Plagiarism, Citation and Academic Honesty: MLA

An in-text citation must be present at any point at which information from another source is used, regardless if it appears as a quote or paraphrase. In-text citations consist of these elements: 

• Author(s) last name
• Page number(s) or location description 

The in-text citation can be incorporated in the sentence if the author’s name is used, or it can be contained entirely in a parenthetical. Find examples of each method below:

Lighthouses have long stirred the imagination of many, possibly because of the symbolism of a beacon of light in the darkness or because of the imagery of the solitary caretaker. That very imagery is perhaps why lighthouses have long been the source of stories of the paranormal. In fact, as Frederick Stonehouse notes, "Ghosts and old lighthouses seem to go hand in hand" (1).

Why would lighthouses so attract ghost activity? It is possible that the very nature of a keeper’s work virtually ensures that the activity continues after death. The climb of the tower to start the light at night and extinguish it at dawn, every day without fail, becomes so ingrained in the very structure of the lighthouse itself that it echoes continuously, long after the keeper is gone (Stonehouse 1-2).

In virtually all cases, the page number(s) will be in a parentheses at the end of the sentence or paragraph, even if the author's name is used within the sentence.

A works cited page organized by the first letter(s) of the entries must appear on a new, separate, strictly double-spaced page at the end of the paper. Entries should provide information regarding each of these nine elements present; skip any non-existent element in the citation. Without exception, all entries end with a period, but otherwise use the type of punctuation demonstrated in this list to finish an element:

1. Author (Creator).

Most credible sources will have an author/creator which could be an individual(s) or organizations/groups; be skeptical if there is no author. If author/creator is a person(s), list the last name, then entire first name and middle initial if applicable.

If there are two (2) authors, separate with the word and. The second author appears as first name middle initial last name. If there are three (3) or more authors, list only the first author, followed by a comma and the word et al. Here are some made up examples:

• Stonehouse, Frederick and Gerald A. Brickhouse.
• Stonehouse, Frederick, et al.

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick.

2. Title of Source. or "Title of Source."

This is the title of the actual source used. Use italics if the source was a larger work, like a book, film, or website. Use quotes (and see element 3, below) if it is a smaller work contained within a larger work, such as an article found in a journal or magazine; a poem, story, chapter, etc. found in a larger book or collection; a webpage found on a website; a television episode found within a series; etc.

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents.

3. Title of Container,

This is a larger work that contains a smaller work. Only include this element if you used a smaller work contained in a larger work. This element is typically italicized.

A database such as Academic Search Premier or a repository such as Netflix is a location rather than a container. This type of information is included at the end of the citation with the title/name italicized, followed by a comma and identifying information for the source, such as DOI or URL if necessary or desired.

There is no container in the example we're using. For illustrative purposes, if it had been found in the location of Google Books (which it can’t be because it isn’t available in full text there), the citation would appear similar to this:

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents. Lake Superior Port Cities, 1997. Google Books, https://books.google.com/books/about/Haunted_Lakes.html?id=W4_hAAAAMAAJ.

4. Contributor,

Contributors are people other than the author who contributed significantly to the source, such as editors, illustrators, actors, songwriters, etc. If other contributor(s) exist, and their contribution(s) was significant to your research or to identify the source, include their name in first name last name order, followed by a comma.

5. Version, or version,

Include this element followed by a comma if the source has multiple editions or versions, such as the Bible. Capitalize a word if the preceding element ended with a period; use lowercase if it ended with a comma.

There is no other contributor or version number in the example we’ve been using. As an example, if there was an illustrator (which there isn’t), and a newer edition (which there isn’t), the citation would be similar to this:

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents. Illustrated by Ghostie McGhostface, revised and updated edition,

6. Number, or number, 

This element refers to numbered works, such as a volume/issue number for a magazine or journal, numbered books in a series or multivolume set, or episode numbers for a television series. This element ends with a comma.

Abbreviate volume as vol. and number as no. Write out most other descriptors such as season, episode, track, etc. Capitalize if the preceding element ended with a period, or use lowercase if it ended with a comma.

This element doesn't exist in our example; however, if Frederick Stonehouse had written this as a series focusing on each of the states bordering the Great Lakes, the citation would appear similar to this:

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents. Vol. 8,

7. Publisher, 

The publisher is the entity that produces and/or makes the source available to the public. The publisher could be a traditional book publisher, like MacMillan, or production company like Columbia Pictures, but is not usually a retailer like WalMart or Barnes & Noble. Do not include business words like company (co.), incorporated (inc.), limited (ltd.), and shorten academic press words to U for university and P for press.

