How do Works Cited pages differ from In-Text Citations in MLA formatting and purpose?

How do Works Cited pages differ from In-Text Citations in MLA formatting and purpose?

• A. Works Cited lists full sources at the end; in-text citations link quotes to sources within the text.
• B. Works Cited are used only for paraphrase; In-Text citations are for direct quotes.
• C. Works Cited appear in the margin; In-Text citations appear in the bibliography.
• D. Works Cited and In-Text citations use identical formats and purposes.

Answer: (A)

In MLA, citation happens in two related but distinct places, each with its own function. In-text citations appear right in the body of your writing after a quote or a paraphrase. They give just enough information—usually the author's last name and a page number—to show where the idea came from and to point readers to the full entry later. The Works Cited page collects full bibliographic details for every source you actually cited, and it appears at the end of your document. Each entry provides complete information—author, title, container (like the journal or website), publisher, publication date, and other details—so readers can locate the source themselves. The Works Cited page is organized alphabetically and contains only sources you cited in your paper. So the main difference is that in-text citations provide brief, immediate pointers within the text, while the Works Cited page provides complete source information at the end. The other options misstate the roles: sources can be used for paraphrase as well as quotes; Works Cited isn’t placed in the margin and isn’t the same as a bibliography; and the two forms do not use identical formats or purposes.

In MLA, citation happens in two related but distinct places, each with its own function. In-text citations appear right in the body of your writing after a quote or a paraphrase. They give just enough information—usually the author's last name and a page number—to show where the idea came from and to point readers to the full entry later.

The Works Cited page collects full bibliographic details for every source you actually cited, and it appears at the end of your document. Each entry provides complete information—author, title, container (like the journal or website), publisher, publication date, and other details—so readers can locate the source themselves. The Works Cited page is organized alphabetically and contains only sources you cited in your paper.

So the main difference is that in-text citations provide brief, immediate pointers within the text, while the Works Cited page provides complete source information at the end. The other options misstate the roles: sources can be used for paraphrase as well as quotes; Works Cited isn’t placed in the margin and isn’t the same as a bibliography; and the two forms do not use identical formats or purposes.