How to Cite Television Commercials in MLA Format
Most schools teach students to cite sources from printed materials. By adding sources, writers give their readers ways to cross check the information provided. The citing of sources also gives credit to the original work. Commercials are often difficult to cite. Use an MLA Handbook as a guide to properly cite sources that are not printed.
- Find the commercial you intend to cite. You can find the commercial by searching for it through your favorite search engine, or search a video sharing website that allows users to upload TV programs and commercials.
- Record the name of the commercial and put it in quotations marks. Place a period after the title. Example: "Commercial Name."
- Italicize or underline where you located the commercial. Most editors and proofreaders favor italics over underlining. Italics give your citation a more sophisticated look. The availability of word processing programs makes using italics easier. Current editions of the MLA Handbook give preference to italics for commercial citations. If your paper is graded or job-related, use italics or underlining as instructed.
- Enter the date you watched the commercial with a period at the end. MLA format requires the date be written in an exact format. List in the following order: day, month, and year. Example: 20 November 2011.
- Include the URL if you found the commercial online. Place it within the greater and lesser than symbols with a period at the end. Use the entire URL. Example: <http://example.com/123456789.html>.
- Check your work. Keep a sample of different citations saved on your computer or printed out. Use the examples as a quick references to save time and increase productivity.