Before we start building Works Cited entries and in-text citations, let's step back and talk about why we cite sources in the first place, and what actually needs a citation.
Why we cite
When you write a paper, you're doing more than sharing your opinion. You're making an argument, and like any good argument, it needs evidence.
Citing your sources shows that your ideas are supported by research. If your reader wants to check your facts or see where an idea came from, they can follow your citation to the full entry on the Works Cited page and read the original. In MLA, the citation usually includes the page, so the reader can go straight to the passage.
It's also exactly what your instructor does when grading your paper. You put forward a thesis, support it with research, and are evaluated on how well you build your case.
What happens if you don't cite?
When you use someone else's words or ideas without giving them credit, even by accident, it's called plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a big deal in academic settings. Whether you meant to do it or not, failing to cite your sources can have serious consequences. The good news is that it's easy to avoid. Stay organized and cite any words, ideas, or visuals that aren't your own.
What should you cite?
Here's a simple rule: if it isn't your original idea or a widely known fact, you should probably cite it. That includes:
- Direct quotes
- Paraphrased or summarized ideas
- Data or statistics
- Images, charts, tables, or graphs you didn't create
A widely known fact, like the year a famous event happened, doesn't need a citation. When you're not sure whether something counts as common knowledge, cite it. It never hurts.
And citing other people's work doesn't weaken your paper. It strengthens it, because it shows you've done your research and are building on the work of others. Even if your whole idea is a new combination of things other people have said, that's still original, and worth sharing.
What it looks like in a paper
Here is a passage from the sample Bigfoot paper with each borrowed piece marked.
Every hair attributed to Bigfoot matched an animal already known to science (Sykes et al.).
Sykes and his colleagues tested 30 hair samples credited to Bigfoot and similar creatures.
A separate study reached a similar conclusion: “we nonetheless suspect that many Bigfoot sightings are, in fact, of black bears” (Lozier et al. 1626).
- A paraphrased ideaThe finding is in the writer's own words, and the citation names the authors.
- DataThe number comes from the study, and the authors are named in the sentence.
- A direct quoteThe exact words go in quotation marks, with the page number in the citation.
The in-text citations lesson covers each of these forms.
Quick checklist
- Every quote is cited, with its page
- Every paraphrase and summary is cited
- Every number or statistic from a source is cited
- Every image, chart, or table you didn't create is credited
- Widely known facts are fine without a citation; when in doubt, cite
How PERRLA helps you cite
The hard part of citing is often keeping track of where things came from. With PERRLA's extension for Chrome, Add to PERRLA saves a source to your library from the research databases you already use. When you write, it's ready to cite. Before you submit, PERRLA reads the whole paper and points out any quote that still needs a citation or a page number.
Quotes missing citationsGo to
Quotes missing page numbersGo to
Works-cited entries never citedRemove
Click I'm Finished and PERRLA reads the whole paper against the MLA rules. Go to takes you straight to each spot.