The MLA Handbook provides information about the purposes of research; suggestions for choosing topics; recommendations for using libraries; guidance for composing outlines, drafts, notes, and bibliographies; and advice on spelling, punctuation, abbreviations, and other stylistic matters. It also presents a style for documenting sources and gives directions for citing print sources in the text and preparing a list of Works Cited. Thorough acquaintance with the MLA Handbook will, as its author promises, "help you become a writer whose work deserves serious consideration" (xiii). This chapter follows the conventions of MLA citation style.

The MLA Handbook gives guidelines for making in-text references to print sources. The following section shows how you can apply the same principles to citing online sources in your text. 

1.	Link an in-text citation of an Internet source to a corresponding entry in the Works Cited.

According to the MLA Handbook, each text reference to an outside source must point clearly to a specific entry in the list of Works Cited. The essential elements of an in-text citation are the author's name (or the document's title, if no author is identified) and a page reference or other information showing where in a source cited material appears. 

Create an in-text reference to an Internet source by using a signal phrase, a parenthetical citation, or both a previewing sentence and a parenthetical citation. 

Box 5.1 Using italics and underlining in MLA style

The MLA Handbook provides the following advice for the use of italics and underlining in word-processed texts intended for print-only publication:  Many word-processing programs and computer printers permit the reproduction of italic type. In material that will be graded or edited for publication, however, the type style of every letter and punctuation mark must be easily recognizable. Italic type is sometimes not distinctive enough for this purpose, and you can avoid ambiguity by using underlining when you intend italics. If you wish to use italics rather than underlining, check your instructor's or editor's preferences. (65) However, when composing in HTML, don't substitute underlining for italics, because underlining in HTML indicates that the underlined text is an active hypertext link. (All HTML editing programs automatically underline any text linked to another hypertext or Web site.)  When composing Web documents, use italics for titles, for emphasis, and for words, letters, and numbers referred to as such. When you write with programs such as email that don't allow italics, type an underscore mark _like this_ before and after text you would otherwise italicize or underline.

Using a signal phrase   To introduce cited material consisting of a short quotation, paraphrase, or summary, use either a signal phrase set off by a comma or a signal verb with a that clause, as in the following examples. 

 Landsburg, Steven E. "Who Shall Inherit the Earth?" Slate 1 May 1997. 1 Oct. 1999 < http://www.slate.com/Economics/97-05-01/ Economics.asp>. 

 Mitchell, Jason P. Letter. "PMLA Letter." 10 May 1997. 1 Nov. 1999 <http://sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu/~jmitchel/pmla.htm>. 

 "Parents know in advance, and with near certainty, that they will be addicted to their children" (Landsburg). 

 In response to Victor Brombert's 1990 MLA presidential address on the "politics of critical language," one correspondent suggests that "some literary scholars envy the scientists their wonderful jargon with its certainty and precision and thus wish to emulate it by creating formidably technical-sounding words of their own" (Mitchell). 

 Landsburg, Steven E. "Who Shall Inherit the Earth?" Slate 1 May 1997. 1 Oct. 1999 <http://www.slate.com/Economics/97-05-01/ Economics.asp>. 

 Mitchell, Jason P. Letter. "PMLA Letter." 10 May 1997. 1 Nov. 1999 <http://sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu/~jmitchel/pmla.htm>. 

 That the heroic and historically important deeds of previously unknown women should be included in history books is evident from the following notice: 

 

Event: April 26, 1777, Sybil Ludington. 
On the night of April 26, 1777, Sybil Ludington, age 16, rode through towns in New York and Connecticut to warn that the Redcoats were coming [. . .] to Danbury, CT. All very Paul Reverish, except Sybil completed HER ride, and SHE thus gathered enough volunteers to help beat back the British the next day. Her ride was twice the distance of Revere's. No poet immortalized (and faked) her accomplishments, but at least her hometown was renamed after her. However, recently the National Rifle Association established a Sybil Ludington women's "freedom" award for meritorious service in furthering the purposes of the NRA as well as use of firearms in competition or in actual life-threatening situations although Sybil never fired a gun. (Stuber) 

 Stuber, Irene. "April 26, 1996: Episode 638." Women of Achievement and Herstory: A Frequently-Appearing Newsletter. 3 May 1996. 11 Dec. 1997 <http://www.academic.marist.edu/woa/ index.htm>. 

