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Business Administration Subject Guide

Official MLA Citation Style Guide Manual:

Helpful MLA Style Guides:

MLA Handbook Plus Courses on MLA Citation Style:

  • MLA Style 101 - Explore the MLA template of core elements with this introductory course. Each of the nine videos highlight one of the elements—like author, version, or publisher—and provides guidance on how to find publication information in various types of sources.
  • MLA Style 101: Using the Practice Template - In this course you will learn how to use our practice template of core elements to assemble works-cited-list entries.

  • In-Text Citations in MLA Format - In this course you will learn about in-text citations in MLA style, including how to create basic and complex in-text citations, how to manage multiple sources in one sentence, and common misconceptions about in-text citations.

  • Quoting and Paraphrasing in MLA Format - Learn how to successfully paraphrase and quote from sources—and avoid plagiarism—in this detailed walk-through of the various ways to integrate quotations into prose.

Citing Generative AI in MLA

Please check with your professor to know whether generative AI is allowed for the assignment. This information can be found in your course syllabus. 

All citation styles require you to cite generative AI when it is used in your research or writing. Additionally, MLA requires acknowledgement when AI is used for other purposes, such as editing and/or translating. Below are some guidelines and examples:

In-Text Citations: 

MLA Style recommends that you cite any use of AI both in the text and in the works cited. While, MLA style does not require an explanation of the prompt in the text, this is often helpful to give context for direct quotes. MLA doesn't consider generative AI as an author, so that element is omitted in in-text citations. Instead, use the first few words of the prompt.

 

Examples: 
The main themes of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby encompass the illusion of the American Dream, the pervasive corruption of the 1920s, and the harsh realities of social classism ("Describe the main themes").
When asked to describe the main themes of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Perplexity listed "the illusion and decay of the American Dream, the corruption and materialism of 1920s society, and the rigid divisions of social class" ("Describe the main themes"), which aligns closely with other scholars.

 

Works Cited: 

Color-coded graphic showing the different components of a MLA AI citation

General format: "Text of prompt" prompt. Model name, Version, Publisher/developer, Date, URL.

  • Text of prompt: Include the entire text of your prompt.
  • Model name:  the name of the tool used (ex: ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, etc.).
  • Version: use the version of the tool as listed by the author/developer. Chat tools based on ChatGPT use the month and day accessed as the version (ex: 14 July version). Other chat tools may use a different naming system (ex: v4.0.0).
  • Publisher/developer: the publisher/developer of the tool (ex: OpenAI).
  • Date: the date the content was generated (formatted Day Month Year).
  • URL: general URL for the tool.

 

Examples: 

“Describe the main themes of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby” prompt. ChatGPT, 25 Sept. version, OpenAI, 21 Oct. 2025, https://chatgpt.com. 

“In 100 words, describe the main themes of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby” prompt. Perplexity, v4.0.0, Perplexity AI, 21 Feb. 2025, https://www.perplexity.ai. 

 

Examples adapted from MLA  Style Center: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/. 

Citation Software

The library supports Zotero which is designed to help you create, organize, and write citations. Below are the pros and cons.


 

Zotero: A tool for many citation styles. Able to capture information quickly from web pages, online catalogs, webpages, etc.

          Pros:
               + Many citation styles
               + Easy to import citations
               + Easy to organize
               + Can add a .pdf attachment with citations
               + Works seamlessly with add-ons to create in-text citations and a bibliography for:
                    *Microsoft Office
                    *Google Docs
                    *LibreOffice
               + Option to add a note with a citation

          Cons:
               - Internet Connection Required

 

 

Zoterobib: This online tool builds a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.

          Pros:
               + Many citation styles
               + Very easy to use - no software to learn
               + Easy to import citations
               + Can create bibliography fully within your browser; option to generate a link to return later
               + Includes tools for creating parenthetical citations, footnotes, and endnotes

          Cons:
               - Internet connection required
               - Might lose your work if you close your browser while using Chrome's incognito mode
 

  • Many citation styles
  • Easy to import citations
  • Fairly accurate citations
  • Easy to Organize
  • Can add a .pdf attachment with the citation (virtual filing cabinet)
  • Microsoft Office Add-on for creating in-text citations and a bibliography
  • Option to add a note with a citation (this might be an option for documenting your annotations)
  • Operates within Firefox web browser
  • Internet Connection Required

This work by Principia College Library is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International