NSU Writing Center
TIP SHEET: Using Source Materials: MLA Basics (9
th
ed. 2021)
MLA Style Guidelines - MLA is typically used in English studies, foreign languages and literatures,
comparative literatures, cultural studies and humanities courses. MLA papers submission guidelines: double-
spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman font or legible font, one-inch margins all around, and indented paragraphs.
Include these specifications below:
MLA In-text Citations
Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or directly quote from a source, you must give credit by
providing the in-text citation.
1. In-text citation at end of sentence. Put the parenthetical citation at the end of your sentence if it quotes directly from a
source without introducing the author’s name in a signal phrase.
Example: A traumatic response frequently entails a “delayed, uncontrolled repetitive appearance of
hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena” (Caruth 11).
2. In-text citation in a signal phrase. A signal phrase is a short phrase naming the author of the source. If using a
signal phrase, state the author’s full name the first time you introduce the source and then use the last name
after. At the end of the sentence, include the page or paragraph number in parentheses. Do not repeat information.
Example: Michael Caruth has stated that a traumatic response frequently entails a “delayed,
uncontrolled repetitive appearance of hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena” (11).
First page of essay
State the information on the first
page of the essay in the top left-
hand corner. Use this order:
Author’s name
Instructor’s name
Class name
Date
Page numbers
Include a page header at the
top of every page on the right
side. Format the page number
first, and then type in your last
name
For more information, scan:
Capitalization:
For titles of essays on first page,
center and capitalize all major
words, excluding articles and minor
words
EXAMPLE
There Is Nothing Left for
Us to Lose
On the Works Cited page, capitalize
all major words such as nouns,
pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs.
Italics or Quotation Marks:
Names of smaller works like
articles, chapters, songs, etc.
have quotation marks at the
beginning and the end.
Titles of major sources like
magazines, journals,
newspapers, books, websites,
etc. are italicized.
Abbreviations:
Do not use periods in abbreviations,
except when using a country’s name
as an adjective or in name
abbreviations.
State the abbreviation’s meaning
and then state the abbreviation in
parentheses.
Ex: Peter Smith first worked
for the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) and then he
joined the U.S. Navy.
Numbers and Percentages:
Use words to express numbers less
than 10.
Use numerals for 10 and above.
Ex: 89 students graduated after
three years.
Use “%” after a numeral.
Use “percent” after a word or
number beginning a sentence or
title.
Ex: Nine percent of voters opposed the
22% wage increase.
3. In-text citation for a source with no known author. Use a shortened title of the work. Use quotation marks for
short works such as an article or webpage, and italicize titles for longer works such as books, play, tv shows,
websites.
Example: We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has
"more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and
study environmental change . . ." ("Impact of Global Warming").
4. In-text citation for a source by multiple authors. For a source with two authors, list the last names in
the text or in the parenthetical citation.
Example: Best and Marcus argue that one should read a text for what it says on its surface, rather than
looking for some hidden meaning (9).
OR The authors claim that surface reading looks at what is “evident, perceptible, apprehensible in
texts” (Best and Marcus 9).
*For a source with three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name, and replace the additional names with et al.
Example: According to Franck et al., “Current agricultural policies in the U.S. are contributing to the poor
health of Americans” (327).
OR The authors claim that one cause of obesity in the United States is government-funded farm
subsidies (Franck et al. 327).
Citations on the Works Cited Page
The bibliography in MLA Style papers is titled “Works Cited,” in which sources are alphabetically listed on a new
page at the end of the paper. All works cited entries use a hanging indent. Some frequently used resources are:
1. Print Sources. Print sources include all physical, written texts. For print sources with one author, include the
below information. For multiple authors, list authors in alphabetical order starting with the first listed author.
a. Books: Use the author’s last name, and then the first name.
Author, Alpha. Title of work. Publisher, Copyright date.
Welty, Eudora. One Writer’s Beginning. Harvard UP, 1984.
b. Article in print journals: If there is no issue number, then record only the volume number.
Author, Alpha and Beta Author. “Title of article.” Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Date, Pages.
Green, Louis, and Robert Brown. “The Reader’s Paradise.” English Language, vol. 49, no. 5, Feb. 2010,
pp. 180-199.
Harlow, Harold, et al. “Fundamentals for Preparing Psychology Journal Articles. Journal of
Comparative and Physiological Psychology, vol. 55, no. 3, Mar. 1983, pp. 893-896.
2. Electronic Sources. Electronic sources include all digital resources and websites. If more than one author, list
them in alphabetical order starting with the first listed author. If no author, start with article or webpage title.
a. Article in an online scholarly journal: Style like the above example for an article in print journals. Also
include the URL or electronic citation Digital Object Identified (DOI) if listed.
Wooldridge, Molly, Joseph Shapka, and Ryan White. “Playing with technology: Mother-toddler
interaction scores lower during play with electronic toys.” Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, vol. 33, no. 5, 2021, pp. 211-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2012.05.005
(Notes adapted from Writing Center Workshop: MLA Basics)
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