MLA CITATION EXPLAINED

Instead of writing a footnote, in English we often cite sources using the MLA method. This is like an abbreviation of your Bibliography.

Citations are used in two circumstances:

1.    When you quote someone

2.    When you provide information such as research findings or statistics.

The reason why you must cite is because, if not, I will wonder “Where did they get this information from?”

WRITING A BIBLIOGRAPHY

The FIRST STEP to doing MLA citations is to create a BIBLIOGRAPHY.

A bibliography is a separate page at the END of your work. It is where you indicate which sources you used and the sources are always enumerated in ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

·         Here is the structure for an INTERNET article:

Ø  Author. “Page/Article title.” Website title. Publisher or sponsor, date of publication. Medium of publication. Date of access.

o   For EXAMPLE, if you found an article on TheAtlantic.com you would write:

Ryan, Kay. “Hailstorm.” The Atlantic.com. Atlantic Monthly Group, December 2003. Web. October 19^th 2009.

WRITING THE ABBREVIATION (ALSO KNOWN AS AN IN-TEXT CITATION)

The abbreviation or in-text citation is always PLACED at the END of the sentence which contains either the QUOTE or the INFORMATION. It is put in parentheses.

All you need to do is go to your bibliography, look at the source of your information, and take the FIRST WORD from the source.

If we take the same example above, the abbreviation would look like this:

In 2007, a hailstorm hit Nova Scotia causing $25 million in damage. (Ryan)

BOOKS

·         BIBLIOGRAPHY structure for a book:

Ø  Author. Book title. Place of publication: publisher, year. Medium of publication.

o   Ex: Shaw, Harry. Errors in English and Ways to Correct Them. New York: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.

·         What to put for the abbreviation or IN-TEXT citation:

Ø  Author’s name and page number, no punctuation between

o   Ex: (Shaw 209)