LibGuides: MLA Style Citation Guide 8th Edition: Start Here

Welcome to the Modern Language Asociation - MLA Style Citation Guide

MLA Modern Language Association

This is a guide for citing resources using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style of citing. MLA is used to cite resources within the field of English studies, foreign language and literatures, literary criticism, comparative literature and cultural studies. Please refer to your class syllabus or consult your professor to see if this is the correct citation style for your class.

This guide will provide you with examples of the most used commonly used resources. If you do not see a resource represented on these pages, please refer to the MLA Handbook 8th Edition. This manual can be found in the library in bookcase across from study room102

This guide also provide the user with a link to MLA.org, the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL), and a link to RefWorks, an online citation tool.

Each entry has a pattern, a diagram of what bibliographic information is needed to create a citation for the Work Cited page.

Choose Your Resource

Remember that this is a general guide. You should always consult the manual of the citation style you are using for verification.

Why Should I Cite My Resources?

This is a guide for citing resources using the American Psychological Association (APA) style of citation. Use APA to cite resources within the social sciences, education and business subjects. Please refer to your class syllabus or consult your professor to see if this is the correct citation style for your class.

Why Cite Resources?

Citations allow readers to locate and further explore the sources you used to develop your thoughts and outcomes expressed in your paper. They are a measure of the depth and scope of your research.
Citations are the method used to give credit to authors for their ideas and research.
Citations provide the evidence for your arguments and establish your credibility by documenting that you have searched for and considered a number of resources during researching and writing of your paper.
Citing enable you to have your own original ideas and outcomes standout from the other's research.
Citing is standard practice in the world of academia.

What is a citation?

A citation is a way you inform the readers that certain materials in your paper came from another source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find the source. Your citation should include the following elements in both your footnotes and bibliography.

Author
Title of work
Place of publication
Publisher
Date published
Page numbers where the material is located.

When do I need to cite?

You need to acknowledge whenever you borrow quotes or ideas. The following are when you need to cite:

Whenever you use direct quotes.
Whenever you paraphrase.
Whenever you use an idea that someone else has already expressed.
Whenever you make specific reference to the work of another.
Whenever someone else's work has been critical in developing your own ideas.

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MLA Style Center
Click on the ASK the MLA for frequently asked questions or to submit a question.
Purdue Owl - MLA 9th
This link will bring you to the MLA Style Introduction page. Use the menu on the left side of the screen to access MLA Formatting and Style Guide to see examples of Works Cited citations and in-text citations.

MLA Handbook 8th Edition by The Modern Language Association of America
Call Number: REF LB2369 .G531 2016
ISBN: 9781603292627
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook.
The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker; Nancy Sommers
Call Number: REF PE1408 .H277 2017
ISBN: 9781457683039
Publication Date: 2016-10-07
How-to instruction for college writing tasks, with advice that allows students to pivot among disciplines, and with more print and digital activities than any other college writing resource.

Zoter/ZoteroBib

Zotero/ZoteroBib
Zotero is an application that collects, manages, and cites research sources. It's easy to use and connects with your web browser to dowload citation information from books, journal articles, web pages, and other sources. Best of all it's free. ZoteroBib is a free, fast citation generator similar that is similar to (but in our experience, more accurate and reliable than) tools such as EasyBib and NoodleTools. Our Zotero LibGuide explains how to use these tools.