Guide to MLA Citations

One of the most common complaints students have when writing essays (besides doing the actual work) is correctly citing sources. It can be tedious and time-consuming after you’ve already put hours of hard work into writing the paper. However, understanding MLA citations and why they’re important can help to change your perspective on citing your sources throughout your paper.

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Why do I need MLA citations in my paper? It doesn’t matter if you’re a student or a world-renowned researcher; it’s essential that you include citations in your paper. MLA citations are meant to make it easy for readers to locate the sources where you’ve gained your knowledge. Whether it’s another person or your original research, the reader can reference your citations to learn more about the topic.

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In addition to providing a trail of breadcrumbs for readers, citations create credibility for your work. Keep in mind that your credibility is limited as a student. You’re going to be sourcing knowledge from others who have established credibility on a topic, which, in turn, will improve yours.

While improving your credibility is important, it’s also good form to acknowledge the work of others and avoid plagiarism. Put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re using as a source. Would you want them to claim your hard work for their own? Of course, not. Citing sources acknowledges others who have researched the topic before you while avoiding accusations of plagiarism.

How do I cite sources using MLA format? There are two parts to citing sources when using MLA format.The first is citing your source within the text using parenthetical citations. Your in-text citations will point the reader to your Works Cited, which is a single page that includes information about every source referenced in your essay.

Similar to a Bibliography, your Works Cited is a collection of each source you’ve used in writing your paper. These two differ in that the latter includes only those you’ve directly cited in your essay. For instance, if you read a book that confirmed some of the information you gathered from a magazine you cited but never made a direct referenced the book, you would include the magazine in your Works Cited but not the book. Build out your Works Cited as you write your essay to match the text’s parenthetical citations.

“Acknowledge the researchers who did the heavy lifting before you, while also improving your credibility.”

What is MLA in-text citation? Let’s talk more about parenthetical citations, also known as MLA in-text citations. Citing your references within your text is the easiest way for the reader to see where you got the information you’ve just presented. Other options include using footnotes, but in-text citations provide the audience with information regarding your source without scanning down the page. You’re giving credit to the source’s author without making the reader do extra work to find it.

Can I see some MLA citation examples? Whether it’s a Works Cited or Bibliography, there’s a correct way to build out your citations. Each source needs to include the following information, in this order:

Author
Title of source
Title of container
Other contributors
Version
Number
Publisher
Date of publication
Location of publication

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Not every source will have all the necessary information for a citation, so you can leave out what’s not available. Although, it’s important that you still do the work to find everything you can. For instance, a website might not have its location origin on the same page you gathered your information, so you need to dig a bit deeper. Here’s an example of a Works Cited entry for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that might be used in a paper about witches in pop culture:

Rowling, Joanne K., and GrandPre Mary. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. A.A. Levine Books, 1998.

Notice the citation references “Joanne K. Rowling” rather than her pen name, “J.K. Rowling.” It also includes the illustrator of the book’s first edition. You would include the new illustrator if you chose to reference another edition with different illustrations.

It’s a lot to remember. So, be sure to check out some handy citation tools and templates that help with formatting. Both will take the guesswork out of what information you need from each source and the correct order in which it should be placed.

Creating a parenthetical citation is the simplest part of citing your work. After paraphrasing something from your source, include the author’s name and the page number where you found the information. An in-text citation example from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone might look like this:

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry delegates the responsibility of assigning students to their respective dormitories to an enchanted hat called the ‘Hogwarts Sorting Hat.’ The process requires each student to sit on a stool, one at a time, in front of the rest of the school with the Sorting Hat on their head. Within moments, the magical hat shouts the student’s assigned dormitory. (Rowling 117)”
In short, paraphrase your findings, then let your reader know where you found them.

Correctly creating MLA citations in your essay lets you acknowledge the researchers who did the heavy lifting before you, while also improving your credibility. Does it take extra time? Of course. But if you account for the process ahead of time, it’ll become a normal part essay writing.