MLA Style is a set of rules for research papers, and requires that sources are cited with an in-text citation in the body of the paper and in a full citation in the Works Cited list at the end of the paper.
For templates and citation examples, refer to the MLA Citation Guide.
There are two ways to integrate sources into the text of your assignment: quoting directly or paraphrasing.
- Quoting is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation.
- Paraphrasing is expressing the author's ideas in your own words. Make sure to also include an in-text citation.
To view a sample paper formatted using MLA style, download the MLA Sample Paper (Seneca example). It shows a paper with MLA-style in-text citations and a Works Cited list. And, to find examples of how to cite different types of materials (articles, websites, books, etc.) start at the Seneca Libraries MLA Citation Guide.
