Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Supplemental Elements. Title of 1st Container, Contributor, Version or edition, Number, Publisher Name, Publication Date, Pages. Title of 2nd Container, Contributor, Version or edition, Number, Publisher Name, Publication Date, Pages. Supplemental Elements.
The layout and necessary elements vary depending on the source. See "How Do I Cite..." for more specific formatting. You do not need to use all of these elements for every source. Use those that are relevant to what you are citing.
MLA citations assemble facts about a source, like who wrote it and when it was published. These facts are known as elements.
Access Date |
This is the date you first look at a source. It should be added to the end of citations for all websites. However, for items accessed through library databases, it is optional. |
Block Quote |
A specific way of formatting long quotations. Used for direct quotations that are at least four lines of prose, three lines of poetry, or two paragraphs. It is a freestanding quote that does not include quotation marks, and the in-text citation appears after the closing punctuation mark. |
Citation |
A structured way of providing information about a source. They intend to help your readers (and yourself) find the source. |
Citing |
The process of acknowledging sources of information and ideas. |
Container |
This is the larger entity where a source is found. Containers are used to structure citations. They include things like library databases where you find an academic journal, a book that contains a chapter you reference, or a website that contains a video you watched. There may be multiple containers within a citation. For example, you may use a library database to find an article from a newspaper. |
Direct Quote |
Copying words of text originally published elsewhere. Generally, they appear in quotation marks and end with an in-text citation; see "Block Quotes" for the exception to this rule. |
Element |
Fact about a source, component of a citation. |
In-Text Citation |
A brief reference to a source that appears when the information or ideas from that source are invoked. An in-text citation should always correspond to a complete citation on the Works Cited page. |
Paraphrasing |
The act of taking information from a source and putting it into your own words. Paraphrased information should still be cited! This may be compared to a direct quote. |
Plagiarism |
Taking, using, and passing off as your own the ideas or words of another. Illegal! |
Works Cited Page |
Contains complete citations for ALL of the sources referenced in a project. |
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