Citing a Scholarly Article in MLA Style: Tips and Examples for Students

Citing a Scholarly Article in MLA Style: Tips and Examples for Students

As you work on your research paper, one of the most challenging parts is creating a Works Cited page that accurately cites your sources in MLA style. This article will provide you with practical tips and examples to help you learn how to cite scholarly articles, ensuring that your references are properly formatted and credited.

Understanding the Basics of MLA Citation

Before we dive into specific guidelines for citing scholarly articles, it's essential to understand the basics of MLA citation. The Modern Language Association recommends using the author-page number system for citations, which involves including the author's name followed by the page numbers where you found the information in the article.

Tip 1: Citing Articles without an Author

One common challenge students face when citing scholarly articles is that many of them do not have authors. In this case, you can use the title of the article as your citation. Here's how:

• Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume. no. Page Numbers. Date of Publication.
• Example: Smith, John. "The Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity." Environmental Studies 10.2 (2010): 12-20.

Tip 2: Citing Articles with Multiple Authors

When citing articles with multiple authors, you need to separate the authors' names with commas and include an ampersand (&) before the last author's name.

• Lastname1, Firstname1, Lastname2, Firstname2, etc. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume. no. Page Numbers. Date of Publication.
• Example: Johnson, K., Smith, J., & Thompson, L. "The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health." Psychological Studies 18.3 (2018): 32-40.

Tip 3: Citing Articles without a DOAJ or DOI

If an article does not have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or a Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), you can use the journal title and volume number as your citation.

• Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume no. Page Numbers. Date of Publication.
• Example: Williams, Jane. "The Benefits of Reading Literature." Literary Review 20.1 (2015): 12-18.

Tip 4: Citing Articles in the Footnotes or In-Text Citations

When writing an MLA research paper, you will need to include in-text citations that correspond to the Works Cited entries. Here's how:

• (Lastname Firstname Page Numbers) - Example: (Smith 12)
• If the article has no author, use the title: ("Article Title" 12)

Tip 5: Using Online Sources

When citing online sources, you need to include the URL and date of publication. Here's how:

• Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Website Title Date of Publication. Web. Date of Access.
• Example: Brown, Mark. "The Benefits of Meditation." Mindful Musings 2020. Web. 10 Feb. 2022.

Conclusion

Citing scholarly articles in MLA style requires attention to detail and practice. By following these tips and examples, you will be able to create accurate and properly formatted citations that give credit to the original authors and sources of your research paper.