Citing custom courseware and other classroom resources: MLA (9th ed.) citation guide

 

This guide is based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 9th ed. and provides selected citation examples for common types of sources. 

For more detailed information, please consult the full manual: available in print and online.

 

Classroom lectures and materials

Parenthetical (in-text)

In his discussion of the evolution and nature of the fossil record, Professor Dunlop emphasized several key points which will be discussed in this paper. 

Works cited

A class lecture without a title, heard in person 

Dunlop, Robbie. Lecture. Earth Sciences 106: Earth Through Time. 11 Mar. 2010, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby.

A class lecture with a title, uploaded to Canvas

Jameson, George. “Overview of Corporate Finance” Business 312: Introduction to Finance, Canvas, 22 Sept. 2022, canvas.sfu.ca/courses/67226.

Instructor's presentation slides (e.g. PowerPoint)

Peirik, Caitlin. "Week two slides." History of Dance: From the 20th Century to the Present, 14 Sept 2022, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.

Instructor's presentation slides (e.g. PowerPoint) from Canvas

Trischuk, Amy. "Week 4: Shakespeare's tragedies." Canvas, uploaded by Amy Trischuk, 29 Sept 2022, canvas.sfu.ca. Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.

A single course reading uploaded to Canvas

Ross, Kathleen. "That pull from the Left." Canvas, uploaded by Kathleen Ross, 12 Oct. 2022, canvas.sfu.ca.

Notes:

  • For the above examples, the names included are the name of the instructor.
  • SFU has three campuses in three different cities, so you must include the city in your works cited entry for a live lecture.
  • If you know the slide number, include it in your in-text citation, but it is okay to leave it out if it is not known.
  • Include the date a lecture or presentation took place. For uploaded materials, include upload date if known, leave it out if not.
  • If you are citing a course lecture and it does not have a title, include the word “lecture” after the speaker, and then the full course name and number.

Custom course packages

Custom course packages are compilations of journal articles, book chapters and other materials selected and prepared by your instructor. The Handbook does not give specific advice about citing these materials, so you will have to use your judgment and come up with your own solution. 

If you need to cite a source from a custom course pack, it is recommended that you check with your instructor.

However, here are two possible approaches to citing this type of material:

Find the full, original citation

Find where the article, chapter, etc. in your custom course package was originally published, and cite accordingly from the original source. This is similar to finding an original source instead of citing a secondary source.  

Check the first page of the course pack, as your instructor may have included full citations for the original sources.

If the full citation is not included within the course pack, try finding the citation via these Library resources: 

Treat the course pack as an anthology

Treat the article, chapter, etc. as if it was part of an anthology, or edited book. If you take this approach, credit the instructor who did the compilation as a book editor/compiler. 

You may not have the page numbers, since the course pack is not a true publication and may not be paginated throughout.

You will have to include the name of the compiler, the title of the course pack, the name of the course if it is not included in the course pack tile (e.g. CMNS 210), the semester (e.g. Spring 2006) and the publisher (Simon Fraser University).

In-text citations for course packs are created as usual, using the author’s name or the title if there is no known author.

 

Parenthetical (in-text)

A syllabus

The purpose of this reflection paper is to think back to the course learning outcomes, such as being able to “demonstrate knowledge of basic elements of music such as pulse, meter, notation and scales” (Syllabus for Music Fundamentals 2).

A course reading in a printed course pack (treating it as an anthology)

Whitehead made connections between his identity, culture, and video games, writing “The game asked me very personal questions about how I want to navigate the world of queerness as an Indigenous person...” (66).

Works cited 

A syllabus

Syllabus for Music Fundamentals. Taught by Rosa Branner, Fall 2022, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver.

A course reading in a printed course pack (treating it as an anthology)

Whitehead, Joshua. “The Year in Videogaming.” Course pack for INDG 101: Introduction to Indigenous Studies, compiled by Heather Kandvill, spring 2022, Simon Fraser University.

 

Still using MLA 8?

We've now updated our citation guides to MLA 9, but you can still use the printable version of our MLA 8 citation guide. 

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