Citation Guides

If your instructor uploads content (like an article or book chapter) to Talon, and you need to cite that content in your own work, use these guidelines to help:

• Follow the basic core elements of MLA style
• Include the elements you have, and skip information you don't have

Example of article, unknown source:

Anderson, W.T. "As a Farm Woman Thinks." Talon, uploaded by Bessie Wilder, 21 Dec. 2017, www.kirkwood.edu/talon.

Example, information without a title:

• If no title is given, create your own brief description of the document, and use sentence capitalization.

Economic definitions. Talon, uploaded by Adam Smith, 6 Jan. 2019, www.kirkwood.edu/talon.

General guidance:

• Can be used to refer to your own previous writing.
• If quoting from another student's unpublished paper, first get their permission.

Unpublished student paper (from MLA Style Center)

Last name, First name of author. "Title of Paper." Date of paper. Course for which paper was written, the college name, student paper.

Jackson, Amari. "The Meaning of Life." 21 Oct. 2019. Introduction to Philosophy, Kirkwood Community College, student paper.

Examples:

Name of person who was interviewed. Interview. Conducted by First Name Last Name, Date of interview.

Reynolds, Serenity. Interview. Conducted by Jayne Cobb, 24 June 2019.

Personal interview, unpublished:

Ruiz, Marcella. Interview with the author, 14 Sept. 2021.

Interview conducted by e-mail, unpublished:

Gellar, Ross. E-mail interview with the author, 6 June 2019.

Personal correspondence, E-mail, letter, text message:

Name of writer. E-mail to the author or First Name Last Name. Date received.

Blythe, Gilbert. E-mail to Anne Shirley. 15 July 2019.

Lemuelson, Erik. Text message to the author. 27 Aug. 2020.