Citing Sources

MLA

The Modern Language Association (MLA) Style is generally used for identifying research sources used in writing essays, articles, term papers or books.  One reason for having citations is to leave a trail of clues for interested readers. When you list sources properly, you allow others a way to find those sources you have used. Another reason for the use of the citation is to support ethical responsibility and academic uniformity. When you don’t cite and document your sources thoroughly, you run the danger of plagiarism (stealing the intellectual work of others).  

A list of URLs is not a proper way to cite your sources.  A URL will expire at some point and lose its linking ability.  Also, it tells the reader very little about the source.  Furthermore, it is a security concern to click through a list of links that someone sent you.  Viruses and malware are spread that way.

We recommend that researchers make use of databases such as those accessed through our Digital Library.  Most items accessed through a database will have a ready-made citation included.  Otherwise, the tools below will prove useful.

• MLA Citation (EasyBib) Online service that allows you to create your citation by simply entering the URL, ISBN or DOI.
• Citation Templates (EasyBib)
• KnightCite Citation Service (Heckman Library of Calvin College)  An online tool that creates your citations for you.
• Landmark’s Son of Citation Machine:  An online tool that creates your citations for you.  It will do MLA, APA, and Chicago styles - just select which one you want, then read the instructions and choose the format you want (on the left in red).
• MLA Citation Examples (Honolulu Community College Library)

Do you need a good example?  A template for MLA format is available through your Google Docs application.