This style guide originated as a style sheet in 1951. Today's guide began in 1977 and has undergone nine editions. The MLA style is used throughout the humanities.
MLA citation style uses in-text citations throughout your paper and a works cited list at the end. Your in-text citations and reference list work together to help readers to find your sources.
Example (magazine article from a database)
Reference list entry:
Williams, Joseph P. “Fighting Food Insecurity on College Campuses.” U.S. News - The Civic Report, Feb. 2019, pp. 12–15. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.libdb.dccc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=134613507&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
In-text citation:
Parenthetical citation: (Williams 13)
Narrative citation: Williams [...] (13).
Cite your sources to:
For more on plagiarism, take the Plagiarism tutorial or take the Plagiarism quiz located in Canvas.
Cite a source when you:
​Common knowledge: You do not have to cite facts that everyone can be expected to know or easily find.
Common knowledge examples:
Facts that you may think are obvious may be in dispute.
When in doubt, cite your source.
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