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Citation Primer for Faculty: MLA (9th ed.) Resources

All of Seneca Libraries resources and instructional material related to citation in one convenient location for faculty use with students.

 

MLA Citation Guide

Use the MLA Citation Guide to support integration of sources in your academic work. The Citation Guide will help you avoid plagiarism, create in-text citations, and citations for your Works Cited page, and much more.

Learn@Seneca (Blackboard) Library Package

Assigning marks for proper use of MLA Style (9th ed.) citation? Check out these sample marking checklists

 

Citation Support for Students

Students can attend the library's citation webinars for overview and guidance on citing sources and to ask their citation questions. Additional citation support is also available through the library's Ask Us Live online chat and virtual research appointments.

What is a Source?

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What is a Source?

A source is any material that provides information including facts and data. Examples of sources include websites, newspaper articles, journal articles, books, and videos. 

Why use sources?

Sources are useful for learning more about a topic. Sources also provide information to support your ideas. 

Remember to cite all the sources that you have used in your assignment to avoid plagiarism. Check out the library’s citation guides for more information.

For more information on how to find credible sources, see Library Research at Seneca.

What are Citations?

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What are Citations?

Citations tell your reader about the sources you’ve used in your work

Why do we cite?

  • Citations give credit and show respect to the original authors of your sources.
  • Citations help avoid plagiarism by identifying parts that are not your own words or ideas.
  • Citations show that you’ve researched your topic.
  • Citations help your readers find the sources you’ve used in your work

How do we cite?

Citation rules vary depending on the citation style selected. At Seneca, the common citation styles are APA & MLA. Check with your instructor if you’re not sure what style is required for your assignment. 

There are two parts to citing:

  • Reference (APA) or Works Cited List (MLA) is the detailed list of all the sources you have cited in your work. It provides full information on each source you’ve used
  • In-text Citations are short citations that indicate you have used someone else's ideas, words, or research. They are surrounded in parentheses and follow a direct quote or paraphrase.

You need to include both Reference/Works Cited citations and in-text citations in your work. Both work together to properly give credit to the authors of your sources.

Check out the library’s citation guides for more information on creating in-text and Reference / Works Cited List citations.

What is MLA Style?

What are In-text Citations?

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What are in-text citations?

In-text citations are short references that show when you have used information or ideas from a source. They also guide readers to the matching citations in your Works Cited List.

When do you use in-text citations?

Quoting Directly

  • When using the author’s exact words in your work. 
  • The general format is: (Author’s Last Name Page Number)
  • For example: “This is a quote” (Turner & Li 18).

Paraphrasing

  • When using your words to describe or summarize information from the source.
  • The general format is: (Author’s Last Name Page Number)
  • For example: This is a paraphrase (Turner & Li 18).

Types of in-text citations

Parenthetical in-text citations

The authors are mentioned in the citation. For example: This is my sentence (Turner & Li 18).

Narrative in-text citations

The authors are mentioned in the sentence. For example: In their study, Turner and Li found... (18).

What if there's missing information?

No date? Look for the copyright date. If not available, omit the date from the citation.

No page numbers? Include another way to locate the information such as a chapter number. For example: (Martinez ch. 4).

For more examples, check out the library’s citation guides.

Building a Works Cited List

Tips for formatting your MLA Style paper

  • Margins: Add 1 inch margins on all sides.
  • Header: Add your last name followed by the page number at the top right corner of the page. See the Sample Papers tab for examples.
  • Line Spacing: Double-space your text.
  • Cover Page: Unless specified by your instructor, do no t include a separate title page. See the Sample Papers tab for examples.
  • Paragraph Alignment & Indentation: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inch. Align your paragraphs to the left margin.
  • Recommended Fonts: Unless specified by your instructor, MLA recommends any easily readable typeface set between 11 and 13 points. When choosing the font type, ensure that it's easy to distinguish between regular and italicized text.

 

More Resources 

Five Common Citation Mistakes and How to Fix Them