How to Reference Essays
Cite while you write., Gather information., Organize the sources., Alphabetize the list., Format the Works Cited page.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Cite while you write.
MLA makes use of short in-text citations inside parentheses, compiling them in an alphabetical Works Cited list at the end of the document.
While you're composing an essay, it's important to include where you get certain information in order to avoid plagiarism (passing another's knowledge as your own).
You will need a citation directly after every sentence containing information you didn't think of yourself.
These include: paraphrases, facts, statistics, quotes, and examples.
An in-text citation using MLA will simply have the author last name (or title if no author) followed by the page number.
No comma between author and page number.
For example: (Richards 456) Richards is the author last name, and 456 is the page number.
If you have an author name (or title, if no author) but no page number, simply use author last name (or title). -
Step 2: Gather information.
When you do research using MLA style of citation, you need to gather specific pieces of information for each citation.
You will need things like author’s name, publisher, date published, and page numbers.
The easiest way to keep track of MLA citations while doing research is to copy and paste copyright information into a word processing document as you go, or to write it down in a notebook.
Things to include for any source are author(s), date published, publisher, page number, volume and issue number, website, date accessed, anything that appears on the copyright page or indicates how to find it again., When you have completed your writing and are preparing to turn it in or publish it, you must alphabetize your citations in a Works Cited page.
This page should be the last of the document.
As an example, the format for a standard book citation using MLA style is as follows:
Last name of author, First name.
Title of Book.
City published:
Publisher Name, Year published.
Source Medium.
An MLA website citation looks like the following.
If there's no author listed, begin citation with the name of the page:
Last name, first name. "Page Title." Website Title.
Publisher.
Date published.
Source Medium.
Date accessed.
An MLA scholarly article citation looks like the following:
Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal.
Volume.Issue (Year): page numbers.
Source Medium.
Write the title of the main work (book, magazine, journal, website, etc.) in italics, or underline if you’re writing references by hand.
Chapter or article titles should be in quotation marks. , Place your list of references in order alphabetically by the authors' last names.
If there is no author listed, as is common on websites, simply skip the author’s name and begin the entry with the title of the work.
Alphabetize by the first letter that appears in the entry, whether it has an author name or not. , Double-space your document, and title this list of citations "Works Cited." The formatting should be in Times New Roman font, size 12, with “Works Cited” centered at the top of a new page.
Each entry should have hanging indent, meaning all lines below the first line are indented by half an inch.
Make sure there is a period after each section of the citations.
A period should always end the citation. -
Step 3: Organize the sources.
-
Step 4: Alphabetize the list.
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Step 5: Format the Works Cited page.
Detailed Guide
MLA makes use of short in-text citations inside parentheses, compiling them in an alphabetical Works Cited list at the end of the document.
While you're composing an essay, it's important to include where you get certain information in order to avoid plagiarism (passing another's knowledge as your own).
You will need a citation directly after every sentence containing information you didn't think of yourself.
These include: paraphrases, facts, statistics, quotes, and examples.
An in-text citation using MLA will simply have the author last name (or title if no author) followed by the page number.
No comma between author and page number.
For example: (Richards 456) Richards is the author last name, and 456 is the page number.
If you have an author name (or title, if no author) but no page number, simply use author last name (or title).
When you do research using MLA style of citation, you need to gather specific pieces of information for each citation.
You will need things like author’s name, publisher, date published, and page numbers.
The easiest way to keep track of MLA citations while doing research is to copy and paste copyright information into a word processing document as you go, or to write it down in a notebook.
Things to include for any source are author(s), date published, publisher, page number, volume and issue number, website, date accessed, anything that appears on the copyright page or indicates how to find it again., When you have completed your writing and are preparing to turn it in or publish it, you must alphabetize your citations in a Works Cited page.
This page should be the last of the document.
As an example, the format for a standard book citation using MLA style is as follows:
Last name of author, First name.
Title of Book.
City published:
Publisher Name, Year published.
Source Medium.
An MLA website citation looks like the following.
If there's no author listed, begin citation with the name of the page:
Last name, first name. "Page Title." Website Title.
Publisher.
Date published.
Source Medium.
Date accessed.
An MLA scholarly article citation looks like the following:
Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal.
Volume.Issue (Year): page numbers.
Source Medium.
Write the title of the main work (book, magazine, journal, website, etc.) in italics, or underline if you’re writing references by hand.
Chapter or article titles should be in quotation marks. , Place your list of references in order alphabetically by the authors' last names.
If there is no author listed, as is common on websites, simply skip the author’s name and begin the entry with the title of the work.
Alphabetize by the first letter that appears in the entry, whether it has an author name or not. , Double-space your document, and title this list of citations "Works Cited." The formatting should be in Times New Roman font, size 12, with “Works Cited” centered at the top of a new page.
Each entry should have hanging indent, meaning all lines below the first line are indented by half an inch.
Make sure there is a period after each section of the citations.
A period should always end the citation.
About the Author
Kimberly Cook
Experienced content creator specializing in practical skills guides and tutorials.
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