LibGuides: Citation Guide: MLA

Modern Language Association (MLA)

MLA Handbook (8th Edition) by The Modern Language Association of America
Call Number: Permanent Reserve, Front Desk Ref. 808.027 M699, 2016
Publication Date: 2016
MLA Style is normally used in English, modern languages, and some communication fields. Ask for the manual at the front desk to look up specifics.

MLA Style Center Website
Instructional aids and guidance from the Modern Languages Association.
Citing in A.I. MLA
This link shows you how to cite A.I. like ChatGPT in MLA style.

Citing ChatGPT in MLA examples

Paraphrasing a text example:

You can find the chat referenced in the example below here.

Works cited entry:

"Describe the symbolism of mockingbirds in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee" prompt. ChatGPT, August 3 Version, OpenAI, 7 Sept. 2023. https://chat.openai.com/chat.

Paraphrased in-text:

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses mockingbirds to symbolize ideas of innocence, conscience, and empathy, and both Scout's and Boo Radley's characters exemplify this. Lee also uses mockingbirds to talk about injustice and prejudice ("Describe the symbolism").

Quoting text example:

You can find the chat referenced in the example below here.

Works cited entry:

"In 200 words, describe the symbolism of mockingbirds in the book To Kill a Mockingbird" prompt. ChatGPT, August 3 Version, OpenAI, 7 Sept. 2023. https://chat.openai.com/chat.

Quoted in prose:

When asked to describe the symbolism of mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird, ChatGPT provided a summarization of innocence, conscience, and empathy. However, when further prompted to cite the source on which that summary was based, the system explained that it lacked “the ability to conduct research or cite sources independently” but that it could “provide a list of scholarly sources related to the symbolism of mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird” (“In 200 words”).

NOTE: Always check the sources and their authors to see if they are authentic and scholarly. There are documented cases of ChatGPT making up authors and scholarly communications (articles, books, etc.).

Creative Visual Works Citation:

If you choose to integrate an A.I.-generated image, you still need to write a figure description for it and include it in the works cited. See the example below:

Fig. 1. "A hand-drawn sailboat circled by birds on the sea at sunrise" prompt, DALL-E, version 2, OpenAI, N.A., labs.openai.com/.

Creative Textual Works:

How you cite this type of work will hinge on if you give it a title or not.

Example with a given title:

“Cats in Love" poem about cats in love. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 7 Sept. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

Example without a given title:

"In solitude's grasp..." a haiku about feeling alone. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 7 Sept. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

Secondary Sources Used by an A.I. tool Citation:

If you ask an A.I. tool to explain a concept, citing sources, please make sure to open and evaluate the sources that are used.

Example: I asked ChatGPT to explain the concept of confirmation bias, citing sources, and this is what I was given.

Say you really like the second sentence and decided to quote it. Click on the source(s) in the note to get more than the URL. Below is a screenshot of what I found.

You won't cite BingAI but Britannica as your source. BingAI was a part of the pre-research phase of research.

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Purdue's Online Writing Lab commonly referred to as Purdue OWL is an online resource that supplements Purdue's writing lab. Over time it has become a go-to resource for faculty and students alike. If getting to Vogel to check out the MLA Publication Manual can't happen, Purdue OWL is a wonderful online resource to use for your citation needs.