MLA Guide (9th Edition)

Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a set of guidelines for formatting and citing sources in academic writing. MLA style is most commonly used to cite sources within the language arts, cultural studies, and other humanities disciplines. 

Below is a list of resources to help you cite your sources in MLA style. 

There are two parts to citing in MLA style: the in text citations (citations within the text of your paper) and the Works Cited at the end of your paper.

An in text citation is a brief notation next to the text that was changed into your own words (paraphrased) OR text that was copied (quoted). MLA follows the "author-page" method of in text citation. In text citation usually include the author’s last name and the page number where the paraphrase or quotation is taken. The author's name either in the sentence itself or within parentheses after the quote or paraphrase. However, the page number(s) should always be placed within the parentheses, not within the text of the sentence.

There are two ways to integrate sources into your paper: paraphrase or quote.

• Paraphrasing restates the idea of another source in your own words.
• Quoting is copying a narrow segment of the source, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written.

In MLA, an in text citation can be displayed in two different ways: in the prose (narrative) and parenthetical citation.

• An MLA citation in prose is when the author’s name is used in the text of the sentence. At the end of the sentence, in parentheses, is the page number where the information was found.
• A parenthetical citation is a type of citation where the author's name is NOT in the sentence. Instead, the author's name along with the pager number is in parentheses after the sentence. 

Paraphrased (in your own words)

Example:

In comparison to instructional methods without technology integration, interventions have a significant and positive impact on learning of a second or foreign language (Chang and Hung 9).

Quoted (copied word for word)

Example:

Upon analyzing the use of technology devices as a moderator variable “most of the TELL studies produced positive and large effect sizes, with an average estimate of 0.911 and at the 95% confidence level between 0.564 and 1.259” (Chang and Hung 10).

A works cited page should begin on its own page at the end of the paper content. The Works Cited page is a list of all the sources cited within the body and notes of your paper. All entries in the Works Cited page must correspond to the works cited in your main text, and all the entries should be listed in alphabetical order by the first item in each entry (usually the author’s name). More information can be found from the MLA style center-Works Cited: A Quick Guide. 

Basic rules for entries of Works Cited:

• Same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.
• Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
• Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 1/2 inches to create a hanging indent.
• For online sources, you should include a location to show readers where you found the source.
• All works cited entries end with a period.

Each entry in the list of works cited may contain the following elements: Author, Title of source, Title of container, Contributor, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, and Location. See the example below.

Chang, Mei-Mei, and Hsiu-Ting Hung. “Effects of Technology-Enhanced Language Learning on Second Language Acquisition: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Educational Technology & Society, vol. 22, no. 4, 2019, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26910181.