how to cite and essay in mla format

how to cite and essay in mla format

Citing an essay in MLA format involves providing the necessary information to guide readers to the source you used. Here’s how to cite an essay in MLA format:

In-Text Citation:

In the body of your essay, you should include an in-text citation whenever you directly quote or paraphrase from the essay. The basic format is as follows:

• For a direct quote, include the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses, like this: (Smith 45).
• For paraphrased or summarized information, include the author’s last name in parentheses, like this: (Smith).

If the essay has more than one author, use the last names of all the authors or the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”). For example: (Smith, Johnson, and Davis 25) or (Smith et al. 25).

Works Cited Entry:

In the Works Cited page at the end of your essay, you should provide a full citation for the essay you used. The format for citing an essay from a book or anthology is as follows:

Author(s). “Title of the Essay.” Title of the Book or Anthology, edited by Editor(s) (if applicable), Publisher, Year, Page Range.

Here’s an example of how to cite an essay from a book in your Works Cited page:

Smith, John. “The Impact of Technology on Society.” Essays on Technology and Society, edited by Mary Johnson, ABC Publishing, 2020, pp. 45-60.

If the essay is from a journal or an online source, the format will be slightly different. Here’s an example:

Smith, John. “The Influence of Social Media on Youth.” Journal of Digital Culture, vol. 5, no. 2, 2019, pp. 75-88.

Remember to italicize the titles of books, journals, or websites. If the essay has multiple authors, list them in the same order as they appear in the source.

Ensure that your in-text citations match the corresponding entry in your Works Cited page, and make sure to format your citations accurately according to MLA guidelines.