MLA Documentation: A Comprehensive Guide for Academic Writing

This document provides a simplified approach to understanding and implementing MLA (Modern Language Association) documentation, a standardized method for citing sources in academic writing. It covers essential aspects such as introducing sources to establish credibility, using in-text citations for direct quotes and paraphrased ideas, and formatting the Works Cited page. The guide offers clear explanations with examples, addressing scenarios like citing sources with or without authors. Furthermore, it highlights formatting basics like margins, font, and spacing. The document emphasizes the importance of proper citation and formatting in academic papers, referencing resources like the Purdue OWL website for further guidance. It also provides examples of correct MLA format in student essays.

MLA Documentation: A Simplified Approach
MLA Documentation is simply a standardized method of citing your sources. In general, when
you use source material, you’ll want to do several things.
Within the text of your paper . . .
1.) When you are using a source for the first time, introduce your source so that we can
understand his or her credibility. According to Joe Smith, a computer programmer at VacuTech,
“Programming is difficult” (Smith 2).
2.) When you quote the same source later in the paper (after he/she has been introduced), use a
standard attribute tag. Smith went on to say that “DOS is especially difficult for many beginning
users” (Smith 3).
3.) In addition to these informal methods of citation, you will need to use parenthetical citations
whenever you are quoting a source directly and whenever you are using a source’s ideas, even if

you are putting them in your own words. Smith explained that there are three keys to good
programming: be patient, be practical, be persistent (Smith 2).
Additional Notes/Questions about In-Text Citations
*But what if the author of the article is not the person that I am quoting? What if I'm quoting
someone who the author quoted in her article?
If the person you are quoting is not the author, just do the same as in number 1 above, but when
you get to the parenthetical citation use the author's name instead of the name of the person you
are quoting. For instance, if Lou Brown had written the article above, and merely quoted Joe
Smith, you would do this: According to Joe Smith, a computer programmer at VacuTech,
“Programming is difficult” (Brown 2).
*But what if the article has no author?
If the article has no author, just do the same as above, but use a keyword from the article title in
the parenthetical citation. For instance, if the article we quoted above had no author, but we
knew the title was "Programming for Beginners," we would cite it like this: According to Joe
Smith, a computer programmer at VacuTech, “Programming is difficult” ("Beginners" 2).
At the end of your paper . . .
At the end of your paper, you’ll need to include a Works Cited page, which will offer an
extended reference for each of the sources you used in your paper. Use the MLA guide in the
assigned reading for this week to determine how to cite each of your individual sources.
PLEASE NOTE: Though the sample essay "Love: The Right Chemistry" offers a great deal in
terms of teaching us about strategy and structure, it does not include formal intext MLA citations
or a final Works Cited page. These are requirements for most academic research papers,
including the Explaining a Concept Research Paper for this class. For a good example of a paper
that uses the MLA System of Documentation correctly, please be sure to carefully review the
sample student essay in your textbook entitled "Educating Kids at Home," which is part of our
assigned reading for this week. This sample essay also includes very helpful annotated notes,
identifying and explaining the ways the author has incorporated her citations.
For more information on MLA documentation on the web, go to:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.
Formatting Basics: In terms of formatting, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font,
and double-spacing are the basics that are generally preferred in academic writing. It is also
helpful to indent the first line of each new paragraph. In terms of the program you use to save

your work, Microsoft Word is preferred, but please just let me know if you have questions about
other acceptable programs