The Modern Language Association (MLA) Style for Documentation is used in the Humanities and in English classes. It means that you will have in-text citations behind what you quote, summarize, or paraphrase for your sources, for example (Orenstein 516). This means that Orenstein is the source and we can find the information on page 516 of the book. To direct readers to further publication information, you will put the full publication information for Orenstein on the Works Cited, the last page of your paper.

This is a link to the website Using MLA Format

Book, one author:

Original: 124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom.

Quoted: Toni Morrison begins, "124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom" (3).

Work Cited

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Plume, 1987.

Explanation:

• Begin with the author's last name, then first, followed by a period.
• Italicize the title of the book, followed by a period.
• Publisher's name followed by a comma.
• Year of publication, followed by a period.

Selection from an anthology:

Original: Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?

Quoted: Peggy Orenstein speculates on what very feminine women are asking: "Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?" (516).

Work Cited

Explanation:

• Author's last name, then first, followed by a period.
• Title of article in quotation marks, with period (or question mark) inside quotation mark.
• Title of book, italicized, followed by a comma.
• Book editors, edited by names, followed by comma.
• Edition number, 14th ed., followed by comma.
• Publisher's name, Pearson, followed by comma.
• Year of publication, 2019, followed by comma
• Pages of article, pp. 511-18, followed by period.

Web news article

Original: Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?

Quoted: Peggy Orenstein speculates on what very feminine women are asking: "Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?"

Work Cited

Explanation:

• Author's last name, then first, followed by a period.
• Title of article in quotation marks, with period (or question mark) inside quotation mark.
• Name of newspaper, italicized, followed by comma.
• Date, beginning with day, then month (abbreviated except for May, June, and July), then year, followed by comma.
• URL www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/magazine/24princess.t.html, followed by a period (omit the http:// and add www.).

Anonymous article

Original: Some forms of journalism, such as writing market reports and sports summaries, are also being automated.

Quoted: One source reports, "Some forms of journalism, such as writing market reports and sports summaries, are also being automated" ("Automation" 415).

Work Cited

The American Psychological Association (APA) Style for Documentation is used in the social and physical sciences and education. Your in-text citation will contain the source's last name, date of publication, and page number(s) for direct quotation, if you are using a print source.

Click on this link for APA Style

Book, one author

Original: 124 was spiteful. Full of baby's venom.

Quoted: Morrison (1988) begins, "124 was spiteful. Full of baby's venom" (p. 3).

References

Morrison, T. (1988). Beloved. New York, NY: Plume.

Explanation:

• Author's last name, comma, followed by initial and period. APA uses author's initials rather than first names,
• Year of publication in parentheses, followed by period.
• Title of book, italicized, followed by period.
• City and state of publication, followed by colon.
• Publisher's name, followed by period.

Article or chapter in an edited book:

Original: Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?

Quoted: According to Orenstein (2006), women may ask, "Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?" (p. 516).

References

Explanation:

• Author's last name, comma, followed by initial of first name, then period.
• Year of publication in parentheses, followed by period.
• Title of article, followed by period, or in this case question mark.
• In names of editors with Eds. in parentheses, followed by comma.
• Name of book, italicized, and page numbers in parentheses, followed by period.
• City and state of publication, followed by colon.
• Name of publisher, followed by period.

Web newspaper article:

Original: Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in exchange?

Quoted: According to Orenstein (2006), women may ask, "Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in return?"

OR

Quoted: Women may ask, "Why should we give up the perks of our sex until we're sure of what we'll get in return?" (Orenstein, 2006).

References

Explanation:

• Author's last name, comma, followed by initial of first name, then period.
• Year of publication, followed by comma then month and day in parentheses, followed by period.
• Name of article, followed by period, in this case question mark.
• Name of newspaper, italicized, followed by period.
• Retrieved from and the URL of the newspaper's home page, no end punctuation.

Anonymous article:

Original: Some forms of journalism, such as writing market reports and sports summaries, are also being automated.

Quoted: One article ("Automation and Anxiety," 2016) reports, "Some forms of journalism, such as writing market reports and sports summaries, are also being automated" (p. 415).

References