Using the MLA Style to Cite Sources

RHET 201

SPR 2011

Gironda

MLA Style

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.

Resources for using MLA style Handbooks are available in the bookstore

and in the library. Good MLA style guides are available online: The Purdue Online Writing lab:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01 Links are also available on the class blog.

Academic writing is a conversation

We cite sources: 1. Out of respect for the

other conversants. 2. So that our readers

can easily “visit” the other conversants and find out more about the topic, if they are interested.

3 main steps to integrating and outside sources 1. Correctly and effectively quoting,

paraphrasing or summarizing. 2. Giving a a parenthetical citation so

that the reader knows where to look for the full citation.

3. Creating a Works Cited list.

Each must be attributed to the original source. Quotations must be identical to the

original, using a narrow segment of the source.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s).

Why use Quotations, Paraphrase and Summaries? To provide support for your claims or

add credibility to your writing

Refer to work that provides background or context for your research or argument

Give examples of several points of view

on a subject

Why use quotations, paraphrases and summaries? Call attention to a position or argument

with which you agree or disagree

Compare two similar or contrasting approaches to a subject matter

Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original.

A paraphrase is... Your own rendition of essential

information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.

One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because... It is better than quoting information

from an undistinguished passage. It helps you control the temptation to

quote too much. The mental process required for

successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

Steps to Effective Paraphrasing 1.Reread the original passage until

you understand its full meaning. 2.Set the original aside, and write

your paraphrase on a note card.

Steps to Effective Paraphrasing 3. Check your rendition with the original

to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.

4. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.

Make note of the source, page number etc. for writing your citation.

When to quote When the author of your source material

turns a phrase, sentence, or passage of particularly powerful,vivid, or memorable language.

When the language in your source material is so clear and economical that to attempt a paraphrase would be ineffective.

When you want to lend the authority and credibility of experts or prominent figures to your writing

Correctly integrating quotes The first time you refer to a source, you

should make reference to it’s author’s whole name, if you use their name at all in the text.

In subsequent references, you may just use the last name.

Correctly integrating quotes There is seldom a case where you would use

a quote in your paper without introducing it. For example: “Recent research suggests, “Blah, blah,

blah…” In her recent book,The Seven Pillars of

Identity, researcher Milad Hanna asserts, “ Blah, blah, blah…”

More examples In the words of sports writer Karim

Alsherif… “Blah, Blah, blah.” As Dina Abdel-Mageed has noted, “Blah…” The Mansours, experts in Middle Eastern

archaeology, point out that, “ Blah, blah…” Psychologist Lisa Morphopoulos offers an

odd argument for this theory: “Blah, blah…”

Basic in text citation rules In MLA style, referring to the works of

others in your text is done by using what's known as parenthetical citation.

Immediately following a quotation from a source or a paraphrase of a source's ideas, you place the author's name followed by a space and the relevant page number(s).

Parenthetical citation format Human beings have been described as

"symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

In the works cited page Your in-text citation will correspond with

an entry in your Works Cited page, which, for the Burke citation above, will look something like this:

Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, 1966.

For works with no author: When a source has no known author,

use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name. Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work, or italicize or underline it if it's a longer work.

Multiple Citations

To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi-colon:

...as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).

Citing a book Okuda, Michael. Star Trek

Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993.

Citing an article. Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through

College: Classes Explore Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar.  1995: A3.

Citation Guides & Exercises

Paraphrasing exercises:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/28/12/33/