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How do I cite an online lesson?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

To cite an online lesson, follow the MLA format template . List the name of the instructor in the “Author” slot, the title of the lesson or a description of it, the course title, the sponsor of the course, the start and end dates of the course, and a URL:

Venard, Lourdes. Lesson on nominalizations, wordy language, and passive language. Copyediting: Intermediate, Editorial Freelancers Association, 5 June-17 July 2018, www.the-efa.org/product/ copyediting-intermediate-session-2-online-jun-5-jul-17. 

If you are citing supplementary material your instructor created for the lesson and uploaded to the lesson page, provide the the title of the supplement or a description of the material in the “Title of source” slot. For clarity, you might indicate the format of the supplement in the optional-element slot at the end of the entry: 

Venard, Lourdes. Nominalizations . Copyediting: Intermediate, Editorial Freelancers Association, 5 June-17 July 2018, www.the-efa.org/product/ copyediting-intermediate-session-2-online-jun-5-jul-17. PDF download.

How to Cite Quotations in MLA Format: Teaching Ideas

MLA is fussy. When teaching students to cite quotations in MLA format, it can feel like we are really nit-picking at details. And, I suppose we are. Students need to include certain elements, and those elements are really not negotiable.

Assuming students have already chosen relevant evidence to support their claim, they’re ready to put it to action in their writing. This post outlines the process I use to simplify citing text evidence in MLA format. It’s somewhat calculative and predictable, which many students appreciate.

CITING QUOTATIONS IN MLA FORMAT: SCAFFOLDING IDEAS

Instructionally, I always introduce this lesson to the whole class through direct instruction and modeling. Then, I work with small groups of students and one-on-one in conferences to provide targeted feedback.

This post offers some scaffolding ideas. This is how I teach students to cite quotations in MLA format.

SIGNAL OR LEAD-IN PHRASE

Evidence-based term.

To help the audience follow along, students can introduce a quote with an evidence-based term. These terms alert the audience that writers are going to cite evidence to support their ideas and opinions. Phrases like, According to the author, and  As one article from the New York Times reveals,  alert the audience that the information to come is from a source outside the author of the paper.

Strong Verb

I encourage students to use a variety of precise verbs in signal phrases. Did the authors of their sources “say” over and over? Or, did they assert, suggest, counter, highlight, and so on? Verbs have connotations, and we can teach students to choose verbs for their precise denotations and associated connotations.

Credibility

The first time students cite a source in their essay, I ask them to establish credibility in the signal phrase. Why should we trust the author of this quote? Explicitly stating who wrote the information assures readers that you are consulting reputable sources. Students can establish credibility by speaking to the reputation of the author, the source, or both.

• NASA scientist Ellen Stofan recommends, “…”
• As  Harvard Journal of Law and Technology researcher Peter Menell explains in a recent article, “…”
• Recent research, such as the Pew Research Center’s 2017 study finding , indicates, “…”

Students often ask, “If I am citing the same source twice in this paragraph, and the sentences are close together, but my elaboration is between them, do I need to establish the credibility again?” In this case, they can write something like, “In the same article,” “The same author / source explains…”, or “The same article proceeds…”

When students cite the same source later in the paper, I ask them to refer to it more briefly than they did at first. Consider…

• Scientist Stofan recommends, “…”
• Harvard journalist Peter Menell explains, “…”
• The 2017 Pew Research study shows, “…”

PARENTHETICAL CITATION

Sentences that contain quoted research need to end with an internal citation. MLA format requires both the author’s name and the page number of the source to be included in the in-text citation. However, the page number should always appear in parenthesis, not in the text of the sentence.

Let’s look at examples:

• Counselor and teacher Gary Chapman writes, “For a child to feel love, we must learn to speak his or her unique love language” (20).  Here, the author’s name is included in the signal phrase, but the page number is in the citation.
• Proactive parents understand that “For a child to feel love, we must learn to speak his or her unique love language” (Chapman 20). Here, both the author’s name and the page number are in the citation.

If a source has no author , MLA requires students to use a (shortened) version of the title of the article. For instance, a source called “Fashion Trends of the 1920s” could look like this: (“Fashion Trends”). If a source has no page number, students should not substitute printer page numbers. I tell students to simply omit it.

In-text citations can get messy! When students are citing sources with multiple authors, citing quotes within a quote, or citing newer, non-print sources, I refer them to Purdue Owl’s style guide. I want students to know how to find their own answers to citation questions.

Always, make sure that when a citation ends a sentence, students know to put the period  after  the parenthetical citation, not before .

Citation Generators

Yes, citation generators abound! I don’t mind if students use them, but I prefer to teach them how to cite formally from scratch first. How will students be able to double-check what a citation generator produces if they haven’t first learned the basics of citations? Generators are helpful with expediting the process once students have a basic understanding of how to write them independently.

PUNCTUATING THE QUOTE

Punctuation is like the crown molding of cited research. Polishing the sentence off with well-used punctuation marks adds clarity and professionalism . Other than parenthesis, there are three important punctuation marks to include if you are going to cite quotations in MLA format.

Students should use a comma after a signal phrase before the quotation.

