MLA Documentation

Parenthetical Documentation
The purpose of parenthetical documentation is to indicate what the source is of the information you have referenced.

All information, ideas, facts, graphics etc. that is not common knowledge must be documented. Parenthetical documentation refers the reader of your paper to the works cited page.

Parenthetical Documentation
In most cases the authors last name and page reference are enough to identify the source from within the information was taken. In the beginning we were just about in the same boat as Adam and Eve. We had to learn the names of everything. Nkoko, mongo, zulu river, mountain, sky (Kingsolver 123).

Works Cited Page

Author, Title, City, Publisher, Date are the basic elements of a works cited entry. To document the book from which I took the previous quotation: Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. New York: Harper Collins, 1998.

Works Cited Page

Works cited pages should be in the following format: Center Works Cited at the top of the page List sources in alphabetical order Do not number the sources Indent all lines after the first line of an entry Be sure to end every entry with a period Double space!

Remember
Format is important. You dont have to memorize the format if you have a reference and look it up. Parenthetical documentation allows the reader to find the source in the works cited page. The works cited page should be the last page in your document.

Remember
You have been issued a North Muskegon High School Student Handbook The MLA documentation information is in the back of the handbook. You should use the appropriate format whenever you have to cite a source to avoid plagiarism. I recommend purchasing A Pocket Style Manual by Diana Hacker. www.dianahacker.com/pocket