Eighth Grade · Writing · week 16

Formal MLA Citation

Format in-text MLA citations matched to a correctly alphabetized Works Cited page for every source used in the paper.

Formal citation now replaces the informal signal-phrase style used in the op-ed unit. MLA in-text citation places the author's last name and a page number in parentheses at the end of the borrowed sentence, like (Ambrose 149), matching an entry on the Works Cited page. When a source has no page number, such as a website, the author's last name alone or a short title stands in its place.

The Works Cited page lists one entry per source, alphabetized by the author's last name, with a hanging indent on the second and later lines of each entry. It is the reader's map back to every source used -- every in-text citation must have a matching entry, and every entry should be cited somewhere in the paper.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Keep a citation reference sheet from a trusted style guide handy rather than relying on memory for every rule.
  • Check that every in-text citation has a matching Works Cited entry, and every entry is cited somewhere -- no orphans on either side.
  • Practice alphabetizing the Works Cited list together, since it is a simple rule that is easy to get sloppy with under deadline pressure.
  • Explain that citation is not just a rule to follow -- it lets any reader find and verify the exact source, which is the whole point.
Talk about it:
  • What does your in-text citation look like for your most-used source?
  • Is your Works Cited page correctly alphabetized?
  • What would happen to a reader trying to verify your paper if a citation and its Works Cited entry did not match?

Mastery looks like: They correctly format in-text MLA citations matched to an alphabetized Works Cited page with a hanging indent.

Common stumbles: An in-text citation with no matching Works Cited entry, or a Works Cited list that is not alphabetized.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

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