A Note on Using MLA Citation Style

MLA is the formatting style of the Modern Language Association. It is generally used in English and humanities. The MLA Handbook outlines a two-level citation method to provide references to a particular source: (i) in-text citation and (ii) Works Cited. It means, when citing a source, the researcher has to include its information in two places.

(i)   In-text Citation

In "in-text citation", a source is cited in the body of the text itself. Generally, an in-text citation is used when a researcher quotes from a source directly. However, the researcher also needs to use an in-text citation any time he/she uses information borrowed from a source, but which is not come in  “common knowledge.” They are used instead of footnotes or endnotes. They are sometimes called parenthetical references because the in-text citation appears in parentheses. It must be given at the end of a sentence. The in-text citation directs the reader to the full citation of the source in the ‘Work Cited’ list given at the end of the research report. The author's last name and the page number are usually given to indicate the location in the source.

Example: If the source is taken from the 123rd page of the book written by Bipan Chandra, the in-text citation will be (Chandra 123)

Various conditions and usages of in-text citations

There are several instances in which the researcher has to make a slight variation in giving in-text citations. Some general conditions are:

• If the text includes the name of the author, (like According to Bipan Chandra or Bipan Chandra argued that or in his book, Bipan Chandra mentions) then give only the page number in the in-text citation. This allows the researcher to keep the references in parentheses as brief as possible. Example: Bipan Chandra defined Indian national movement a ‘passive revolution’. (123)
• If there are two or more titles by the same author, the normal in-text citation may confuse the reader. When the reader looks up the sources at the Works Cited, they will find multiple sources from one author. To avoid this confusion, the researcher must include a shortened version of the author’s title in the in-text citation. Example: (Chandra, Communalism 123)
• If there is more than one author with the same last name, a normal in-text citation may confuse the reader about the authorship. In this case, prefix the first initial of the author's first name in the in-text citation. Example: (B. Chandra 123).
• If there is no author mentioned in the source, the in-text citation would contain an abbreviated title and the page number.

 (ii)  Works Cited

It is the second component of the MLA citation. It is just a bibliography; the list of sources cited in the text. Every single source that contains information used in the text that must be included in the Works Cited. Thus, each entry in the work cited corresponds to an in-text citation. A single author book can be arranged like:

• The last name of the author followed by a comma
• First name of the author followed by a full stop
• Title of the book in italics and each important words capitalised followed by a full stop
• Location of Publication followed by a colon
• Publishing Company followed by a comma
• Year followed by full stop

Example: Chandra, Bipan. Communalism in Modern India. New Delhi: Har Anand, 1998.

Indent all lines that come after the first line of a Works Cited citation. This lets the reader know where one citation ends and the next one begins. Arrange entries alphabetically, using the last name of the author. If no author is given, alphabetize by the title, eliminating any initial A, An, or The. The first word and all major words must be capitalized.

Format for Book and Journal Article

Book with One Author: Author’s last name, First name, and Middle initial [if available]. Italicize Title. Publication Location: Publishing Company, Year. Print.

Book with two authors: First author’s last name, First name, and Middle initial [if available], Second author's First name and Last name, and Third author's First name and Last name. Italicize Title. Publication Location: Publishing Company, Year. Print.

Journal Article: Author's last name, First name, and Middle initial. "Title of Article." Italicized Title of Journal volume.issue [if available] (year): page number(s). Format.