MLA
Documentation
The Mention-Citation
Sandwich
Creating PARENTHETICAL
CITATIONS
and
A Works Cited Page
Basic Document Format
• Double space everything
• Last name and page number on right
margin of header
• Information at top of page one is
standardized (your name, instructor name,
class, date)
• Title is centered
• Works Cited page appears on separate
page after the text is finished
Sample First Page
What is MLA?
• Modern Language Association
– Humanities
– Most 4-year college classes will use
• Other documentation styles
– Chicago Style
– APA
• Used by Social Sciences
• Most handbooks do cover APA
– Many other specialized
• Once you learn one, others easy to adapt
– All include citations within the text (or endnotes
or footnotes) and some type of bibliography
A Three-Pronged Attack
• Mention
– In the paper, you will introduce sources
– Get used to phrases like, ―According to….‖
• Citation
– Parenthetical citations signal the end of source
material
• Works Cited Page
– Your book/handbook provides models
Part 1: The Mention
• Come right out and
say it!
• Use the author’s full
name and article or
book title the first time.
• Author’s last name
thereafter.
• Sample:
– According to Models
for Writers by Alfred
Rosa and Paul
Eschholz, ―To describe
is to create a verbal
picture‖ (343).
– Rosa and Eschholz go
on to give an example
written by Thomas
Mann of a deli (343).
Part 2: The Citation
• Sample:
• What goes inside the
parentheses will vary by
what source you have.
• Print sources: Author’s last
name and page number
(Smith 25).
• Electronic sources won’t
have a page number:
(Smith).
• Anonymous articles or
books: abbreviation of the
title— ―Time for a Change‖
would become (―Time‖ 27)
or (―Time‖).
– According to Models for
Writers by Alfred Rosa
and Paul Eschholz, ―To
describe is to create a
verbal picture‖ (343).
– Rosa and Eschholz go on
to give an example written
by Thomas Mann of a deli
(343).
The Mention-Citation Sandwich
• It is NOT ok to just have a citation at the
end of a paragraph
– Implies that only the last sentence came from
the source
• By starting with a mention and ending with
a citation, you make it clear everything
from point A to point B came from that
same source
• Examples….
The Mention-Citation Sandwich
• Incorrect
The traditional Southern ―lady‖ is the
mistress of her husband’s plantation and a
―symbol of lost virtue‖ in that the Southern men
hadn’t been able to insure her safety during the
Civil War..... A wife’s vocation was to enhance
the comfort, social status, and masculinity of her
husband‖ (Blackwelder 98).
• Correct
In ―Ladies, Belles, Working Women, and Civil
Rights,‖ Julia Kirk Blackwelder offers a model of
the traditional Southern ―lady‖: she is the mistress
of her husband’s plantation and a ―symbol of lost
virtue‖ in that the Southern men hadn’t been able
to insure her safety during the Civil War.... A
wife’s vocation was to enhance the comfort, social
status, and masculinity of her husband‖ (98).
Works Cited Page
• Purpose: to give the reader the information
necessary to find the source for him or
herself.
• Contains all bibliographic information such
as author, title, source, dates, etc.
• The information you will need includes:
– Author, Title, Source, Date, Place/Publisher,
Medium and sometimes more.
Works Cited Rules
• Alphabetized by
author’s last name.
• If no author, the title is
used.
• Double-spaced using
―hanging indent.‖
• Comes at the end of
your paper but is part
of the same document.
Other Tidbits
• Capitalization of Titles
– Use initial capitalization even if the source you
got it from does not! (Online sources are
notorious for not following MLA rules.)
• Quotation Marks for Titles
– Magazine articles, songs, TV episodes,
poems, stories, etc.
• Italics for Titles
– Books, CD’s, TV shows, movies,
journals, websites etc.
Creating Entries
• All books & textbooks which cover how to
cite sources do so by example
– The LSCC Library has kindly provided a
handout that gives samples based on our
databases and other resources
• Also examine the sections in our textbooks
that give samples of Works Cited entries.
• Use your handbook first!
Computer Help with Works Cited
•
•
•
•
When finished typing the paper itself, press Enter
Go to the INSERT menu and insert a PAGE BREAK
Center the phrase ―Works Cited‖
Press ENTER, return to the Left Margin, and turn on
―Hanging Indent‖
– Use the Format/Paragraph Menu
– Can also use the Ruler
Adding Source Material to Your
Paper
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summary
Quoting
• Word-for-word inclusion of information
from a source.
• Indicated as a quote with quotation marks.
• When to use? When the original wording
is particularly striking or important.
• Avoid over-using quotes, especially long
quotes that will have to be indented.
Paraphrasing
• More than just re-wording.
• Cannot have the same sentence structure.
• A statement wholly in your own words that
captures information from a source.
• Will not use quotation marks, but will still
indicate that a source is involved—
mention/citation sandwich!
Summarizing
• Similar to paraphrase in that summary is in
your own words and does not mimic the
structure of the original in any way.
• The difference is that summary boils
something large into something smaller.
– A whole book could be summarized in one
paragraph.
– A whole paragraph or essay might take up only
one sentence.
Clarity is Key
• How does your reader know what ideas
are yours and what come from your
sources?
• By using the Mention-Citation Sandwich,
you will always make it clear where you
end and where your sources begin.
• The following slide offers a sample from a
research paper with the ―source‖ areas
inside the red mention-citations, and
original material in blue.
