What is MLA?
  
   MLA refers to the Modern Language 
   Association.
  
   Several different formats exist for citing 
   research within a paper, such as MLA and APA.
  
   The MLA citation method is most commonly 
   used in English classes.
   
             Citing a Book 
   
    For printed sources (books, magazines etc.) 
    with a single named author, the in-text 
    citation would appear as follows:
   Cole Matthews illustrates his selfishness and lack of 
    empathy when he thinks to himself “this wouldn’t 
    have happened if Peter had kept his mouth 
    shut”(Mikaelsen 40).       Note: There is a single space 
                               between the end quotation 
                               mark and the beginning 
                               parenthesis and between the 
                               name and page number.
        Quote within a Quote
  Examples:
  Cole emphasizes to the Circle, “ ‘ I am telling the 
  truth when I say I saw a Spirit Bear’ ” (Mikaelsen 
  130).
  Edwin and Garvey challenge Cole to explain how 
  his two days of banishment changed him, and Cole 
  explains, “ ‘ I realized that I was dying and I had 
  never really even lived. Nobody trusted me. I had 
  never loved anybody, and nobody had every really 
  loved me’ ” (Mikaelsen 132).
   Altering Quotes to Meet Grammatical 
                  Rules
  
    Use brackets to alter a quote so that it meets 
   standard grammatical rules and your needs. 
  Example: 
  Cole realizes the errors of his past and that 
   “[a]ll of his life he had squandered his 
   choices, wallowing in revenge and self-pity, 
   keeping himself down” (Mikaelsen 84).
      Quotations as Textual Evidence
   Quotations should be used when . . 
     1. the exact wording is important.
     2. the quoted material helps make or support the 
      point of the paragraph.
    Example:
   Cole realizes that he wants to live: “To be 
   alive was to have choice. The power to 
   choose was real power, not the fake power of 
   making others afraid” (Mikaelsen 83).