Mla Style Quick Start Guide: Step Should Always Be To Speak With Your Instructor. After Discussing The Matter With Your
Mla Style Quick Start Guide: Step Should Always Be To Speak With Your Instructor. After Discussing The Matter With Your
Mla Style Quick Start Guide: Step Should Always Be To Speak With Your Instructor. After Discussing The Matter With Your
If you are unfamiliar with using MLA style conventions, there are several ways to get started.
If you are having trouble or are unclear as to the requirements of your assignment, your first
step should always be to speak with your instructor. After discussing the matter with your
instructor, a visit to The Learning Center might be in order to receive further one-on-one
assistance.
Once you are ready to begin working on your assignment, you can also follow this quick guide’s
instructions to format your paper following MLA guidelines.
3. Click “New”
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4. Type “MLA” in the search box and hit Enter
5. Select “MLA style report” from the available templates
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2. In the Citations and Bibliography section, locate the drop down box labeled “Style.” Select
the most recent version of MLA available (currently Seventh Edition).
4. In the Source Manager box that appears, select New to enter a new source for citation.
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5. In the “Create Source” dialog box, select the appropriate source type from the “Type of
Source” drop down menu. Enter the publication information for your source into the fields
that appear. Fill in as much information about the source as you can, paying special
attention to the fields marked “Recommended.” Be careful to enter this information
correctly, this is how the citation will appear on your document. Click “OK” when you’re
finished.
6. Once you have entered your source information, your source will appear in the Source
Manager. The Source Manager displays sources in three ways, a “Master List” of all of the
citations you have created for this document, a “Current List” of the source you have
currently selected, and a “Preview” of the in-text citation and bibliographic citation of your
source, in your selected format. If you have many sources, the Source Manager is also
searchable and sortable.
7. Once you have entered all your sources for this document, click the Close button at the
bottom of the manager to return to your document.
8. To insert an in-text citation, place your cursor in the location of the citation in the paper and
click the “Insert Citation” button under the “Reference” tab. Select the appropriate citation
from the sources that appear. Be sure to check with your instructor about his or her
expectations and rules for proper in-text citation.
9. To create a Works Cited Page, place your cursor where your paper format says the Works
Cited Page should begin (on the last page of your document). Click the “Bibliography”
button under the “Reference” tab and select “Works Cited.” Your sources will be arranged
alphabetically in an MLA Works Cited page. Check the generated Works Cited page to make
sure it meets your instructor’s guidelines.
Website
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Work.” Title of Website. Publisher or Sponsor of Site,
Date of publication. Web. Date of Access.
McNicol, Tony. “Giant Pterosaurs Couldn't Fly, Study Suggests.” National Geographic News.
National Geographic, 28 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 June 2014.
Book
Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of
publication. Print.
Higham, Carol L. The Civil War and the West: The Frontier Transformed. Santa Barbara:
Praeger, 2013. Print.
If you have two or three authors, include all names.
Fainaru-Wada, Mark and Steve Fainaru. League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions, and the
Battle for Truth. New York: Crown, 2013. Print.
If there are more than three authors, you may write all the names, or the first author’s name
followed by et al.
Upgren, Arthur R., et al. Many Skies: Alternative Histories of the Sun, Moon, Planets and Stars.
New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2005. Print.
A Work in Edited Book or Anthology in Print (Essay, Short Story, Poem, etc.)
This rule is most commonly used for books that have an editor and contain sections, such as
essays, short stories or poems, by different authors.
Last Name, First Name of Author of Section. “Title of Section.” Title of Overall Book. Ed. Name
of Editor or Compiler. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of publication.
Pages included in section. Print.
Swiller, Joshua. “I Think I Hear You.” Deaf American Prose: 1980-2010. Ed. Kristen Harmon
and Jennifer Nelson. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University, 2012. 155-164. Print.
IV. Miscellaneous
Complete MLA style guide provide guidelines for citing information from other sources
(interviews, broadcasts, speeches, letters, etc.).
DVD
Title of Film. Name of Director. Film Distributor, Year of Release. DVD.
Dimming the Sun. Dir. Duncan Copp. Nova/WGBH and BBC, 2006. DVD.
MLA In-Text Citations
Use in-text citations to give credit to the source of the information you use in your paper. Proper
in-text citations give the reader the information needed to find the source in your Works Cited
list.
Basic Format
(Author’s Last Name page number)
Example: In 1861, settlers flowed West (Highman 112).
OR
If you write the author’s name in the sentence, you do not need to repeat it in the parentheses at
the end.
Example: Highman notes that in 1861 settlers flowed into California (112).
OR
If there is no page number listed, omit it.
Example: One out of three textbooks are purchased as brand new (Johnson).
Example: Johnson found that one out of three textbooks are purchased as brand new.
Common Exceptions for In-Text Citations
If there are 2 or 3 authors, include all names.
Example: (Highman and Smith 41) or (Highman, Smith and Heart 41)
• If there are more than 3 authors, you may use all the names, or just the first author’s
name followed by et al.
Example: (Highman et al. 41)
If there is no author, use the first piece of information you have from the long citation (on
the Works Cited page), which is often the title of the item (title of the article, video, etc.).
Example: (“Diabetes Superfood” 12)
If an online source does not have page numbers, omit it.