After quoting, summarizing, and/or paraphrasing, a book, story, article, or essay:
At the end of the sentence, place the name of the author and page number(s) in parentheses, followed by a period. There is to be no period directly after the quoted text.
Example: Santiago is a character that doesn't give in to his personal weaknesses. When Santiago said, "I may feel like giving up, but I never do" he showed great strength and perseverance (Coelho 86).
After quoting, summarizing, and/or paraphrasing, a poem:
When short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in short quotations of verse with a slash, ( / ), at the end of each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). Instead of page number, you record the line number. Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-12).
Quick tip above ^: When the author's name is included in the sentence leading up the quotation, do not include their last name in the citation parentheses at the end.
After quoting Shakespeare / A Play:
Quoting Shakespeare or a play is similar to a poem in that you need to record the line numbers. But you will also need to include the Act Number and Scene Number. The order for your citation should be Act.Scene.Line(s)
Example: Theseus argues that the poet deals in insubstantial illusions, giving to "airy nothing/ A local habitation and a name" (5.1.16-17).
Arabic Numerals (0,1,2,3) are generally preferred to Roman Numerals (I,II,III) in MLA. However, be sure to check with your teacher as there might be certain preferences.
Long/Block Quotations:
When your quotation is longer than three lines/sentences, you must follow the rules of long/block quotations.
Use free standing block of text
NO QUOTATION MARKS NEEDED
Start the direct quotation on a new line
Indent one inch from left margin
Double space
Include the same parenthetical citation after end punctuation.
Example:
As a major fitness and health guru, she stresses the importance of believing in yourself.
Be brave and be patient. Have establishment in yourself; trust in the significance of your life and the purpose of your passion. You are strong enough to sit in the space between spaces and grant divine inspiration to shed some light. When you place positive energy and productive effort into the world it will come back to you. Occasionally in ways you might not immediately comprehend and on a time frame you didn’t expect. Look. Listen. Learn. Stay open. Your destiny is awaiting you. (Michaels 285)
When making any reference (quotation, summary, paraphrase) to an outside source, you will need to include a WORKS CITED page at the end of your assignment.
Start the Works Cited list on a new page at the end of your assignment, including only sources cited within your writing.
The title Works Cited, or Work Cited if there is only one source, should be centred and at the top of the page.
Double-space the entire Works Cited list, including the title line. Do not add an extra blank line after the title.
Put the first line of each new citation to the left margin.
Use a hanging indent (standard half-inch tab) for all but the first line of a citation.
Organize the list alphabetically according to the first letter of the authors' last names.
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UofT Tribunal Decisions
QUICK GUIDELINES: IN TEXT CITATIONS
For more detailed instruction on how to do in-text citations; go to the Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide - or come see Ms. Kemp
Purdue Owl Formatting and Style Guide
After quoting, summarizing, and/or paraphrasing, a book, story, article, or essay:
After quoting, summarizing, and/or paraphrasing, a poem:
Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-12).
After quoting Shakespeare / A Play:
Long/Block Quotations:
Be brave and be patient. Have establishment in yourself; trust in the significance of your life and the purpose of your passion. You are strong enough to sit in the space between spaces and grant divine inspiration to shed some light. When you place positive energy and productive effort into the world it will come back to you. Occasionally in ways you might not immediately comprehend and on a time frame you didn’t expect. Look. Listen. Learn. Stay open. Your destiny is awaiting you. (Michaels 285)
When making any reference (quotation, summary, paraphrase) to an outside source, you will need to include a WORKS CITED page at the end of your assignment.