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MLA Formatting and Style Guide
MLA (Modern Language Association) is a style and formatting guide often used in various humanities disciplines
MLA regulates:
Document format In-text citations Works Cited (a list of all sources used in the paper)
2009 changes in MLA: No more underlining (only use italics) Publication Medium (e.g. Print, Web, etc.) New Abbreviations (e.g. “n.p.” for “no publisher given”) NO URLs/web addresses (unless specifically directed by teacher)
Key Links OSLIS Citation Maker at: http://cm.oslis.org/MLACitations/secondary/Or
Son of Citation Maker at: http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&newstyle=1&stylebox=1
Variety of Resources: http://www.elsegundousd.com/eshs/teachers/rgerber/Eng_9Honors/ResearchPaper/RPaper.htm
Includes Works Cited Template Includes MLA Format Template
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#1 Rule for any formatting style:Always follow your
instructor’s guidelines
Report Writing Mechanics
Paper: White, 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. Use one side only. Left alignment.
Header - Pagination: Right alignment. Last name, space, automatic numbering, header set at .5
Heading: Left alignment. Student name, [return] teacher name, [return] class, period, [return] date D M Y (month
spelled out). (double-spaced)
Title: Centered. Double space above and below title. Do not underline title, or put in quotation marks, or type it in all caps. Title page, if used, should include title, name, course and/or teacher, and date.
Margins: One inch at top, bottom, and sides.
Indenting: Indent five spaces for each new paragraph. Set-off long direct quotations (four or more lines) by indenting one inch (10 spaces) from the left margin. For works cited entries, indent all lines one half inch except the first line. Set your word processing program to do a hanging indention.
Text:Double space body text and works cited entries. Double space set-off quotations. Block quotations are usually introduced with a colon. Use standard 12 point fonts. When ending a sentence, use one space before starting the next sentence. Two spaces can be used if you are consistent
Quoting: When quoting directly, use quotation marks with reference citation. Do not use quotation marks for set-off quotations. Use three spaced periods. . .when omitting anything within a quotation.
Use brackets [ ] to enclose anything added or changed within a quotation
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You can also access Ms. Gerber’s MLA template which is already formatted. Simply type over the material.
Go to: http://www.elsegundousd.com/eshs/teachers/rgerber/Eng_9Honors/ResearchPaper/RPaper.htm. Hit the -MLA Template/Type Over link.
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Formatting the First Page of Your PaperThe first page of your paper must follow a rigorous format.
In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date (note style). Use double-spaced text only.
Double space again and center the title. Don't underline your title or put it in quotation marks. Do not use bold, italics or a larger font. put it in quotation marks; write the title in upper and lower case, in 12 point Times New Roman.
Double space between the title and the first line of the text. Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name,
followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively Here is a sample first page of an essay in MLA style:
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Osbourne 1
Ozzy Osbourne
Ms. Gerber
English 9 Honors
22 April 2010
Performance Enhancing Drugs: Athletic Skill Versus
Chemical-Enhanced Programming Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
NameTeacherClass TitleDue Date
All double spaced.
1” top margin
1” left margin
Create a header ½ inch from the top and 1 inch from the right of the page. Include last name (1 space) page number.
1” right margin
Double space between header and title and between title and start of paper
1” bottom margin
Indent five spaces at the beginning of each paragraph
Title is -centered -double spaced-12 point Times - upper and lower case caps. No - underline- bold- italics
In-Text (Parenthetical) Citations MLA uses parenthetical citations
The form of parenthetical citations depends on the medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD)
The form of parenthetical citations depends on the what is how much source information is included in the text. (Did you mention the name of the author, title or website in setting up the citation?)
The form of parenthetical citations depends on the length of titles (never use more than three words, excluding articles, for a name – you must then shorten the name to three defining and recognizable words)
In-text Example: Print Source with Author
In-Text Example: No Author
See Ms. Gerber’s Citation Table for a variety of citing situations and styles
Also see Ms. G’s Priority Table for the order of in-text citations
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Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"
(Wordsworth 263).
There are so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region
has “more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor
and study environmental change . . .” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6).
Works Cited Page: Basic Format The list includes only the sources you refer to in your research paper.
Begin the Works Cited on a new page
Use 1” margins left and right
Use Times New Roman 12 point
Title this page Works Cited. This heading should be placed 1” from the top of the page, centered in the middle. It is not underlined, italicized or in bold
Alphabetize each entry by first letter
Italicize all titles of books, magazines, films, etc.
