MLA Citation Standards/Expectations, English 12 (McPherson)

  1. Your parenthetical citations should always include a page number unless the source is not paginated. Some say if electronic sources have numbers or paragraphs written on them (such as with PDFs), you should add them. Other MLA guidelines allow that electronic info. does not need page numbering. I approve the omission of page numbers for electronic sources.

If a quote or paraphrase goes from one page to the next, put both pages (i.e., 12-13 or 164-65 or

27, 35). Note that if page numbers are longer than two digits, the second pg. number only needs to

have two digits: 110-11, for example.

  1. If you give the source within the sentence itself, you do not need to do a parenthetical (unless a page number is needed, in which case your parenthesis would simply say the page number). However, if the source is long or distracting, it’s better to put it in a parenthetical, instead of in the sentence.

Note that merely giving credit to the speaker is not always the same thing as providing your

source. For example, if you are quoting George Washington, but you found the quote in a book

by Jane Kennedy, we would need to see Kennedy cited in your paper, not just Washington. If

you found the quote directly from George Washington’s book, then Washington’s name in the

paper would be enough to direct us to your Works Cited info.

  1. The reader should know from sentence to sentence if you are issuing your own thought or getting your thought from another source. If several sentences in a row are from the same source (including same page), then you do not need to put the source every sentence. You should put the source in the first sentence where you use it. Then, if you continue with the same source (and same page number), you would only need to remind us of the source every few sentences (e.g., by the fourth sentence). In addition, you would also put the source if you are finishing with that source (for the moment) and/or if you are at the end of a paragraph. Obviously, you would also need to put a source citation if the page number changed or if you switched sources.
  1. Many teachers (myself included) are willing to grant you leeway if you mention something in your thesis or topic sentence without providing the source, as long as you do so right away as you get into the meat of the argument. But if you include an actual quote or stat in your thesis/topic, you should put source info.
  1. If the information is common knowledge (that most people know or factual info. that all could find out easily and/or perhaps info. that all the sources seem to share), you do not need to cite it. If it’s common knowledge but you are keeping someone else’s wording (even 2-3 words in a row) or interpretation/application of that information, you need to quote or paraphrase the material and give credit to the source.
  1. If it is not common knowledge, you must give credit (through parenthetical citations and a works-cited page) even if you paraphrase the information. Your paraphrases should not be too similar to the quote (such as only replacing 1-2 words in the sentence).
  1. Choose to quote for the following reasons:

§  To allow the reader the freshness and power of hearing the actual person speak;

§  To provide evidence if the quote is so far-fetched or odd that people might have a hard time believing that someone said it;

§  To set up information where you want to “unpack” the quote or point out particular language;

§  To say something that you cannot say as well yourself (remember to use quotations even if you are only using a vivid or author-created word or a phrase that the author should receive credit for).

  1. Usually you should not quote (but instead paraphrase) for factual or statistical information.
  1. MLA prefers that you spell out numbers if they are one or two words long (six, twenty-seven, one hundred, eighteenth century, two thousand, etc.). But if they are awkward (such as 2 ½ 33.8 or 167), go ahead and use numerals. Likewise, if your paper includes a lot of numbers (such as a report on a track meet—including times and events) or if your paper is geared toward a business setting, such as with a résumé, then numerals are acceptable. Do not begin a sentence with a numeral (always write it out or find a different way to say it).
  1. Make sure that every part of the quoted sentence or paragraph is needed. If it is not, leave it out by inserting . . . or [. . .] in the sentence. If you are quoting several sentences but omitting a full sentence in the middle, use four dots in your ellipsis: . . . . You do not need to use ellipses when it is clear that you have quoted just a phrase instead of a full sentence. (Note that there should be spaces between the dots.)
  1. Be careful not to quote someone where you are using their quote in an opposite way from what they intended, or somehow misrepresenting them. (You can offer their information, but you need to offer a caveat. For example, the following would be acceptable: Dacya Cook, while arguing against gun control, nevertheless provides some strong statistics about gun concerns in America. She points out that . . . )
  1. If the quote ends up being over four lines in your paper, you need to do block-quote formatting (two indents on left, none on right, keep it spaced the same as the rest of the paper, no quotations marks, source information after the period instead of before). Note: I prefer that it’s two spaces after the period, just as I prefer two spaces after all periods, but you may use one or two; just be consistent.
  1. In parenthetical citations, always put the information that appears on the left-most margin of your Works Cited page for the item. Usually this means that you will put an author’s last name in the parenthesis. If there is no author, you would put the title (or an abbreviated title) of the article or book in the parenthesis. If you utilize a website and there is no author, you would use the name of the article; if there is no article, you would use the name of the website. Note: If on the Works Cited, the item is underlined or italicized or in quotes, then that is also how it should appear in the parenthetical citation.

If you have two sources by someone with the last name of Larsen, you would need to add a first name initial. For example: (J. Larsen 23) vs. (M. Larsen 88). If there are two different M. Larsens, then you would need to put the entire first name, either in the sentence or the parenthetical. If you have more than one item by the same author, you would need to distinguish the source as well (either in the sentence or the parenthetical). If in the parenthetical, add a comma after the name. For example: (Obama, “Rights of Mankind” 5) or (McCain, The Power of America 12-13). Note that for “regular” parentheticals with last name and page number, there is no comma used.

