Style Guide 1
St. David Style Guide
Whenever you use another person’s words, ideas or pictures, you must give credit. Failure to do so
constitutes plagiarism, which is a form of theft.
This Style Guide is based on the MLA (Modern Language Association) style of documentation.
A. In-Text Citations
When either a direct or an indirect quotation is used in your research paper, it is important to
acknowledge the original source with in-text citations.
In-text citations (also known as parenthetical citations or embedded citations) are used in
place of endnotes or footnotes. In-text citations identify the source immediately following
the quotation or paraphrase. The complete bibliographic information for each reference is
listed in the Works Cited at the end of the essay.
General Rules for In-Text Citations:
1. An essay which discusses ONE work:
Usually, the author’s name appears early in the text of the essay; if not, however, include it in the
first parenthetical reference and thereafter cite the page number of the piece where the quotation
appears:
 Atticus tells Scout that in order to understand others, she needs to learn to “walk in his
shoes” (30).
To note:
 quotation mark follows the last word
 space before the first parenthesis
 period comes after the second parenthesis
SOME VARIATIONS:
When quoting two passages from the same work, place both page numbers at the end of the
sentence, separating them with a comma.
 Atticus tells Scout that in order to understand others, she needs to learn to “walk in his
shoes”; later he repeats himself when he advises her “to climb into someone’s skin and
walk around in it” (30, 185).
When quoting a passage that is longer than four lines of your typed text, indent the passage one
additional inch from the left margin only, double space, and omit quotation marks except to indicate
dialogue (use single quotation marks around the dialogue):
Style Guide 2
I feel sorry for Denise sometimes, stuck between the two of us. They’ve been great
to me over the years, my two sisters.
They won’t let me tell them that, but
they have; they’ve been just brilliant. I’d never have done what I did—I’d never
have finished it—without them helping me. (8)
When quoting dialogue, the quoted dialogue appears within single quotation marks, which are
enclosed in double quotation marks:

When Nu speaks her first words after her illness, Tsila says to her, “‘Your mouth is
lovely’” (261).
Or

In “The Prospector’s Trail” by Cathy Jewison, Norman discovers that prospecting for
trash has the potential to turn his life around. “‘I think I’ve got it,’ Norman announce[s]”
at the end of the story (31).
To note:
 it is preferable to let the quotation flow out of your own sentences rather than to drop
complete sentences from the piece between your commentary
 when dialogue forms only part of a quotation, a single quotation mark signals the end of
the dialogue and the double quotation marks signal the end of the quotation
 when your own sentence extends beyond the quoted material, the page reference is still
placed at the end of the sentence
 use square brackets to indicate a change you made in a quoted line (changes are made to
maintain grammatical correctness and/or to add clarity)
 if the quotation is a question or exclamation, insert the appropriate punctuation before
the closing quotation marks and end your own sentence with a period after the
parentheses
 with long quotations, there is no period after the in-text citation
2. An essay which discusses two or more works:
Include the author’s name in the parenthetical reference:

While Calum is the unlikely hero “whose great heart is left behind,” Briony is the unlikely
villain who writes plays so, “everyone [will] adore her” (MacLeod 282; McEwan 11).
To note:
Style Guide 3



