This document provides guidance on using MLA citation style. It explains when and how to cite sources, including direct quotes, paraphrased information, and ideas not generally known. Sample citations are given for a book with one author and an essay in an edited book. The document also reviews formatting for the works cited page, listing references alphabetically by author's last name. Resources for additional help with MLA style are listed.

1. Using MLA Style
Citation
Prepared by Prof. H. Williams
Summer 2012

2. Do we need to cite this
statement?
The worst effect of Europeans’
colonization of Africa was how the image
of God was colonized.
Why or why not?

3. Questions to ask yourself:
Is there a serious
difference of opinion
on the subject?
Is it something
YES NO Do the ideas or words
everyone would know? come from someone
else?
YES NO YES NO
Cite your Don’t cite. Just
source ! state as fact or your
personal opinion.

4. Sample of citing the same source in text of
your paper using the MLA format.
Dr. John Henrik Clarke argues that the European
conquest of Africa was facilitated by their colonization
of the image of God. According to Clarke, European
colonizers “denied conquered people the right to see
God through their own imagination” and that this was a
key tool that they used to conquer the mind of Africans
(Clarke 34).
The full info will be listed at the end of the paper on a
separate page titled “ Works Cited” . (Text from Dr. John
Henrik Clarke’ s Christopher Columbus and the African
Holocaust.)

5. What do I need to cite?
• Direct quotes, statistics, facts
• Summaries or paraphrased info
• Info/ideas not generally known
• Someone else’s opinions or analysis
that might look like it’s your own
Adapted from U Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center hand-out on APA format

6. Why list/cite references?
• Allows readers (or you) to find and double-
check a source for accuracy
• Protects you from charges of plagiarism
• Shows that you are working with facts, not
just your opinion and your conclusions are
based on evidence
• Shows professors/ readers that you have
“done the work” to put together a good paper
(this is the equivalent of “showing your work”
in a math class)

7. “Soon they forget who they
plucked They whole style from […]
I'm not a biter
I'm a writer
For myself and others
I say a B.I.G. verse I'm only biggin’
up my brother … ”
-Jay-Z “What More Can I say” from
The Black Album

8. A few common citation formats
• MLA = Modern Language Association. Common
in Arts and Humanities.
• APA = American Psychological Assn. Common
in Social Sciences. (Sociology, Psychology, etc.)
• Chicago Style = Common in History, some
academic journals.
Physical sciences use varying formats and
individual instructors may have their own
requirements. ASK if you’ re unsure. Whatever
format you choose, apply it consistently.

9. A closer look at MLA style
entries

10. Format for MLA Citations
• Full Reference info is listed for each entry on
the last page titled “Works Cited”
•Footnotes are generally not used
•Entries on “Works Cited” page are double
spaced
•Works Cited entries are listed alphabetically
by author’s last name.
•See SEEK coursepack and the Purdue U.
OWL site for details

11. Book with one author: MLA format
Last name, first name of author. Title of
Book, In Italics. Publisher’s location:
name of publisher, year published.

12. Title page of book
Publisher’s
name
Year
published
A uthor’s
name
Publisher’s
location
B ook title

13. Sample MLA entry: book with one
author
A uthor’s
A uthor’s
first name B ook title
last name
in italics
Dyson, Michael Eric. Making Malcolm:
Indent
after first The Myth and Meaning of MalcolmD ouble-
line Spaced
X. New York: Oxford text
Publisher’s
locationUniversity Press, 1995. Publisher’s
Publication name
year

14. Format for MLA style references:
article or essay in an edited book
Last name, first name of author. “Title of
article” (in quotation marks). Name of
book’s editor, Title of book in italics.
Publisher’s location: name of
publisher, year of publication. Page
numbers of article.

15. Title page of book: what to look for
B ook’s Publisher’s
publisher location
Name of
book’s
editor
Year
Published

16. Table of contents
Title of essay
you’re
quoting
A uthor of essay
Page numbers of essay

17. Sample MLA entry of article or essay in
A uthor’s edited book
last A uthor’s
Title of essay you B ook editor’s
name first name
are quoting name
Boggs, James. “The Influence of Malcolm X on
Indent
after first the Political Consciousness of Black
line
D ouble- Americans”. Ed. Dr. John Henrik Clarke,
spaced
text Malcolm X: The Man and His Times. Trenton,
Title of
book the NJ: Africa World Press, 1993. 50-56. Publisher’s
essay Year location
appears in B ook book was Page
( in italics) publisher published numbers of
essay

18. Sample MLA “Works Cited” page
List every Your last name Page number
source you Title the last
quote in page Williams 4
alphabetical
order Works Cited
Boggs, James. “The Influence of Malcolm X on the Political
Consciousness of Black Americans”. Ed. Dr. John Henrik Clarke,
Malcolm X: The Man and His Times. Trenton, NJ: Africa World
Press, 1993. 50-56.
Dyson, Michael Eric. Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

19. Resource
s

21. Selected Resources
CCNY Writing Center (see quick links on CCNY webpage)
One-on-one help with formatting, style, and writing issues.
CCNY Library (see quick links on CCNY webpage)
Help with style and research questions.
U Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center
(http://writing.wisc.edu/)
Has nice online style sheets and helpful hand-outs.
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (See link on course
site)
Excellent guide for style and formatting.
Google documents (google.com)

22. Revised June, 2012
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