Put quotation marks around the titles of poems, short stories, and articles
Each entry must end with a period. Works Cited list must be double spaced, both between entries and within them. Each citation begins at the left margin. If a citation runs over one line, additional lines
are indented 5 spaces for a hanging indentation. (sometimes you will have to physically insert the break so the line breaks at the right margin)
The works cited page always appears at the end of the paper. The page(s) should be numbered in sequence. If your paper is eight pages long, the Works Cited page is number nine. In the upper right corner of the page, type your last name and the page number
Exact formatting of each entry depends on the format you are citing. Formatting will be different for books, magazines, encyclopedias, DVDs, etc.
Include the medium (Print. Web. DVD.)
If publishing information is unavailable for entries that require publication information use special abbreviations to indicate that this information is not available. Use n.p. to indicate that neither a publisher nor a sponsor name has been provided. Use n.d. when the Web page does not provide a publication date.When an entry requires that you provide a page but no pages are provided in the source (as in the case of an online-only scholarly journal or a work that appears in an online-only anthology), use the abbreviation n. p.
Go to: http://www.elsegundousd.com/eshs/teachers/rgerber/Eng_9Honors/ResearchPaper/RPaper.htm. Hit the - Works Cited Template/Typeover link
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Use OSLIS Citation Maker at: http://cm.oslis.org/MLACitations/secondary/Or
Son of Citation Maker at: http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&newstyle=1&stylebox=1
To help with protocol for each type of entry (Note: you must know what type of source you are using).
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Works Cited
American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. New York: Random, 1998. Print.
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who
Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.
"The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998. Television.
Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 143-48. Print.
Ed Wood. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker,
Patricia Arquette. Touchstone, 1994. DVD.
Foo Fighters. In Your Honor. RCA, 2005. CD.
Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason.
Trans. Richard Howard. New York: Vintage-Random House, 1988. Print.
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston:
Allyn, 2000. Print.
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
Museo National del Prado. Web. 22 May 2006.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, 1999. Print.
Hill, Charles A., and Marguerite Helmers, eds. Defining Visual Rhetorics. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. Print.
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009. "Ideology."
The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997. Print.
Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories.
Ed. Tobias Wolff. New York: Vintage, 1994. 306-07. Print.
Krugman, Andrew. "Fear of Eating." New York Times 21 May 2007 late ed.: A1. Print.
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical
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Translated book
Dictionary
Article from aweb magazine
Article in a magazine
Book by a corporate author
Recorded film
Book with twoauthors
TV show
Painting from a website
Sound recording
Book with one author
Page on a website
Anthology
Collection of short stories
Article in a newspaper
Online database
Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.
"Of Mines and Men." Editorial. Wall Street Journal east. ed. 24 Oct. 2003: A14. Print.
"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season. Writ.
Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. Dir. Kevin Bright. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD.
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997. Print.
---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993.
Print.
Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000.
Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge
in the University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer. Ed.
Steven Heller. New York: Allworth Press, 1998. 13-24. Print.
United States. Government Accountability Office. Climate Change: EPA and DOE
Should Do More to Encourage Progress Under Two Voluntary Programs.
Washington: GPO, 2006. Print.
The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz
Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.
Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems. New York: Dover, 1991. 12-
19. Print.
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for
Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2004. Print.
Your Rights Under California Welfare Programs. Sacramento, CA: California Dept. of
Social Services, 2007. Print.
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Book with more than
three authors
Two or more books by the same author
Personal interview
Government publication
Poem
Pamphlet
Theatrical film
Letter to the editor
Recorded TV show
Work in an anthology or
collection
Works Cited by Source Books:
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication:
Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Examples:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston:
Allyn, 2000. Print.
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997.
Print.
---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993.
Print.
(---. Denotes a source by the same author as the source above)
Periodicals
Article in a Magazine Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of
publication.
Example:
Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 143-8. Print.
Article in Scholarly Journal Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of
publication.
Example:
Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated
Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127- 53. Print.
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Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases)
Here are some common features you should try and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as possible both for your citations and for your research notes:
Author and/or editor names (if available) Article name in quotation marks (if applicable) Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print
publications have Web publications with slightly different names. They may, for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified information, like domain names [e.g. .com or .net].)
Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.
Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date. Take note of any page numbers (if available). Date you accessed the material. NO URLs
Web Source Format: (note: use what you have in this order)
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). “Article Name.” Name of Site.
Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor
or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of publication. Date of access.
Examples:
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People
Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web.
10 May 2006.
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.
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Other
Film Example:
The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz
Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.
Recorded Films or Movies
Ed Wood. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker,
Patricia Arquette. Touchstone, 1994. DVD.
Television (e.g. videocassette)
"The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998. Television.
Recorded Television Shows
"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season. Writ.
Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. Dir. Kevin Bright. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD.
Personal Interview Example:
Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000.
