Citing Sources MLA Style and Plagiarism
This two-minute video on citing sources from North Carolina State University Libraries explains why it is important to cite your sources.
The elements of a citation may include:
The items are arranged in a specific order depending on the source and the citation style.
Additional examples and in-text citation help are available on the SC4 MLA Citation Style Guide and at Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).
Note: The date of access is optional, but be sure to include it whenever possible, since online works can be changed or removed at any time.
Book
Last Name, First Name. Title. Publisher, Publication Date.
Book with 3 or more Authors
Last Name, First Name, et al. Title. Publisher, Publication Date.
Article from a Database
Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. x, no. x, date, pp. x-x. Database name, doi or URL. Accessed day month year.
Note: If a doi is not provided, use the URL instead.
Newspaper Articles (Online)
Last Name, First Name. "Title." Newspaper Name, date, URL. Accessed day month year.
Web Site
Last Name, First Name. "Title." Website Name, date, URL. Accessed day month year.
Web Site with no author
Title. Publisher, location, URL. Accessed day month year.
Government Publication
Last Name, First Name. Name of national government, agency. Title. Publisher, date. Number of the Congress, session, report number. Accessed day month year.
Note: If an author is not given, start with the name of the national government and agency.
The links below can help you with your MLA citations. They are also available on the MLA Library Research Guide. You may want to bookmark the guide on your laptop.
Citing Sources
How to format an MLA Paper in MS Word - Video
YouTube video by Columbus State University librarians
How to format an MLA Paper in Google Docs Step--by-Step (2020) - Video
YouTube Video by Scribbr
How to Format an Office 365 Document in MLA - Video
Lone Star College CyFair Branch Library
