FYS 100: True Detectives in Fiction and Film (Cheever): MLA Citations

Why do we cite? 

• Avoid plagiarism…intentional OR unintentional, always give credit to original author/creator
• Leave a “trail of breadcrumbs”  to find information for yourself and the audience
• Be part of a scholarly conversation- trace the lineage of ideas

What do we cite?

• Information that isn’t common knowledge or general facts to you/your audience
• Direct quotations
• Summarizing or paraphrasing ideas from source

• General MLA format guide
• MLA formating quotations
• MLA works cited page

CITATION EXAMPLES:

• Sources found online (electronic resources): Webpages, websites, online magazines/newspapers, articles found in databases, e-books, movies
• Book or Chapter
• Journal Articles 
• Periodicals: Newspapers, Magazines

COMMON QUESTIONS:

• How do I cite a film from an online streaming database like Kanopy or Swank?
• How do I cite books, websites, articles or films that I find online?
• If I am discussing a specific film scene do I need include a timecode? Yes. Just as you would use a page number for a citation of a text, In-text citations for films should include a timecode to indicate where the scene is so your reader can find it. Like this:

(Casablanca 00:34:30-00:36:03)