Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr.

Ruggeri
Q - What do I need to know to cite my sources?
A- The first thing that you need to figure out is what kind of a source it is that you have.
Book (Print.):
o Author
o Book Title
o City of Publication
o Publisher
o Year of Publication
Electronic Sources
o Author and/or editor names (if available)
o Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
o Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print publications have Web
publications with slightly different names. They may, for example, include the additional
information or otherwise modified information, like domain names [e.g. .com or .net].)
o Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.
o Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
o Take note of any page numbers (not the page number from when you print).
o Date you accessed the material. (Ex: 28 Mar. 2011)
o URL IS NOT MANDATORY ANYMORE (only if it is not easily accessible to a search).

Q – Are there different ways of writing citations for the different kinds of sources?
A – Yes there are many different ways, sincere there is so much on the Internet:
The entire Webpage, an article on the webpage, Databases, an Article on an Online Magazine,
Ebscohost, etc.
Many of the sites will give you a citation. PLEASE CROSSREFFERENCE FOR ACCURACY. Some
of the citations are outdated according to the MLA requirements. You must be responsible and
make sure that the citation contains the proper information in the right order to prevent the
possibility of plagiarism.

Q – What else do I need to know about the basics to MLA 2009?

A – Listed below are some basic additions to the new MLA, please keep all of this information
handy when you are conducting research and citing sources.
Medium of Publication – every entry must have this in the citation. Most will read either Print or Web.
However, you may find yourself citing a different medium such as Film, CD-ROM, or DVD.
Citing an online database requires different entry information than a regular website. Please include the
type of online database name in italics.

Q – What do I need to know about capitalization and punctuation?

A – Most of the basic rules that many of you often neglect because you spend TOO much time
texting or tweeting are CRUCIAL to avoiding plagiarism.

Capitalize each word in the tiles of articles, books, etc, but you do not capitalize articles
(the, an, a), prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or
subtitle: Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
NEW TO MLA 2009 – you must italicize (as I have done above) titles of larger works
(books, magazines) and use quotations for the titles of shorter works (poems, articles)

Q – I’m really confused! Can you please explain what the FORMAT of a citation looks like
and tell me some resources that will aid me in the process?
A – Don’t worry! I’ve listed the different formats, examples, and some online resources for
you novice researchers.
 Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr. Ruggeri
I’ve included the different formats for you; therefore, you need to figure out kind of
source you have and then locate its appropriate format
I’ve used information located from the website Purdue Online Writing Lab and
Northwest Missouri State University Web.
http://wol.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/11/
http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/CITING/MLA.HTM

FORMATS

Books
Single Author:
o The author’s name or a book with a single author’s name appears in the last name, first name format. The basic
citation for a book is:

Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Print.

o Notice the minor details to the citation like punctuation, italics, and capitalization. You must include the word print
at the end of every print source that you use. You should also notice that the citation has what’s called a “hanging
indent.” It is the opposite of what you do when you indent a paragraph in your paper.
o Type the correct entry then highlight it all.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New York: Washington Square Place.

1992. Print.

o Right click and select “Paragraph”

o Look at “Indentation” and “Special”
o Select the dropdown menu and select “Hanging”

o Your finished entry should look like this:

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New York: Washington Square Place.

1992. Print

Two Authors:

o The first given name appears in last name, first name format; subsequent author names appear in first name last
name format.
 Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr. Ruggeri
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston:

Allyn, 2000. Print.

Corporate Author:

o A corporate author may include a commission, a committee, or a group that does not identify individual members on
the title page. List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the
beginning of the entry.

American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. New York: Random, 1998. Print.

No author:

o List by title of the book. Incorporate these entries alphabetically just as you would with works that include an author name. For
example, the following entry might appear between entries of works written by Dean, Shaun and Forsythe, Jonathan.

Encyclopedia of Indiana. New York: Somerset, 1993. Print.

Anthology or Collection:

o Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of
citation is as follows:

Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Place of

Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Print.

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers

One to One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print.

Multi Volume Work:

o When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, include the volume number after the work's title, or after the work's
editor or translator

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Trans. H. E. Butler. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Loeb-Harvard UP,

1980. Print.

A Pamphlet
 Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr. Ruggeri
o Cite the title and publication information for the pamphlet just as you would a book without an author. Pamphlets and
promotional materials commonly feature corporate authors (commissions, committees, or other groups that does not provide
individual group member names). If the pamphlet you are citing has no author, cite as directed below. If your pamphlet has an author
or a corporate author, put the name of the author (last name, first name format) or corporate author in the place where the author
name typically appears at the beginning of the entry. (See also Books by a Corporate Author or Organization above.)

Your Rights Under California Welfare Programs. Sacramento, CA: California Dept. of

Social Services, 2007. Print.

Websites

Abbreviations Commonly Used with Electronic Sources:

o If publishing information is unavailable for entries that require publication information such as publisher (or sponsor)
names and publishing dates, MLA requires the use of special abbreviations to indicate that this information is not available.
Use n.p. to indicate that neither a publisher nor a sponsor name has been provided. Use n.d. when the Web page does not
provide a publication date.

o When an entry requires that you provide a page but no pages are provided in the source (as in the case of an online-only
scholarly journal or a work that appears in an online-only anthology), use the abbreviation n. pag.

o It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available on one date
may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site.

o Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

o As the word Print is included on all print sources, you must include the word Web for all Internet sources. Unlike the word
Print at the end of each citation, the word Web in between the date of the cite and the date you accessed the page.

o Abbreviate the months to three letters EXCEPT for June, July and Sept.

Typical Webpage:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of

institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource

creation (if available). Web. Date of access.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008.

Web. 23 Apr. 2008.

Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May

2006.
 Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr. Ruggeri

For an individual page on a Web site, list the author or alias if known, followed by the
information covered above for entire Web sites. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is
available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

Johnson, Carolyn. “MLA Citation Examples.” nwmissouri.edu. Northwest Missouri State

University. 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011.

Provide the author name, article name in quotation marks, title of the Web magazine in italics,
publisher name, publication date, medium of publication, and the date of access. Remember to use
n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if not publishing date is given.

Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make

Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.

An Article from an Online Database (or Other Electronic Subscription Service)

o Cite articles from online databases (e.g. LexisNexis, ProQuest, JSTOR, ScienceDirect) and other
subscription services just as you would print sources. Since these articles usually come from
periodicals, be sure to consult the appropriate sections of the Works Cited: Periodicals page, which
you can access via its link at the bottom of this page. In addition to this information, provide the
title of the database italicized, the medium of publication, and the date of access.

o Note: Previous editions of the MLA Style Manual required information about the subscribing
institution (name and location). This information is no longer required by MLA.

Junge, Wolfgang, and Nathan Nelson. “Nature's Rotary Electromotors.” Science 29 Apr. 2005:

642-44. Science Online. Web. 5 Mar. 2009.

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical

Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.

Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr. Ruggeri
Quick Reference for Citations

Ebscohost:

Author(s). "Title of the Article." Title of the Periodical volume number. issue number (Date of

publication): inclusive page numbers. Name of database. Medium of publication

consulted. Date accessed.

Miller, Kim. "Moms with Guns." African Arts 42.2 (2009): 68-75. Academic Search Premier.

Web. 5 Jan. 1999

Gale:

Author(s). "Title of the Article." Title of the Periodical volume number.issue number (Date of

publication): inclusive page numbers. Name of database. Medium of publication

consulted. Date accessed.

Cohen-Almagor, Raphael. "Euthanasia Policy and Practice in Belgium: Critical Observations

and Suggestions for Improvement." Issues in Law & Medicine 24.3 (2009): 187-218.

Academic OneFile. Web. 22 June 2009.

Wilson Web:

Author(s). "Title of the Article." Title of the Periodical volume number.issue number (Date of

publication): inclusive page numbers. Name of database. Medium of publication

consulted. Date accessed.

Schneider, Wolfgang, et al. "Kindergarten Prevention of Dyslexia: Does Training in

Phonological Awareness Work for Everybody?" Journal of Learning Disabilities 32.5 (1999):

429-36. Education Full Text. Web. 27 Apr. 2000.

Citing Sources Academic English 9 Mr. Ruggeri

Internet Site Entry Elements:

Author/editor (if given). Title of the Overall Web Site. Homepage. Publisher or sponsor of the

site (if not available, use N.p.--see p.184 of MLA Handbook), Date of publication (day,

month, and year, as available; if no date is available, use n.d.--see p.185 of MLA

Handbook). Medium of publication consulted. Date accessed.

Works Cited Entry:

CNN.com. Home page. Cable News Network, 2009. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

Web Page Entry Elements:

Author/editor. [NOTE: if no author is listed, begin entry with the title of the web page] "Title of

Page from Web Site." Title of the Overall Web Site. Publisher or sponsor of the site (if not

available, use N.p.--MLA Handbook, p.184), Date of publication (day, month, and year, as

available; if no date is available, use n.d.--MLA Handbook, p.185). Medium of publication

consulted. Date accessed.

Works Cited Examples:

Blake, John. "They Left the Corporate Cocoon to Blossom." CNN.com. Cable News Network,

2009. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

"City Profile: Boston." CNN.com. Cable News Network, 2003. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

Works Cited for This Document

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008.

Web. 26 Mar. 2011.