The examples in 5a-1 assume that an Internet source has no internal divisions (pages, parts, chapters, headings, sections, subsections). The MLA Handbook, however, requires that you identify the location of any cited information as precisely as possible in parentheses. Because Internet sources are rarely marked with page numbers, you will not always be able to show exactly where cited material comes from. If a source has internal divisions, use these instead of page numbers in your citation. Be sure to use divisions inherent in the document and not those provided by your browsing software. 

A text reference to a source with divisions may appear in the text along with the author's name or be placed in parentheses after a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. 

 As TyAnna Herrington notes in her Introduction, "Nicholas Negroponte's Being Digital provides another welcome not only into an age of technological ubiquity, but into a way of 'being' with technology." 

 "Negroponte's uncomplicated, personal tone fools the reader into a sense that his theses are simplistic" (Herrington "Introduction"). 

 Herrington, TyAnna K. "Being Is Believing." Rev. of Being Digital, by Nicholas Negroponte. Kairos: A Journal for Teaching Writing in Webbed Environments 1.1 (1996) at "Reviews." 24 May 1996 <http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/1.1>. 

The MLA practice of parenthetical page-number citation lets you indicate precisely where information from a printed source ends. Many Internet sources, however, appear as single screens, and MLA style does not require parenthetical page citations for one-page works. By analogy, a single-screen document cited in text needs no page citation. To let your readers know where your use of an Internet source with no text divisions ends, use a source-reflective statement.

Source-reflective statements give you an opportunity to assert your authorial voice. Writers use source-reflective statements to provide editorial comment, clarification, qualification, amplification, dissent, agreement, and so on. In the following example, the absence of a source-reflective statement creates uncertainty as to where use of an Internet source ends. 

 According to TyAnna Herrington, Nicholas Negroponte has the ability to make complex technological issues understandably simple. For those who are not techno-philes, this is a blessing; it allows them to apprehend the real significance of digital technology without feeling that such ideas are too difficult to consider. 

Here is the Works Cited entry: 

 Herrington, TyAnna K. "Being Is Believing." Rev. of Being Digital, by Nicholas Negroponte. Kairos: A Journal for Teaching Writing in Webbed Environments 1.1 (1996) at "Reviews." 24 May 1996 <http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/1.1>. 

For updates to MLA citation style, consult the MLA's Web site <http://www.mla.org>

When using MLA style, place a list of cited sources, arranged alphabetically, after the text of your essay and any explanatory notes. The MLA Handbook recommends that you "draft the [Works Cited] section in advance, so that you will know what information to give in parenthetical references as you write" (106). Doing this makes in-text citation of sources easier by giving you an idea of what in-text reference options will work best for each citation. 

Box 5.2 Using hypertext to document sources on the Web

The hypertext environment of the World Wide Web doesn’t just alter the way you do research, it also lets you document sources in a new way—by using hypertext links. Electronic journals published on the Web are already replacing traditional notes, Works Cited listings, appendixes, and other supporting text with links to the documents being cited. To read more about hypertext documentation, see Chapter 10 of this book. For an example of how it works, look at the format of Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger, "Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting Electronic Sources on the Internet" in Kairos: A Journal for Teaching Writing in Webbed Environments 1.2 (1996) at <http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/1.2/ inbox/mla.html> or any essay published in Kairos at <http://english.ttu. edu/kairos>.

The MLA Handbook also presents numerous variations that accommodate a variety of print sources (e.g., a multivolume work, an editorial). For detailed information on creating a Works Cited list, see Chapter 4 of the MLA Handbook, "Documentation: Preparing the List of Works Cited." 

For writers creating in-text citations and Works Cited lists for online sources, the MLA Handbook provides the following general recommendations: 

Download or print any online material you plan to use, in case it becomes inaccessible online later.

Don't introduce a hyphen at the break of a URL between two lines.

If you must divide a URL between two lines, break it only after a slash.¹

When you document sources from the World Wide Web, the MLA suggests that your Works Cited entries contain as many items from the following list as are relevant and available: 

Although no single entry will contain all fourteen items of information, all Works Cited entries for Web sources contain the following basic information: 

Online document

 Author's name (last name first). Document title. Date of Internet publication. Date of access <URL>. 

To see how to document specific types of Web sources, refer to the examples throughout this section. 

Personal site 

 Pellegrino, Joseph. Home page. 16 Dec. 1998. 1 Oct. 1999 

< http://www.english.eku.edu /pellegrino/personal.htm>. 

 Mortimer, Gail. The William Faulkner Society Home Page. 16 Sept. 1999. William Faulkner Soc. 1 Oct. 1999 <http://www.utep.edu/ mortimer/faulkner/mainfaulkner.htm>. 

