MLA Format References for Research Papers
References are an important aspect of any research paper. In MLA style, references to sources used in your paper are listed on a separate page titled “Works Cited” placed at the end of the paper. Rather than footnotes or endnotes, MLA uses parenthetical citations in the text of your paper to direct readers to the full citations listed in the Works Cited page. Properly citing sources in MLA format helps give credit to authors whose work, ideas, theories, or research you have used in your own paper. It also allows readers to locate the sources themselves to find more information or to verify the data in your paper if desired. Learning MLA reference formatting is an essential skill for any student writing research papers.
There are a few key principles of MLA referencing style to keep in mind. All citations in the parenthetical references in your paper must match the full citations listed alphabetically on the Works Cited page. Sources should be listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name if there is an author listed. If no author is provided, alphabetize by the title, ignoring any initial articles (A, An, The). All citations must include the author’s name, publication title, publication details, and date. Proper citations contain only the necessary information to direct readers to the source without including unnecessary descriptive text. MLA style uses a “hanging indent” format for multi-line source citations, meaning the first line of each citation is flush left while subsequent lines are indented five spaces.
For webpages and online sources, provide as much citation information as possible including author names if available, website or page titles in italics, publisher names if relevant like a newspaper or magazine site, URL URLs for the specific webpages, and the dates you accessed the source. Always provide a URL rather than a generic search engine result since search engine results change frequently. If you cannot determine an author for online sources, move the source title to the author’s spot. For books, cite the author’s name, book title in italics, publisher, publication date, and any additional publication details like volumes or editions if needed. For periodicals like newspaper or magazine articles, cite the author’s name if available, article title in “quotation marks”, periodical title in italics, issue date, and page range used.
Some common reference examples in MLA style are:
Book with one author:
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic, 1998.
Book with two or three authors:
Silver, Daniel, and Paul Silver. Chimpanzee Societies. Harvard University Press, 2018.
Webpage with author:
Smith, John. “MLA Formatting Guide.” Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab, 2019, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html.
Article from online database:
Weiner, Rachel. “The Citation Machine: A Tool for Automatic Works Cited Page Creation.” Research Savvy, 19 Mar. 2018. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A531751443/AONE?u=pl3834391&sid=AONE&xid=5c0e54d4.
Newspaper article with no author:
“Learning the MLA System.” The New York Times, 4 Apr. 2021, p. D3.
In addition to the citations in your paper and the sources listed on the Works Cited page, your cover page should also follow MLA format standards. This includes your name, instructor’s name, course name and number, and the date on separate lines centered in the upper half of the page. From there, begin the body of your paper flush left with the title in title case centered on the first line. Double space the entire paper, including between entries on the Works Cited page. Use Times New Roman or a similar font that is legible at 12pt size. Page numbers are inserted at the top right corner of each page, beginning with page 2 since the cover page is not numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph by five spaces or 0.5 inches from the left margin. These formatting elements ensure consistency and readability in papers using MLA style.
Proper MLA citation of references helps prevent plagiarism and gives credit to original authors. It also allows interested readers to easily locate your cited sources for more information. Taking the time to learn MLA citation formatting is important for students writing research papers across disciplines in the humanities, liberal arts, and social sciences. Mastering how to cite sources with parenthetical citations and compile a Works Cited page properly formatted in MLA style helps demonstrate research skills as well as writing proficiency. Consulting the MLA Handbook and Purdue OWL site helps ensure you cite and reference all sources appropriately in every research paper. Careful use of MLA format promotes effective academic writing and ethical use of outside research materials.