These are the rules that must be followed for a MLA citation to be correct:
1. Both opening and closing quotation marks must be used when quoting directly from a text. This way you are giving full credit to the author, or authors, you are citing.
2. The author’s name can be placed either before the quotation or within parentheses. You can say <em>Smith stated that "apples are red" (244)</em> or <em>"Apples are red" (Smith, 244). </em>
3. The complete citation must be added to the works cited page. It is here where the reader can find more information about a specific source.
4. The author’s name, if known, must be included. And when it is not known, a shortened title of the work should be used instead (in quotation marks if it is an article, for instance, and in italics if it is a book).
