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General Guidelines for Citing References
Adapted from Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_mla.html
Last visited: February 23, 2005. Last revisions to this adaptation: March 28, 2005
Outline for Web Page
Basic Rule - Cite Your Source (top of page)
When you make reference to someone else's idea in your writing, either by paraphrasing or quoting them directly, you must cite the source to
- allow readers to know which resources you used in your writing,
- enable them to look up your references,
- give credit to the person who originated the idea, and
- demonstrate the creditability of your thoughts.
Here are some basic guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text.
Parenthetical Citations Within Your Writing and Works Cited List
Modern Language Association (MLA) format follows the author-page method of citation. This means
- the author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work must appear in the body of your writing in a parenthetical citation (usually at the end of the sentence), and
- a complete reference or full citation for the source must be included in the Works Cited list at the end of your writing.
The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.
Parenthetical Citations Within Your Writing (top of page)
The author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work must appear in the body of your writing in a parenthetical citation (usually at the end of the sentence).
Examples:
- Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
- Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Two works by the same author
If you cite more than one work by a particular author, include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the other works by that same person.
Example:
- Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for small children ("Too Soon" 38), though he has acknowledged that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year ("Hand-Eye Development" 17).
Two authors with the same last name
Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even her or his full name if different authors share initials) in your citation.
Example:
- Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46).
Book or article with no author named
For parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version of the title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and underlining as appropriate. For example , parenthetical citations of the following sources would appear as follows: (Encyclopedia 235) and ("Cigarette" A17).
Encyclopedia of Indiana. New York: Somerset, 1993.
"Cigarette Sales Fall 30% as California Tax Rises." New York Times 14 Sept. 1999: A17.
Electronic source with no author named
For
non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media,
or electronic sources with no author, include the name that begins the
entry in the Works Cited page.
Example:
- An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too emotional ("Wordsworth Is A Loser" 100).
Quotations Within Your Writing (top of page)
When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on whether they are long or short quotations.
Short Quotations
To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks and incorporate it into your text. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference in the works-cited list. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.
Examples:
- According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.
- According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).
- Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?
Long Quotations
Place quotations longer than four typed lines in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented one inch from the left margin. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks.
Examples:
-
Nelly
Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Brontė 78)
-
In her poem "Sources," Adrienne Rich explores the roles of women in shaping their world:
The faithful drudging child
the child at the oak desk whose penmanship,
hard work, style will win her prizes
becomes the woman with a mission, not to win prizes
but to change the laws of history. (23)
Adding or Omitting Words In Quotations
If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text.
Example: Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78).
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or word by using ellipsis marks (i.e., 3 periods) surrounded by brackets.
Example: In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale [...] and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78).
If there are ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work, do not put brackets around them; only use brackets around ellipsis marks to distinguish them from ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work.
Indirect quotation
Sometimes you may have to use an indirect quotation. An indirect quotation is a quotation that you found in another source that was quoting from the original. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source.
Example: Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd. in Weisman 259).
"Works Cited" List (top of page)
The works cited list should appear at the end of your writing. The list provides the information necessary for a reader to locate any sources you cite. Each source you cite in the essay must appear in your works-cited list; likewise, each entry in the works-cited list must be cited in your text. Here are some guidelines for preparing your works cited list.
List Format
- Begin your works cited list on a separate page from the text of the essay under the label Works Cited (with no quotation marks, underlining, etc.), which should be centered at the top of the page.
- Make the first line of each entry in your list flush left with the margin. Subsequent lines in each entry should be indented one-half inch. This is known as a hanging indent.
- My thoughts: Single space within an entry; double-space between entries.
- Keep in mind that underlining and italics are equivalent; you should select one or the other to use throughout your essay.
- Alphabetize the list of works cited by the first word in each entry (usually the author's last name),
Basic Rules for Citations
-
Authors' names are inverted (last name first); if a work has more than one author, invert only the first author's name, follow it with a comma, then continue listing the rest of the authors without inverting their names.
-
If you have cited more than one work by a particular author, order them alphabetically by title, and use three hyphens in place of the author's name for every entry after the first.
-
When an author appears both as the sole author of a text and as the first author of a group, list solo-author entries first.
-
If no author is given for a particular work, alphabetize by the title of the piece and use a shortened version of the title for parenthetical citations.
