Undergraduate Information

Citing your Sources in Essays

It is most important that, in any paper you write, you cite everything you have consulted during the writing of it. The point here is that everyone who reads your paper can, if necessary, consult the works you cite for themselves. This is why it is important that you give all the critical information: there are many editions of Hamlet or Moby Dick, so you must be precise about which one you used; for articles from journals or off the internet it is often impossible to track them without exact information.

Over the years different organizations have developed varying conventions about how to cite material, and these continue to evolve. What we give here are examples of one of the most commonly used systems in literary studies in the USA, the short-citation version of the Modern Language Association of America’s citation guide (annotated in places so that you can follow the principle of what is required). In this system, all Works Cited items are listed alphabetically at the end of your paper. In the body of the paper these items are referred to using Parenthetical references (in round brackets) within your text. So you do not need to cite any works in footnotes.

Some teachers may prefer you to use other citation systems, such as Chicago Style. You will find these, as well as more information on MLA style, at http://www.library.osu.edu/sites/guides/. Our MLA examples are borrowed from the site there prepared by the Office of Library Instruction. We are grateful for their kind permission.

Note: proper citation of your sources is one of the best ways you have of avoiding plagiarism, or the suspicion of it.

Guide for Citing Resources — MLA Style

This guide is based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 6th ed. (Modern Language Association, 2003). (Shelved in library at LB 2369 G53 2003)

Book (one author)

Work Cited: Johnson, Charles Richard. Middle Passage. New York: Atheneum, 1990.
Parenthetical: (Johnson 176)

[i.e. In full citation: Last name of author, First Names. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher. Date of publication.
Parenthetical citation: (author’s last name specific page[s] referred to or quoted from).]

Book (two to three authors)

Work Cited: Leakey, Mary D. and Louis S. B. Leakey. Some String Figures from North East Angola. Lisboa: Museu do Dundo, 1949.
Parenthetical: (Leakey and Leakey 12)
(Leakey et al.) - for more than three authors

Work in an Anthology

Work Cited: James, Henry. "The Friends of the Friends." The Norton Book of Ghost Stories. Ed. Brad Leithauser. New York: Norton, 1994. 40-60.
Parenthetical: (James 47)

[Be clear that this is a work by Henry James, occupying only pages 40-60 of the anthology. It is not by the editor, Brad Leithauser, who should only be cited if you are quoting from his notes or introductions.]

Encyclopedia Article

Work Cited: "Magna Carta." The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1998.
Parenthetical: ("Magna Carta")

Journal Article

Work Cited: Myerson, Joel. "A Calendar of Transcendental Club Meetings." American Literature 44 (1972): 197-207.
Parenthetical: (Myerson 199)

[i.e. In full citation: Last name of author, First Names. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume Number (Date): page numbers of article.
Parenthetical citation: (Author’s last name Specific page[s] referred to or quoted from).]

Magazine Article

Work Cited: Cook, Mariana. "Cousin Kay." Victoria. Nov. 2001:27-28.
Parenthetical: (Cook 28)

Newspaper Article

Work Cited: Johnston, David Cay. "Got Game? Got Old Game?" New York Times 11 July 2003, late ed., F1+.
Parenthetical: (Johnston F3)

Review

Work Cited: Barth, Melissa E. Rev. of The Summons, by John Grisham. Magill Book Reviews 1 Nov. 2002: 221.
Parenthetical: (Barth)

Work of Art (photograph of)

Work Cited: Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique. Apotheosis of Homer. Musee du Louvre, Paris. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. 10th ed. By Helen Gardner. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1996. Plate 22.
Parenthetical: (Ingres)

Television Program

Work Cited: "Popularity of Fur on Rise Again." Narr. Virginia Cha. Sunday Today. NBC. WNBC, New York. 9 Feb. 2003.
Parenthetical: ("Popularity of Fur")

Sound Recording (CD)

Work Cited: Copland, Aaron. Long Time Ago: American Songs. Saint Paul Chamber Orch. Cond. Hugh Wolff. Teldec, 1994.
Parenthetical: (Copland)

WWW Home Page

Work Cited: The Edith Wharton Society. Ed. Donna Campbell. 5 Aug. 2003. Gonzaga U. 14 Aug. 2003. . Parenthetical: (Edith)

Document from a WWW Site

Work Cited: Oates, Joyce Carol. "The Magnanimity of Wuthering Heights." Critical Inquiry 9 (1982): 435-449. Celestial Timepiece: A Joyce Carol Oates Home Page. Ed. Randy Souther. 2003. U of San Francisco. 14 Aug. 2003 .
Parenthetical: (Oates)

Item from a Library Database

Work Cited: Clark, Zsuzsanna. "From Saturday-Night Poetry to Big Brother." New Statesman 21 July 2003: 32. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOHost. Ohio State U Libs., Columbus. 14 Aug. 2003.
Parenthetical: (Clark)

E-Mail Communication

Work Cited: Grisham, John. E-mail to the author. 14 July 2002.
Parenthetical: (Grisham)
(Grisham, E-mail, 14 July 2002) - if more than one work by Grisham