Seneca Libraries MLA Style Guide
As of September 2009, students and faculty are encouraged to follow the newly published 7th edition of the Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. For highlights of these changes to MLA citation please click here
 MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers, 7th ed. Ask at the Reference Desk In-Text Citation (Parenthetical Citation) JOURNALSMAGAZINESNEWSPAPERSBOOKSOTHER SOURCES |
You must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite every source you use in two places: (1) in the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation; and (2) on the Works Cited page at the end of your paper where you include a matching full citation for the source. IN-TEXT
CITATIONS
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QUICK RULES FOR WORKS
CITED
Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources that you have cited in the text of the paper. The list is called your "Works Cited" list. Here are eight quick rules for your Works Cited page:
- Start a new page for your "Works Cited" list. Centre the title, Works Cited, at the top of the page.
- Double-space the ENTIRE list both between and within entries.
- Start the first line of each citation at the left margin. Indent each subsequent line five spaces.
- Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the citation. In most cases, the first word will be the author's last name. When the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
- Capitalize the first, last and all main words in a title or subtitle. Unless they are the first or last words in a title or subtitle, do not capitalize (a, an, the), (and, or, but, for, nor, yet, so), (in, from, to, with), and the word "to" used in an infinitive. Example: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find."
- Italicize the titles of complete works: books, magazines, newspapers, plays, works of art, computer software, Web sites and databases.
- "Place quotation marks around the titles of parts of works: articles (from newspapers, magazines, journals), essays, poems, short stories, chapter titles (from books), TV or radio episodes, songs, speeches and articles or documents from Web sites".
- Provide the format of the source (Print, Web, DVD, CD, PDF file, etc.) for all citations.
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NEWSPAPERS: In Print |
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| Type of Document | Works Cited Entry | In-Text Citation |
|---|---|---|
Article in a Newspaper One Author |
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(Adams) |
| Article in a Newspaper Unknown Author |
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("Night") |
JOURNAL, MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES: From a Library Database
Library databases offer electronic versions of articles originally published in print magazines, journals and newspapers.
- Begin citing a database article exactly like you would cite the print version and then add the electronic publication information (see examples below).
| Type of Document | Works Cited Entry | In-Text Citation |
|---|---|---|
Article in a Journal One Author |
For more information click here. |
(Falvey 33) |
Article in a Magazine One Author |
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(Cuvelier 24) |
Article in a Newspaper One Author |
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(Chase) |
Article in a Magazine Unknown Author |
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("Europeans" 27) |
Article in a Newspaper Unknown Author |
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("Green") |
| Datamonitor Report |
 |
("Bombardier Inc." 8) |
JOURNAL, MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES: From the Internet
- If you cannot find all of the publication information, cite what is available (MLA 5.6.2).
- Do not include URLs (Web site addresses) unless requested by your professor or when the source cannot be easily located without it. When a URL is required, provide it at the end of the citation within angel brackets followed by a period - that is, <http://...>.
| Type of Document | Works Cited Entry | In-Text Citation |
|---|---|---|
Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles Online |
|
(Stewart) |
| Statistics Canada Publication Article Online |
|
(Li 1) |
OTHER SOURCES: Videos, DVDs, Computer Games, Clip art, In Class Course Notes
| Type of Document | Works Cited Entry | In-text Citation |
|---|---|---|
| DVD |  |
(Mandela) |
| Citing the Contribution of a Particular Individual |
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(Chaplin) |
| Computer Game | (Sims) |
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| Clip art | (Cat) |
OTHER SOURCES: Interviews, E-mails and Course Notes
- To cite information that you have obtained through interviewing someone yourself, cite the interview as shown in the examples below.
Type of Document |
Works Cited Entry | In-text Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Interview Personal, Telephone or E-mail |
|
(Blair) (Firth) (Jones) |
| Instructor's Notes Provided in Class |  |
(Kurtis) |
 |
(Anderson) |
The following MLA sources were used in compiling this guide:
Other MLA Resources
MLA In-Text Citation (from Diana Hacker's Pocket Style Manual)
How to create in-text citations for direct quotes and for ideas and information taken from the works of others.Seneca Guide to Integrating Quotations & Paraphrasing Content (MLA Style)
Provides instructions on how to create in-text citations in a research paper using the MLA style.Seneca Libraries' Academic Honesty and Citation Tutorials: MLA Citation
Practice applying the rules of MLA citation to information sources in print and online.Seneca Libraries' Guide to Research and Citation: MLA Style
Provides instruction on how to conduct research and cite in MLA style as well as tips on how to avoid plagiarism through proper use of direct quotes and paraphrasing. Available at Seneca College bookstores for a nominal fee.
