MLA In-Text Citations (Step-by-Step Guide)

Summary

This video tutorial offers a comprehensive guide on implementing MLA style citations in research papers, focusing on in-text citations. It addresses the significance of avoiding plagiarism by correctly citing sources, whether books or online articles. The presenter provides examples of how to cite with and without direct quotations, emphasizing the placement of author names and page numbers. Additionally, the video touches on the citation of common phrases and the evolving standards for online sources. For a complete understanding, viewers are directed to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab for further guidance on various citation scenarios.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is a tutorial on using MLA style citations for in-text citations in research papers.
• 📚 It mentions that there will be a separate video on creating the 'Works Cited' page.
• 🏫 The video is particularly useful for high school and college students who need to write research papers.
• 🔍 The presenter recommends using the MLA style, which is commonly used in English classes.
• ⚠️ Plagiarism is highlighted as a serious issue that can lead to expulsion or other disciplinary actions.
• 📝 The importance of citing sources is emphasized to avoid plagiarism, even if it's unintentional.
• 🔗 Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) is recommended as a valuable resource for learning how to cite different types of sources.
• 📖 For in-text citations, the author's name must appear in the sentence or in parentheses, and the page number is always included in parentheses.
• 📝 Examples are provided to illustrate how to cite both direct quotations and paraphrased information.
• 💡 The video advises mixing up the citation style to avoid redundancy and improve the flow of the paper.
• 🌐 For online sources, the author's name is used if known; otherwise, the website's name or partial name is used.
• 📑 The video notes that MLA rules have changed regarding the inclusion of URLs in citations, but advises checking with the instructor for specific requirements.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is how to use MLA style citations for in-text citations when writing a research paper.

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to educate viewers on how to correctly cite sources in MLA style to avoid plagiarism and to ensure proper academic integrity in research papers.

What is the significance of citing sources in academic writing?

Citing sources is significant in academic writing as it acknowledges the original authors' work, avoids plagiarism, and allows readers to verify and locate the sources used in the paper.

What is plagiarism and why is it taken seriously?

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of someone else's work or ideas as one's own. It is taken seriously because it is considered academic dishonesty and can result in expulsion or other disciplinary actions.

What is the MLA style and why is it commonly used in English classes?

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is a set of guidelines for formatting academic papers and citing sources. It is commonly used in English classes because it is widely accepted in the humanities.

What is a recommended resource for learning MLA style citations?

A recommended resource for learning MLA style citations is Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL), which provides detailed guidelines and examples.

How should the author's name be included in an MLA in-text citation?

The author's name should appear either in the sentence or in the parentheses at the end. It is not required to introduce the author at the beginning of every citation.

Where should the page number be placed in an MLA in-text citation?

The page number should always be included in the parentheses at the end of the citation, never in the sentence.

What is the difference between a direct quotation and a paraphrase in MLA citations?

A direct quotation in MLA citations requires quotation marks and the exact words from the source, while a paraphrase does not use quotation marks but still requires the author's name and page number since it is a rewording of the original text.

When is it acceptable not to cite a source even if it's a direct quotation?

It is acceptable not to cite a source for a direct quotation if the phrase is common or universally known, such as a proverb, but quotation marks are still required.

How has the acceptance of online sources changed in academic papers over the past decade?

Over the past decade, the acceptance of online sources in academic papers has increased, with MLA changing its rules in 2009 to accommodate the citation of online materials.

What is the current rule regarding including URLs in MLA in-text citations?

As of the MLA rule changes in 2009, it is no longer required to include URLs in in-text citations. However, it is recommended to check with the instructor's preference as many may still expect it.

What are the formatting rules for block quotations in MLA style?

For block quotations in MLA style, the text is indented without quotation marks, and the period is placed after the parenthetical citation.

How should you indicate added words in a quotation?

Added words in a quotation should be enclosed in brackets to indicate that they are not part of the original text.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to MLA In-Text Citations

The paragraph introduces the topic of using MLA style citations in research papers, focusing on in-text citations. It emphasizes the importance of citing sources to avoid plagiarism, which can have serious consequences like expulsion. The speaker recommends Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) as a resource for citation guidance. The paragraph also discusses the basics of MLA in-text citations, including the use of the author's name and page numbers in parentheses, and provides examples of different ways to integrate citations into a sentence.