  1. If the source is authored by 2-3 people, you should put all last names in your parenthetical citation (Barsdow, Jensen, and McIntyre 12-13). If it is authored by 4 or more, take the first person’s last name and then write et al. afterward. For example: (Swenson et al. 445).
  1. If you are using a source that appears in another source, you need to put “qtd. in” in your parenthetical. For example: (Obama qtd. in Jacobs 111). Or you might give credit to Obama in your sentence and your parenthetical would appear thus: (qtd. in Jacobs 111). Probably, if Obama is merely paraphrased, you may simply put (Jacobs 111), but I have also sometimes used “qtd.” in that situation as well. I won’t be strict with that distinction, just do your best to give proper credit.
  1. You may utilize your parenthetical citation in the middle of the sentence instead of at the end (esp. if the sentence uses a semicolon, comma, or some other internal pausing) if the information you are paraphrasing/quoting is at the beginning of the sentence, and the second half of the sentence is a different source or your own thought. But try not to overuse this—if it feels clunky or awkward, it’s probably best just to keep all the information at the end.
  1. If the paraphrased idea comes from more than one source, you may indicate several sources in your parenthetical with semicolons: (Clawson 12; Peters; Woo 446-47) or (Clawson 12 and others).
  1. If you wish to clarify a source, argue against a source, provide a quote to back up a minor point, explain the context for a quote, etc., it would be wise to explain this in a footnote. Footnotes are also great for going into more details on a point or sub-point that—if given in the paper—could make the paper seem out of balance. (Basically, going off on a tangent or an insight that’s incidental to your thesis or topic sentence can work well in a footnote.) Don’t overdue footnotes, though—they can become distracting.
  1. If the quoted material has a mistake in it (spelling, grammar, or factual info.), you still need to keep it as it was in the actual quote, but you should write [sic] afterward. (“Sic” is Latin for “just as that”; it basically means “The source made the mistake, not me.”) See the following example from Wikipedia (under “sic”): Warehouse has been around for 30 years and has 263 stores, suggesting a large fan base. The chain sums up its appeal thus: “styley [sic], confident, sexy, glamorous, edgy, clean and individual, with it's [sic] finger on the fashion pulse.” You do not need to include [sic] for archaic spellings if it is obvious that you are using quotes from older sources. Also, keep in mind that if you are using a lot of [sic] notations, the audience might begin to wonder at the merit/reliability of your sources. (Note: I probably wouldn’t have used “sic” after “styley”—it’s obviously a made-up word and doesn’t seem to be a by-accident mistake.)
  1. If you add or change the quote in any way, you need to show that you have. If anything needs to be clarified in the quote, use square brackets to do so. For example: “He [Polonius] did not deserve such an ignominious death,” Brown argues. You may also change the capitalization of a quote, as long as you use the brackets. For example: He soon learned “[s]he was not her sister’s keeper” (187). Sometimes you may want to italicize a key word in a quote. You may do so, but then add (italics added) or (emphasis added) after the quote.
  1. Try to vary your verb choice for the word “says” or “said.” Alternatives include “argues,” “states,” “claims,” “points out,” “stresses,” “defends,” “contends,” “asserts,” “explains,” “presents,” “supports,” and “details,” among others. (Don’t be overly fancy/formal—it is okay to say “says,” but shake it up as well.)
  1. When you include a photo, chart, table, or cartoon in your writing, you should discuss it or mention it in your writing. If you don’t want to go into details, at least make reference to it. For example: In the last five years, the CD industry has plummeted as the electronic music industry has skyrocketed. (See Table 1.) If charts/tables are too big to include in your text, you may also include them after your work as an appendix, in which case, you would write: (See Appendix A.) Then, you would include the material after your Works Cited page, with the title of Appendix A. If an additional appendix were needed, it would be Appendix B and so on.
  1. If you use an epigraph (quote at the beginning of the paper), it does not need to appear in the Works Cited page, nor is the regular citation information needed. Keep the quote single-spaced and in italics. Use an em-dash (—) and then give credit to the author (or character and/or book title if needed). Do not give a page number. Epigraphs are generally left-justified but if they appear odd or are too short, they may be centered.
  1. The old recommendation (and preferred by me) was to utilize two spaces after periods. The current recommendation is just one. I am okay with one or two spaces after periods—just be consistent. (My argument: Two spaces is easier on the eye, and does help provide clarity—i.e., it’s easier to tell instantly if we have a new sentence or just an abbreviated word, such as U.S.)
  1. Put your last name and page number in the upper-right-hand corner of all pages, including the Works Cited page. The exception is that I prefer you to suppress the page number/header on the front page, since your name is clearly evident. (MLA suggests the header/footer on the front page, so you may do it this way if you prefer.)
  1. Plagiarism means “to steal” (basically, you are stealing someone else’s ideas). You may be accused of plagiarism even if you are providing the source if you are paraphrasing too closely to the source’s words. You also have a plagiarism problem if you list the source at the top or bottom of your page (or make reference to it in one sentence), but you are not careful about showing what you have taken on a sentence by sentence basis.
  1. There is a problem with your citations if the reader asks these questions while reading your paper:

§  Why did the writer choose to quote that when she could have just as easily put it in her own words?

§  How would the writer know that information—it doesn’t seem like common knowledge. Where is the source for this info.?

§  Why is the writer using such a long quote? It doesn’t seem like all of that quoted sentence or paragraph relates to the discussion.

§  Did the source actually say that or write that? The writer appears to have misquoted the quote or left out a comma. How careful was she in gathering her quotes?