October 31, 2005he titles of articles, books, etc. This rule
does not apply to articles, short prepositions, or conjunctions unless
one is the first word of the title or subtitle.
-
Underline or italicize titles of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and films.
-
Use quotation marks around the titles of articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Also use quotation marks for the titles of short stories, book chapters, poems, and songs.
-
List page numbers efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as 225-50.
-
If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an online database, you should provide enough information so that the reader can locate the article either in its original print form or retrieve it from the online database (if they have access).
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Sources in Print (top of page)
Books
General format: Author(s). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
-
Book with one author, example
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, 1999.
-
Two books by the same author
After the first listing of the author's name, use three hyphens and a period for the author's name. List books alphabetically.
Example:
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997.
---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993.
-
Book with more than one author, example
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, 2000.
If there are more than three authors, you may list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. or et al. (the abbreviation for the Latin phrase "and others") in place of the other authors' names, or you may list all the authors in the order in which their names appear on the title page.
-
Book with a corporate author, example
American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. New York: Random, 1998.
-
Book (or article) with no author named, examples
Encyclopedia of Indiana. New York: Somerset, 1993.
"Cigarette Sales Fall 30% as California Tax Rises." New York Times 14 Sept. 1999: A17.
Recall -- for parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version of the title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and underlining as appropriate. For example, parenthetical citations of the two sources above would appear as follows: (Encyclopedia 235) and ("Cigarette" A17).
Government publication, example
United States Dept. of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health. Washington: GPO, 2000.
Pamphlet, example
Office of the Dean of Students. Resources for Success: Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorders. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University, 2000.
An article in a periodical (such as a newspaper or magazine)
General format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Source Day Month Year: pages.
When citing the date, list day before month; use a three-letter abbreviation of the month (e.g. Jan., Mar., Aug.). If there is more than one edition available for that date (as in an early and late edition of a newspaper), identify the edition following the date (e.g. 17 May 1987, late ed.).
-
Magazine or newspaper article, examples
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71.
Trembacki, Paul. "Brees Hopes to Win Heisman for Team." Purdue Exponent 5 Dec. 2000: 20.
An article in a scholarly journal
General format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Vol (Year): pages.
"Vol" indicates the volume number of the journal. If the journal uses continuous pagination throughout a particular volume, only volume and year are needed, e.g. Modern Fiction Studies 40 (1998): 251-81. If each issue of the journal begins on page 1, however, you must also provide the issue number following the volume, e.g. Mosaic 19.3 (1986): 33-49.
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Electronic Sources (top of page)
If no author is given for a web page or electronic source, start with and alphabetize by the title of the piece and use a shortened version of the title for parenthetical citations.
A web site
General format: Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access <electronic address>.
It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address; MLA requires them for clarity.
-
Web site, examples
Felluga, Dino. Undergraduate Guide to Literary Theory. 17 Dec. 1999. Purdue University. 15 Nov. 2000 <http://omni.cc.purdue.edu%7Efelluga/theory2.html>.
Purdue Online Writing Lab. 2003. Purdue University. 10 Feb. 2003 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu>.
-
An article on a web site
It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address; MLA requires them for clarity.
General format: Author(s)."Article Title." Name of web site. Date of posting/revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with site. Date of access <electronic address>.
Examples:
Poland, Dave. "The Hot Button." Roughcut. 26 Oct. 1998. Turner Network Television. 28 Oct. 1998 <http://www.roughcut.com>.
"Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format." Purdue Online Writing Lab. 2003. Purdue University. 6 Feb. 2003 <http://owl.english.purdue.eduhandouts/research/r_mla.html>.
An article in an online journal or magazine
General format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): Pages/Paragraphs. Date of Access <electronic address>.
Some electronic journals and magazines provide paragraph or page numbers; include them if available. This format is also appropriate to online magazines; as with a print version, you should provide a complete publication date rather than volume and issue number.
-
Online journal article, example
Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases 6.6 (2000): 33 pars. 5 Dec. 2000 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no6/wheelis.htm>.
An Online Image or Series of Images
General format: Artist if available. "Description or title of image." Date of image. Online image. Title of larger site . Date of download. <electronic address>.
