MLA Citation
When you quote from the text in your essay, you must use MLA style parenthetical citation. For example:
In "Salvation" the aunt thought Langston was crying because he had found Jesus, but it was because, "I had deceived everybody in the church," (Hughes 21).
Notice the author's last name goes in parentheses after the quote and the page number follows. The punctuation mark (in this case a period) follows the close parenthesis. It must be exactly like that. Do not add "p." "pg." or the word "page" before the number. Do not add a comma after the author's name.
At the end of the essay add an extra page entitled Works Cited. This page will tell the reader where you found the references you used. Use MLA format.
If your source is from a book alone, the format is as follows:
Author. (Last name, First name) Title of Book. City of Publisher: Name of Publisher, Date.
If your source is taken from an edited anthology the format is as follows:
Author. (Last name, first name) "Title of Essay." Title of book. Editor. (First name, last name)
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City of publisher: Name of publisher, date of publication. |
If your source is taken from a web site the format is as follows:
Author. (Last name, first name) "Title of Essay." Title of Website. Date of last update. Date of your access. Web address (url).
For access through a CSUN Library subscription service, or for variations on website sources, see handbook or CSUN's handy MLA guidelines.
Leave one double space between the words Works Cited and the first citation.
Double space the entire page.
Example:
Works Cited
Devor, Holly. "Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes." Signs of Life. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack
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Solomon. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 252-64. |
Hughes, Langston. "Salvation." Understanding Ourselves. Ed. Ellen Andrews Knodt. New York:
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HarperCollins, 1996. 123-26 |
Orenstein, Peggy. SchoolGirls. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
NOTE:
Each period, comma, colon, quotation mark, and space is required.
Keep the left and right margins at one inch for the first line only of each citation.
Indent the second and all subsequent lines of each citation by one half inch. The indentation of the second line is called "hanging" indent and is an option in most word processors.
Authors must be listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Do Not number the entries on your Works Cited list.
See the handbook for a more extensive listing of the MLA requirements.