05:00

🔎 Citing Online Sources and Style Points

This paragraph delves into the specifics of citing online sources, which have become increasingly accepted in academic papers. It advises using the author's name if known, or the website's name or partial name as the author in citations. The paragraph also addresses the change in MLA rules regarding the inclusion of URLs in citations, suggesting that while it's no longer mandatory, it might still be expected by some instructors. Additionally, it covers style points for in-text citations, such as formatting for quotations of different lengths and the use of brackets to indicate added words within a quotation.

10:01

👍 Conclusion and Further Resources

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion on MLA in-text citations, reiterating the complexity of citation rules and the importance of adhering to them to avoid paper rejection. It encourages viewers to use resources like the Purdue OWL for guidance and offers a part two of the video series on creating a work cited page. The speaker acknowledges the challenge of remembering all the rules and suggests keeping a handbook nearby for reference.

Keywords

💡MLA style citations

MLA style citations refer to the guidelines set by the Modern Language Association for documenting sources in academic writing. In the video, the speaker focuses on teaching viewers how to properly cite sources within the text of a research paper using MLA style, which is particularly common in English classes. The video emphasizes the importance of correctly citing sources to avoid plagiarism and to give credit to the original authors.

💡In-text citations

In-text citations are brief references within the body of a research paper that signal where the quoted or paraphrased information can be found in the list of works cited. The video script provides examples of how to format these citations correctly in MLA style, including the placement of the author's name and page number within the text, which is crucial for academic integrity.

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using someone else's work or ideas and presenting them as one's own without proper attribution. The video script highlights the seriousness of plagiarism, which can lead to academic penalties such as expulsion. The speaker advises viewers to always cite their sources to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

💡Purdue OWL

Purdue OWL, or Online Writing Lab, is a resource mentioned in the video as a go-to guide for various citation styles, including MLA. The speaker recommends Purdue OWL for its comprehensive guides and examples, suggesting that it can be particularly helpful for those who need to cite sources beyond the common book or online article.

💡Author's name

In the context of MLA citations, the author's name is a key element that must be included either in the sentence or in the parenthetical citation at the end. The video script explains the different ways the author's name can be integrated into an in-text citation, emphasizing its importance in giving credit to the source material.

💡Page number

The page number is a critical component of MLA in-text citations, indicating the location of the cited information in the source material. The video script specifies that the page number should always appear in parentheses and never within the sentence, which is a common mistake that the speaker aims to clarify.

💡Quotation marks

Quotation marks are used in academic writing to denote direct quotations from a source. The video script explains that when a direct quote is used, it should be enclosed in quotation marks, and the in-text citation should follow with the author's name and page number in parentheses. This practice is essential for distinguishing between the writer's words and those of the source.

💡Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves restating a piece of information in one's own words rather than using direct quotes. The video script discusses the need to cite sources even when paraphrasing, as the information is not originally from the writer's own knowledge. It also mentions that quotation marks are not used in paraphrased material, but the author's name and page number are still required.

💡Common knowledge

Common knowledge refers to information that is widely known and accepted, such as proverbs or well-known historical facts. The video script explains that citations are not required for common knowledge, although quotation marks are necessary if the exact words of another person are used. The speaker advises caution, suggesting that if there is any doubt, it is better to cite the source.

💡Online sources

Online sources are increasingly common in academic writing, and the video script addresses how to cite them in MLA style. It mentions that if the author's name is known, it should be used; otherwise, the name or partial name of the website can serve as the author. The video also touches on the change in MLA rules regarding the inclusion of URLs in citations, advising viewers to check with their instructor for specific requirements.

💡Indentation

Indentation is used in MLA style for block quotations, which are longer than the standard in-text citation. The video script provides guidance on how to format block quotations, including the removal of quotation marks and the placement of the period before the parenthetical citation. This formatting helps to visually distinguish block quotations from the rest of the text.

💡Brackets

Brackets are used in MLA citations to indicate added words or clarifications within a quotation. The video script explains that if a writer adds their own words to a quotation for clarity or context, those words should be enclosed in brackets to show that they are not part of the original text. This practice helps maintain the integrity of the original source while ensuring the reader understands the intended meaning.

