Deaf Studies

MLA stands for Modern Language Association and is the citation style most commonly used for humanities subjects such as language, literature, composition and arts. 

 Basic MLA Formatting Guidelines: 

• A Works Cited list should be organized alphabetically by author’s last name. If the last name is not available use the title. 
• A Works Cited list should be double spaced with a hanging 1/2 inch indent.
• In-Text citations should be placed directly after the quote or paraphrase. Information needed: (Author’s Last Name page number)
  • Parenthetical citation: “Direct quote” (Furlong 25).
  • Narrative citation, if the author is mentioned in the sentence, only provide the page #. Example: Furlong found that “direct quote” (25)
• Publication date should be formatted day month year with the month abbreviated. It could also be: month year or season year. Examples:
  • 26 July 2016
  • Dec. 2015
  • spring 2016
  • Abbreviations: If the month is more than 4 letters, abbreviate as follows: Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

MLA Style Center provide citation guideline for common titles of online works.

"In-text citation" means that you refer to (or cite) the ideas or words of another as soon as you write about them in your paper. There are several ways to do this: using quotation marks for exact words, summarizing or condensing without changing the meaning, and paraphrasing or using your own words.

Here are specific examples of ways to handle in-text citation in both APA and MLA format.

APA In-Text Citation Basics (Purdue OWL)

APA In-Text Citations Specific Examples (Purdue OWL)

MLA In-Text Citation Basics and Examples (Purdue OWL)

Brief Examples of Quoting, Summarizing and Paraphrasing Using MLA (UCLA Library)

To plagiarize means to:

• Steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own;
• Use (another's production) without crediting the source;
• Commit literary theft;
• Present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition of "plagiarize," retrieved June 20, 2005)

Bruin Success with Less Stress (UCLA Libraries' guide to avoiding plagiarism)

• Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting (Video) Genessee Library
• How to Write a Summary (pdf) from the University of Washington
• 5 Sample Summaries (Prezi) from Excelsior College
• Avoiding Plagiarism: Paraphrasing from MIT
• How to Paraphrase (video) from Queensland University of Technology

Citation managers are software that keep track of your sources and automatically format your citations in a variety of styles.

• EndNote Web is free to CSUN students, staff, and faculty; integrates with MS Word and any browser; can export references directly from many databases
  • Help with EndNote Web
• Zotero - free to anyone; integrates with MS Word and/or Google Docs; must be installed on your own computer