• Albert Einstein once asked, “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

But, there is a small exception! When using the word  that at the end of the signal phrase, the comma is omitted. I practice this with students.

• Albert Einstein once said that “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

When beginning a sentence with a quotation, the order is mirrored.

• “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” Albert Einstein once asked.

Quotations are essential in sentences that are cited word-for-word from research. It’s important to teach students that using quotation marks is a priority. We talk about how leaving them out is a type of plagiarism . Students either need to use quotations or completely paraphrase the information.

The most confusing part of quotations for students seems to be whether the comma goes inside or outside. Simplify with a visual.

• signal phrase , “ quote “ (citation).
• “ quote , “ signal phrase (citation).

Ellipses and Brackets

Sometimes, students need to add a word (or a few) to a quotation so that it makes more sense to the reader. When doing so, students need to put brackets around the words they are adding.

• Science Focus Magazine warns, “ These tricks [on social media] are borrowed straight from casinos and slot machines, which are widely considered to be some of the most addictive machines ever invented” (“Trapped”).

Other times, students want to omit words from a quote to help flow and clarity. In this case, students should use three consecutive periods to indicate a word or phrase has been removed.

• Science Focus Magazine warns, “ These tricks [on social media] are borrowed straight from casinos and slot machines, … some of the most addictive machines ever invented” (“Trapped”).

Make sure that you remind students that any time they use brackets or ellipses, their additions and deletions should not change the meaning of the sentence. And, an ellipses should not create an awkward, incomplete thought.

Note…when teaching students to use brackets, quotations, and parenthesis, be ready for them to confuse the three! An easy way to address this misconception is by using a visual of the punctuation mark you are referring to. I recommend writing it on the board as you talk about it.

OTHER SCAFFOLDING IDEAS

While there are some variations, I introduce a basic formula for quoting research.

• signal phrase , + “quote” + (in-text citation).
• “quote , ” + signal phrase + (in-text citation).

This is a whole-class lesson , but teaching students to cite quotations in MLA format is a multi-step process in my classroom. Specifically, following up with one-on-one conferences and targeted small group feedback results in the biggest learning gains!

My students have also benefited from white board practice and color coding each part of a direct quote.

It took me many years to feel like MLA and I were friends. I hope this post has given you some insider’s tips, saved you some time, and brought you closer together with this high-maintenance citation style.

RELATED READING:

Teaching elaboration in writing, using body paragraph examples to strengthen writing, subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates about new blog posts and teaching resources.

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Melissa Kruse

An avid reader and writer, I've had the privilege of teaching English for over a decade and am now an instructional coach. I have degrees in English, Curriculum & Instruction, and Reading as well as a reading specialist certification. In my free time, I enjoy loving on my kids, deconstructing sentences, analyzing literature, making learning fun, working out, and drinking a good cup of coffee.

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MLA Citation Style

Introduction

Welcome to the MLA citation guide! Please note that this is not the official MLA guide. For that you will have to buy the MLA Handbook (9 th ed.). However, we have done our best to cover the essentials, hopefully in a concise and interesting way.

In fact, one thing you will quickly notice is that most of our examples are made up. Don’t waste your time trying to find them!

Basic Principles

The MLA Handbook is primarily used in the Arts. Other disciplines use different style guides.

The focus of the MLA guidelines is on ease of reference. When you cite your sources in the body of your essay (what is called “in-text citation”), you most often have to provide only the author’s name and the page number. The rest of the bibliographic information is contained in your Works Cited page at the back of your paper.

When it comes to those final citations, there are typically three key sections for each entry:

1. Author 2. Title 3. Container

Each of these sections ends with a period. Within a section, you separate information with commas.

Here is a more detailed overview of the basic structure, along with a specific example:

Once you have collected as much information as you can find, you can easily turn it into a complete entry:

Warbling, Wren. “The New Zealand Pigeon Revisited.”  The Backyard Birder , vol. 3, no. 4, 1992, p. 9.

The Container System

The last section of each entry is a bit like a shipping container. It holds the contents (the author and title), and is often the larger work in which the source is found. For example, an essay might be found in an academic journal, or a short story in a book.

It may even happen that one container is part of another container. For instance, a television episode might be part of a larger series, which in turn is found in an online streaming service (e.g., Netflix). Think of this second container as the container ship.

At other times, the container is not really a larger work but simply consists of some publication information. In that case it’s more like a packing label.

Whatever metaphor you prefer, the main point is that every entry consists of at most three parts. Fill in as much information as you find relevant.

How to Use this Guide

Often there are multiple correct ways to cite a source. This flexibility can be difficult to teach, so to make things easier, we have split our version of the MLA guide into three major parts:

• In-text citation (how you cite your sources in the body of your essay).
• The sections of each Works Cited entry (author, title, container).
• The type of publication (books, articles, electronic sources, etc.).

There is significant overlap between the last two sections. However, this structure will make it much easier to find what you’re looking for.

In addition to these three sections, we also share MLA guidelines on formatting your paper, alphabetizing entries, optional elements, and much more.

Further Resources

For more information about the MLA guidelines, please consult the following resources:

• MLA Handbook . 9 th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
• The FAQ section at the MLA Style Centre.
• The OWL at Purdue MLA section .

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