Published on
November 20, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
October 29, 2025
An abstract is a short paragraph that summarizes the entire contents of a research study or journal article. It’s not the same as an introduction, which begins an essay or article and prepares readers for the body paragraphs.
In an academic database or print journal, readers skim the abstract first to decide if they should read the article. For example, when you’re exploring scholarly sources to use in an essay, abstracts help you make informed decisions about which articles might be relevant.
APA does not require abstracts for school assignments, but instructors occasionally assign them. They’re mostly necessary when you’re writing a dissertation or submitting an article to an APA publication. The guidelines below will help you read and write abstracts more strategically.
TipQuillBot’s AI Summarizer can be a helpful starting point for writing an abstract. Just paste in your article, and the tool will synthesize the main points. You can then adjust this summary to fit your writing style and the publication’s guidelines.
MLA in-text citations for movies usually have the title and, in some cases, a timestamp.
Works Cited entries for movies begin with a title and also include the director, distributor, year of release, and streaming app or URL (if applicable).
MLA movie citation examples
In-text citation
Works Cited entry
During the final battle in the 2021 film version, Macbeth and Macduff are surrounded by fog that obscures the background (The Tragedy of Macbeth 01:37:40–01:39:45).
The Tragedy of Macbeth. Directed by Joel Coen, Apple Original Films, 2021. Apple TV+ app.
Published on
November 13, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
December 17, 2025
Journal articles are common scholarly sources in APA writing because they focus on original research studies and/or highly-specific aspects of an academic discipline.
APA requires two forms of documentation for journal articles:
In-text citations that include the author and publication year
Reference list entries that include the author, year, article title, journal title, volume and issue number, page range (with an en dash), and the DOI (a series of numbers that identifies the article and links to additional publication details)
Use the examples below to learn about the APA citation format for journal articles, or try QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create in-text citations and reference list entries.
How to cite a journal article APA examples
In-text citation
Reference list entry
Lowery (2024) argued that book bans hinder opportunities to learn about minoritized individuals and their experiences.
Lowery, R. M. (2024). But these are our stories! Critical conversations about bans on diverse literature. Research in the Teaching of English, 58(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.58680/rte202332608
Published on
November 13, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
October 29, 2025
Journal articles are common scholarly sources in MLA writing because they’re written by academic experts. Academic journals focus on very specific aspects of history, sociology, art, literature, and other academic disciplines.
MLA requires two forms of documentation for journal articles:
Works Cited entries that include the author, article title, journal title, volume number, issue number, publication date, page range, the academic database (if applicable), and a DOI or stable URL
Use the examples below to learn about the MLA citation format for journal articles, or try QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create in-text citations and Works Cited entries.
How to cite a journal article MLA examples
In-text citation
Works Cited entry
Chakravarty writes, “When EDM originated in parts of Europe and the USA, these were underground rave parties meant for the collective union of a cohort that had shared values and interests centred around both production and audienceship of the music” (119).
Chakravarty, Devpirya. “Popular Musics of India: An Ethnomusicological Review.” Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, Dec. 2019, pp. 111-22. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48710235.
Works Cited entries that include the author, article title, website name, publication date, and URL
In-text citations for websites are unique because sometimes there are pages to cite, and sometimes there aren’t.
Use the examples below to learn about the MLA citation format for different types of websites, or try QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create in-text citations and Works Cited entries. To ensure that all sources are properly cited, it is also a good idea to run a plagiarism checker before submitting your work.
How to cite a website MLA examples
In-text citation
Works Cited entry
Currin writes, “Late that summer, the band embarked on a series of drive-in gigs, with Rust Belt fans tailgating as Strings and his quintet dazzled onstage.”
Currin, Grayson Haver. “Billy Strings, 21st Century Rock Star, Is Trying Very Hard to Be Good.” GQ, 26 Sept. 2024, https://www.gq.com/story/billy-strings.
Published on
November 13, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
October 30, 2025
If you’re taking a literature course, you’ll probably write essays with MLA citations for poetry.
Sentences that quote or paraphrase a poem need in-text citations. Each source that you cite also needs a Works Cited entry.
