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Citation and Documentation with MLA

Tips

  • The first part of your Works Cited entry should match whatever is in your in-text citation.
  • The point of citation is to let your reader know exactly where your got the quotation or idea you are using; if you are not able to find a specific rule for the kind of resource you are using, follow this basic principle.

Citation Basics

Every time you use a quotation or fact or idea that comes from your research, you must provide a citation to show where that quotation, fact, or idea came from.

Your citation will have two parts:

1. In-text Citations

2. Works Cited Page

The In-text citations give a small amount of information right after the quotation or paraphrase in your essay. The Works Cited page should be on a separate page (unless your instructor tells you otherwise), and includes a detailed list of all the resources you used.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations usually have two pieces of information: the author's last name, and the page number of the information or quotation you're using. If there is no author or no page number, you must follow MLA rules for in-text citation.

More information and guidance can be found at Purdue University's OWL.

Works Cited page

Your Works Cited page should have entries for each resource you have used. Include detailed information on each resource, in the correct format.

More information on creating entries for your Works Cited page can be found from Purdue University's OWL: