Help: Research Strategy and Process: Citing Sources:  

MLA citation style

• MLA citation style
  
• Citing sources in the text
  
• Works Cited list
  
• Other documentation styles

MLA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the Modern Language Association for acknowledging sources used in a research paper. MLA citation style uses a simple two-part parenthetical documentation system for citing sources: citations in the text of a paper are used to point to an alphabetical Works Cited list that appears at the end of the paper. Together these references identify and credit the sources used in the paper and allow others to access and retrieve this material.

Note: A parenthetical reference to a familiar historical document -- i.e., the United States Constitution -- no longer requires a corresponding entry in the Works Cited list.

Citing sources in the text

In MLA style, references to sources are placed in the text of the paper in order to briefly identify sources for readers and enable them to locate the source of the cited information in the Works Cited list. These parenthetical references should be kept as brief and as clear as possible.

• Give only the information needed to identify a source. Usually the author's last name and a page reference are all that is needed.
• Place the parenthetical reference as near as possible to the material being documented, and where a pause would naturally occur, preferably at the end of a sentence.
• Parenthetical material should complement, not repeat, information that is given in your text. If you include an author's name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in your parenthetical statement.
• The parenthetical reference should precede the punctuation mark that concludes the sentence, clause, or phrase that contains the cited material.
• Electronic and online sources are cited just like print resources in references cited in the text. If an online source lacks numbering, omit numbers from the parenthetical references. If a source includes fixed page numbers or section numbering, such as numbering of paragraphs (pars.), cite the relevant numbers.

Examples:

Author's name in text	Dover has expressed this concern (118-21).
Author's name in reference	This concern has been expressed (Dover 118-21).
Multiple authors of a work	This hypothesis (Bradley and Rogers 7) suggested this theory (Sumner, Reichl, and Waugh 23).
Two locations	Williams alludes to this premise (136-39, 145).
Two works cited	(Burns 54, Thomas 327)
Multivolume works
References to volumes and pages	(Wilson 2:1-18)
References to an entire volume	(Henderson, vol. 3)
In text reference to an entire volume	In volume 3, Henderson suggests
Corporate authors	(United Nations, Economic Commission for Africa 51-63)
Works with no author When a work has no author, use the work's title or a shortened version of the title when citing it in text. (If abbreviating a title, omit initial articles and begin with the word by which it is alphabetized in the Works Cited list.):
	as stated by the presidential commission (Report 4).
Online source with numbered paragraphs	(Fox, pars. 4-5)

For more detailed information about citing references in the text, please refer to the MLA resources listed below.

Return to Top

Works Cited list

Examples

References cited in the text of a research paper must appear at the end of the paper in a Works Cited list or bibliography. This list provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source that specifically supports your research.

• Arrange entries in alphabetical order by authors' last names (surnames), or by title for sources without authors.
• Capitalize the first word and all other principle words of the titles and subtitles of cited works listed. (Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, or the "to" in infinitives.)
• Shorten the publisher's name.
• When multiple publishers are listed, include all of them, placing a semicolon between each.
• When more than one city is listed for the same publisher, use only the first city.
• Use the conjunction "and," not an ampersand [&], when listing multiple authors of a single work.
• Pagination: Do not use the abbreviations p. or pp. to designate page numbers.
• Indentation: Align the first line of the entry flush with the left margin, and indent all subsequent lines (5 to 7 spaces) to form a "hanging indent."
• Underlining vs. