Citing Sources
All sources must be documented. Instead of footnotes, use parentheses at the end of the sentence
to be documented. In the most often-used case, the parentheses should include only the author‟s
name and the page numbers, with no commas and no p. or pp. The period ending the sentence
should be after the closing parenthesis. For other types of situations, note the examples below
and consult the Guide to the New MLA Style of Documentation.
In Text Parenthetical Citation
Classical Literature
“Yes, for it was not Zeus who gave them forth/ Nor Justice, dwelling with the Gods below/ Who
traced these laws for all the sons of men” (Sophocles, Antigone, 193-195).
[Comment: If the edition of your text does not have line numbers, then use page numbers instead.
But if your edition does have line numbers, then you must use them instead of page numbers.]
Vergil Aeneid 4.1-10 or Ver. Aen. 4.1-10.
[Comment: Sophocles, the Greek tragedian, and Vergil (or Virgil (Aeneid4.1-10)), the Roman
epic poet, each wrote multiple works of poetry. So, the citation should include the author's name
(abbreviations are customary), the title (again, abbreviations are customary) and the line
numbers. In the reference to Sophocles' Antigone, the passage cited are lines 193-195; the play
is a single entity and is not divided into books or chapters. In the reference to Vergil's Aeneid,
however, the line numbers ("1-10") are distinguished as coming from the fourth book of
the Aeneid("4"), rather than any of the other 11 books of the epic poem.]
Plato in The Republic criticizes the division of labor based on sex (454d-456b).
[Comment: the numbers refer to standard Stephanus pagination (margin numbers).]
Plato‟s learned ignorance commands skepticism regarding what comes after death
(Apology handout, 4).
[Comment: in citing handouts use as much as information as you have. If the handout has a
title, use it. If it doesn’t, simply cite as ‘handout’ with the appropriate page number.]
Yet as Masetto made clear in his response to the Don‟s approaches to Zerlina, he is fully aware
of his „class status‟ as a mere peasant (Ponte 35).
[Comment: citing a Libretto.]
Many have disputed Freud‟s contention that Oedipus‟ process of self-discovery could “be
likened to the work of a psychoanalysis” (FYSI 67).
[Comment: citing the Anthology.]
Before God created light, “…darkness was over the surface of the deep,” (Gen. 1:2).
[Comment: the book of the Bible should be abbreviated, and a colon should separate chapter
and verse. References to the sacred and revered works of world religious traditions may,
according to context, be treated in a similar manner to biblical references. The Qu’ran is set in
roman, and citations to its sections use Arabic numerals and colons (e.g., Qur’an 19:17-21).
Such collective terms as the Vedas or the Upanishads are normally capitalized and set in roman,
but particular parts are italicized (e.g., the Rig-Veda or the Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad).]
John K. Mahow offers this comment on the War of 1812:
Financing the war was very difficult at the time. Baring Brothers, a banking firm of the
enemy country, handled routine accounts for the United States overseas, but the firm
would take on no loans. The loans were in the end absorbed by wealthy Americans at
great hazard–also, as it turned out, at great profit to them. (385)
[Comment: Indent quotes longer than four lines and double space. Here the page reference at
the end of this quotation is placed OUTSIDE of the last sentence because it refers not only to the
last sentence, but to the entire quotation preceding it.]
Citing Dante‟s Inferno.
[Comment: Short citations to works by Dante are included parenthetically in running text (and
may be used in endnotes as well). Citing endnotes parenthetically simply requires the title, canto,
and lines: (Inf. 31.112–14).]
The point has been argued before (Frege 178-85).
Others like Wellek and Warren (310-15), hold an opposite point of view.
[Comment: Here the authors are not included in the parentheses because they are mentioned in
the sentence.]
I believe that it is true that “in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of
primary importance” (Robertson 136).
As Burka has argued, the fact that there are many different types of users actually enhances the
on-line experience (Burka).
[Comment: no page numbers are required when making reference to a general point made by an
author, in one text, whose full bibliographic information you provide in your works cited page.]
Nonetheless, as Burka points out in one of her earlier works, the internet can be helpful in
establishing meaningful relationships with other people (Burka, 1989, 24).
[Comment: the date of a text is included when you make reference to more than one text of the
same author.]
Berlin argues that this lack of a unifying ethical superstructure will instead lead to what he thinks
is “tolerance” (Berlin 235).
[Comment: you must provide full bibliographic information in your endnotes when you cite a
source parenthetically.]
With a rhetorical flourish, Theseus first tells Robin to “overcast the night”, then rephrases the
command in more elevated language: “The starry welkin cover thou anon/ With drooping fog as
black as Acheron” (3.2.3578).
[Comment: When you quote from Shakespeare, or cite a passage, use the form '5.1.227', where
the numbers refer to the act, scene, and lines. Do not give page references.]
But Frege and Bree disagree strongly with Mahow on this issue (Frege 42; Bree 101-33). [Two
sources; use semicolon]
This theory of signs falls within the tradition of Burkhardt (Cassirer 1: 295-319). [Comment:
multivolume work.]
