MLA Citation Practice

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What is MLA citation?

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MLA citation is a style of referencing used in academic writing to give credit to sources of information, following guidelines set by the Modern Language Association.

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What is an in-text citation?

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An in-text citation is a brief reference within the text of a paper that indicates the source of information or a quote, typically including the author's last name and page number.

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What is the purpose of citations?

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Citations are used to give credit to the original authors of ideas or information, to avoid plagiarism, and to allow readers to locate the sources.

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What is a direct citation?

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A direct citation is when an author's exact words are quoted and placed within quotation marks in a text.

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What is a paraphrase?

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A paraphrase is when an idea from a source is restated in one's own words without changing the original meaning.

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When should you use in-text citations?

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In-text citations should be used whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information from an outside source.

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What is the correct format for an in-text citation in MLA?

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The correct format includes the author's last name and the page number in parentheses, e.g., (Smith 23).

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What is the difference between a summary and a paraphrase?

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A summary condenses the main ideas of a source into a shorter form, while a paraphrase rewords a specific passage without condensing it.

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What is the correct way to cite a source with no author?

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If there is no author, use a shortened title of the work in place of the author's name in the in-text citation.

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What should you do if a source has multiple authors?

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For a source with two authors, include both last names in the citation; for three or more, use the first author's last name followed by 'et al.'