One artist who has recently come under fire is
Reggae performer Beenie Man. As Peter Bailey’s
article ―Beenie Man Feels the Heat‖ points out,
―Beenie Man is … taking heat from gay activists for
his violently homophobic lyrics‖ (Bailey). Even if
music like Beenie Man’s doesn’t make kids commit
violent acts, you do have to wonder how appropriate it
is for kids. OutRage President Peter Tatchell says,
―’We’re talking about someone who is saying you
should burn gay people alive’‖ (Bailey). Clearly, such
acts are not acceptable. Bailey goes on to discuss a
criminal case currently pending against Beenie Man in
England. There, it is illegal ―to use threatening words
to incite violence‖ (Bailey).
Now What?
• Your mission…..
– To successfully document
sources in your Research
Paper and any paper you
ever write in which you get
material from a source other
than your brain
• The payoff….
– Your instructors will love
you!
– You will never inadvertently
plagiarize again!
– See your instructor or the Learning
Center for extra help!
Working on the
Works Cited Page
Print Sources on
the Works Cited
Page
Citing A One Author Book
Author Last, First. Title. City: Publisher,
Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael. Bloody Sundays: Inside the
Dazzling, Rough-and-Tumble World of the
NFL. New York: William Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A Two Author Book
Author Last, First and First Last. Title.
City: Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael and Dan Jones. Bloody
Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Rough-andTumble World of the NFL. New York: William
Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A Three Author Book
Author Last, First, First Last, First Last.
Title. City: Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael, James Smith and Dan Jones.
Bloody Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Roughand- Tumble World of the NFL. New York:
William Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A Four or More Author Book
Author Last, First, et al. Title. City:
Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael, et al. Bloody Sundays: Inside
the Dazzling, Rough-and- Tumble World of the
NFL. New York: William Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A One Editor Book
Author Last, First, ed. Title. City:
Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael, ed. Bloody Sundays: Inside
the Dazzling, Rough-and-Tumble World of the
NFL. New York: William Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A Two Editor Book
Author Last, First and First Last, eds.
Title. City: Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael and Dan Jones, eds. Bloody
Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Rough-andTumble World of the NFL. New York: William
Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A Three Editor Book
Author Last, First, First Last, First Last, eds.
Title. City: Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael, James Smith and Dan Jones, eds.
Bloody Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Roughand- Tumble World of the NFL. New York:
William Morrow, 2003. Print.
Citing A Four or More Editor Book
Author Last, First, et al., eds. Title. City:
Publisher, Date. Medium.
Freeman, Michael, et al., eds. Bloody Sundays:
Inside the Dazzling, Rough-and- Tumble World of
the NFL. New York: William Morrow, 2003. Print.
Use the same format
for naming authors and
editors in books,
articles, and websites,
whenever the names
are available.
Citing Articles with Author
Author Last, First. ―Title of Article.”
Periodical Date: Page(s). Medium.
Freeman, Michael. “Bloody Sundays: Inside the
Dazzling, Rough- and-Tumble World of the
NFL.” Sports Illustrated 20 Dec. 2005: 224+.
Print.
Citing Articles with No Author
―Title of Article.” Periodical
Date: Page(s). Medium.
“Bloody Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Rough-
and-Tumble World of the NFL.” Sports
Illustrated 20 Dec. 2005: 224+. Print.
Citing Article Dates
Weekly: 20 Dec. 2005:
Monthly: Dec. 2005:
Bimonthly: Nov- Dec. 2005:
“Bloody Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Rough-
and-Tumble World of the NFL.” Sports
Illustrated 20 Dec. 2005: 224+. Print.
Citing Articles with Volumes and Issues
―Title of Article.” Periodical Volume.Issue
(Year): Page(s). Medium.
“Bloody Sundays: Inside the Dazzling, Roughand-Tumble World of the NFL.” Sports
Journal 22.3 (2005): 224+. Print.
Web Sources on
the Works Cited
Page
E-Book
Author Last, First. Title. City: Publisher,
Date. Source. Medium. Retrieved
Date.
Freeman, Michael. Bloody Sundays: Inside the
Dazzling, Rough-and-Tumble World of the
NFL. New York: William Morrow, 2003.
NetLibrary. Web. 21 May 2009
Magazine from a Database
Author Last, First. ―Title of Article.” Periodical
Date: Page(s). Source. Medium. Retrieved
Date.
Freeman, Michael. “Bloody Sundays: Inside the
Dazzling, Rough- and-Tumble World of the
NFL.” Sports Illustrated 20 Dec. 2005: 224+.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 May
2009.
Journal Article from a Database
Last, First. ―Title of Article.” Periodical
Volume. Issue (Year): Page(s). Database.
Medium. Retrieved Date.
Freeman, Michael. “Bloody Sundays: Inside the
Dazzling, Rough- and-Tumble World of the
NFL.” Sports Journal 22.3 (2005): 224+.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 May 2009.
Citing Documents on Websites
―Title of Article.” Name of Website. Date
of Last Update. Medium.
Date Retrieved.
―Surveillance Under the USA Patriot Act.‖ American
Civil Liberties Union. 3 Apr. 2003. Web. 22 Apr. 2009.
Include author’s or editor’s name before the title if
one is available. Generally, common websites do
not indicate an author.
Are you still stuck?
If you need more citation examples go to
http://www.lscc.edu/library/citation.htm.
For assistance from a librarian or tutor call:
Learning Center:
Libraries:
Leesburg 352-365-3586 Leesburg 352-365-3554
352-536-2156
S. Lake
352-536-2148 S. Lake
352-568-3074
Sumter
352-568-3074 Sumter