Published Interview Example:
Gaitskill, Mary. Interview with Charles Bock. Mississippi Review 27.3 (1999): 129-50.
Print.
Speech Example:
Stein, Bob. Computers and Writing Conference. Purdue University. Union Club Hotel,
West Lafayette, IN. 23 May 2003. Keynote address.
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Table for Basic MLA In-Text Citations
For PrintSituation Citation Style
If you refer to the author’s name in the text
As Gerber asserts, “. . . nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour’s lecture on the
MLA” (75).
Note: no author only page number
If you do not refer to the author’s name in the text (signal phrase).
“Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour’s lecture on the MLA” (Gerber 75).
Note: author and page number
Author unknown
“Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour’s lecture on the MLA” (Freshman
Nuts 75).
Note: Either use the complete title in a signal phrase or use a short form of the title in parentheses. Titles of books are in italics; titles of articles are put in quotation marks.
If author is unknown butyou use a signal phrase. How to Drive Freshman Nuts relates the quickest and most effective means of inducing insanity in
under classmen when it states, “Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour’s
lecture on the MLA” (75).
Note: no author, page number only
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Two or more authors.
“Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour’s lecture on the MLA” (Cvejic and
Gerber 75).
Note: both authors as listed on source and page numberIf you have more than three authors, simply list the first author followed by et al. (Cvejic et al. 75)
Two or more titles by the same author
Gerber notes how easily an underclassman will resort to destruction simply by “ … a good hour’s
lecture on the MLA” (Freshman Nuts 75). She also follows up this claim of instability in the
hilarious I am Insane and So Can You, noting, “It’s a short walk from the joys of childhood to the
anguish of the teenage years. And I’m willing to lead them on that stroll just a little sooner” (83). In
previous writing however, Gerber has been less decisive. “Mental patients in the classroom, while a
great source of amusement and mockery, often divert attention from important activities like
television and pizza parties. Take care when how you induce psychosis” (Insane Membrane 9).
Note: mention the title of the work in the signal phrase or include a short version of the title in the parentheses. Feel free to mix it up.
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For more than one source in the parentheses.
The mind-numbing effects of teaching MLA documentation to freshmen have been
well documented. (Cvejic 42; Gerber 114; Wheeler 73).
Note: Use this format to show that several authorities agree on this point. Note that this citation is NOT a direct quote within quotation marks. Also note that the punctuation within the parentheses, not commas but semicolons.
If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text.
Rachael Gerber, in an essay on teenage emotional instability, states: “some individuals [who make it
out of class sane] make a point of never repeating ninth grade, just to avoid the beast at the head of
the class” (Freshman Nuts 78).
Note: Consider what’s within the brackets as paraphrasing. Again, use this form to include the part of the quote relevant to your point.
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipsis marks, which are three periods (...) preceded and followed by a space.
In an essay on ninth grade emotional disorders, Rachael Gerber notes that “some individuals can
muddle through in a relatively lucid manner... and in a short time they’re just as unbalanced as the
rest of the group" (Freshman Nuts 78).
Note: Consider what’s within the brackets as paraphrasing. Again, use this form to include the part of the quote relevant to your point.
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Rules for long quotations
- Are for quotations longer than four full typed lines.- the closing punctuation mark before a long quote is a colon (:).- omit quotation marks- start the quotation on a new line -indented 10 spaces from the left margin-maintain double-spacing.- the parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.
Rachael Gerber identifies the lowly freshman as the ultimate and easiest victim for madness:
You can nearly set your clock by the time it takes to make a freshman crazy once instruction
in the MLA format begins. The ticker is set in motion by even the passing mention of items
such as the heinous exacting page formatting, the beastly standard heading, the recalcitrant
header. But true mental illness really takes root when, at long last, the word “Works Cited”
rumbles through a crowd of fearful, beleaguered 14-year olds. Now that’s when the fun truly
begins. ( Freshman Nuts 614)
Note: Use this form sparingly as long quotes can become tedious and long winded. Again note that the end is before the citation.
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For InternetWebsites present a special challenge. It is often difficult to determine the type of website you have and what you are to cite. The most important point to remember is that your reader must be able to quickly look up your in-text citation on the Works Cited page.
Rule of thumb: what you use to cite a website depends on what is available toyou and follows the following priority:
1. Author (Last name(s) and likely no page number)2. Article – (Shorten the name to two words, no quotation marks)
3. Website (full name underlined)
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Situation Citation Style
If you have the author’s name
Nothing drives a freshman to the ledge faster than a good hour’s lecture on the MLA” (Gerber).
Note: ALWAYS use the author's last name if given. This is your first priority.
