MLA writing style

MLA Writing Style provides standard guidelines for formatting publications and research papers, including: quotations and citing resources.

A direct quote is shown in quotation marks and is shown word for word as stated by source.

"The planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but the most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy." (Adams 1)

In this example, the direct quote was found in a book, so a parenthetical citation is used, which includes Author and Page Number.

An in line citation is required each time you quote or paraphrase a source. You should use common sense and an ethical approach when determining if a citation is required or not. Plagiarism occurs when the source of information is not properly credited. You do not need to use citations if the content of your paper is based on well know facts, common knowledge or information you possess.

This example, a quote taken from the author's website, does not include a parenthetical citation because most websites do not include page numbers.

It is difficult to be a writer, according to Douglas Adams: "First of all, realize that it's very hard, and that writing is a grueling and lonely business and, unless you are extremely lucky, badly paid as well. You had better really, really, really want to do it."

Paraphrasing is a summation without changing the meaning. When paraphrasing, no quotation marks are necessary, as shown in the following example:

People were basically unhappy, most of the time and most of the suggestions for fixing the problem involved moving small pieces of paper. That was odd, because the pieces of paper weren't unhappy. (Adams 1)

Quoting Indirect Sources will include (qtd. in) the parenthetical citation.

When asked why he selected the number forty two, Douglas Adams said, "The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one (...) I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do.' I typed it out. End of story." (qtd. in Wikipedia.org)

Also, please note the ellipsis (...) shown indicate missing words from the quotation. If words are added to a quotation for clarity they should be contained in brackets.

By referencing qualified sources will improve the writer's credibility, so it is beneficial to cite these resources.

• Is it Reliable? For example, did the information come for a impartial source? Are they trying to influence your thinking with propaganda, rather than non biased fact? Are they trying to sell you something? Keep in mind, any data can be skewed if the source has an agenda.
• Is it Qualified? Does the author of the information have credentials? Are they stating fact or opinion? It's ok if the source is stating an opinion, as long as they are identified and informed opinions, which may or may not be supported by data.
• Is it relevant? How old is it? Life changes fast, and facts even faster. What was 100% true five years ago may be 100% untrue today. Has the data been taken out of context?" (Hood)

Each source cited will be listed on the final page of your paper, double spaced, listed alphabetically by Author's last name and will include all books, websites, magazines, etc used. This will give your reader the information necessary to find sources cited in your paper. For books, include: Title, Edition (abbreviated ed.) City of Publication, Publishing company and publication date.

Adams, Douglas The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 6th ed, New York: Harmony, 2004

Electronic Sources can also be referenced. The following example is for a web site, including the Title, Site, the first date is the publication date, while the second is the date accessed. If just one date is listed, it is assumed to be the date accessed, and the URL.

Hood, Lisa "The Why's, How's and Where's of Research." Fictionway, , 2007, Aug 2007 <http://fictionway.com/2007/08/16/the-whys-hows-and-wheres-of-research/>

Following are a few examples of resources that may be cited:

Books

For one or more Author(s), list the first Author's last name, first name and subsequent authors' first name then last name.

Adams, Douglas and Mark Carwardine, Last Chance to See. New York, Ballantine Books, 1992

If there are more than three authors, you can include all the names or only the first Author's last name, first name, followed by phrase et al.

Adams, Douglas, et al., Mostly Harmless. New York, Del Rey, 2000

If the Author is unknown, include only the Title of the work.

Book of Stuff, New York, Fancy Print, 2007.

Magazines

For an article, include the Author, the article's title in quotation marks, name of magazine, date and pages.

Smith, Dana. "Space Travel." Science Digest, Mar. 2005: 143-9.

Online

To reference a Web site, include the name of the site, date of the post or revision and the site owner or affiliation. Also include the date the information was accessed and URL contained in < >

Douglasadams.com. 1998, Douglas Adams, 2008. <www.douglasadams.com>

A Page on a Web Site

If a specific web page is cited, include the author if know, name of the page (or article), Web Site, dates and URL.

"Dirk Gently Graphic Novelage." Floor42.com. Mar 2004, August 2007

<http://www.floor42.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8722/>.

This is just a small sampling of the guidelines included in MLA Writing Style.