Researching

Finding information, using the ideas of others, citing sources.

Formatting Quotations in MLA

The length of a quotation determines how it is written in the text of your paper.

Short Quotations

Short quotations are less than four typed lines of text or three lines of verse. Ending punctuation is placed after the in-text citation unless it is an exclamation point or question mark that relates directly to the actual quote.

Example:

In the book The Corporation, the authors states, “Over the course of the twentieth century the world stumbled, haltingly and unevenly, toward greater democracy and humanity” (Bakan 139).

Long Quotations

Long quotations are longer than four typed lines of text. When using MLA Style, long quotations form free-standing paragraphs. Long quotations are double-spaced and begin on a new line. They are indented one inch from the left margin. In-text citations for long quotations come after the closing punctuation. The text following the end of the quotation will begin on a new line and will not be indented. No quotation marks are used for long quotations.

Example:

…Monet studied numerous types of painting and art before he established

his signature impressionistic style:

Monet was introduced to plein-air painting by

Eugène Boudin, known for paintings of the resorts

that dotted the region’s Channel coast, and

subsequently studied informally with the Dutch

landscapist Johan Jongkind (1819–1891). When

he was twenty-two, Monet joined the Paris studio

of the academic history painter Charles Gleyre. His

classmates included Auguste Renoir, Frédéric

Bazille, and other future Impressionists (Auricchio,

“Claude Monet”).

His early training would shape his later works in life, which made him

famous…

Editing Quotations

Writers often edit quotes to better get the point across in a paper. For ways in which you can do this, see our quotations page.

Sources

Gibali, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2003

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007..

Purdue University. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The OWL at Purdue. 4 Dec. 2007. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/.