Print out a complete copy of each article that may be used in the paper, including all copyright pages, search pages and links. Save digital copies as well. Doing so makes it easier for writers to quote accurately and to have on hand all the information needed to create an MLA citation; such information includes the author's complete name, the article title and the title of the journal in which the article appears, the publishers, the publication date, and the page numbers. Highlight or circle all required information for reference later.
Give credit to authors whose works have been used for support within the article you reference. According to Cheryl Glenn and Linda Gray, editors of the Hodges Harbrace Handbook, parenthetical citations "refer your readers to the list of works cited at the end of the paper, tell them where to find the borrowed material in the original source, and indicate the boundaries between your ideas and those you have borrowed." In short, a parenthetical citation leads readers to more complete information about a source.
Use attribution, which sets the context for the quote and helps prevent plagiarism by making it clear whose words are being used. To use attribution, name the author and article title as a lead-in to the quote and at the end of the sentence enclose the page number in parenthesis. Here's an example: In the article "Following MLA Guidelines" author John Smith states, "Double-check for accuracy" (1).
When you embed a quote into an original sentence, provide the author's last name and the page number inside parenthesis at the end of the sentence. For example: Careful writers want to "double-check for accuracy" before turning in a paper (Smith 1). When an article does not name an author, as in material put out by a sponsoring agency, name the article title in the parenthetical citation. For example: It has been reported that before turning in their papers, authors should "double-check for accuracy" ("How to Cite Using MLA" 2). The information inside a parenthetical citation should match the first words of a Works Cited entry.
An in-text citation leads readers to a corresponding entry on the Works Cited page. This page is not an optional add-on; it is an integral part of any essay in which a writer has quoted, paraphrased or summarized. The Works Cited page is the last page of a paper and contains complete information about the sources used, allowing other researchers to locate sources.
A basic entry is double-spaced and contains the following information: Author's last name and first name. The title of the article or book chapter in quotation marks. The book or journal title italicized or underlined. The city the work was published in. The publishing company and date the work was published. The beginning and end pages of the article. The medium.
Example:
Works Cited
"How to Cite Using MLA." Citation Styles. ABC University, 20 June 2009. Web. 22
June 2010.
Smith, John. "Following MLA Guidelines." MLA: Cite it Right. New York:
Educational Publishing, 2009. 1-15. Print.