MLA Style

You should provide a citation whenever you use facts, ideas, opinions, or any other material from an outside source.   For paragraphs based on sources, there must be at least one citation per paragraph (there may be more). One citation will not suffice for more than one paragraph, even if several paragraphs are from the same source.

The MLA style for in-text citations is simple. At the end of a sentence or paragraph that derives from a source, parentheses enclose a reference to the source's author and page number. These refer to the complete bibliographical information in the "List of Works Cited" at the end of the paper.  Your identification of the source in your text should correspond to the word by which it is alphabetized in the "Works Cited."

Material paraphrased from page 103 of The Art of Art by N. E. Hacker would be cited this way:

. . . end of sentence (Hacker 103).

Hacker's book would be found in the List of Works Cited, alphabetized under "Hacker." Note, however, that if the material had been quoted from Hacker, quotation marks would be needed in addition to the citation:

" . . . end of quoted sentence" (Hacker 103).

If the source has no author, use a short title.  An anonymous article on page B16 of the Boston Globe, September 19, 1991, entitled "Sox Lose Again; Pennant Hopes Dashed," would be cited this way and listed in the Works Cited by title:

("Sox Lose Again" B16).

If the author's name is mentioned in the sentence there's no need to repeat it in the citation:

As Hacker reminds us, "art is eternal" (104).

If the source has no page numbers, mention the author and title in your text.  In the "List of Works Cited" the source will be followed by the abbreviation "n. pag."

Use a citation when you quote from a source C that is, when you use the exact words of another writer. Introduce the quotation by telling where it comes from, put it within quotation marks, and provide a citation:

According to Mr. Spock, "There are no intelligent forms of life on this planet" (22).

Use a citation when you paraphrase from a source C that is, when you use another writer's ideas or information but rephrase it almost entirely in your own words. Do not use a few of the author's words followed by a few of your own words, a few of the author's words, a few of your own words, etc. This is not acceptable as paraphrase. Correct paraphrase is your own writing. It's a good idea to mention the source in the paraphrase itself:

Mr. Spock tells us that Neptune does not support intelligent life (22).

 

   Bibliography Style

If the list of sources at the end of a paper contains only works actually cited, it should be called "Works Cited." If it includes other works as well, it might be called "Works Consulted."

Lists of Works Cited are double spaced throughout, and first lines overhang on the left so the alphabetized names are easily seen. A period follows the author's name (which for purposes of alphabetization is given Last, First). A period follows the title of a book or the title of an article. A third period follows the date, and a fourth period follows the medium of publication:

Hacker, N. E. The Art of Art.    New York: Armory Books, 1986.Print.

Titles of separately-published works (such as books, plays, magazines, etc.) are underlined or italicized. Titles of smaller works typically found within larger works (such as short stories, poems, essays, articles, chapters, etc.) are placed in quotation marks. Dates are given in military style (4 July 1776) to save a comma. Months are abbreviated, except for May, June and July. First words of titles are capitalized, and all other words in titles are also capitalized with the exception of prepositions and articles (a, the, in, to, etc.).

 

   Sample "Works Cited" Entries

The following examples (mostly publications by or about people from Southern New Hampshire University) demonstrate generic, simplified Works Cited formats.  For a thorough explanation of MLA style refer to  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009), which is available at the Shapiro Library.

Book

Rogers, Dorothy S., and Lynda R. Gamans. Fashion: A Marketing Approach. New York: Holt, 1983.Print.

Article in a Book

Sieker, Don W. "The Handel and Haydn Society." Symphony Orchestras of the United States. Ed. Robert R. Craven. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1986. 170-173.Print.

Article in a Magazine

Ellis, Lara. "FIRST: The Million Dollar Promise." New Hampshire Premier June 1991: 41-42.Print.

Article in a Journal

Evans, John K. "The Cerebral Palsy Student: Profiles in Adjustment to Non-Special Education Learning Environments." New Hampshire College Journal 3 (Spring 1985): 44-57.Print.

Article in a Newspaper

"NH Librarian Helped 'Save Sanity' of Hostage." The Union Leader 11 Feb. 1981:14.Print.

Article in an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, or Reference Work

"Hoppe, William Frederick." Biographical Dictionary of American Sports. Ed. David L. Porter. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1989.Print.

Government Document

United States. Department of Health & Human Services. Occupational Exposure to Cotton Dust. Handout 29 CFR 1910.1043. Washington, DC: GPO, 1986.Print.

Interview

Gustafson,Richard. Personal interview. 25 Feb.1988.

General Form for Items from the Internet

This is a simplified list.  For complete information on citing Internet sources, see the official MLA Web site FAQ page .

The general, simplified order of items for Internet sources, if they are available: Author's Name. "Title of Item." Title of website. Name of Institution or Company Sponsoring the Site. E-Publication date of item. Medium of Publication (Web). Date of access. 

Item from the World Wide Web

Mazzola, Gregg. "Educational Continuum Extends New Offerings." Southern New Hampshire University. Southern New Hampshire University.3 January 2003. Web.8 January 2003.

Article from EBSCO, LexisNexis, or Other On-Line Library Database

Begiebing, Robert J. "Norman Mailer's Why are We in Vietnam?: The Ritual of Regeneration."  American Imago 37 (Spring 1980): 12.  Academic Search Premier. Web.14 Aug.2009. 

Unpublished Report, Term Paper, or Other Manuscript

Thunberg, Lotta. "Hans Hofmann." Unpublished term paper. New Hampshire College. May 1997.Print.

 

Example of MLA Style

Following is a brief sample of text and Works Cited from a paper documented in MLA style. Note the source introductions ("According to . . ."), citations for paraphrases as well as quotations, and citations that refer to the first alphabetized word in the corresponding List of Works Cited entry.

 

Big Business in Art

The buoyant late-1990s economy has fed a bull market in high-priced art, especially in New York ("Fresco Frenzy" 76). For example, Art in America writer Walter Robinson reported that in the fall of 1995, the leading auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's, moved a combined $300 million in fine art, more than in any year since 1990 (19).

Leading the herd is Microsoft's Bill Gates, who bought Winslow Homer's Lost on the Grand Banks in 1998 for $30 million, the record for an American painting. Gates's other recent high-profile purchases include a $30+ million Leonardo da Vinci manuscript (Luscombe np). According to Carol Vogel, the Homer sale was soon followed by another record, the highest price ever paid for an Andy Warhol work, as his Orange Marilyn went for over $17 million. Sotheby's called the Warhol "a wise buy. . . . It will soon be worth as much as a Picasso or any landmark work of this century" (Vogel A27).