Modern Language Association (MLA) Style

Why do we quote sources?Provides background informationExplains terms or conceptsSupports claimLends authority to argumentCounters objections

Introduce source with signal phrase that names its author.

Follow material cited by a page number in parenthesis.

List the works cited (or quoted) in a works cited page.

In the 2001 Wall Street Journal article “Droughtbusters,” legal reporter Adam Sandler states, “All is not well in the world of water” (45).

Should I use a comma or not?

Adam Sandler states, “All is not well in the world of water” (45).

(This first instance introduces a sentence, but the second instance uses “that” to introduce a section of a sentence being quoted.)

Derek Zoolander notes that “to achieve fame is to learn to turn left” (65).

Use brackets to insert your own words into quoted material.

In the 2001 Wall Street Journal article “Droughtbusters,” legal reporter [and famous actor] Adam Sandler states, “All is not well in the world of water” (45).

To indicate a misspelling in the quote, insert [sic] with brackets after the error.

Avoid dropping quotes into the essay!Some experts argue that water will be the catalyst for the next world war. “Countries should act now to begin a network that will provide support for countries who feel the effects of drought first” (Smith).

Who is Smith? Why should the reader care what he or she says?

Introduce the credentials of the source in the signal phrase.

U.S. EPA President Adam Sandler asserts, “Countries should act now to begin a network that will provide support for countries who feel the effects of drought first” (24).

In his 2012 bestseller How to Manage Anger, actor Mel Gibson notes, “Anger was my real issue. Drinking was only a coping mechanism” (45).

Author who has been previously named in a signal phrase:

“Companies can monitor employees’ keystrokes without legal penalty, but they may have to combat low morale as a result” (Lane 129).

Author unknown:

Either use the complete title of the article in the signal phrase or use a short form of the title in parenthesis.

“Companies can monitor employees’ keystrokes without legal penalty, but they may have to combat low morale as a result” (“Secrets”, 129).

Original article title: “Dirty Secrets of Companies in the Age of the Internet”

Condensed title: “Secrets”

Remember to use the full title on the works cited page!

Page number unknown:

Many Web sources lack page numbers. Introduce the adequate information in the signal phrase:

As a 2005 study by Salary.com indicates, the Internet ranked as the top choice among employees for ways of wasting time on the job” (Martinez, par. 4).

Two or three authors:

Amy Kaster and Edward Norton argue that “employee monitoring is a dependable, capable, and very affordable process of recording all employee activity at work” (2).

Organization as author:

According to a 2001 survey by the U.S. EPA, “Employee monitoring is a dependable, capable, and very affordable process of recording all employee activity at work” (2).

Indirect source:

According to Bill Murray, playing a character who is masquerading as a zombie is “about as much fun as playing an actual zombie” (qtd. in Coleman 2).

Your original source, Coleman, is listed on your works cited page.

The ellipses:

According to Bill Murray, playing a character who is masquerading as a zombie is “not only the highlight of my career, but . . . about as much fun as playing an actual zombie” (qtd. in Coleman 2).

This allows the writer to leave out the boring part.

Verbs in signal phrases: