In this video, I show you how to cite any source in MLA format


The guidelines for citing an essay in MLA format are similar to those for citing a chapter in a book. Include the author of the essay, the title of the essay, the name of the collection if the essay belongs to one, the editor of the collection or other contributors, the publication information, and the page number(s).


is copying the wording from someone else's work, keeping it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting, place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation.

A haunting image comes next: “They lift frail heads in gravity and good faith. // They are begging us, you see, in their wordless way, / To do something, to speak on their behalf” (Mahon).

5 Ways to Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format

To cite your sources in an essay in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author’s name(s), chapter title, book title, editor(s), publication year, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for in-text citations and a works-cited-list entry for essay sources and some examples are given below:

I can not find any information on this topic. How do you write an in-text citation for an article you're using twice in the same paragraph? do you write the whole in-text citation for both? Both quotes are from the same article without an author.

MLA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the page number from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken, for example: (Smith 163). If the source does not use page numbers, do not include a number in the parenthetical citation: (Smith).

Separate lines in a poetry quotation with a , and include the either in your text or in parentheses after the quote. To show the location of the quote, include (if specified in the text) or a page number (if the poem is published across multiple pages).


Graphic showing when and how to create MLA In-text citations

To cite an essay in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author(s), the essay title, the book title, editor(s), publication year, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for citations in prose, parenthetical citations, and works-cited-list entries for an essay by multiple authors, and some examples, are given below:

How to Properly to Cite Dialogue in MLA

When you want to cite a section of your source that is four lines or less, you set off the quote in the text with double quotation marks directly before and after the quoted material. End punctuation goes before the final quotation mark.

MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Websites

In the second example (a web page), a parenthetical citation is not necessary because the page does not list an author, and the title of the article, “MLA Formatting and Style Guide,” is used as a signal phrase within the sentence. If the title of the article was not named in the sentence, an abbreviated version would appear in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. Both corresponding Works Cited entries are as follows:

MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): In-Text Citation

You may also want to investigate whether a third-party organization has provided directions for how to cite this kind of source. For example, Norquest College provides —an author category that does not appear in the MLA Handbook. In cases like this, however, it's a good idea to ask your instructor or supervisor whether using third-party citation guidelines might present problems.

Library Guides: MLA Quick Citation Guide: In-text Citation

In school, I was taught that the in-text MLA citations should always be at the end of the sentence, even when the quote itself is located in the middle of a sentence. I was looking at the Purdue OWL website and noticed that it says to put the author and page number right after a quote, even if the quote is in the middle of the sentence.

MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

Sometimes information is missing or inaccurate in a quote. Words can be added or changed to a quote by using brackets. Changes can be used to correct tense or to add necessary information. Brackets can also be used to make the pronouns in a quote consistent. However, brackets should not be used to change the meaning of the quote.