MLA /APA Resources

MLA Resources

Formatting Your Paper & Sample Papers

Evaluating Your Sources

WHO is the author of the source? Is the author qualified to address the subject? Does the author draw on appropriate research and make a logical argument? Do you perceive bias or the possibility of it in the author’s relationship with the subject matter?

WHAT is the source? Does it have a title, and does that title tell you anything about it? Is it a primary source or secondary source? Does the source document its own sources in a trustworthy manner?

HOW was the source produced? Does it have a recognized publisher or sponsoring organization? Was it subjected to a process of vetting, such as peer review, through which authorities in the field addressed its quality?

WHERE did you find the source? Was it cited in an authoritative work? Was it among the results of a search you conducted through a scholarly database? Did you discover it through a commercial search engine that may weight results by popularity or even payment?

WHEN was the source published? Could its information have been supplemented or replaced by a more recent work?

Checklist for Evaluating Sources

*Excerpted and adapted from the MLA Handbook 8th ed

MLA Handbook Eighth Edition, The Modern Language Association, 2016, pp.10-13.

Embedding Quotes & In-text Citations

Introducing and Embedding Quotations

Resource from The Writing Center which gives examples and tips on how to introduce and embed quotations.

How do I properly format an in-text citation in MLA style?

  • Basic format (Author’s last name Page #) 
    Ex. (Smith 7)

  • No author? Use article title instead (“Article Title” Page #)
    (“Genetic” 7)

  • Electronic source with no page number? Omit the page number. 
    (“Organic ”)

Citing Sources & Works Cited Page

Key differences from MLA 7 (all in creating Works Cited entries):

  • One standard method applies to every source type

  • There is not one "right" method for citations; there is flexibility for the type of source you are using

  • URLs are now included (no http:)

  • Vol., no., and pp. now included for volume, number, and page numbers.

  • Authors can be usernames (sources must still be credible)

  • Omitting the publisher (if the same as website title)

  • Omitting publication city

  • Clarification on shortening long titles 

  • The use of containers

Containers are the elements that “hold” the source. For example, if a television episode is watched on Netflix, Netflix is the container. Both the title of the source and its container are included in a citation.

Practice Template for a Works Cited Entry

Blank template for printing and creating a Works Cited entry from scratch OR used as a resource for order of items in a source.

Works Cited: A Quick Guide

Details how to format sources with several different container types

How do I cite a source from the electronic databases?

How do I create a hanging indent (where every line but the first is indented) for my Works Cited page?

In Google Drive:

  • Find the ruler at the top of the document

  • Click on the little triangle and move the margin to the .5 mark

  • Then, click the little rectangle and move it back to the 0 mark

  • Here's what it should look like when you are done:

In Microsoft Office 2007 and later:

  • Highlight text 

  • Right click and choose Paragraph

  • Change the Special tab to Hanging (might as well Double space while you are at it)

APA Resources