Highlights

Introduction to MLA style citations for research papers

Explanation of in-text citations and the work cited page

Importance of citing sources to avoid plagiarism

Definition and consequences of plagiarism

Recommendation of Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) as a resource

MLA style citation basics for books and online articles

How to format in-text citations with author's name and page number

Examples of different ways to introduce an author in a sentence

Instructions on how to handle quotations without introducing the author initially

Guidelines for paraphrasing and citing sources

Exception for citing common phrases or proverbs

Advice on citing online sources and handling authorship

Instructions on when to include URLs in citations

Differences in citing scholarly articles versus other online content

Style points for formatting block quotes in MLA

How to indicate added words within a quotation using brackets

Encouragement to use a handbook for complex citation rules

Anticipation of a follow-up video on creating a work cited page

Transcripts

hey everyone so this is a video on using

MLA style citations um in text when

you're writing a research paper I broke

this video up so that if you're wanting

to know how to do Intex citations watch

this video and there will be another

video on how to do the work cited page

um but if anyone who's writing a

research paper and if you're in school

whether it's high school or college at

some point you're going to write a

research paper you're going to have to

cite your sources um different

instructors use different methods some

like APA um in English class it's

probably most likely going to be MLA um

that's what I use it's what I like it's

what I'm familiar with so I'm going to

show you how to do it and there's

there's this is pretty confusing for a

lot of people but I'm going to try and

give you the basics okay let's talk

briefly about plagiarism what is it

plagiarism is the intentional or

unintentional use of someone else's work

or ideas as your own and it's it's

actually pretty serious it can result in

expulsion or some other type of

discipline um I think a lot of the time

when people play Dr they didn't actually

mean to do it they just forgot to site

their Source they weren't sure how to

site their Source just don't take the

risk when in doubt site your Source if

there's any question in your mind about

whether you're using someone else's

ideas um basically if it didn't come out

of your own head you had to get it from

somewhere wherever you got that from

site The Source if you always cite your

sources then you don't have to be

nervous about

it okay what is the MLA it's the modern

language Association and I want to give

you a great resource it's called Purdue

Al Purdue University and Al stands for

online writing lab and here's the link

and I'm going to um show you the most

common sources which are books and

online articles but there's a lot of

different types of sources and they have

to be cited differently um so if you're

not doing a book or an online article I

recommend you go to this website and

it'll show you exactly how to do it but

for most people most of the time they're

going to be using books or online

articles so those are the ones I want to

go over if I were to go over all the

different types uh we'd be here all day

so um let's just go over these two okay

so with an Intex citation you've got the

author's name and it must appear either

in the sentence or in the parenthesis at

the end and we're going to look at

examples of this um and the page number

will always be in the parentheses it

will never be in the sentence so let's

look at I'm going to show you four

quotations and they're all the same but

they're all a little bit different so in

this case I just pulled this out of a

paper I was writing um I'm introducing

the author at the beginning right so

best will suggest that then I've got a

comma a lot of people forget that and

then I've got my quotation at the end of

the quotation I've got the page number

and then notice that the period goes at

the very end of the par uh the sorry the

parenthesis a lot of people want to put

it inside the quotation marks because it

looks more correct and I understand

because I kind of have that impulse also

but it it's counterintuitive but it

actually has to go all the way at the

end try and think of it like the page

number is part of your sentence maybe

that will help you um but the period

always goes at the end here's another

example it's it's basically the same

thing except for style purposes is maybe

I didn't want to actually introduce the

author at the beginning of the quotation

depending on how the wording is in the

paragraph you're using maybe you want to

just run straight into the quotation you

don't want to be introducing the author

at the beginning all the time because

that could get a little bit clunky and I

recommend that you mix up the way you do

this as I'm doing here um but I still

have the author's name but in this case

because I didn't introduce it at the

beginning it goes in the parenthesis at

the end still have the page number and

the period still goes outside the

quotation marks at the very end now if

you don't want to use a direct quotation

but you're still conveying some kind of

information that you found that's

basically um a paraphrase um so if the

information wasn't your own you didn't

know it yourself you need to cite it but

it's not really a quotation it's

something that you read and that you're

you're putting it into your own words um

but I still have the author's name and I

still have the page number and notice

the period is still going at the end but

what's missing as I'm sure you've

noticed is there's no quotation marks

because I'm not actually using the exact

words that best tool used I'm using my

own uh and here's another example of

that it's the same thing except I didn't

want to introduce the author's name at

the beginning I wanted it at the end so

it's going to go in the parenthesis so

that that seems maybe a little bit

confusing um but it's really just the

same sentence four different ways and as

I said before I really recommend that

you mix up the way you do this don't

always um use the author at the very

