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Citations and Bibliographies-MLA Style: MLA Citations Basics

How to Cite

There are several citation styles that are used in research. At MassArt, the most common are from the Modern Language Association (MLA); the American Psychological Association (APA); and from the Chicago Manual of Style.

  1. Not sure when to cite? Cite when quoting another author's words or when summarizing their ideas. You don't need to cite when stating facts that are common knowledge, i.e., that Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
  2. Know which style your professor prefers in any.
  3. Don't mix different styles.
  4. Make sure the style guide you are using is up to date. 
  5. Double check citations that have been automatically generated. A good website for doing this for MLA and APA style is the Online Writing Lab at Purdue.

MLA Style

In MLA, you generally use in-text citations and create a works cited page that goes at the end of the document.

 

MLA Examples:

 

Works Cited Page Format for Books with One Author:

Lastname, Firstname. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication.

Gleick, James. The Information: a History, a Theory, a Flood. New York: Pantheon Books, 2011. Print.

 

In-Text Citation Format for Books with One Author:

(Last Name Page numbers)

(Gleick 243)

  • Add the title of the source if you are using more than one work by a given author.
  • Omit the author's name if it is mentioned in your sentence.
  • Example: Gleick argues that information is "the blood and the fuel, the vital principle" of the world in which we live (243).

 

Works Cited Page Format for Periodical Articles with One Author:

Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication.

Peraica, Ana. "Exploitation of Victims’ Desire for Revenge: A Natural Psychological Mechanism and Its Unnatural Production in Culture and Politics." Leonardo 44.1 (2011): 55-62. Print.

 

In-Text Citation Format for Periodical Articles with One Author:

(Last Name Page numbers)

(Peraica 58)

 

Works Cited Page Format for Articles Retrieved from an Online Database:

Storr, Robert. “Bourgeois After Louise.” Art Press 371 (2010):  20-21. ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM). Web. 22 Apr. 2011.

 

Works Cited Page Format for a Website:

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). Medium of publication. Date of access.

Morton R. Godine Library. Copyright and Fair Use Subject Guide. Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.

 

For additional MLA rules, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers in the Reference section of the library or visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) website.

 

 

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