MLA (Modern Language Association) style is commonly used for formatting citations and bibliographies in research papers pertaining to field of literature and humanities. When writing a paper in MLA format, you need to properly cite the sources from where you have obtained information and ideas that support the topic of your paper. This ensures that credit is given to original authors and also allows readers to easily find the cited sources. Here are the key guidelines for citing sources in MLA format within the body of a research paper and creating a Works Cited page at the end of the paper.
In-Text Citations
Every time you directly quote or paraphrase from a source in the body of your paper, you need to provide an in-text citation that directs readers to the full source information in the Works Cited page at the end. The in-text citation contains the last name of the author and a page number for direct quotes or just the author’s last name when paraphrasing. Place the citation at the end of the sentence where the quote or paraphrased information is used. Here are some examples of in-text citations:
According to Smith (3), “Trees provide cleaner air.”
Studies have shown that trees have environmental benefits (Jones 5).
As Brown states, pollution levels decrease in areas with more trees (12).
For indirect and brief references to sources, just include the author’s last name in parentheses. When there is no author listed, use the title or a shortened version of the title instead.
(The Effects of Trees)
Short stories were more popular in the 19th century (“Victorian Short Stories” 23).
If multiple citations from the same author come at the end of a sentence, include the author’s last name followed by a comma and page numbers separated by a semicolon.
Scholars have argued this topic extensively (Smith 15; Johnson 23; Miller 45).
Works Cited Page
In MLA format, the Works Cited page appears at the end of the paper and provides full bibliographic information for all sources cited in the text. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author’s last name.
For books, include the author’s name, book title in italics, publisher city, publisher name, year of publication. For example:
Smith, John. The Effects of Trees. New York, HarperCollins, 2017.
For a chapter or essay in a book, include the chapter author’s name, essay title in quotation marks, book editor if given, book title in italics, publisher city, publisher name, year, page range of chapter. For example:
Jones, Sarah. “The Benefits of Urban Trees.” Edited by Michael Brown, Urban Environments, New York, Routledge, 2018, pp. 15-30.
For articles in scholarly journals, include the author’s name, article title in quotation marks, journal title in italics, volume/issue number if given, year of publication, and page range of article. For example:
Wilson, Mark. “Pollution Reduction from Trees.” Journal of Environmental Science, vol. 15, no. 3, 2018, pp. 45-56.
For articles in newspapers/magazines, include the author’s name if given, article title in quotation marks, periodical/magazine title in italics, date of publication. For example:
“How Trees Clean the Air.” Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2018.
For websites, include the author’s name if available, article/page title in quotation marks or italics, name of the website in italics, publication date if available. Also include the date you accessed the website. For example:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Community Strategies for Reducing Environmental Asthma Triggers.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021. Accessed 1 Feb. 2021.
Be sure to double check that all sources cited in the text are properly listed and formatted in the Works Cited page. Entries also need to be consistent in tense (either all present tense or all past tense verbs) and punctuation. Maintaining proper MLA style in citations and reference lists is important for giving credit to original authors and allowing readers to follow up on cited sources. Sticking to these guidelines will ensure your paper is formatted correctly according to MLA format for citing sources in research papers.