MLA Citation Style
- MLA Citation StyleBrief guide, showing MLA formatting needed for common types of sources.
- Create Your MLA Style CitationsMore extensive guide, showing how to use MLA style to cite a variety of types of sources.
Use Find It @ Ball State to look for full-text
Click on the Find It @ Ball State button when you're trying to find the full-text of an article.
Sometimes the article will come right up.
Sometimes you may have to click on an option under "Full Text Availability."
Questions? Just ask!
For quick questions, visit the Ask a Librarian page and chat with library staff to get answers to your library questions.
Or email Susan Taylor at setaylor@bsu.edu. I may be able to answer your question over email, or we can set up a time to meet. Don't hesitate to ask for help!
OneSearch: For finding books & articles
- OneSearch This link opens in a new window
OneSearch is a tool that cross searches much of the content our databases and other online sources. You can search across many collections in one search box simplifying the resource discovery process.
Use the Advanced Search option in OneSearch to combine a variety of concepts and synonyms together in a single search. Use the CHOP, DROP, and OR technique for maximum efficiency.
Sample search:
On the Results page, you may choose to use the limiters on the left of the screen to refine your results to articles or books, or to narrow in other ways.
To get an MLA citation for a source, look for the quotations icon.
Clicking there will bring up a window, prompting you to choose your citation format. Choose MLA from the drop-down menu.
And then use your mouse to highlight the citation and copy-paste it into your work.
Because citation generators are not guaranteed to produce perfect citations, you need to double-check the formatting. The links in the MLA Citation box on this guide are resources you can use.
JSTOR: For finding scholarly articles
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR allows you to search across approximately 2,000 journal titles from more than 50 disciplines.
Here is an example of how you might construct a search on the topic of "identity" in Nella Larsen's novel Passing:
You can get a citation to an article by clicking on the "Cite" button.
Then choose the "Copy" button by the MLA citation, and paste it into your document.
Because citation generators are not guaranteed to produce perfect citations, you need to double-check the formatting. The links in the MLA Citation box on this guide are resources you can use.
America: History & Life : For finding articles on history
- America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Key database for research in American and Canadian history. Indexes journals from the 1914 to the present, containing articles on all eras of American history.
America: History & Life allows you to place specific date limiters on your search (a feature not available in other databases). And because all of the articles in the database have something to do with history, we don't have to search for that term.
First, do a search like this one:
Then, on the results page, look under "Refine Results" on the left for the Limit To section, and click on "Show More."
A new box will pop up. Look for the "Historical Period" section, and add the dates you're interested in, including AD as the Era, as shown here:
Then click search and your results will be limited to articles which deal with that specific time period.
To get an MLA citation for a source, click on the title to bring up the complete record for the source. Then look on the right for the "Cite" icon.
And then use your mouse to scroll down to MLA 9th Edition, and then highlight the citation and copy-paste it into your work.
Because citation generators are not guaranteed to produce perfect citations, you need to double-check the formatting. The links in the MLA Citation box on this guide are resources you can use.
When looking for the full-text of an article, if you don't see the PDF icon, click on the red "Find It @ Ball State" button. It will try to connect you with the full article.
Kanopy Streaming Films: For finding documentaries
- Kanopy Streaming Films This link opens in a new window
Kanopy is a film database containing more than 30,000 films from more than 1,000 producers. It includes the Criterion Collection, Media Education Foundation, The Great Courses, News Day Films and more.
