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After several hours of working on your essay, you're finally ready to add the finishing touches!
But wait!
Your professor has asked you to use MLA style to reference your sources, but you're not familiar with it. How do you use this style correctly?
Did you know?
The Core Elements
The MLA core elements are:
Author
Title of source
Title of container
Other contributors
Version
Number
Publisher
Publication date
Location
When referencing a source, the first thing to do is find the relevant core elements!
Quiz
You're citing an episode of the show The Office that you watched on Netflix. What would be the container(s) in your citation?
Sometimes, a container might be within a larger container. An episode of a TV series watched on a streaming service is an example of a source title with 2 containers. It's important to cite all containers so your reader can find the exact source that you used.
In-Text Citations
To cite sources in the text, you use parentheses at the end of a sentence or quote. These citations match up with entries in the Works Cited List at the end of your paper.
In the citation, you include:
The first word of the corresponding reference in the Works Cited List, which is usually the author's last name
The page or page range that the source information is from
Click here to see examples of how to write in-text citations for specific situations.
Quiz
You see this in-text citation at the end of a quote: (“MLA Citation Guide” 19). What does this tell you?
In-text citations include the first thing in the full reference and the page number of the source. If the source has no known author, the first thing in the full reference would be the next core element, which is the source title.
Entries In The Works Cited List
In MLA style, the list of references at the end of your paper is usually titled the Works Cited List. This list contains full references that include the core elements relevant to that source.
💡 The source title may be italicized or in quotations, depending on the source type.
Click here to see examples of citations for a variety of different source types.
Take Action
Become a pro at MLA references by following these steps!
This Byte has been authored by
Nithusha Gobal
Digital Learning Specialist