MLA style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers. There are two parts to MLA: In-text citations and the Works Cited list.
In MLA, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:
- In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation.
- In the Works Cited list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.
The in-text citation points the reader to the full citation of the source in the Works Cited list. The Works Cited list is in alphabetical order. The in-text citation consists of the first part of the full citation, which is usually the author's last name, and the page number (if there is one) so that a reader can find the information in the source.