The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a widely used citation style for writing and formatting research papers, particularly in the humanities and liberal arts. When citing a quote from a website in MLA format, it is important to follow the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook (8th edition).
To begin with, it is essential to provide a proper citation for the website in the Works Cited page of your paper. The citation should include the author's name (if available), the title of the webpage, the name of the website, the date of publication (if available), and the URL. Here is an example of an MLA citation for a quote from a webpage:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Webpage." Title of Website, publisher, date of publication, URL.
For example:
Smith, John. "The Benefits of Exercise." Healthline, Healthline Media, 10 May 2020, www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-exercise.
Once you have properly cited the website in your Works Cited page, you can then use a short quotation from the webpage in the body of your paper. When quoting a source in MLA style, you should enclose the quotation in quotation marks and provide a parenthetical citation at the end of the quotation, including the author's last name and the page number (if applicable).
For example:
According to John Smith, "Exercise can improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases" (Smith).
If you are quoting a webpage that does not have page numbers, you can simply provide the author's last name and the paragraph number in your parenthetical citation. For example:
"Exercise can improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases" (Smith, para. 3).
It is important to follow the guidelines for quoting and citing sources in MLA style in order to give proper credit to the original source and to avoid plagiarism. By properly citing and quoting from a website in MLA format, you can effectively incorporate the ideas and research of others into your own writing while demonstrating your academic integrity.