In its treatment of form Picasso‟s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was as violent a revolt against
traditional Impressionism as the paintings of the Fauves in the realm of color.
[Comment: Use underlining or italics for the titles of works of art, except architecture. E.g.,
Michelangelo's David, the Palazzo Vecchio.]
End Notes
Listing the sources. The full reference to the works is contained in an alphabetical listing at the
end of the paper under the title, “Works Cited.” Double space within and between entries, and
use a hanging tab or 5-space indentation after the first line of each entry.
Examples:
Chester, Laura, and Sharon Barba, eds. Rising Tides: Twentieth Century American Women Poets.
Intro. Anais Nin. New York: Simon, 1973. [Comment: Indent the second line 5 spaces; use
double spacing; use underlining or italics for titles of books, magazines, and journals.]
Plato. Republic. Trans. Robin Waterfield. New York: Oxford UP, 1993.
Plato. Republic. Excerpted in Global Studies. Ed. by Bruce Matthews. Xerox course packet,
2008. [Citing a Xeroxed course packet.]
Dante Alighieri. Dante’s Inferno. Ed. and trans. Mark Musa. Bloomington, Indiana UP, 1995.
Tao Te Ching. The Way. Xeroxed course handout, 2008.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. “Apollonianism and Dionysianism.” First Year Seminar Bard High School
Early College Anthology. Fall 2005 (103-107).
[Comment: citing a course anthology.]
Puruusa Sukta Upanishad. History and Philosophy of Religion Handout. Fall 2007 (3).
[Comment: citing a Xerox handout.]
Aeschylus. Prometheus Bound. In Aeschylus II, trans. David Grene (Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1956) 138-180.
Silvers, Anita. “The Story of Art is the Test of Time.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art
Criticism. 49 (Summer 1991): 211-224.
[Comment: journal article.]
Stangos, Nikos, ed. Concepts of Modern Art. 2nd ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 1981.
[Comment: revised edition.]
James, Peter. Ed. and trans. The Swine. By Frenando Chita. 3rd ed. London: Smith, 1992.
[Comment: editor and translator.]
„The Question of Machiavelli,‟ Isaiah Berlin, in The Prince (R.M. Adams, Ed. & Trans.). Norton
Critical Editions. New York: Norton. (Original work published 1532.)
[Comment: essay in critical edition.]
Jakobsin, Roman, and Linda R. Waugh. The Sound and Shape of Language. Bloomington, IN:
Indiana UP, 1979.
Russell, Robert John. “Cosmology, Creation, and Contingency.” Cosmos as Creation: Theology
and Science in Consonance. Ed. Ted Peters. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1989. 177-209.
[Comment: One selection from an anthology or edited book.]
Machiavelli, N. (1992). The Prince (R.M. Adams, Ed. & Trans.). Norton Critical Editions. New
York: Norton. (Original work published 1532.)
[Comment: Critical Edition]
Samuels, Anita. “Freeze-Dried Music: Just Add Artists.” New York Times 4 September 1995:
17+.
[Comment: Signed article in a newspaper.]
Bialostosky, D. H. (1991). Liberal education, writing, and the dialogic self.
In P. Harkin & J. Schilb (Eds.), Contending with words: composition and rhetoric in
apostmodern age (pp. 11-22). New York: MLA.
[Comment: article in a book]
Ponte, Lorenzo da. Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Dover Publications, New York, 1985.
[Comment: Libretto]
Format for Works Found on the Internet
To cite files available on the WWW, give the author‟s name, last name first (if known); the full
title of the work, in quotation marks; the title of the complete work (if applicable), in italics; any
version or file numbers; and the date of the document or last revision (if available). Next, list the
protocol (e.g., “http”) and the full URL, followed by the date of access in parentheses.
Burka, Lauren P. “A Hypertext History of MultiUser Dimensions.” MUD History. 1993.
http://www.utopia.com/talent/lpb/muddex/essay (2 Aug. 1996).
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
Online sources can be found at Bard College‟s Writer‟s Resources page – click here.
The following books are useful reference works.
1) Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (The
University of Chicago Press). A widely used manual, available in an inexpensive paperback
edition.
2) William Strunk, Jr, and E.B. White, The Elements of Style (New York: The Macmillan Co.).
A brief and very readable book on style, also available in an inexpensive paperback edition,
containing many helpful suggestions.
3) Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff, The Modern Researcher (New York: Harcourt, Brace &
World). Although written by historians, this work contains many ideas that are relevant to the
writing of papers in philosophy. Available in paperback.
4) H.W. Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (Oxford University Press). A useful
reference work for rectifying common errors in usage.
5) A Manual of Style (The University of Chicago Press). The authoritative reference work on
matters of style in the writing of scholarly books and articles.
6) On-line at Duke‟s “University Writing Program Guide to Library Research”
athttp://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/within.htm.
7) On-line at Yale University‟s “The Writing Center”
athttp://www.yale.edu/bass/writing/sources/why.html.