Use MLA Cite Dissertation, Get a High Grade

The process of writing a dissertation might seems open for creativity and showing off a particular personal style. However, it is not the truth. There are numerous conventions, requirements, and standards that a student must adhere to. It results in a number of limitations and frameworks that students should not cross. At the same time, it allows to make the procedure of assessing theses easier and more impartial. There is no room for the subjectivity of a supervisor. Consequently, it is the quality of research, not the appearance of a dissertation, that matters. A formatting style is a tool that enables these uniformity and impartiality.

There are many formatting styles available for use. Nevertheless, if you are studying liberal arts and are fond of humanities, you should know what MLA is and how to cite a thesis in MLA. This style was created by a Modern Language Association and has many variations and editions. The most recent editions are the 7th and the 8th. Therefore, you are strongly recommended to find out how to cite a dissertation MLA 8. To conform to the rules of MLA citation dissertation should have consistent fonts and margins, in-text citations with page numbers or footnotes, and a complete bibliography with all information about the publication properly arranged.

Learn about Effective Use of MLA Style for Dissertation

MLA dissertation usually looks neat and clear. Furthermore, it secures you an objective attitude of a person assessing the dissertation since having complied with the rule, you have shown respect for the authority. With the basic knowledge on how to cite a dissertation MLA, you are likely to please a professor. The primary thing that you should know that MLA is a style focused on an author. So, all references and in-text citations are about giving a credit to the creators of a source, and an in-text citation looks like, for instance, (Johnson 58), where “58” is a page number. Furthermore, in MLA cite dissertation is to take just a few steps, which is rather easy since there are numerous resources on MLA, as well as MLA Handbook with examples and a sample Works Cited page.

The key to understanding how to cite a thesis MLA is to know about all the elements that a reference should include. Have a look at them below, and you will realize what to pay attention to while searching for, reading, and actually citing a source. These components include:

  • Author. It is one person, few people, or an organization that created a book, journal article, reports, etc. On Works Cited page, full names of the authors are indicated.
  • Title of a source. It follows an author’s name and may be provided in either italics, for instance a book, or quotation marks, for example, an article.
  • Title of a container. Information about a container is not always necessary, but if the source is a part of some bigger source, for instance, a chapter in a book, this element should be present.
  • Other contributors. These are people who participated in the creation of the book but did not author it, for instance, a translator or editor.
  • Versions and Number. If the source has different editions, you should mention the one you have used. If the source is a part of a numbered collection, you should indicate its number.
  • Publisher. This part of a reference should inform about the name of the publisher and the date when the source was produced. Sometimes, a location might be necessary too.

Thus, here is an example of a made-up book cited in MLA:

  • Johnson, John, and Jackie Doe. How to Cite Thesis MLA. Edited by Lucy Smith. 8th ed., Pearson, 2017.

The in-text citation should look like:

  • (Johnson and Doe 123).

Of course, to know how to cite a dissertation MLA is not only about components even it is the most important data in this regard. A student should also be aware of punctuation, the usage of capitalization, italics, quotation marks, general format requirements, etc. The compliance with these seemingly insignificant rules helps teachers to a great extent and allows you be evaluated like other students without any kind of advantage or disadvantage. So, you are strongly recommended taking use of MLA Handbook and cite sources in your dissertation properly.