MLA 9 Part 1

Modern Language Association

​Works Cited

What is MLA

• The Modern Language Association promotes the publication and study of articles and resources on language and literature.

• Typically, students of the humanities including English literature, foreign languages, and cultural studies, format their papers according to MLA guidelines.

What is MLA

• Students adhere to MLA formatting to ensure a consistent and easy-to-follow presentation of their work that allows their teachers or professors to fOCUS on the quality of their content.

• MLA 9 is the most current version of the format, having debuted in April 2021 .

Match

Match the followingMatch the following statements about MLA to their respective descriptions:

• The Modern Language Association promotes

• Typically, students of the humanities format

• Students adhere to MLA formatting to ensure

• MLA 9 is the most current version of the format

...the publication and study of articles and resources on language and literature.

...their papers according to MLA guidelines.

... a consistent presentation allowing professors to focus on content quality.

...having debuted in April 2021.

• ...the publication and study of articles and resources on language and literature.

• ...their papers according to MLA guidelines.

• ... a consistent presentation allowing professors to focus on content quality.

• ...having debuted in April 2021.

The Works Cited Page

• Any research paper must have a works cited page that allows readers to identify and access the sources cited within the paper.

• Whether another author's idea is directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized within your paper, you must include a full citation for the source of the idea on your works cited page.

• Crafting precise citations enhances your credibility as a writer; assists in avoiding any accusations of plagiarism, and positions you in ongoing conversations in the academic world!

Dropdown

What is the primary reason why a writer must include precise citations on their works cited page?

​ ​

Select answer

Works Cited Basics

• In general, an MLA citation attempts to identify:

  • the author of a work,

  • the title of the source,

  • the container of the source,

  • contributors to the source,

  • publication information which may include version and issue numbers, the publisher, publication dates, and the location of the source: URLs or page numbers.

Works Cited Basics

• It is your job as a student-author to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this information on your works cited page.

Match

Match the followingMatch the MLA citation element with its description:

• ...the person(s) who created or wrote the source.

• ...the name of the work being cited.

• ...the larger text or collection in which the source was published.

• ...other individuals who contributed to the creation of the source.

• ...the specific details about when and where the source was published.

Author

Title

Container

Contributors

Publication Information

• Author

• Title

• Container

• Contributors

• Publication Information

Alphabetizing the Works Cited Page

• Alphabetize your works cited page based on the first letter of each author's last name.

  • Example: a source by Jones, Georgia should come before Keller, Harold.

Alphabetizing the Works Cited Page

• If a source lacks a stated author, OR more than one work is cited by the same author (for example, two or more plays by Shakespeare), then alphabetize by the first letter of the source title.

  • Example: a source with no author titled "Designer Babies Fact or Fiction?" Should be alphabetized before a source written by Jones, Georgia.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sources should come first in an alphabetically arranged works cited page?

• A source written by Shakespeare titled "Hamlet"

• A source written by Jane Doe titled "The Effects of Climate Change"

• A source with no stated author titled "An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics"

• A source written by Robert Greene titled "The 48 Laws of Power"

Explanation

• According to the guidelines, if a source lacks a stated author or more than one work is cited by the same author, then alphabetize by the first letter of the source title. Therefore, since a source with no stated author titled "An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics" has no stated author, it should be alphabetized before any other sources on the works cited page.

The first line of each citation should touch the left-hand margin.

All subsequent lines should be indented 0.5 inches. This is a visual aid to help your readers know when a citation begins and ends.

​

The Hanging Indent

​To apply the hanging indent in Google Docs, highlight the entire citation and seek the indentations options menu.

The General Format for a Citation

The general format for any MLA citation follows a pattern:

• Author(s). "Title of Source." Title of Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

• Some citations include all of the elements. Some do not.

• Books, for example, list a publisher, but do not have a version and number information.

• Meanwhile, journal articles include version and number information, but do not list publishers.

  • Do your best to find all the information required of your sources!

Multiple Choice

Which is the correct general format for an MLA citation?

• Title of Source. Author(s), Title of Container, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

• Author(s). Title of Container, "Title of Source." Contributors, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

• Author(s). "Title of Source." Title of Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publication Date, Publisher, Location.

• Author(s). "Title of Source." Title of Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Location, Publication Date.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct MLA citation for the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee?

• Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Vintage Books, 1982.

• Lee, Harper. "To Kill a Mockingbird." Vintage Books, 1982.

• Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Vintage Books. 1982.

• Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 1982. Vintage Books.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct MLA citation for the novel 1984 by George Orwell?

• Orwell, George. 1984. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1981.

• Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classic, 1949.

• Orwell, George. “1984”. New York, NY: Signet Classic. 1981.

• George. Orwell. 1984. Signet Classic, 1981.

What is an Author?

• Authors can be:

  • People

  • Groups

.

• For people:

  • Last Name, First Name.

  • Ex: Smith, Carol.

• Notice how in the works cited it is Last Name, [comma] First Name. [period]

For two people:

• For two people:

  • Last Name, First Name and First Name Last Name.

  • Ex: Smith, Carol and Joe Davis.

.

When a work has two authors, include them in the order they appear on the work, and invert the first author's name but write out the second author's name normally.

For Groups

• For Groups:

  • Spell out the entire name of the group.

  • Don't abbreviate or invert the word order.

    • Example: Center for Disease Control

• Drop "The" as part of the group name.

  • Example: "White Stripes" as opposed to "The White Stripes"

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct way to cite the group "The Beatles" in MLA 9?

• The Beatles

• Beatles, The

• Beatles

• The Beatles, Ltd.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct way to cite the group "The United Nations" in MLA 9?

• United Nations

• The United Nations

• United Nations, Inc.

• United Nations (UN)

Authors Continued

• Some articles are written by large groups of people.

  • For sources with three or more authors, only include the first author and abbreviate the rest with et al. (Latin for "and others").
    Ex: Smith, Carol, et al.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct way to cite a source with three authors in MLA 9?

• Smith, Carol, Jones, John, and Brown, Susan.

• Smith, Carol, et al.

• Smith, Carol, Jones, John.

• Smith, Carol, Brown, Susan.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct way to cite a source with four authors in MLA 9?

• Smith, Carol, Jones, John, Brown, Susan, and White, Tom.

• Smith, Carol, et al.

• Smith, Carol, Jones, John, and Brown, Susan.

• Smith, Carol, Brown, Susan, and White, Tom.

Author’s Continued

• Don't invert the word order of authors with non-traditional names.

  • Ex: Lil Wayne

  • Compared to: Lamar, Kendrick

Author’s Continued

• Authors with online handles that differ from their real names can be presented in brackets when citing social media.

  • Ex: Lovato, Demi [@ddlovato].

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct way to cite a source by an author with a non-traditional name?

• Weird Al Yankovic.

• Yankovic, Weird Al.

• Yankovic, Al.

• Yankovic, Al, and Lamar, Kendrick.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the correct way to cite a source by an author with an online handle that differs from their real name?

• Grimes.

• Grimes [@grimes].

• Grimes, Claire Elise Boucher [@grimes].

• Boucher, Claire Elise [@grimes].