Example: Smith, Greg. "Rhesus Monkeys in the Zoo." No date. Online image. Monkey Picture Gallery. 3 May 2003. <http://monkeys.online.org/rhesus.jpg>.
E-mail (or other personal communications)
General format: Author. "Title of the message (if any)" E-mail to person's name. Date of the message.
This same format may be used for personal interviews or personal letters. These do not have titles, and the description should be appropriate. Instead of "Email to John Smith," you would have "Personal interview."
-
E-mail to you, example
Kunka, Andrew. "Re: Modernist Literature." E-mail to the author. 15 Nov. 2000.
-
Email communication between two parties, not including the author, example
Neyhart, David. "Re: Online Tutoring." E-mail to Joe Barbato. 1 Dec. 2000.
A listserv posting
General format: Author. "Title of Posting." Online posting. Date when material was posted (for example: 18 Mar. 1998). Name of listserv. Date of access <electronic address for retrieval>.
-
Online Posting, example
Karper, Erin. "Welcome!" Online posting. 23 Oct. 2000. Professional Writing Bulletin Board. 12 Nov. 2000 <http://linnell.english.purdue.edu/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000001.html>.
Electronic source with no author THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT INFORMATION
For non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources with no author, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page.
Example: An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too emotional ("Wordsworth Is A Loser" 100).
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Article or Publication Retrieved from an Electronic Database (top of page)
If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an online database that your library subscribes to, you should provide enough information so that the reader can locate the article either in its original print form or retrieve it from the online database (if they have access).
Provide the following information in your citation:
-
Author's name (if not available, use the article title as the first part of the citation)
-
Article Title
-
Publication Name
-
Publication Date
-
Page Number/Range
-
Database Name
-
Service Name
-
Name of the library where service was accessed
-
Name of the town/city where service was accessed
-
Date of Access
-
URL of the service (but not the whole URL for the article, since those are very long and won't be able to be re-used by someone trying to retrieve the information)
General format: Author. "Title of Article." Publication Name Volume Number (if necessary) Publication Date: page number-page number. Database name. Service name. Library Name, City, State. Date of access <electronic address of the database>.
Example: Smith, Martin. "World Domination for Dummies." Journal of Despotry Feb. 2000: 66-72. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale Group Databases. Purdue University Libraries, West Lafayette, IN. 19 February 2003 <http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com>.
Article in a reference database on CD-ROM, example
"World War II." Encarta. CD-ROM. Seattle: Microsoft, 1999.
Article from a periodically published database on CD-ROM, example
Reed, William. "Whites and the Entertainment Industry." Tennessee Tribune 25 Dec. 1996: 28. Ethnic NewsWatch. CD-ROM. Data Technologies. Feb. 1997.
Basic "Works Cited" Formats for Oral Sources (top of page)
Interview that you conducted or conversation you had, examples
Purdue, Pete. Personal Interview. 1 Dec. 2000.
Purdue, Pete. Personal Communication. 1 Dec. 2000.
A lecture or a speech
To cite a lecture or a speech, "give the speaker's name, the title of the lecture or speech (if known) in quotation marks, the meeting and the sponsoring organization (if applicable), the location [including place and city, if available], and the date. If there is no title, use an appropriate descriptive label (e.g., Lecture, Address, Keynote speech), neither underlined nor enclosed in quotation marks" (MLA Handbook, 206).
Example: Harris, Muriel. "Writing Labs: A Short History." 2003 Writing Center Conference. National Writing Centers Association. La Swank Hotel, Seattle. 28 March 2003.
Quick Reference List for Common "Works Cited" (top of page)
Government publication, example
United States Dept. of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health. Washington: GPO, 2000.
Pamphlet, example
Office of the Dean of Students. Resources for Success: Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorders. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University, 2000.
Web site, general format
Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access <electronic address>.
It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address; MLA requires them for clarity.
Web site, examples
- Felluga, Dino. Undergraduate Guide to Literary Theory. 17 Dec. 1999. Purdue University. 15 Nov. 2000 <http://omni.cc.purdue.edu%7Efelluga/theory2.html>.
- Purdue Online Writing Lab. 2003. Purdue University. 10 Feb. 2003 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu>.
Last Updated March 28, 2005
Email: David.Saxowsky@ndsu.edu
This material is intended for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for competent professional advice. Seek appropriate advice for answers to your specific questions.
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