Typical Formats for Documentation, Quotation

In-Text Documentation.

Most of the time, you can document your sources right inside your paper with parenthetical references. Here are a few in Modern Language Association (MLA) style.

Short quotations:

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/\ \/\ \/\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/ /\/\/\/\/\/ Smith says, "Blah blah blah blah blah blah" (12). [ explanation of blah blah ] /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\ \/\/\/\ /\ /\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/

Longer quotations:

/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\//\/ \/\/\/\/\/ Smith says:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. (116)

[--explanation of quotation--] /\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/ /\/\/ \/\/ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\ \/\ \/\// \/\ /\ \/\/\//\/

Quotations from poetry:

/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\ /\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\ in stanza fifteen, Wallace Stevens says:
There was the cat slopping its milk all day, Fat cat, red tongue, green mind, white milk And August the most peaceful month. (27-29)
[--explanation of quotation--] /\/\/\ /\/\/ /\/\/ /\/\/ \/\/\/ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/ \/\/\ \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\// \//\\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/

[Note the placement of that period in the indented quotation.]

Sometimes, you can connect short lines of poetry with "/":

/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\/ /\/\/\/ \//\/\ /\/\/\ Stevens says, " It comes of itself;/And east rushes west and west rushes down,/No matter" (7-9). [--explanation of quotation--] /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ \/\/\ \/\/\ \/\/\ /\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\ /\/\ \/\/\/ /\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\/\ /\\/\/ \/\/\/ \/\/\ /\/\/\/\/ \/\/\

[The 7-9 = line numbers.]

When quoting plays, include act and scene in your documentation:

In Big Play Title, Smith says to Jones, "Yo, dude, do you beleeeve this?" (2.3.76).

Notes

You can use "notes"--but those notes are mainly explanatory and appear in a "Notes" section right after your conclusion:

Notes

1. All page numbers will refer to Bob Jones' edition of this book.
2. For a further discussion, see the introduction to Robertson's The Happy Gladiator.

Bibliographies

Usually, you can title bibliographies "Works Cited" and put your "Works Cited" at the end of your papers." Here's a sample of typical entries:

Works Cited

Alberto, Oliphant. The Big Book Title. New Haven: Macmillan, 1988).
Allen, Robert C., ed. The Bigger Book Title. Chapel Hill: U. of North Carolina P, 1988.
----. Title of Book. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1983.
Berry, Ralph J., Jonas Salk, and Donald Dukker. Big Book by Three People. New York: Norton, 1987.
"Burbs." Encyclopedia Americana. 1985 ed.
Creech, Renna. Big Italian Book. Trans. Sonja Tubbs. San Diego: Harcourt, 1988.
Duck, McScrooge. "Kenneth Burke: A Retrospect." Critical Inquiry 2 (1975): 2-34.
Macintosh, Hosiah. "Little Article." Time 12 Jan. 1985: 64-65.

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