MLA Style BBIS Library Guide to Citing References

Why use the MLA format? n n n Allows readers to cross reference sources easily Provides a consistent format across the school Protects yourself from plagiarism

Avoid Plagiarism ¡ ¡ must cite quotations and borrowed ideas information borrowed word for word must be in quotation marks summaries and paraphrases must be in your own words Plagiarism is a serious offense. It may result in anything from failure of the assignment to expulsion from school

Establishing Credibility n Cross-referencing allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. n The correct use of MLA style allows writers to demonstrate their accountability to their source material.

MLA Style: Two Parts n Works cited page n In-text citations

Works Cited Page n n A complete list of every source that you make reference to in your essay Provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any sources cited in your essay.

Works cited Most citations should contain the following basic information: n Author’s name n Title of work n Publication information

Books n Author’s last name, first name. Book Title. City of publication: Publisher, publication date. Byatt, A. S. Babel Tower. New York: Random House, 1996.

Newspaper articles n Last Name, First Name. “Article Title. ” Newspaper or Magazine Title Date: Page Number. n Example: Smith, John. “Many People, Many Faiths. ” The New York Times 13 Feb. 2001: A 1.

Painting, photograph or work of art in a book and internet n n Cassatt, Mary. Mother and Child. 1890. Wichita Art Museum. American Painting: 1560 -1913. By John Pearce. New: Mc. Graw, 1964. Delacroix, Eugene. Death of Ophelia. 1853. Louvre, Paris. Web Gallery of Art. 24 December 2005 <http: //www. hu/welcome. html>

Online databases n Wilson Select Author. “Title of Article. “ Title of Journal“. Date: pages. Database. Location. Date accessed. <url>. Chambers, Richard. “Foundation of Rome“. History Today. April 2003: 54 -55. Wilson Select. BBIS Library, Berlin. 9 Jan. 2004. n Encyclopaedia Britannica. Cut and paste the citation from the end of the article using MLA style and insert location. “Roman Empire. ” Britannica Student Encyclopaedia Britannica Online School Edition. BBIS Library, Berlin. 13 Jan. 2005. http: //school. eb. com/ebi/article? eu=28879.

Web sites n Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Section or Page on Web Site. ” Overall Web Site. Date last updated or published. Date accessed <Web Address>. Smith, John. “Hinduism. ” Many People, Many Faiths. 19 May 2004. 25 March 2005 <http: //www. manypeople. com>.

Other sources n E-mails: Smith, John. “Re: Cultural Identity Paper. ” E-mail to the author. 14 March 2005. n Personal interviews: Yin, Tao. Personal interview. 22 March 2005.

Works Cited Page: Basic Format n n n Begin on separate page at the end of your research paper. Label page Works Cited (do not underline or put in quotation marks) Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.

Works Cited Page: Basic Format n Capitalise each word in the titles of books, articles, etc, but do not capitalise articles, short prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle: Gone with the Wind, The Art of War, There is Nothing Left to Lose

Works Cited Page: Basic Format n List alphabetically by author‘s surname first; first name; middle name or initial. Burke, Kenneth Levy, David M. Wallace, David Foster *Do not list titles (Dr. , Sir, Saint, etc) or degrees (Ph. D, MA, DDS etc) *Do include suffixes like „Jr. “ or „ 11“ e. g. King, Martin Luther, Jr. ,

Works Cited Page: Basic Format n More than one work by an author, order entries alphabetically by title, and use three hyphens in place of the author‘s name after the first: Burke, Kenneth. A Grammar of Motives ---. . A Rhetoric of Motives

In-text Citations: The basics n n n In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is called in-text citation. Immediately following a quotation from a source or a paraphrase of a source‘s ideas, you place the author‘s name followed by a space and the relevant page number(s) (Hamilton 26). When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of the author‘s name.

When Should You Use In-text Citations? n When quoting any words that are not your own ¡ Quoting means to repeat another source word for word, using quotation marks

When Should You Use in-text Citations? n When summarizing facts and ideas from a source ¡ n Summarizing means to take ideas from a large passage of another source and condense them, using your own words When paraphrasing a source ¡ Paraphrasing means to use the ideas from another source but change the phrasing into your own words

When to use quotations Choose quotations carefully and for specific reasons n n Use quotations to support your arguments. A short phrase or sentence is more easily understood than a long quotation. Look for the `kernel` or the most important part of the quotation and extract it. Paraphrase a quotation in your own words where possible.

Handling Quotes in Your Text n Author’s last name and page number(s) of quote must appear in the text Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).

In-text Citations…. . n n n Sometimes more information is necessary More than one author with the same last name (W. Wordsworth 23); (D. Wordsworth 224) More than one work by the same author (Joyce, Portrait 121); (Joyce, Ulysses 556) Different volumes of a multivolume work (1: 336) Citing indirect sources (Johnson qtd. in Boswell 2: 450)

In-text Citations. . n n If the source has no known author, then use an abbreviated version of the title: Full Title: “California Cigarette Tax Deters Smokers” Citation: (“California” 14) If the source is only one page in length or is a web page with no apparent pagination: Source: Dave Poland’s “Hot Button” web column Citation: (Poland)

Handling quotes in your text There are many different combinations and variations within MLA citation format. If you run into something unusual, look it up!

Where can you go for additional help with MLA documentation? n BBIS Library Guide to Citing Resources http: //www. bbis. de/content/ library/bibliography. htm n Easybib http: //www. easybib. com/ n The Owl at Purdue http: //ourworld. cs. com/_ht_a/tonkteacher/ owlmla. htm n In Microsoft Word, go to “References, ” then “Style”; choose MLA from the list of options. n Ask your friendly Librarian!