 NAIC Online. 29 Sept. 1999. National Association of Inventors Corporation. 1 Oct. 1999 <http://www.better-investing.org/>. 

 U. S. Department of Education (ED) Home Page. 29 Sept. 1999. US Dept. of Education. 1 Oct. 1999 <http://www.ed.gov/index.html>. 

 William Faulkner on the Web 7 July 1999. NU of Mississippi. 20 Sept. 1999 <http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/ faulkner.html>. 

An online book may be the electronic text of part or all of a printed book, or a book-length document available only on the Internet (e.g., a work of hyperfiction). 

 Bird, Isabella L. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains. New York, 1881. Victorian Women Writers Project. Ed. Perry Willett. 27 May 1999. Indiana U. 4 Oct. 1999 < http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/ bird/rocky.html>. 

 Bryant, Peter J. "The Age of Mammals." Biodiversity and Conservation. 28 Aug. 1999. 4 Oct. 1999 <http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/ ~sustain/bio65/lec02/b65lec02.htm>. 

 Harnack, Andrew, and Eugene Kleppinger. Preface. Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 5 Jan. 2000. <http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/ online>. 

 Joyce, Michael. "On the Birthday of the Stranger (in Memory of John Hawkes)." Evergreen Review 5 Mar. 1999. 12 May 1999 <http://www.evergreenreview.com/102/evexcite/joyce/nojoyce.html>. 

 Wysocki, Anne Frances. "Monitoring Order: Visual Desire, the Organization of Web Pages, and Teach the Rules of Design." Kairos: A Journal for Teachers of Writing in Webbed Environments 3.2 (1998). 21 Oct. 1999 <http://www.english.ttu.edu/kairos/3.2/features/ wysocki/bridge.html>. 

 Adler, Jerry. "Ghost of Everest." Newsweek 17 May 1999. 19 May 1999 <http://newsweek.com/nw-srv/issue/20_99a/printed/int/socu/ so0120_1.htm>. 

 Wren, Christopher. "A Body on Mt. Everest, a Mystery Half-Solved." New York Times on the Web 5 May 1999. 13 May 1999 <http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/bin/fastweb?getdoc+site+ site+87604+0+wAAA+%22a%7Ebody%7Eon%7Emt.%7Eeverest%22>. 

 1. Michael Parfit, review of The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest, by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt, New York Times on the Web 7 Dec. 1997, 4 Oct. 1999 <http://search. nytimes.com/ books/97/12/07/reviews/971207.07parfitt.html>. 

 "Public Should Try Revised Student Achievement Test." Editorial. Lexington Herald-Leader 13 Apr. 1999. 4 Oct. 1999 <http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/041399/ editorialdocs/413test-1.htm>. 

 Gray, Jeremy. Letter. Lexington Herald-Leader. 7 May 1999. 7 May 1999 <http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/ 050799/lettersdocs/507letters.htm>. 

 Bush, George. "Principles of Ethical Conduct for Government Officers and Employees." Executive Order 12674 of April 12, 1989 (as modified by E. O. 12731). Part 1. 26 Aug. 1997. 18 Nov. 1997 <http://www.usoge.gov/exorders/eo12674.html>. 

 Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies. Ed. Laura E. Hunt and William Barek. May 1998. U of Toronto. 11 May 1999 <http://CITD.SCAR.UTORONTO.CA/crrs/index.html>. 

 The Internet Movie Database. May 1999. Internet Movie Database Ltd. 11 May 1999 <http://us.imdb.com>. 

 Whitman, Walt. "Beat! Beat! Drums!" Project Bartleby Archive. Ed. Steven Van Leeuwen. May 1998. Columbia U. 11 May 1999 <http://www.bartleby.com/142/112.html>. 

When documenting other Web sources—for example, an audio or film clip, a map, or a painting—provide a descriptive phrase (e.g., map) if needed. 

 di Bondone, Giotto. The Morning of Christ. WebMuseum, Paris. 22 Oct. 1995. 1 June 1999 <http://metalab.unc.edu/wm/paint/auth/ giotto/mourning-christ/mourning-christ.jpg>. 

 "Methuen, Massachusetts." Map. U.S. Gazeteer. US Census Bureau. 4 Oct. 1999 <http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer>. 

To document an email message, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Subject line, in quotation marks 
• Description of message that includes recipient (e.g., e-mail to the author)³ 
• Date of sending 

 Kleppinger, Eugene. "How to Cite Information from the Web." E-mail to Andrew Harnack. 10 Jan. 1999. 

