Table of Contents

1. How do I decide what to cite?

2. Where do I place the citation?

3. Why and how does the format change?

4. Whom shall I put for the author of a WebPages with no author listed?

5. What is a "blocked quotation" and how do I cite that

How do I ... ?

Any information that you obtain from your research that is mentioned in your paper should be cited.  Information that you paraphrase OR quote directly must be cited.   The following is an example of information I am crediting to the MLA Guide.

The works that you cite within the paper must be those cited at the end of the paper.   In other words, "References in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited" (Gibaldi 204). 

I used a direct quotation from the MLA Guide. In a works cited that followed this page, you would see an entry beginning with the last name "Gibaldi."

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Where do I place the citation ... ?

The citation is placed directly after the information that is taken from another source.

The citation includes:
1. The author's last name, a space, and a page #.
(Smith 4) note there is no "pg." or "p."  included

Example of quoted documentation:
It has been argued by individual researchers that, "We are what we eat"
(Franklin 75).

Example of paraphrased documentation:
Many researchers maintain the relationship between our actions and our diet (Franklin 75).

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Why and how does the format change ... ?

The most problematic changes deal with punctuation of the citations.  In general, the punctuation follows the citation.  If a quotation is incorporated into an original sentence (like the examples above), then the period follows the citation      .... last words" (James 4).
If the author of a quotation uses special punctuation like a question mark or exclamation point, maintain this punctuation in the quotation. The format can also change depending upon how you introduce a quotation.  For example:

In A Better Nation for All, Smith argues that , "The American Dream is as elusive as it has ever been" (24).

Note that only the page number is placed in the parenthesis because the author has already been mentioned.  This adds to the readability of  your paper.

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Whom shall ... ?

Authors and page number are problematic when trying to cite electronic references.   While it is best to use web resources with identified authors, there are no real page numbers that correspond with websites.  When using web resources, sites are technically considered one page, regardless of its length. Delineating pages has no meaning in electronic documents or files.  You can substitute page number for divisions in the text such as: Introduction, Overview, or any other specific section heading.  For example: "Population growth has long been a problem in China" (Smith "Overview").

Keep in mind that your parenthetical reference should correspond with the beginning of the Works Cited entry for the source.  So, if there is no author, substitute the title or host that begins the source's works cited entry.  For example:

"Over seven million people are thought to be miscounted in countries where census are not regularly taken" (Population-Net).  Using this in the reference would mean that the works cited entry begins with Population-Net.

Keep in mind that Internet resources and their utilization are constantly changing.  Check the most recent edition of the MLA STYLE GUIDE for updates.

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What is ... ?

A blocked quotation is a quotation that is set off (by wider margins) from the rest of the text.  When an incorporated quotation would take up more than four lines of text, you should block it.
When blocking a quotation you should indent 10 spaces (or two paragraph tabs).

Example:

When arguing the evils of  slavery, Harriet Beecher Stowe has been described thus:

            When speaking on her own terms and in a way which

            expressed her passion for the issue, she certainly did

            not wish to incite the controversy that has arisen as a

            result of her novel. (Smith 21)

Within the format of the paper, the blocked quotation maintains double spacing.

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