beginning or don't always use the author

and the parenthesis try and mix it up

because otherwise it can really really

start to sound really redundant so um

let's talk about citing the sources

here's the exception um and this is

basically the only exception if a phrase

is common or universally known such as a

proverb then no citation is needing is

needed though quotation marks are still

required so for example Aristotle

advised like activities produce like

dispositions if you're using that in

your paper you don't actually have to

cite where you found it because it's a

proverb or a common phrase um but it is

someone else's words so you're going to

use the quotation

marks again when in doubt if you did

look it up just cite the source um

because you can get into this game where

you're saying to yourself well it's

pretty commonly known maybe I don't

really need to cite it don't play that

game because you can end up in a lot of

trouble it's not worth it it's too

stressful if you pulled it from

something just site The Source if you

already knew it in your own head and it

just came to you um but you know it with

someone else you use the quotation marks

but don't site the

source so as I said when in doubt just

side The Source okay online Source

material um this is becoming more and

more common um about 10 years ago it

wasn't really accepted in academic

papers um but now it is more so um so

basically if you know the author use it

if not use the name or partial name of

the website as the author as I showed

you in the previous examples just use

the name or partial name of the website

in place of the author um you don't need

to give paragraph numbers or page

numbers if it's online probably aren't

any don't give the few full URL in the

text it's sufficient to use for example

CNN.com you don't need to put HTTP colon

now here's the thing MLA and 2009

actually changed the rules on this you

don't have to give the URLs anymore um

but a lot of instructors are probably

used to it and they're probably going to

want it anyway the thing about MLA is

they change a lot so check with your

instructor um technically the rules say

you don't have to do that anymore more

but so many people have done it for so

long that it you you might have some

explain to do if you don't do it so just

check with your instructor on that um

legitimate online sources scholarly

articles will be easy to reference

because the author will be clearly

indicated if you're having trouble

finding the source info it's probably

not a good source to be using for

academics so if you've got some kind of

article that you found online and you

can't really figure out who the author

is um probably use it then anything

that's a legitimate scholarly Source

it's going to be very clear who the

author is because they want credit for

their work um so if you're having

trouble finding it I would say just

don't use

it okay let's talk about two style

points um this is for Intex citations if

the quotation is four lines of Pros or

less or three if it's verse use the

format that I just showed you where you

um have the quotation and you have the

parenthesis and you have the page number

um if it's longer you need to indent you

remove the quotation marks and you place

the punctuation before the parenthetical

science uh citation so um as you see

here for example if in your paper you

had the sentence in this sense that is a

sacrifice not the Epiphany that defines

the tragic that blue line would

basically be the U margin of your paper

and that's the margin that's set by your

word processor what you're going to have

to do is you take that chunk um of a

quotation that you want to use and you

have to indent the whole thing so that

it lines up and B just use your t key um

and notice the quotation marks are gone

um and that's because by indenting it

I'm indicating that it is a quotation um

and you've still got the period but

notice now it's moved now it's on the

other side of the parentheses so this is

where it gets a little hairy um if it's

just one line it's going to be quotation

marks and the period is going to go on

the outside of the parenthesis if it's a

block quote like this it's called block

quoting it's going to be indented which

is going to indicate that it is a quote

so you don't need quotation marks and

the period goes on the other side this

like I said this stuff is confusing just

um use the website I showed you Purdue

Al that will help you if you forget but

the more you do this it almost becomes

second nature and you don't really have

to think about it that much um okay if

you add a word or words in a quotation

you should put brackets around the words

to indicate that they're not part of the

original text so if you are introducing

something into the quotation

um that maybe was clear in the text but

because you've taken a chunk out of the

text you've lifted it and you're putting

it in your paper it's maybe not clear

what the author was referring to or you

want to just add some kind of

clarification of your own use brackets

so um the quotation actually from the

book was like Hil um like and then I

can't actually I can't remember it was

but it wasn't specifically G Chaser and

languin um best referred to somebody and

then he said like you know probably um

medieval authors Hilton is a

practitioner of the vernacular well I

didn't feel like that was clear enough

but I knew what he was talking about

because i' read the article so I

introduced um more specific information

so you always want to put it in Brackets

but otherwise the rules don't change

about where the periods go and where the

uh quotations go that's Basics that

sorry that's the basics um like I said

there's a ton of different ways to do it

check out that website um it will really

help you um but I hope that that at

least gives you enough to move

forward um when I write paper I almost

always have some kind of handbook next

to me because nobody can remember this

stuff it's really complicated but um you

have to follow the rules if you don't

follow the rules your paper's going to

get rejected so anyway thumbs up if you

found that helpful and if you're

wondering how to do a work cited page I

have another video on that um which is

basically part two of this so thanks a

lot