MLA9 Guide: MLA-How We Cite

I am reading about John Reith in the Humanities, Society and Technology textbook by Satterwhite and other authors.

I paraphrased what I read and I wrote this.

John Reith lead the BBC as its first General Manager and wanted to keep the BBC "free from political interference and commercial pleasure" (qtd. in Satterwhite et al. 145). 

Here's what goes in the Works Cited because this is the source I read.

Satterwhite, Robin, et al. Humanities, Society and Technology. Kendall Hunt, 2015.

*The qtd. in the intext citation shows that the information in the Humanities book was originally somewhere else. 

Maybe this will make it more clear for you.

You are reading about Smith in an article by Kirkey.

Examples of in-text citations:

According to a study by Smith (qtd. in Kirkey) 42% of doctors would refuse to perform legal euthanasia.

Smith (qtd. in Kirkey) states that “even if euthanasia was legal, 42% of doctors would be against this method of assisted dying” (A.10).

Example of Reference list citation:

Kirkey, Susan. "Euthanasia." The Montreal Gazette, 9 Feb. 2013, p. A.10. Canadian Newsstand Major Dailies.

MLA uses Author-page Style for parenthetical intext citations (at the end of the sentence) or the page number goes in the parenthesis at the end of the sentence for narrative intext citations (where the author's name is in the sentence).

• Here's an example of parenthetical citation:
  • Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
• Here's an example of a narrative intext citation:
  • Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
• Page number goes in parenthesis EVEN IF IT'S NOT a direct quote.
  • Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
• Here is the entry in the Works Cited page for the source.
  • Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. Oxford UP, 1967.

Other things to know:

• For sources like webpages with no page numbers, do NOT include page numbers or paragraph numbers, even for direct quotes (MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition, page 248). 
• It's recommended to abbreviate long names of corporate or group authors in the intext. For example, Centers for Disease Control can be CDC in the intext citation.
• Page numbers are required for all citations; not just direct quotes.
• Purdue Owl says not to number paragraphs on webpages for the intext citations. 

When there are few numbers in your text, spell out numbers that can be written in a word or two.

Use numerals when the number requires more than two words

Use numerals when using numbers in text with units behind the numbers. For example, 60 inches or 8 kilograms would be in numerals. 

References for personal interview in MLA style follow this format:

     Last, first name of interviewed. Personal interview. Date of interview.

     Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 19 May 2014.

Intext citations follow this format:

     (Last name)

     (Smith)

If a quote runs more than four lines long, you must block the quote with a .5 margin on the left. Do not use quotation marks even though it's a direct quote.

At the conclusion of Lord of the Flies, Ralph, realizing the horror of his actions, is overcome by

great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. his voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (186)

If you use the title of a book, play, article, song, or other source in your paper, use the same formatting that you use in the Works Cited page (list of references).

Here are some examples of when to italicize.

​​​​​​Here are some examples of when to use quotes.

Some sources get no special formatting. 

Examples from MLA Handbook, 9th Edition, 2021. pages 68-73.