| Common MLA
Errors to Avoid Students writing MLA
documented essays often make the following errors:
Dropped Quotes
The
in-text references do not match the references on the Works Cited page
The Works Cited
Page is not in Alphabetical Order
Dropped Quotes
Dropped quotes are quotations with no lead ins or
introductions. A dropped quote can disrupt essay coherency, making the essay seem
"choppy" or as a colleague of mine puts it: "jumpy." The reader is
left to figure out the link between the point the writer is trying to make and the
quotation he/she has inserted. Establishing this connection is the writer's job, not
the reader's job. Readers of research papers also want to know something about the
expertise of the writer's sources. The first time a source is used, the writer
should briefly note the writer's credentials.
| Example of dropped quote: One major cause
of decay in California Highways is the increase in motor traffic over the past two
decades. Cities and populations have expanded and most Californians insist on
driving their own vehicles everywhere they go. "Public
transportation has not caught on in most California cities due to their geographic
sprawl" (Briggman 10). |
Possible modification:
| One major cause of decay in California Highways is the increase in
motor traffic over the past two decades. Cities and populations have expanded and
most Californians insist on driving their own vehicles everywhere they go.
As California Department of Transportation public transportation officer,
Jill Briggman notes, "Public transportation has not caught on in most California
cities due to their geographic sprawl" (10). |
Once the credential has been given, the
source may be referred to by last name in subsequent citations:
| Another quote: As Briggman admits, "Unless we can give commuters a convenient,
inexpensive transportation alternative, the stress on our highways will continue to
increase, stressing the department's budget far beyond its limits" (17).
A paraphrase:
If commuters continue to reject public transportation, the
entropy of California highways will increase and the state of California will simply not
have the means to repair its roads (Briggman). |
Note in the examples that when the source's
name is used in the lead in, the parenthetical reference contains only the page number.
The
in-text references do not match the references on the Works Cited page
| In
text: Another killer of the grizzly because of their polluting
the air and water is factories near the Yellowstone Ecosystem. They pollute the rivers and
streams that run through the Yellowstone Ecosystem ("Grizzly
War").
Works Cited Page
Wilkinson, Todd. “Grizzly War.” High
Country News. 9 November 1998. 27 June 2000.
<http://www.hcn.org/1998/nov09/dir/Feature_Grizzly_wa.html> |
In the example above the parenthetical
reference should name the author, not the title of the article, because in the Works Cited
list, the citation correctly begins with the author last name. A reader interested
in checking out the source material would really have to dig. The correct in-text
reference would be:
| Another killer of the grizzly because of their polluting the air and
water is factories near the Yellowstone Ecosystem. They pollute the rivers and streams
that run through the Yellowstone Ecosystem (Wilkinson). |
The Works Cited Page is not
in Alphabetical Order
Always alphabetize an MLA works cited list from A - Z by the
first letter of the entry (the only exception is The at the
beginning of the title (if no author exists). In this case use the word after The. |