To document a posting to a Web discussion forum, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Title of posting, in quotation marks 
• Phrase online posting 
• Date of posting 
• Name of forum 
• Date of access 
• URL, in angle brackets 

 Colleen. "Climbing Questions." Online posting. 20 Mar. 1999. Climbing Forum. 27 May 1999 <http://www2.gorp.com/forums/ Index.cfm?CFApp=55&Message_ID=18596>. 

 Marcy, Bob. "Think They'll Find Any Evidence of Mallory & Irvine?" Online posting. 30 Apr. 1999. Mt. Everest >99 Forum. 28 May 1999 

< http://everest.mountainzone.com/99/forum>. 

To document a listserv message, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Subject line, in quotation marks 
• Phrase online posting 
• Date of posting 
• Name of listserv 
• Date of access 
• Address of listserv, in angle brackets 

 Holland, Norman. "Re: Colorless Green Ideas." Online posting. 30 May 1999. Psyart. 1 June 1999 <http://web.clas.ufl.edu/ipsa/ psyart.htm>. 

 Parente, Victor. "On Expectations of Class Participation." Online posting 27 May 1996. 29 May 1996 < philosed@sued.syr.edu>. 

To document information posted in a newsgroup discussion, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Subject line, in quotation marks 
• Phrase online posting 
• date of posting 
• Date of access 
• Name of newsgroup with prefix news:, in angle brackets 

 Kaipiainen, Petri. "Re: Did Everest see Everest?" Online posting. 4 May 1999. 2 June 1999 <news:rec.climbing>. 

 <lrm583@aol.com> "Thinking of Adoption." 26 May 1996. 29 May 1996 <alt.adoption>. 

To document a real-time communication, such as those posted in MOOs, MUDs, and IRCs, provide the following information: 

• Name of speaker(s) (if known) 
• Description of event 
• Date of event 
• Forum (e.g., Diversity University) 
• Date of access 
• URL or other Internet address, in angle brackets 

 Fox, Rita. ENG 301 Class MOO: Concept mapping for Web project. 2 Feb. 1999. Diversity University. 3 Feb. 1999 <http://moo.du.org:8000>. 

 Sowers, Henry, Miram Fields, and Jane Gurney. Online collaborative conference. 29 May 1999. LinguaMOO. 29 May 1999 <telnet://lingua.utdallas.edu:8888>. 

Telnet site

The most common use of telnet is for participation in real-time communication (see 5b-6). Although the use of telnet for document retrieval has declined dramatically with increased Web access to texts, numerous archived documents are available only by telnet. To document a telnet site or a file available via telnet, provide the following information: 

• Name of author or agency 
• Title of document 
• Date of publication 
• Date of access 
• Telnet address, in angle brackets, with directions for accessing document 

 Environmental Protection Agency. "About the Clean Air Act (CAA) Database." 2 June 1999 <telnet://fedworld.gov>. 

To document a file available for downloading via file transfer protocol, provide the following information: 

• Name of author or file 
• Title of document 
• Size of document (if relevant), in brackets 
• Any print publication information, italicized or underlined where appropriate 
• Date of online publication, if available 
• Date of access 
• Complete FTP address, in angle brackets 

 "everest2.gif" [535K]. 4 Apr. 1993. 3 June 1999 <ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/ pub/images/views/sorted.by.type/Mountains/everest2.gif>. 

 Mathews, J. Preface. Numerical Methods for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering. 2nd ed. N.p.: Prentice Hall, 1992. 8 June 1999 <ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/netlib/textbook/index.html>. 

The gopher search protocol brings text files from all over the world to your computer. Popular in the early 1990s, especially at universities, gopher was a step toward the World Wide Web's hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Although the advent of HTML documents and their retrieval on the Web has diminished the use of gopher, many documents can still be accessed through Web browsers.

To document information obtained by using the gopher search protocol, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Title of document 
• Any print publication information, italicized or underlined where appropriate 
• Date of online publication 
• Date of access 
• Gopher address, in angle brackets, with directions for accessing document 

 Goody, Jack. "History and Anthropology: Convergence and Divergence." Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology, 75.2 (1993). 2 June 1999 <gopher://gopher.sinica.edu.tw/00/ioe/engbull/75b.txt>. 

Work Cited

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
     New York: Mod. Lang. Assn., 1999. 

²Home page is spelling that MLA currently recommends. (Return to text.) 

³E-mail is the spelling that the MLA currently recommends. (Return to text.) 
 
 

Copyright © 1998 by Bedford / St. Martin's