MLA Reference Sheet
Jenkins
You are welcome to use for quick reference. It does not include every type of resource, nor is it intended to take the place of the MLA Style Manual.
Parenthetical Notation
You must provide a notation in the text that matches the Works Cited page. The reader should be able to use the notation to see where that information came from.
If you use a direct quote from a source, the parenthetical notation will come immediately following the quote and will be inside the end punctuation mark.
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
If you include the name to set up the quote, you do not use it again in the notation.
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
If you paraphrase the information from a source, the parenthetical notation will come at the end of the paragraph. You must note, however, that if you synthesize information from more than one source in a paragraph, you would have to note where each bit of information came from. In that case, you would have a notation in the paragraph that is not a direct quote.
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
A common problem for writers is unnamed articles on websites. If your source does not have an author to use the name in the citation, you will need to make the notation match. It is acceptable to use a word or phrase.
We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has "more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change . . ." ("Impact of Global Warming" 6).
Works Cited
You will cite sources according to the type of material you are using – a book, a newspaper, a website, a video clip. You will need to check the MLA style manual for specifics. There are also a number of colleges and universities who allow you to access their style guides.
The most common types of sources are shown as follows:
Book
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication:
Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Magazine
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month
Year: pages. Medium of publication.
Newspaper
A newspaper is the same as a magazine except you add the section number with the page. It will be something like 5A, which means page 5 in section A.
Website
Lastname, Firstname. Title of article. Title of Website.
Date the information was posted or last updated. Web.
Date of access. URL.
NOTE: If you do not have an author, which is unfortunately, common, begin the citation with the title of the article.
Works Cited will be your final page.
You will center the title Works Cited.
The entries use a hanging indent, which means the first line is flush left with the remaining lines indented five spaces.
The entries are single spaced with a double space between each entry.
The entries are in alphabetical order by the first word. Note that in most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. If you have unnamed sources, that is fine. You’ll list them alphabetically. The sample works cited page that follows shows you an example of a citation that does not have an author.
You do not number the entries or use bullets or dashes.
Works Cited
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental
Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May
2009.
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate
Change.” New York Times. New York Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May
2009.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York
Times. New York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.