How To-108: "How to Cite Sources in MLA Format"

How to Cite Sources in MLA Format

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The Modern Language Association (MLA) has its own guidelines for citing sources, and you may be required to use them by your instructor or field. The standards are laid out in MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

Steps

1. Place a reference next to each statement that you've cited. Place the author last name and page number in parentheses. If the author is already mentioned in the statement, just put the page number in parentheses. If there are two authors, name them both with "and" in the middle. Use commas if there are more than two authors. Place the citation before a punctuation mark.
   
• E.g. Leaving the ground in sod increases the organic matter of the soil by 15% in 10 years (Alison 45).
  
2. Assemble the references at the end of the paper. Put them in alphabetical order, using the examples below for reference.

Examples

Books
Ruechel, Julius. Grass-Fed Cattle. New York: Storey Publishing, 2006.
Johnson, Elliot J., ed. Handbook of No-Till Agriculture. Kansas City: CRC, 1993.
Fonda, Alison, and Jim Terezian. Banking in NYC. New York: Random House, 2000.
Anthology
Broman, Jason P. "Feasibility of Using Algae as an Energy Source." Renewable Energy: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Melissa DeAntonio. Albuquerque: Zia Publishing, 2003. 20-27.
Encyclopedia
Jones, Alessia. "Certificates of Deposit." Encyclopedia of Finance. Ed. James Michael Norton. 2nd ed. 4 vols. San Francisco: Macmillan, 2001.
Magazine article
Fellon, Brad. "Aurora Borealis." Travel May 2004: 36-41.
Journal article
Powell, Hope D., Benjamin Adams, Anthony Richter, and Patricia Roth. "Implementation of GIS in Soil Analysis." Soil Technology 47 (2003): 295-308.
Maddox, Alex L., Anna Ali, and Jamie McNamara. "Effect of Visiting Animals on Patient Recovery." Hospital Observations 58.6 (2003): 12-18.
Newspaper article
Corvallis, Patrick. "Development Threatens Farmland." Mesilla Valley Bulletin 8 Apr. 2004, night final ed.: A3.
Website
Applegate, Tristan. "Judging the Credibility of Sources." Your Source for Sources. Ed. Madison Collar. 4 Sept. 2004 <http://sourceforsources.com/articles/article.php/3398511>.
Online Periodical
Hernandez, Craig. "Desert Rat Carries Rare Infectious Disease." LasCrucesNews.com 4 Sept. 2004 <http://lascrucesnews.com/2004/07/06/news/story1.html>

Related wikiHows

. How to Cite Sources

• How to Evaluate the Credibility of a Source

Sources and Citations

• http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html

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