MLA FORMAT a brief targeted reminder In general

MLA FORMAT a brief, targeted reminder

In general n Titles of books are italicized. n Titles of articles get quotation marks. n The first time someone is mentioned, use both first and last names. After that it is only the last name. n Spell check.

in-text citations When you use words written by someone else, you must indicate with quotation marks that these words are not your own. If you are paraphrasing the words instead of quoting them directly, you still need to provide the source of the ideas and information. In both cases you must indicate with a parenthetical citation what the source is of those words. For example: Hamlet wonders repeatedly if the question is “to be or not to be” (Shakespeare 124). Hamlet is forever musing about whether he should continue to exist or not (Shakespeare 124). Name of author and page number

BUT parenthetical citations are one half of a system that also includes the Works Cited entry. Parenthetical citations depend on what kind of source it is and therefore the source’s entry on the Works Cited page. The signal word in the text (what you actually put in the parentheses) is the first thing in the corresponding entry on the Works Cited page. So this parenthetical citation: Hamlet wonders repeatedly if the question is “to be or not to be” (Shakespeare 124). First item in Works Cited entry = what goes in parentheses is because of this Works Cited entry: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. London: Oxford University Press, 1922.

The purpose of the parenthetical citation is to identify the source of the information If your parenthetical citations are not in sync with your Works Cited entries (if what goes in the parentheses is not what comes first in the Works Cited entry) the system collapses and the reader does not know where the information originated.

If the information you are referencing comes from a print source: The Works Cited entry will include the author’s name, the title, and the publication information, so therefore, the parenthetical citation will contain the author’s last name. The parenthetical citation for a print source will also include the page number on which the information is found. n The page number refers to the page of the publication, not to the page assigned by your printer. You can use Noodle. Tools to create your Works Cited entries.

There a few ways to incorporate the author and page number of the reference into your paper: Our Works Cited entry is: Craig, William. Shakespeare’s Tragic Couples. London: Oxford University Press, 1967. Print. You can either introduce the source in your own text: § According to W. J. Craig, a “tragic theme also is present in Romeo and Juliet: the triumph of man's spirit and will” over life's cruelty (45). Or you can indicate the source after you use it: Need both author name and page number, if there are page numbers. § A “tragic theme also is present in Romeo and Juliet: the triumph of man's spirit and will” over life's cruelty (Craig 45).

If the source does not indicate an author (as on a website, for example) The Works Cited entry for a website includes all the information available to identify the source, such as: the title of the article the title of the site the name of the organization responsible for the site the date the site was created or last updated the date you accessed it Sometimes the url address will also be required. The url address is not the same as the title of the website. “New Providence School District” is the title of the website. http: //www. npsd. k 12. nj. us is the url address (stop after the. com or equivalent) You can use Noodle. Tools to create your Works Cited entries.

Our Works Cited entry is: “Romeo and Juliet. ” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 March 2012. Web. 13 March 2012 The parenthetical citation for a web source without a named author will consist of the title of the website or of the particular page of the website. There will not be a page number when you cite a website. For example: Wikipedia suggests that “a tragic theme also is present in Romeo and Juliet: the triumph of man's spirit and will over life's cruelty” (“Romeo and Juliet”). “A tragic theme also is present in Romeo and Juliet: the triumph of man's spirit and will over life's cruelty” (“Romeo and Juliet”). Romeo and Juliet also addresses the way that humans can triumph over the inherent cruelty of life (“Romeo and Juliet”).

For articles from an electronic source like a database The Works Cited entry for an electronic source such as a database (like Ebscohost or Literary Reference Center) includes the information needed to identify the source, such as: the author’s name the title of the article the title of the original publication the names of any editors volume number or edition page numbers of original publication the date of publication You can use Noodle. Tools to create your Works Cited entries.

Our Works Cited entry is: Clark, Glenn. "The Civil Mutinies Of Romeo And Juliet. " English Literary Renaissance 41. 2 (2011): 280 -300. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 March 2012. The parenthetical citation for an electronic source will include whatever comes first in the Works Cited entry. Unless you can identify the original page numbers, leave page numbers out. Remember the page numbers assigned by your printer are NEVER used in the parenthetical citation. (If you think the page number is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, you are probably looking at the printer page number). For example: Then there is the idea that Romeo is just “infatuated with the very idea of love” (Clark). It is possible that instead of loving anyone specifically, Romeo just loves to be in love (Clark). In his article on the play Glenn Clark suggests that Romeo is “infatuated with the very idea of love” You’ve already included the information in your text that would have gone in the parentheses, so you don’t need to do it again.