Because poems are published in a variety of ways, MLA poetry citations have various guidelines.
The examples below will help you learn how to cite poems in MLA format. You can also use QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to write in-text citations and Works Cited entries for poems.
MLA poetry citation examples
In-text citation
Works Cited entry
Frost writes, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / but I have promises to keep.”
Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” 1923. Penguin Anthology of 20th-Century American Poetry, edited by Rita Dove, Penguin, 2011, p. 20.
Published on
November 12, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
October 30, 2025
Books are one of the most common types of sources in MLA writing, especially when the goal is to analyze literature, explain a historical topic, or develop an argument.
For each book that you use as an outside source, MLA requires two forms of citation:
In-text citations with the author and page for each quotation, paraphrase, or summary
Works Cited entries that include the author, title, publisher, and publication year
There are also different types of books. The citation guidelines vary according to the number of authors, the type of book, and other factors.
To cite books correctly in MLA style, follow the examples and guidelines below, or use QuillBot’s free Citation Generator.
How to cite a book in MLA style examples
In-text citation
Works Cited entry
Morris and Hays-Grudo explained that children who grew up during the Great Depression were known for their resilience and grit (6).
Morris, Amanda Sheffield, and Hays-Grudo, Jennifer. Raising a Resilient Child in a World of Adversity: Effective Parenting for Every Family. American Psychological Association, 2024.
Instead, MLA footnotes and endnotes provide extra context without interrupting the prose. The information isn’t immediately relevant or necessary (but still helpful), so writers place it in a footnote at the bottom of the page or on an endnotes page before the Works Cited page.
MLA footnotes and endnotes can serve these purposes:
Recommend additional sources
Explain outside sources (e.g., the reason for choosing a certain edition)
Share extra ideas or examples
Footnotes/endnotes are uncommon and rarely necessary in undergraduate essays, but they may be useful in a master’s thesis or dissertation.
MLA endnotes example
⁴ Other documentary films about art and activism include Exit Through the Gift Shop and The Art of Protest.
TipEach source that you mention, paraphrase, or quote in an MLA footnote/endnote needs a Works Cited entry. This is true even if you don’t have any in-text citations for those sources. QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you create Works Cited entries.
Published on
November 1, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
October 30, 2025
Books are one of the most common types of sources in academic writing. For each book that you use as an outside source, APA requires two forms of documentation:
In-text citations with the author and date (for paraphrases and summaries) or the author, date, and page (for quotations)
Reference list entries that include the author, date, title, publisher, DOI, and sometimes other details
There are also different types of books. The citation and referencing guidelines vary according to the number of authors, the type of book, and other factors.
To cite and reference books correctly in APA style, follow the examples and guidelines below, or use QuillBot’s free Citation Generator.
How to cite a book in APA style examples
In-text citation
Reference list entry
Morris and Hays-Grudo (2023) explained that children who grew up during the Great Depression were known for their resilience and grit.
Morris, A. S., & Hays-Grudo, J. (2023). Raising a resilient child in a world of adversity: Effective parenting for every family. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000385-000
QuillBot’s Plagiarism Checker can help you avoid accidental plagiarism by identifying material that has not been correctly cited.
Published on
October 30, 2024
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
November 11, 2025
Personal pronouns, like “she,” “us,” and “yourself,” are words that represent other nouns, which are called antecedents.
When used correctly, personal pronouns lead to better writing because they prevent unnecessary repetition. For example, if someone is writing about the moon, they could substitute the pronoun “it” for the antecedent “moon” in some of the sentences.
Some personal pronouns only refer to people (e.g., “me” or “he”), but others (e.g., “it”) refer to places or things.
One of the most important rules for personal pronouns is to have a clear antecedent. Always use the antecedent before substituting it with a pronoun in other sentences.
Personal pronouns examplesI saw a yellow butterfly flying near the zinnias in the backyard. It rested on a leaf for a moment, but it flew away before I could take a photo.
Isaac had a scholarship for the first year of college because he got excellent grades during high school.
Role-playing games like Stardew Valley are really entertaining, but they also take a lot of time.
