MLA: Getting Started
One of the main goals with citing your sources is to get your readers back to the original source. Therefore, you need to include enough information in your in-text citation to get your reader to the correct citation in your Works Cited list and enough information in the citations in your Works Cited list to get your reader back to the original source.
According to MLA style guidelines, you typically need as much of the following information as you can find about your sources:
- Author and/or editor names
- Title of the website, book, or article (plus the magazine or journal title)
- Publication information (date, volume and issue for magazines, publisher name and location for books)
- Format of the source: web, print, DVD, etc.
- Date you accessed the source, if online
The OWL at Purdue provides many examples and rules for MLA online.
See the short video below for details about the types of information you need to include when citing particularly websites in MLA style and how to find a handy quick guide online:
Automatically Creating Citations in Library Article Collections
Many databases and article collections, plus many e-books, will automatically create citations for whichever article or chapter you are viewing.
Look for a Cite This or Citation button on the record for the article or chapter you are viewing. Not all databases have this feature (LexisNexis does not).
1. Run a search in the library's EbscoHost, ProQuest, or CQ Researcher databases.
2. From the list of results, click the title for an article that looks interesting.
3. Look for a "Cite This" button or icon.
4. Find the format you need, for example, MLA. Copy the citation and paste it into your list of potential citations.
Examples of the Citation Links:
| EbscoHost databases (Academic Search Premier, etc.) |
Proquest Databases (Newsstand, etc.) |
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Subject Guide
