existence.
However, I find MLA Citations to
be much easier than the
other forms: Turabian,
Chicago, APA.
In writing ENGLISH papers,
MLA is the law of the land.
But if you go into other
domains, expect to deal with
the others also.

34. How to cite.
First type the author’s last name, first name, then a period.
Black, Andrew.
Then the title of the work:
If it is an ARTICLE, use quotes.
If it is a book, italicize.
So –
Black, Andrew. “The Way Things Work.”
Black, Andrew. The Way Things Work.

35. If it’s a book . . .
Easy enough:
Black, Andrew. The Way Things Work. Doubleday, 1996.
Look for the Publishing company on the inside cover. In the past you would
have to put a city, but that’s not the case anymore.
On the opposite page, they usually have the year of publication.
WARNING: make sure you don’t put the original date of publication. You want
the date of THIS EDITION.

37. Important
In MLA style, titles of English-language works
are capitalized headline-style.
That means: major words are capitalized.
Not small words like “by” “an” “the” “or”
(unless it’s the first word)
This one would be
“Titanic II Could Set Sail by 2022, Following
Original Route”
Even though it’s not capitalized in the original.

38. If it’s an article from a
MAGAZINE . . .
Black, Andrew. “The Way Things Work.” Time. 10. Aug. 2007: pp. 52-58.
After the title, Italicize the title of the magazine
Then put the date as I’ve done it (NUMERICAL DAY,
ABBREV. MONTH, YEAR)
Comma
Then put the page numbers this way: pp. ##-##
Author. Title. Title of container (self contained if book), Other contributors (translators
or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publisher Date,
Location (pp.). 2nd
container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Pub
date, Location.

39. If it’s an article in a Journal
Black, Andrew. “Why Shakespeare is Awesome.” Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 389-412
First name, Last Name – Period
Title of Article in Quotes
Title of Journal Italicized
Volume Number as Vol. #
Issue Number as No. # (Not all journals have issues)
Comma
Page numbers pp. #-#
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.

40. Try this
The article is written by John Givens. It’s
called Wikipedia Rules. It’s on pages 5-15.
Volume 4. The Journal is called The
Education Journal. It’s issue 6.
First name, Last Name – Period
Title of Article in Quotes
Title of Journal Italicized
Volume Number as Vol. #
Issue Number as No. #
Comma
Page numbers pp. #-#

41. HOWEVER
Almost everything you are going to
using is online. You will not be using
many physical copies of things.

42. Web-sites
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases)
Here are some common features you should try to find before citing electronic sources in MLA style.
Not every Web page will provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the
following information as possible both for your citations and for your research notes:
•Author and/or editor names (if available); last names first.
•"Article name in quotation marks."
•Title of the website, project, or book in italics.
•Any version numbers available, including editions (ed.), revisions, posting dates, volumes (vol.), or issue numbers (no.).
•Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
•Take note of any page numbers (p. or pp.) or paragraph numbers (par. or pars.).
•URL (without the https://) DOI or permalink.
•Date you accessed the material (Date Accessed)—While not required, it is highly recommended, especially when dealing with pages that
change frequently or do not have a visible copyright date.
•Remember to cite containers after your regular citation. Examples of containers are collections of short stories or poems, a television series, or
even a website. A container is anything that is a part of a larger body of works.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_an
d_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html

43. “Senators Try to Repair Relationships with Coaches after Uber Video."
ESPN.COM, 7 Nov 2018,
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/25197614/ottawa-senators-try-
repair-fallout-video-uber-ride
In-Text Citation (“Senators Try To Repair
Relationships with Coaches after Uber Video”)
The Date is
the day YOU
accessed it,
since there is
no date.

44. Fox, Maggie. “FDA Approves Drug to Make Cow Manure Less Stinky.”
NBC News, 6. Nov 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-
news/fda-approves-drug-make-cow-manure-less-stinky-n932486

45. Saletan, William. "Pope Francis Is a Liberal." Slate,19 Sept. 2013,
www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/09/pope_francis_interview_forget_homo
sexuality_and_birth_control_he_s_a_flaming.html.

46. Scholarly (Journal) Articles you have gotten online
Cite articles in online scholarly journals that also appear in print as you would a
scholarly journal in print, including the page range of the article. Provide the URL and
the date of access.
Black, Andrew. “Why Shakespeare is Awesome.” Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 34,
no. 4, pp. 389-412, www.jstor.org/stable/3113102. Accessed 20 Mar 2018.
After the page numbers put a comma,
add the url, but remove the https:
followed by a period, followed by the date you accessed it (Numerical day, month
abbreviated, year).

47. WEB SITE ISSUES
Your URL shouldn’t be:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3113102?
Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchTe
xt=andrew&searchText=black&searchUri=
%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery
%3Dandrew%2Bblack%26amp%3Bgroup
%3Dnone%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp
%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bacc
%3Don&refreqid=search
%3A3131e57f3b88a5775432aefd8c68922c

48. The URL will often be
provided for scholarly
journals.

49. HOWEVER … If you got it online and it
has page numbers, there’s really no
difference between the print version and
the online version. It may be easier just to
do it as THOUGH you got it in print.

50. WORKS CITED
• At the end of your paper, start a new
page.
• Always title the top of the page, Works
Cited (All Caps) – Center and bold it.
• Then list each work you use in
alphabetical order by last name.
(Important!)
• Double space throughout

51. WORKS CITED PAGE

52. You need to indent the second line of each
reference.
•Place your cursor at the beginning of your citation, and highlight it.
•Right click your mouse
•Select Paragraph from the resulting pop up menu
•Under Indentation, use the Special pull-down menu to select hanging
•Use the By menu to select 0.5“
OR, just indent each line after the first one.
Skinner, Quentin. “Thomas Hobbes and the Nature of the Early Royal Society.”
The Historical Journal 12, no. 2 (January, 1969): 217–239.

53. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gwyneth-
paltrow-instagram

54. “Gwyneth Paltrow Joins Instagram.”
Huffpost Celebrity, 03 Oct 2018,
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gwyne
th-paltrow-Instagram.