A Brief Intro to MLA and APA Styles and Framing Sources

Know Who Said It and Where It was Said: An Intro to MLA and APA So what is MLA and APA? So what are MLA and APA? MLA stands for Modern Language Association. APA stands for American Psychological Association. Basically, we simply need to remember that each style is used by a specific discipline in academia. MLA is mainly used by the arts and humanities departments. This is because MLA style highlights author names, books, and article titles. APA is most often used for psychology and the social sciences. The benefit is that APA is designed to highlight publication dates, as being up-to-date on one’s research is incredibly important. What do these styles look like, anyway? For MLA, there’s not really a “set” structure. Most often, it is simply our basic academic essay outline: ● Intro ● Point A ○ Evidence ● Point B ○ Evidence ● Etc. - Point Z ● Conclusion ● Bibliography For APA, as mentioned previously, it has a fairly standard structure, though it may vary slightly depending on the essay: ● Title Page (Essay title, name, etc.) ● Abstract (SHORT summary of the entire essay) ● Body of Essay (This is where your exact format will vary.) ● References For example, an APA Critique Essay will look like this: ● Title Page (Essay title, name, etc.) ● Abstract (SHORT summary of the entire essay) ● Intro (with thesis as LAST sentence) ● Article Summary (“They Say”) ● Your Analysis (“I Say”) ● Conclusions ● References The biggest thing to remember when working in ANY style--MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.--is to adhere to the specific formula. If you don’t know it, look it up. That’s why these things are called reference materials, because one should reference them when writing them. There are many specific style guides and a plethora of websites that discuss the how, when, and why to use the various styles. Once we know our style, we then need to worry about our in-text citations. What are the two pieces of information that readers ALWAYS need to know? ● Who said it ● Where it was said For MLA in-text citations, we'll always follow this basic formula: The article says, "Blah, blah, blah" (Author's Last Name, Location). Notice that the period goes OUTSIDE the parentheses. Since we always need to know who said it, we can introduce that information in two different ways. In the sentence itself, which is the preferred method: In his essay “Toxic Tacos,” Mr. McWeirdo states, “Putting radiation into our meat is a bad idea” (42). Even better is when we can give an explanation of the speaker: In his essay “Toxic Tacos,” Mr. McWeirdo--an expert in consuming radioactive food--states, “Putting radiation into our meat is a bad idea” (42). Since we always need to know who said it, we can introduce that information in two different ways. Or we name them in the in-text citation: That is why it has been said that “Putting radiation into our meat is a bad idea” (McWeirdo, 42). A few more things to note about citations! ● MLA, in-text citations always go at the sentence’s END, regardless of where the quote is used, but INSIDE that final period. ● If your quote has internal punctuation, like a question or exclamation mark, keep it for the context! (For example, Mr. McWeirdo also insists, “Wash your hands after handling radiative materials!” (43).) We can translate this into a couple possible outlines / formulas for using quotes. Of course, these are not the only way to use your outside sources, but by following this basic template, you’ll ensure all the key pieces are in place: ● Readers can separate your ideas from your sources’ ideas. ● We know where the quote came from. ● Readers will understand why you’ve used this particular source. Possible Template for Using Source: Introduce author / source, including any necessary context, “Have quote or summary” (with citation). Write a sentence or two that ties your source back to YOUR ideas and essay’s purpose. Another Possible Template “Use quote or summary” (with citation), attribute it to author / source, including any necessary context. Write a sentence or two connecting quote back to source. Basically, when using a quote or summary in your essay, be sure that your readers will know the following WITHIN THE BODY OF YOUR ESSAY: ● Find out the author / souce / context of source ● How it connects to your ideas / purpose / thesis The last thing we want to do is make them wonder why a quote was used in the first place. What about APA? APA is a bit different, as once again, it emphasizes author names and publication dates. FOR APA: ● Who said it ● Where it was said ● When it was said Like MLA, we have various ways to include this information. We can name them in text: Doyle (2010) asserted that “although some immigrants burden the welfare system, as a group they pay far more in taxes than they receive in benefits” (p. 25). Like MLA, we have various ways to include this information. We can name them in the parenthesis: “Although some immigrants burden the welfare system, as a group they pay far more in taxes than they receive in benefits” (Doyle, 2005, p. 25). With APA, remember that the year of publication ALWAYS goes after the author’s name, whether at the beginning or the end fo the sentence. The page number always comes at the end. Doyle (2010)... (p. 25). “Blah, blah, blah” (Doyle, 2010, p. 25). When working with in-text citations, simply remember these three things: ● Know who said it, where it was said, when it was said ● The final period goes OUTSIDE the parentheses. ● You don't need to memorize all of this stuff. It's reference material, so reference it. Of course, this isn’t comprehensive, as these citations will vary depending on the number of authors, if it is a corporate author versus and individual author, the type of text being cited, etc. So, to re-emphasize, when citing your sources, both in text and in the final bibliographies/reference pages, ALWAYS keep a style guide at hand. Whenever you use a source, you then need to include it on the works cited page. For MLA, the works cited page is called a “Bibliography”. For APA, the works cited page is the “Reference” page. While there are MANY variations depending on type of source, number of authors, etc., MLA usually looks like this: Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Website name. Publisher Name, Date of publication. Medium of publication. Access date. While there are variations depending on type of source, number of authors, etc., APA usually looks like this: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Online Periodical, volume number(issue number if available). Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/ Again, the thing to remember is that all of these different types of sources--from a YouTube post to a tweet to an online article to a children’s book to a Sunday newspaper obituary--all have specific guidelines for citation, and all of them are reference material. In short, you know need to memorize this stuff, but you need to know where to find it! A great resource / reference site is https://owl.english.purdue.edu/ And if you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to contact me.