You do not have an author but you do have an article name on a website
Exposure to the MLA format can cause vomiting, lack of bladder control, memory loss, and in some
extreme cases, an obsession with the Jonas Brothers (MLA Side Effects).
Note: No author was listed so we go to the next most specific area, the article. In this case, the article was called “The Dangerous Side Effects of the MLA Format” and was found on the CNN website. The article name was too long to use so it is shorted to just two to three identifiable words. DO NOT USE THE WEBSITE WHEN THE ARTICLE NAME IS AVAILABLE.
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Simple, single topic websites with no author and no article name
Though following a specified guideline can be frustrating, and at times seemingly impossible, the
form does ensure consistency and accountability (Learning to Love the MLA)
Note: This citation references an entire website devoted to the benefits of the MLA. It does not include a range of articles on different aspects. It is simple and to the point.
Author’s with the same last name.
Estimates of the number of freshman driven mad by the prolonged exposure to the MLA format vary
because little evidence is being collected (R. Gerber).
Note: include the author's first initial in the parentheses.
Two or more titles by the same author
On December 6, 2000, reporter Rachael Gerber wrote that student Bret Carpenter had been
become addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol after completing an hour-long session
dedicated to in-text citations. After finishing his research paper, Carpenter hit the bottle, took to
the road and was charged with "two counts of vehicular manslaughter . . . in the deaths of John
and Carole Hall" (Pain). The next day Gerber reported the judge's ruling Carpenter "was
convicted of negligent driving and fined $500, the maximum penalty allowed" (Man).
Note: must include authors name in a signal phrase and a portion of the article or website name (depending on what is available – refer to priority list)
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More than one article with the same name.
“In order to determine if eye color could be generally altered, Mengele had dye injected into the eyes
of several twin subjects. This always resulted in painful infections and sometimes even death”
(Mengele 1)
Note: This research paper cited several articles simply entitled “Mengele,” none of which included an author. You will need to adjust your Works Cited to match then numbers in your in-text citation .
If the web page has a long title
As critic Bertrand Evans points out: "Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of unawareness"
(Twayne’s New Critical).
Note: The title of this website is actually Twayne's New Critical Introductions to Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. It is way too long so I simply use the first three words of the title and do not underline it because it is not the proper name.
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Priority ListIn-text Citations for Internet Sources
1. Author2. Article3. Website
For AuthorsIf your source lists an author(s), the last name is the first citation youwill use. Situation CitationOne author (Gerber)Two authorsNote: arrange as the source arranged it: sometimes it is not alphabetical
(Cvejic and Gerber)
Three authors (Cvejic, Gerber and Gen)Four or more authors citing only the first author listed
(Gerber et al.)
Authors with the same last nameNote: use first initial
(L. Brown) (R. Brown)
Multiple works by the same authorNote: Use the author’s name and 2-3 recognizable words from the article name (or website name if you do not have an article). If you include the author’s name to set up your quote, you can eliminate it from the in-text citation
(Gerber, Freshman Nuts)(Gerber, Miserable Freshman)
A corporate author (Food and Drug Administration)(Department of Motor Vehicles)
For ArticlesIf you do not have the author or authors of a work, go to the next level: the article name.
Situation CitationThe article name is “How to Drive Freshman Nuts.” This is way too long to write in each time. I will -shorten the name to 2-3 words
(Freshman Nuts)
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-choose words that will make it easy to match this citation with the Works Cited-Never duplicate the citation for 2 different sourcesThe article name is “Hitler’s Lies”Note: Use quotation marks when using the EXACT title of the article
(“Hitler’s Lies”)
Titles that have the same nameNote: You will have to adjust your Works Cited so that you number the articles that have the same titles.For example1. “Nanking 1937.” History.com. 2. “Nanking 1937.” The War on Reconciliation.
(1. “Nanking 1937”) = source from History.com(2. “Nanking 1937”) = source from War on Reconciliation
For WebsitesIf you do not have the article name, move to the last level: the name of the website.Situation CitationThe name of the website is The Holocaust: Crimes, Heroes and VillainsThis is way too long to write in each time. I will -shorten the name to 2-3 words-choose words that will make it easy to match this citation with the Works Cited
(Crimes, Heroes,Villians)
The name of the website is Jewish Virtual LibraryNote: Underline when using the EXACT title of the website
(Jewish Virtual Library)
Other CircumstancesSituation CitationWhen a writer's or a speaker's quoted words appear in a source written by someone else, begin the parenthetical citation with the abbreviation "qtd. in."
If you quote the Declaration of Independence from a website called The History Channel, you will use this format.
(qtd. in The History Channel)
NOTE: If an author’s name is mentioned in the text, the in-text citation will change to the next level (article). If the article name is mentioned, the next level of citation is the website.
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