(MLA Guidelines)

Name: .....................................

<<< Works Cited & In-Text Citation Cheat Sheet>>>

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, an organization focused on language
and literature.

<<< What is Citing? >>>

When you borrow
Parenthetical
information from a source Works Cited
Documentation (a.k.a. In-
or use someone else’s
Text Citation)
ideas in your research or Give information on where
assignment, you have to you received the source at
Give credit to the author the end of the paper.
give the original author
within your paper.
credit.

2 types of citations:
PAGE Guidelines
In-Text Citation: The author’s
• 1 inch margins
• Double space entire document, name is mentioned in the
including the works cited page sentence and the page number
• Font: Times New Roman is contained in parenthesis at the
• Font Size: 12-pt end of the sentence.
• Indent each new paragraph
Parenthetical Citation: The
five spaces
• Include a header with your last author’s name and the page
name and page number number is captured in
• Do not bold or underline your parenthesis at the end of the
title sentence in which the quote,
paraphrase or summary occurs.
Make your writing interesting by using one of the
Move away from always using “says” or “writes.”

• Use quotations at strategically selected moments in

Basic Rule of Thumb > > >

<<<

your writing
• Quote short fragments instead of the entire quote,
but be sure not to change the meaning of the
USE strong VERBS

quote
• Provide your reader with context for the quotation
following verbs:

• Do not start a sentence with a quotation unless you

build context
• Elaborate on the evidence instead of merely
summarizing it
• Incorporate the quote within your sentence
• HINT: If you close your eyes and read the
sentence, you shouldn’t be able to tell where
your writing finishes and the author’s writing
begins
<<<

• Use an active voice and strong verbs

<<<

• Provide appropriate citations

© Read Write Transform | 2018 | MLA 8th Edition Cheat Sheet | Page 1 of 4
< < < In-Text Citation
<<<
___
There are four ways you
can include the author’s
name in the sentence. Pay
close attention to
punctuations., citations, and
how the quote is
incorporated into the
sentence.
___

<<< parenthetical Citation > > >

Start the Sentence with a Use Quote in the Middle End the Sentence with a
Quote: of the Sentence: Quote:

“Seven’s Year’s War broke
out in Europe between the
two nations” because both
nations continued to fight
for ultimate power (Smith
111).
Under British rule, the
Acadians were forced to
“take an Oath of
Allegiance to Britain” to
ensure their loyalty in case
a war broke out in Europe
again (Smith 111).
When France lost most of
its land to the British in 1713,
they retaliated by “building
the fortress of Louisbourg
on Cape Breton Island”
(Smith 111).

<<< When to use an ellipsis? > > >

• When you add word(s) or change a few words to

• When you lowercase or uppercase a letter from

When to use brackets? > > >

make the sentence flow, use a square bracket.

You do not have to use ellipsis points (…) at the beginning of

the original quote, put the change in square

a quotation or when a quotation is used in the middle of a
sentence, even if the quotation begins mid-sentence.

When a quotation is
presented as a single When a quotation ends
sentence made up of the sentence but you
___

material from two or are not using the entire

more original sentences, sentence, according to
ellipsis should be used for all MLA, you have to
omitted segments. include ellipsis points.
brackets.

When you quote a single sentence but omit a word or a

few words, use ellipsis. Omit any punctuation on either side
<<

of the ellipsis, unless the punctuation is necessary to make

the shortened quotation grammatically correct.

© Read Write Transform | 2018 | MLA 8th Edition Cheat Sheet | Page 2 of 4
Works Cited Guidelines
Last Name 6
• 1 inch margins Works Cited

• Font Size: 12-pt Apple, Joe. “Running Away.” The Way Home, Scholastic, 2016.

• Font: Times New Roman Kantz, Margaret. “Helping Students Use Textual Sources

• Double space each entry Persuasively.” College English, volume 52, number 1, 1990,

• Entries are alphabetically ordered pp. 74-91. Academic Search Elite.

• Last name and page number in header Khan, Reema. “Students Cannot Tell Fake News from Real

• Center and capitalized works cited at the top of the News.” CNN News, National Public Newsletters, 2017,

cnnnews.com/fakenews
paper
• Hanging indent of second and subsequent lines of citation

Core Elements Optional Elements NOTE

• Author. • Date of Original • The punctuation after
• Title of Source. Publication, each element is required
• Title of Container, • City of Publication, across all sources
• Other Contributors, • Other Facts. • Core elements are
• Version, • Date of Access. required for all sources
• Number, but some sources may
• Publisher, All sources in MLA 8th edition not have all the elements
• Publication Date, follow the same pattern and • If it is not provided, skip
• Location. require the same information that portion of the source
(if available).
_______________

<<< Examples of How to cite popular sources > > >

Entire Book Article or chapter in a book

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of
Publication Date, page range. Book, Publisher, Publication Date, page range.
Kendall, Michael. The New World Dilemma. Helfer, Mary. “Atomic Diplomacy.” Diplomatic
Penguin, 2009, pp. 87-98. History, Scholastics, 2008, pp. 12-45.

Journal Article from Database Journal article from a website

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title
of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date,
Page Range. Name of Database, URL/DOI.
Bernstein, Tyson. “The Relationship Between
Men and Women.” Journal of Relations, vol.
67, no. 5, 2009, pp. 12-45. JSTOR,
12.9863/siso.34.567.899653.
Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” Title
of the Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date,
Page Range. Name of Publisher, URL or DOI.
Jackson, Jack. “The New Generation.”
Relationships and Society, vol. 5, no. 4, 2009, pp.
56-88. JSTOR,
www.relationshipsandsociety.com/789&39si5.

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 Website
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article or Individual Page.” Title of the Website, Name of the Publisher,
Publication Date, URL
White, Lori. “The Newest Styles.” Upworthy, Cloud Tiger Media, 3 Aug. 2018,
www.upworthy.com/theneweststyles/g=2&c=hpstream.

NOTE: If the website doesn’t list an author, omit the author information from the citation and start the citation with the title.

Film or video Magazine or Newspaper Article

Title of Film. Directed by First and Last Name, Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title
performance(s) by First and Last name(s), of Newspaper/Magazine, Publication Date,
Production Company, Release Date.
Page Range.
Kill Bill. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Peterman, Jay E. “Obesity and Childhood.”
performances by Uma Thurman, David New York Times, 5 Mar. 2009, p. 53.
Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah,
Miramax, 2003.

Digital Image with a title

Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Digital Image.” Title of the Website, Publisher, Publication
Date, URL.

Vasquez, Gary A. “New Mexico.” Library of Congress, LC Publishing, 2004,

www.loc.gov/pictures/item/876259/.

Digital Image with no title

Last Name, First Name. Description of the image. Title of the Website, Publisher, Publication
Date, URL.

Vasquez, Gary A. Photograph of New Mexico Around Sunset. Library of Congress, LC Publishing,
2004, www.loc.gov/pictures/item/876259/.

© Read Write Transform | 2018 | MLA 8th Edition Cheat Sheet | Page 4 of 4