Sophomore Research: Citations

Use the information on this page to help you correctly cite your sources that are used in your research paper.

In the MLA Sources Box : Find a complete MLA citation ebook from EasyBib and a Quick Guide Handout that you can download and print. 

See additional links and videos to help you set up your Works Cited page and create in-text citations.

MLA Style Center 

Why is MLA important? Where to find bibliographic information and how to cite properly in text. How to format a paper. How to cite online sources. How to cite in-text citations. (Libby Bennett) July 24, 2016

GVRL and our Databases have a citation button that will create a citation for you to copy and paste onto your Works Cited page.

"Center the title, Works Cited, an inch from the top of the page (fig. 3). Double-space between the title and the first entry. Begin each entry flush with the left margin; if an entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines half an inch from the left margin. This format is sometimes called hanging indention, and you can set your writing program to create it automatically for a group of paragraphs. Hanging indention makes alphabetical lists easier to use. Double-space the entire list. Continue it on as many pages as necessary".

Placement of the List of Works Cited : MLA Style Center

Readers should be able to move from your words to the words you quote without feeling an abrupt shift. Signal phrases provide clear signals to prepare the readers for the quotation.                       

Choose a verb that is appropriate in the context. Here are some examples of signal phrases:

• argues
• asserts
• believes
• claims
• comments
• disputes
• illustrates
• implies
• points out
• reports
• suggests
• thinks
• writes

Afterwards, ease the reader out of the quotation.

When you use a quotation, help the reader make a smooth transition back into your own words. To do this, follow up the quotation with a sentence or two of your own that reinforces or expands upon it.   (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)

  Formatting A Research Paper

Covers margins, text formatting, heading and title, page numbers, works cited, tables and illustrations, paper and printing.  MLA Style Center

When should I quote?

• Discussing specific arguments or ideas 
• Giving added emphasis to a particularly authoritative source on your topic. 
• Spicing up your prose.

How do I set up and follow up a quotation?

• Provide context for each quotation. 
• Attribute each quotation to its source. 
• Explain the significance of the quotation. 
• Provide a citation for the quotation.

How do I embed a quotation into a sentence?

• Lead into the quote with a colon. 
• Introduce or conclude the quote by attributing it to the speaker. If your attribution precedes the quote, you will need to use a comma after the verb. 
• Interrupt the quote with an attribution to the speaker. Again, you will need to use a comma after the verb, as well as a comma leading into the attribution. 
• Use the words of the quote grammatically within your own sentence. 

How much should I quote?  As few words as possible. Remember, your paper should primarily contain your own words, so quote only the most pithy and memorable parts of sources.

Writing Center: UNC-Chapel Hill Quotations Handout (See handout for more details)

Using Block quotations?   

Here are a few general tips for setting off your block quotations:

• ​Set up a block quotation with your own words followed by a colon.
• Indent. You normally indent 4-5 spaces for the start of a paragraph. When setting up a block quotation, indent the entire paragraph once from the left-hand margin.
• Single space or double space within the block quotation, depending on the style guidelines of your discipline (MLA, CSE, APA, Chicago, etc.).
• Do not use quotation marks at the beginning or end of the block quote—the indentation is what indicates that it’s a quote.
• Place parenthetical citation according to your style guide (usually after the period following the last sentence of the quote).
• Follow up a block quotation with your own words.

Writing Center: UNC-Chapel Hill Quotations Handout  (See handout for more details)