Entities that make other published works available but don't actually produce them, like Spotify, JSTOR, Project Gutenberg, etc. are not publishers and should not be listed here. These may be containers or locations, and would then be included elsewhere.

Some entities such as Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube are not usually publishers, but they can be. Confirm the publisher of materials found on entities like these.

Periodical titles are NOT publishers and shouldn't be included as this element; nor should the publishers of serials like newspapers, magazines and journals.

Do not repeat names in this element if the source is self-published, or if the name of the website and publisher is the same.

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents. Lake Superior Port Cities, 

8. Publication date, or Publication date. (if element #9 doesn't exist).

The publication date is typically the date when the source was first made available to the public. If there are multiple valid publication dates, such as in the case of media broadcasts, use the date that is most relevant to the actual source you used or the one that most closely ties to your paper topic. If the type of broadcast is irrelevant and it is unclear which date applies, it is usually advisable to go with the earliest publication date.

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents. Lake Superior Port Cities, 1997.

9. Location.

This is the location where the specific information used can be found. In the case of smaller written works contained within larger works, such as articles, essays, chapters, etc., or a specific portion of a whole book, this is a page range. In the case of audio/visual media such as television shows, albums, or movies, this is a time location, scene or chapter name, or track number. In the case of a webpage/website, this is a URL/Web address. For a physical object, like artwork, statue, or building, this is the object’s physical location, and may consist of a building name (like Milwaukee Art Museum or Taliesin) and the city/state where the building is located.

In our example, do not include a location element if the entire book was used; include a page range if only a portion was used:

Example: Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents. Lake Superior Port Cities, 1997, pp. 1-2.

There are several optional elements that can also be included, such as date of access for online sources or city of publication. Whether or not to include these elements is up to you based on the needs of your readers, the relevance of the elements to the actual source you used and/or your research, and whether including these elements will help your reader locate and identify the source. See the OWL at Purdue for more information about this. 

Most citations will go onto more than one line. If this is the case, use a hanging indent (lines after the first are indented). Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to give a good example here of what that looks like.

Reviewing a sample paper like this one found at the OWL at Purdue may be beneficial.

All papers in MLA format should be double spaced thoughout with 1 inch margins, using a highly legible 12 point font. Times New Roman is suggested but not required. Italicized font must be very distinct from normal font.

A cover page may or may not be present, depending on the preference of your instructor. If a cover page is not included, on the first page of your paper, starting on line 1 at the left margin, include the following:

Your name (first name last name format)

Your instructor's name

Class name and class number

Date in day month year format

Then, centered on the next line, place the title of your paper using standard title capitalization. Don't italicize anything in your title unless it would normally be italicized such as a book title.

Here, and only here, add an extra line between, then begin your paper. Indent each paragraph, but do not add extra lines anywhere except between your paper title and the first paragraph of your paper.

Number the pages of the paper with your last name, a space, then page number, in the upper right header area, flush with the right margin, on every page. Discuss this requirement with your instructor prior to beginning this project as your instructor may prefer no header on the first page, which is accomplished in WORD by clicking in the header area and choosing the Different First Page option in the Design tab.

The Works Cited page should begin on a separate new page with the words Works Cited centered on the first line. The citations should be double spaced in alphabetical order. Most citations will go on more than one line; in that case, use a hanging indent for all additional lines.

EasyBib.com has easy to follow advice about formatting your MLA paper. Please see this site for further information.

Much of the formatting information above was compiled using the MLA formatting guide by EasyBib.com. Citation for this source in MLA format would look like this but with a hanging indent: 

"MLA Formatting Guide." EasyBib.com, a Chegg Service, 2017, easybib.com/guides/students/writing-guide/iv-write/a-formatting/mla-formatting-guide/. Accessed 25 August 2017.  

This guide does not address every possible citation situation. Please see the library, writing tutor, your instructor, or consult another resource such as the OWL at Purdue if your issue doesn’t seem to fit the scenarios provided.

The OWL at Purdue was consulted often during the creation of this guide. If you need assistance and are not able to connect with the library, writing tutor, or instructor, we recommend visiting the OWL.

Citation for the OWL in MLA 9 would look something like this:

"MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab. Accessed 8 Sept. 2022.

If you have been using MLA 8, there are some changes to be aware of when transitioning to MLA 9. The OWL at Purdue summarizes these changes here: MLA Ninth Edition: What's New and Different