Citing Sources - MLA 9th Edition

What is NoodleTools?

SCC Library subscribes to ​NoodleTools, a web-based citation builder that guides you to enter each piece of information MLA requires into an online form. Once you have entered all of the information needed for each of your sources, you can:

• Download a perfectly-formatted Works Cited page
• See what an in-text citation for each source should look like

Why don't I just copy and paste the citation from somewhere?

Excellent question! Here are three good reasons:

1. Free online citation generators, which automatically crawl webpages to find citation elements, cannot always find the information needed for a complete citation. The information regarding author, publication date, and other elements may be available elsewhere on the site - for example, on the About Us page - and if so, you should include them!
2. Citations copied from library databases often include the name of the database vendor (e.g., EBSCOhost) instead of the name of the database where you found your source (e.g., Academic Search Complete).  
3. Entering each piece of information needed for MLA citations:
   • Ensures accuracy.
   • Teaches you what information is needed, so that over time, you will be able to quickly scan a citation and know whether it is formatted correctly - a skill that will come in handy throughout your college career.
4. NoodleTools allows you to create a new project for each assignment, helping you organize your research for multiple courses all in one space. 

Where can I create a NoodleTools account?

1. Create a New Project

Once you have registered for a NoodleTools account, click the green oval in the upper right corner with the text "+ New Project" to create a new project. Type your project title and choose citation style MLA. 

2. Add a New Source

Once you have created a new project and hit the blue "Submit" button, click on the name of your project (in this example, English 100 Research Paper). Then you can add a new source, by clicking the green oval in the upper right corner with the text "+ New Source".

3. Where Is It?

Once you have hit the green "+ New Source" button, a pop-up appears asking you where your source is found. In a database? On a website? Is it print material or something you can hold in your hand? Is it something you viewed or heard live? Is it a file, an app, or an e-book?

 

4. What Is It?

Clicking "Database" causes many more options to appear, where you can click to answer the question, "What is it?" In this example, the source is an article from a scholarly journal found in a library database, so we have selected "Database" and then "Journal".

5. Enter database information

Now we enter information about the database where we found the journal article: The name of the database, the permalink URL, the DOI, and the most recent date of access.

6. Enter article information

Now, we enter information about the article. If there is more than one author, click the blue button labeled "+ Add Contributor". Enter the author information, the article title, and the page numbers where the article begins and ends.

7. Enter journal information

Now we enter information pertaining to the journal where the article was published: name, volume, issue, publication date, and series. This is the last piece of information we need to enter for this source, so we click the blue "Save" button in the upper right corner. 

8. View in-text citation examples

Once you have saved a citation, you can click the three dots on the right-hand side of each entry to see options, including "In-text citation".

The "in-text citation" option will show you how to refer to the work throughout your paper or essay, as you quote, paraphrase, or reference its content - in parentheses, using author and page number.

9. Export Works Cited page

To export the Works Cited page of a project, click the "up" arrow in the top navigation ribbon, and choose "Print/Export to Word".