This is the MLA Documentation workshop for Purdue University Calumet's Writing Center. The workshop gives information on how to format a paper and cite sources correctly as well as gives examples.

2.  People who are writing papers in the
Humanities
 Humanities includes:
◦ Literature
◦ Art
◦ Philosophy
◦ History

3. MLA Format

4.  Times New Roman
 Size 12

5.  Line Spacing – Double
 Space Before – O pt
 Space After – 0 pt
 Click “Don’t add
space between
paragraphs of the
same style.”

7.  Click “Insert”
 Click “Page Number”
 Hover over “Top of Page”
 Select “Plain Number 3

8.  Type your last name before the number
 Highlight the header
 Change the font to Times New Roman, Size 12

9. Why Do We Need MLA Citations?

10.  It’s ethical.
 It generates interest.
 It strengthens your argument.
 It helps others find your sources.

11.  Is taking credit for someone else’s
work/ideas.
 That means you need to cite anything that
doesn’t come out of your own head.
 Anything that is not common knowledge
must be cited.

12. What Do I Cite When Using MLA?

13.  Direct Quotes
 Paraphrases
 Theories or ideas unique to a specific author
 The specific argument of the author
 Facts
 Articles or studies quoted within your text

14.  Only when the author has said it best
◦ When the wording is too specific or detailed to
reword
◦ When specialized language is used
 To illustrate the writing style of the author

15.  When focusing on the meaning rather than
the exact words
 To condense paragraphs into a sentence or
two
 To show you understand what you’ve read

16. When Do I Not Cite Sources?

17.  Proverbs, axioms, and common sayings
◦ Ex: “A day late and a dollar short.”
 Well-known quotes
◦ Ex: “The body politic.”
 Common knowledge
◦ Ex: Isaac Newton discovered gravity when the apple fell
from the tree

18. In-Text (Parenthetical) Citations

19.  Put parenthesis around the author’s last name
◦ Ex: (Rosenbrock)
 Put the page number (if there is one) after the
author’s name.
◦ Ex: (Rosenbrock 23)
 Put the period after the quotation marks and
parenthesis.
◦ Ex: (Rosenbrock 23).

20.  Three Authors
◦ Ex: (Blas, Greenwell and Jackson 34).
 More than Three Authors
◦ (First listed author’s last name et al. #)
 Ex: (Blas et al. 12)

21.  Cite the article name with quotation marks
inside of the parenthesis.
◦ Ex: (“Pretend This Never Happened”).
 Place the page number after the article name.
◦ Ex: (“Pretend This Never Happened” 45).

22. Citing Indirect Sources and
Block Quotes

23.  Are quotes inside of someone else’s work
 Name the author who said the quote in the
same sentence as the quote
 In in-text citations, only cite the author of the
book or article containing the quote
◦ Ex: Davison claimed that “MLA is awesome”(qtd. in
Newenhouse 7).

24.  Use when the quote is longer than four lines
 Make the quote its own separate paragraph
within the original paragraph
 Place an additional 1” margin around it.
 Then continue the normal paragraph

26. Works Cited Page

27.  Click “Insert”
 Click “Page Break”
 This will start a new
page.

28.  Center the title
 “Works Cited” if citing more than one reference
 “Work Cited” if only citing one reference.
 Do not italicize or underline

29.  Organize sources in alphabetical order
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

30.  Highlight your sources
 Pull the bottom triangle on the ruler to the .5 mark

31.  One Author
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication:
Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium.
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

32.  Two Authors
Newenhouse, Patricia and Max Jackson. Title of Book.
City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium.
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

33.  More Than Three Authors
Newenhouse, Patricia, et al. Title of Book. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium.
 Follow these author rules if you have multiple
authors for a different source as well.
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

34.  Not paginated
◦ n.p.
 No Date of Publication
◦ n.d.

35.  Whole Website
Editor, Author, Compiler, or Organization Name (if
available). Name of Site. Version number.
Sponsor or Publisher, Date Created (if
available). Medium. Date of Access.
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

36.  Whole Website with no Author
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

37.  Single Web Page
Author. “Title of Page.” Name of Site. Name of Sponsor or
Publisher, Date Created. Medium. Date of Access.
 With No Author
Examples from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

38.  Print
Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal.
Volume.Issue (Year): Pages. Medium.
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

39.  Online
Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal.
Volume.Issue (Year): Pages. Medium. Date of
Access.
Example from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/

40. Aaron, Jane E., ed. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook
with Exercises. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education,
Inc. Print.
Bedford Saint Martin’s. “MLA List of Works Cited.” Research
and Documentation Online 5th Edition. Bedford Saint
Martin’s, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook for Writers
of Research Papers. New York: The Modern Language
Association of America, 2009. Print.
Purdue OWL. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The
Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2009. Web. 02 Nov.
2009.

41. Thank you and Good Luck!