COML 1109.101: On the Waterfront: Citing Sources

MLA Citation Style

MLA Citation Style (Library Help pages)
Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about MLA citation style.

MLA Style (MLA's web site)
Provides some FAQ's; however, this site does not provide the full style manual online.

MLA Style Manual. (Olin Reference PN147 .G444 2008)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.)
Olin LB2369 .G53 2009 (located at the Reference Desk)

When you're writing about an image or multimedia piece in a paper or presentation, you should provide the following pieces of information in the caption and in the bibliography...if you have a list of works of art cited:

• creator(s)
• title
• year(s) of creation
• materials or format
• owner (such as a museum or private owner), if applicable
• if from a digital source: date you found the work online
• name of the Web site where you found it

If you're just referring to the piece in your paper, use

• creator
• title
• year
• materials or format

the first time you mention it, and just the creator and title thereafter.

Chicago Manual of Style Citation Style

Chicago Manual of Style online

The Quick Guide answers some of the most frequently-asked questions about the Chicago citation style.

In print:
The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.)
Olin Library Ref Z253 .M69 2010 (located at the Olin Reference Desk)

The Purdue Online Writing Lab gives excellent examples (for footnotes/endnotes and bibliographies) on how to cite using the Chicago citation style: books, periodicals, web sources, film & television, and much more.

See especially, Chicago Manual of Style's "Section 14.280: Citing online multimedia"

RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. For more information and to sign up for an account: http://www.refworks.cornell.edu

Send your questions about any aspect of RefWorks or EndNote (another citation management program) to: citemanage-l@cornell.edu

The library also offers many workshops on using RefWorks and EndNote. Check here for the next workshop. If you are unable to attend, please fill out an online request form to set up an individual consultation. 

Give credit where credit is due. By properly citing the sources you use in your research projects you are both identifying the resources that you used to complete your work and you are formally acknowledging the authors or creators of those resources. 

Please read the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity.

The College Art Association has a series of guidelines (based on the Chicago Manual of Style) for image captions.