If there is no author indicated for your source, the parenthetical citation still includes whatever comes first in the Works Cited page Works Cited entry: "The Civil Mutinies Of Romeo And Juliet. " English Literary Renaissance 41. 2 (2011): 280 - 300. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. Parenthetical Citations: § According to “The Civil Mutinies of Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo is “infatuated with the very idea of love” § Then there is the idea that Romeo is just “infatuated with the very idea of love” (“The Civil Mutinies of Romeo and Juliet”). This doesn’t need a parenthetical citation, because all of the major identifying information is included in the text already § It is possible that instead of loving anyone specifically, Romeo just loves to be in love (“The Civil Mutinies of Romeo and Juliet).

Make sure you punctuate your quotations properly Make sure you punctuate your quotations properly. Does it require a colon or a comma? Romeo is very defensive: “When Mercutio teases him he gets upset and has to run away” (Clark). Period or question mark goes after the parentheses. Do not put an ellipsis (…) at the beginning or the end of any quotation. Romeo is defensive so when anyone “…teases him he gets…” very emotional (Clark). The quotation marks are a code that already indicates that these words are taken out of the middle of someone else’s idea.

Formatting quotations Place parentheses around any word or set of words you are quoting. Make sure the words you are quoting work within the grammatical structure of your sentence: YES NO Romeo abandons the idea of Rosaline very quickly, proving that his “character is immature and superficial” (Clark). As Romeo falls into love with Juliet we realize his “character is immature and superficial” (Clark). Romeo forgets about Rosaline. “Character is immature and superficial” (Clark). Then he falls in love with Juliet. Romeo as proven by falling in love with Juliet “character is immature and superficial” (Clark). These are not complete sentences.

Long quote format If the quotation is four lines or longer, you must use the long quote format. But first ask yourself if it is really necessary, or beneficial, to your essay to have such a long quote in it. Set up the quote within your own text, then use a colon to indicate what is coming next. Indent every line of the quote and keep it double spaced. Do not use quotation marks for the quote. The indentation is the code that tells me these are someone else’s words. For a long quote, the period goes before the parenthetical citation. After the quote, continue with the essay on the next line. Do not skip a line. Just return to the margin and begin typing again, unless you are beginning a new paragraph, which must be indented and will look a little funny.

Long quote format sample Romeo went to the ball hoping to see Rosaline, for whom he has been pining away. He believes that seeing other women will only make him love her more. He never discusses Rosaline’s moral Set up the quote so the context is clear character, or her interests. In fact: Romeo’s love for Rosaline seems to be of the most Indent, but keep same superficial variety. He can’t tell us the names of her spacing throughout parents or her pets, but he can describe every inch of her long golden hair. When he meets Juliet he is similarly entranced by her beauty and makes no real effort to get to know her as a human being. (Clark) There is little doubt in the reader’s mind that Romeo’s love for Juliet is destined to end just as badly as his love for Rosaline. Period goes after the quote, and before the parenthesis.

Sometimes you will need to alter the mechanical aspects of a quotation so that it fits into the mechanics of your sentence. Use brackets to add words for clarification: Romeo never comes to recognize “the ridiculousness of his infatuation for [Rosaline] and therefore can never develop and grow” (Clark). Use brackets to leave words out: Romeo never comes to recognize “the ridiculousness of his infatuation for [Rosaline] and therefore can never develop and grow into the kind of young man who … can sustain a productive relationship” (Clark). Use brackets to change the forms of words: The reader continues to hope for a scene that shows Romeo “develop[ing] and grow[ing] into the kind of young man” who will know how to handle the situation (Clark). Brackets tell me that this is your own word in the middle of someone else’s words. Whatever is in the brackets must still function properly in the mechanics of your sentence. For clarity you may have to replace a pronoun with a proper noun, or change the ending of a verb.

Things to keep in mind: Secondary sources are used to support or enhance the argument you have already made. All of the sentences and all of the paragraphs in your essay must read clearly and grammatically, no matter what you are trying to do with them. Your ideas are your ideas. Their ideas are their ideas. You must be clear which is which.

The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a particularly helpful resource for MLA formatting questions and writing in general.