MLA CIATATIONS

MLA citations are used to leave a trail of clues for interested readers. Documentation of sources leaves readers to identify the sources that you have used while assemblying your paper and citations are there to ensure ethical responsibility and academic consistancy within a discipline. Plagarism is a major issue in the academic world, and citing sources helps the reader to clearly see if plagarism has occured or if proper sources were used. You might ask, what needs to be citied?

You need to document:

Direct quotes, both entire sentences and phrases
Paraphrases (rephrased or summarized material)
Words specific or unique to the author's research, theories, or ideas
Use of an author's argument or line of thinking
Historical, statistical, or scientific facts
Articles or studies you refer to within your text

You do not need to document:

Proverbs, axioms, and sayings ("A stitch in time saves nine.")
Well-known quotations ("The personal is political.")
Common knowledge (Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, or oxygen has an atomic number of 8, or "The Starry Night" was painted by Vincent Van Gogh.)

RULE OF THUMB: MAKE SURE A KNOWLEDGABLE READER WOULD KNOW THE INFORMATION PROVIDED

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/mla.html

FOLLOWING LINK PROVIDES EXAMPLES RELATING TO MLA CITATIONS
http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm