Not sure why you need to document your sources?
Read our Documentation & Plagiarism Guide to find out.
Figuring out how to fit a quote or paraphrase from a source into your paper can be tricky. You must craft a sentence so that the quote flows grammatically. We often introduce a quote or paraphrase with a signal phrase that helps setup the quote. In MLA we use the present tense of verbs for this signal phrase. So a sentence with a quotation or paraphrase from a person with the last name Smith might start something like this:
Smith argues that "..."
Smith disputes the idea that ...
According to Smith, "..."
More information on and examples of signal phrases can be found on the OWL Purdue site.
Figuring out how to make your paper flow between your words and quotes from other authors can be tricky at first, but with practice you can learn to seamlessly support your writing with quotations from other authors.
Each ACC Library has a copy of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers in the Reference collection (REF LB 2369 .G53 2003) for use in the library and copies in the circulating collection (LB 2369 .G53 2003) that you can check out for 2 weeks.
Remember, even if you use a citation generator, it's still your responsibility to check over your citations to make sure they're correct!
