MLA Citation Style for Journal Articles

MLA Style for Journal Articles

This PDF document provides examples of how to properly format journal article citations in a Works Cited list. (To view this document, you will need the Adobe Reader software - a free download available from http://www.adobe.com .)

In-text Parenthetical References

A standard in-text parenthetical reference for a journal article includes the author's last name and the page number. The period goes after the reference. For example,

"As the body count among women rises as a result of smoking, tobacco companies continue to spend millions of dollars on advertising and promotional campaigns targeting women with the message that cigarettes make women more empowered, independent, and alluring" (Slomski 41).

If you use a signal phrase that includes the author's name, the in-text parenthetical reference would list only the page number. For example,

According to Anita Slomski, "As the body count among women rises as a result of smoking, tobacco companies continue to spend millions of dollars on advertising and promotional campaigns targeting women with the message that cigarettes make women more empowered, independent, and alluring" (41).

For a journal article with

you will use

Your in-text parenthetical reference would look like this:

two authors

both authors' last names.

(Richardson and Somes 17)

three authors

all three authors' last names.

(Jones, Gilman, and Archibald 134)

more than three authors

the last name of the first author followed by "et al."

(Carman et al. 45)

no author

the title of the article (if brief) or the first word/few words of the article title in quotation marks.

("From the Front" 78)
("Exploring" 21)

no page numbers (such as HTML full-text articles from databases)

a paragraph number.

(Denison, par. 3)

Formatting Long Quotes MLA Style

If a quote you are using in your paper is longer than four lines, you need to insert it as a block quote. On a new line, indent one inch from the left margin (two tabs). Double space the quote and do not include quotation marks. Place the in-text parenthetical reference at the end of the last line of the quotation. Insert the period before the reference. Below is an excerpt from a research paper that includes a block quote.

	Despite the prevalence of information out there about the unhealthy effects of cigarette smoking, many women, young and old, continue, and even start smoking. Although cigarette advertising on television and radio has been outlawed for many years, tobacco companies continue to find ways to market their products to women.
		As the body count among women rises as a result of smoking, tobacco companies continue to spend millions of dollars on advertising and promotional campaigns targeting women with the message that cigarettes make women more empowered, independent, and alluring. That exploitation, along with the tobacco industry's shrewd sponsorship of women's sports, professional organizations, and anti-domestic violence programs to curry favor among women, have turned smoking into a woman's issue for many. (Slomski 41)
	This covert-like advertising is particularly harmful to young girls. Many teenage girls want to be seen as self-assured and attractive and often think they are invincible.