no comma between author’s last name and page number of quotation
use a semi-colon to separate the two citations
if you were to use two books by one author, substitute the author’s name with the book
titles
3. Quoting poetry:
When quoting Shakespeare, use Arabic numerals to indicate act, scene and line number
 “As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods; /They kill us for their sport” (4.1.44-45).
When quoting poetry, indicate line changes with slashes (see above) when citing three lines or
fewer. When the excerpt is four or more lines in length, omit the quotation marks and begin new
lines at the indented left margin (as it would appear in the text):
Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
Like gold to aery thinness beat. (21-24)
To note:
 three lines or less are written into your essay like prose; the line divisions are indicted
with slashes and quotation marks are used
 for poetry other than Shakespeare, provide line numbers, not page numbers
4. If No Author is Listed:
If there is no author given, include in parentheses ( ) the title, or a shortened version of the title, and
the page number(s). Note that book and play titles are italicized, whereas titles of poems, stories
and essays are placed in quotation marks “ ”.
B. Works Cited
You may use www.easybib.com to create proper sourcing for your Works Cited.
A list of works cited is included at the end of your essay. Its purpose is to let the reader locate your
sources. Other names for such a listing are Bibliography (literally, “description of books”) and
Literature Cited. Works Cited is a more precise descriptive term because your research may
include periodicals, films, and other non-print sources.
To note:
when more than one work appears on the Works Cited page, alphabetize by the author’s
surname or web address, etc.
use hanging indentation style: indent second and subsequent lines in the same reference so
that the author’s surname stands out
put foreign words in italics
do not number the entries on the Works Cited list; the alphabetized surnames create order
double space each entry; do not leave extra blank lines between entries
Style Guide 4
1. Books and Novels – One Author
MacLeod, Alistair. No Great Mischief. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd., 1999. Print.
2. Books – More than One Author
Nunes, Julie and Scott Simmie. Beyond Crazy: Journeys Through Mental Illness. Toronto:
McClelland & Stewart, 2002. Print.
3. Books – No Author Given
Guidebook for Camping. Toronto: Harcourt, 1988. Print.
4. Books – Editor
Simpson, Kieran, ed. Canadian Who’s Who 1989. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989. Print.
5. Plays
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Don Mills: Longmans Canada Limited, 1964. Print.
6. Short Stories
Richler, Nancy. “Your Mouth is Lovely.” Echoes. Ed. Francine Artichuk, et.al. Don Mills:
Oxford University Press, 2002. 244-264. Print.
7. Poems
Donne, John. “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” Echoes. Ed. Francine Artichuk, et.al.
Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2002. 62-63. Print.
8. Essays in an Anthology
Pigott, Catherine. “Chicken Hips.” Imprints. Ed. Don Saliani, et.al. Toronto: Gage
Educational Publishing Company, 2001. 319-322. Print.
9. Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry
Posner, Rebecca. “Romance Languages.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropaedia.
15th ed. 1987. Print.
10. The Bible and documents of other major religions
Treat these as books with no author. Refer to the version or edition, followed by the publisher
and the date (if there is one). Do not italicize or underline the title.
Bible. King James Version. New York: World Publishing Company. Print.
11. Magazine/Journal Article
Lord, Lewis. “There’s Something About Mary Todd.” US News World Report 19 Feb.
Style Guide 5
2001: 53. Print.
12. Article in a Daily Newspaper
Murphy, Sean P. “Decisions on Status of Tribes Draw Fire.” Boston Globe 27 Mar. 2001:
A2. Print.
13. Film or Video/DVD
Chocolat. Dir. Lasse Hallstrom. Perf. Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena
Olin, and Johnny Depp. Miramax, 2001. DVD.
High Fidelity. Dir. Stephen Frears. Perf. John Cusack, Iben Hjelje, Jack Black, and Todd
Louiso. 2000. Walt Disney Video, 2001. DVD.
14. Television Program
“Monkey Trial.” American Experience. PBS. WGHB, Boston. 18 Mar. 2003. Television.
15. Web Site
Merriman, C. D. "F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)." Http://www.online-literature.com/
fitzgerald/. Jalic Inc, 2007. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
A blog
Curran, Kevin. “The Newspaper and the Culture of Print in the Early American Republic.”
Textual Studies, 1500-1800, 7 Jan. 2008. Weblog. 14 Jan. 2008.
A wiki
“F. Scott Fitzgerald.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Sept.
2011.
16. Map or Chart
Treat maps or charts like a book with no author, but add the appropriate label (Map, Chart).
The World. Map. Washington: National Geographic Society, 2003. Print.
Riendeau, Roger E. History of Canada. Chart. Toronto: Hedgerow House, 1986. Print.
17. E-Mail
Author of e-mail message. “Subject line of message.” Email to recipient’s name (or to
the author). Date of the email. E-mail.
Style Guide 6
Ross, David. “Comedy in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.” Email to the author. 27 October
2003. E-mail.
18. Government document
Canada. Dept. of Employment and Immigration. Immigration Statistics: Ottawa, 1988. Print.
19. Personal Interview
Findley, Timothy. Personal interview, 22 January 1991.
20. Online Databases (Knowledge Ontario, INFOTRAC, or EBSCO)
Magazine Article
Frick, Robert. “Investing in Medical Miracles.” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Feb. 1999: 80-87. CPI.Q. Knowledge Ontario. St. David Library, Waterloo, ON.
Web. 18 Feb. 2007.
Journal Article
Tator, Charles, James D. Carson, and Robert Cushman. “Hockey Injuries of the Spine in
Canada 1966-1996.” CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal Vol. 162 Issue
6, 03/21/2000, 787. Student Research Center. EBSCO Host. St. David Library,
Waterloo, ON. Web. 24 May 2002.
Reference Works (Books/Subject Encyclopedias)
“Aids”. U.X.L. Science 1998. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Centre. INFOTRAC. Gale Group.
St. David Library, Waterloo, ON. Web. 24 May 2002.
Online Encyclopedia
Article with an author given:
Pasquier, Roger F. “Owl.” Encyclopedia Americana Online. Grolier, Inc. 1999. Web. 1
Apr. 2004.
Style Guide 7
Article without an author given:
“Jumping Mouse.” Encyclopedia Americana Online. Grolier Inc. 1999. Web. 10
Apr. 2004.
For additional references see:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage OR
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/11/ OR
http://www.cuyamaca.edu/tpagaard/Generic/MLAFormat.pdf
Style Guide 8
Sample title page:
Doe 1
Student’s Name
Teacher’s Name
Course Code
Date (DD/Month/YYYY as in 15 June 2013)
Title of Essay
Subtitle
Text of essay begins……
To Note:
 titles of essays are not underlined

number and identify your surname on each page at the top right hand corner

type the student/course information in the upper left hand corner, beginning
at the left margin, and double space the information

double space before centering and typing the title and subtitle of the essay

double space the text of the essay

use a regular font (Times New Roman is recommended) and size 12 print

indent all paragraphs, including paragraph one

leave margins of 1” (one inch--standard) on each side of each page and 1” at
the top and bottom of each page (one inch--standard)

the Works Cited is listed on a separate page at the end of the essay

write your essay in active voice and in present tense whenever possible