MLA 7th Edition Bibliographic Citation Style with Examples
It is very important to always state where you found the information that you use in any academic paper, PowerPoint, or other type of presentation. You may use a direct quote from your information source (using quotation marks) or you may paraphrase the information (restate it in your own words.) In either case you must provide a brief indication in your text about the source (parenthetical citation) and a full citation in your list of works cited.
We highly recommend that you use the online service Noodletools to create your works cited page. This application will take you step-by-step through creating each citation. You can also use Noodletools to take electronic notes from your sources and to then organize that information. See the Library Media Specialist for help setting up, re-activating, or using your Noodletools account.
Some of the changes that you need to be aware of in the new MLA Seventh Edition style are:
Titles of books, websites, and other publications should be listed in italics. Titles of specific articles in a publication should be listed in quotation marks.
After the publication date, you must now indicate the medium of publication. This will usually be Print or Web, but may also be Radio, Television, CD, DVD, etc.
URLs (web addresses) are no longer absolutely required. Include a URL if the reader probably cannot locate the source without it or when your instructor requires it.
When citing articles from one our subscription research databases, you must include the name of the service and the date you accessed the information. You do not need to include the entire long URL that you see with each article. If required to provide a URL the basic address of the database will suffice (for example, <http://proquestk12.com>.)
For examples of various types of cited materials, see the links below. For more details about citing sources see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, which can be found in the Library Media Center. For more help with your citations check with your teacher or with the library media specialist.
How to Cite Books MLA Style
How to Cite Articles MLA Style
How to Cite Encylopedias MLA Style
How to Cite Internet Sources MLA Style
Montgomery College: MLA Citations
University of Maryland Libraries: Citing Sources Using the MLA Handbook
OWL at Purdue MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide
How to Format the First Page of Your Paper
OWL at Purdue MLA Sample Paper
Citation Examples - Print Sources
Herkimer County Community College: Citing Electronic and Non-Print Sources MLA Style
Herkimer County Community College: Citing Printed Sources MLA Style
How to Cite Issues and Controversies Articles in Noodletools: Instructions
How to Cite Opposing Viewpoints "Viewpoint" Articles in NoodleTools: Instructions
How to Cite Opposong Viewpoint's "Viewpoint" Articles in NoodleBib: Video Tutorial
Last updated on February 7, 2011
Maintained by Joseph_M_Reiff@mcpsmd.org