MLA Research and Citation

What is the difference between a direct quote and a paraphrase?

Direct quote

Direct quotes are placed in quotation marks and are taken word-for-word from the source. Direct quotations draw attention to key passages. Include a direct quotation in a paper only if:

• you want to retain the beauty or clarity of someone’s words
• you need to reveal how the reasoning in a specific passage is flawed or insightful
• you plan to discuss the implications of the quoted material

Can you make changes to a direct quote? Yes!

When modifying a quotation, be sure not to alter its essential meaning.

Why are you quoting this?

Readers will also want to know how a quotation is related to the point you are making.

When the connection is not readily apparent, provide an explanation in a sentence or two following the quotation.

Don’t assume your quote is self-explanatory!

What is a paraphrase?

A paraphrase is a restatement of someone else’s ideas in approximately the same number of words.

Paraphrasing allows you to demonstrate that you have understood what you have read. It also enables your audience to understand it.

Paraphrase when you want to:

• clarify difficult material by using simpler language
• use someone else’s ideas but not their exact words
• create a consistent tone for your paper as a whole
• interact with a point that a source has made

Any paraphrase must accurately maintain the sense of the original.

Caution: If you unintentionally misrepresent the original because you did not understand it, you are being inaccurate.

If you deliberately change the gist of what a source says, you are being unethical.

What about summarizing?

Summarizing is different from paraphrasing in that a summary is much shorter than the source material.

A paraphrase of a paragraph should also be approximately a paragraph long; a summary of a paragraph may be just one sentence.

The reason that all of the distinctions are important is that we want to avoid even the appearance of plagiarism.

The Basics of In-Text Citation (Also Known as Parenthetical Citation)

When we’re writing an essay using research, it’s important to always be clear when information is coming from a source. A source is any place where we get information—a website, book, journal article, video, news report—really, anything that is not first-hand experience.

We place an in-text citation immediately after whatever information we’ve just written. Whether it’s a direct quote (word-for-word from the source, in quotation marks) or a paraphrase (information rewritten in our own words), we must IMMEDIATELY write an in-text citation, every single time.

In MLA format, generally, you want your in-text citation to include the author’s last name and the page number where you found the information. You put both in parenthesis, and that’s it; you don’t add a comma or “pg” or anything else. Save the period until after the in-text citation, like this:

• The signal phrase tells the reader that the information came from an article from the database CQ Researcher.
• The quotation marks tell the reader that this is a direct quote, word-for-word from the article.
• The in-text citation at the end tells the reader that the author of this article is named Day, and the quote came from page 5 of the article. Notice that the period that you might expect to find at the end of the quote is instead found after the in-text citation.

Of course, there will be exceptions to the formatting of your in-text citations. For example, web articles don’t have page numbers, and some articles don’t have a credited author. Below are some examples of what in-text citations will look like in those circumstances.

Watch the following video for even more explanation of how in-text citations work:

In-Text Citation in Action!

Some of you may be wondering what this all will actually look like in your essay. Let’s look at a sample body paragraph that incorporates research using direct quotes, paraphrasing, signal phrases, and in-text citations.

When writing the research essay, you will need to read all that you can about your topic and pick out selections you’ll want to mention in your essay—BEFORE you begin writing. It’s a terrible idea to try to skim through articles while you are also drafting your essay. Instead, make an outline, write out quotes that might go in each body paragraph, and add the in-text citations before you begin.

For this example, I’ve already picked out quotes from my sources and copied and pasted them into a blank document. Now I’ll start writing a body paragraph using this formula:

• Topic sentence (never start with a direct quote)
• First supporting point (1-2 sentences)
• Evidence: Direct quote or paraphrase from your source (1-2 sentences)
• Explanation of the direct quote or paraphrase. How does that prove anything about your topic sentence? (1-2 sentences)
• Repeat until you have made all your points about that topic

Now I will write my thesis statement. This will be the point I’m making in the whole essay. It will also preview my three supporting points. Each supporting point will then become its own body paragraph!

Thesis statement: The fast-food industry is under pressure to make changes to its packaging, its menus, and its advertising.

And here is my sample body paragraph. Notice how it starts with a topic sentence. It uses only information from my sources, both as direct quotes and as paraphrasing. Each piece of info is immediately followed by an in-text citation.

The Works Cited Page

Here is a sample Works Cited page. It is created from the sources used in the sample paragraph above. Notice that you can use the in-text citations to easily find the corresponding article in the Works Cited page.

As you can see, a Works Cited page is essentially just a list of the sources that you use in your paper. However, the list has to be written in a very specific format.

Online databases from your college’s library usually provide MLA citations for you. When reading an article from a database, look for a button or link that says “Cite” or “Cite Now.”

Articles from other web sources or print sources will not provide citations for you. However, you can easily write them yourself! Follow the citations in the sample Works Cited page above like a model. You can also find worksheets online that will walk you through writing a Works Cited citation, like this one: MLA 8th Edition Worksheet: Web Page on a Website (noodletools.com)

You can also use shortcut tools that generate a citation for you when you copy and paste the link. However, use these shortcuts with caution. Like with any shortcut, you run the risk of making mistakes. If you use a shortcut tool that you find online, double-check the output to make sure your citation is free of errors. Remember, it is up to you, not the shortcut tool, to be accurate.

With the Works Cited page, formatting matters. Before you submit your Works Cited page, go to Google, type in “Sample MLA Works Cited,” and click “Images.” You’ll see many examples of how a Works Cited page should look. Compare your Works Cited to the images you see. Yours should look exactly like the ones in the search results. If something about yours is different, make it match the examples.

Summary

• When writing papers in the liberal arts or humanities, use MLA guidelines for formatting and citation.
• Citing your sources gives appropriate credit and provides authority to your writing.
• In-text citation credits the source within the text of the paper itself.
• A Works Cited page is a carefully formatted list of sources used in the paper.
• A direct quote is word-for-word from the source, while a paraphrase has been reworded.
• Signal phrases add further clarity to your writing and ensure that proper credit is given to your sources.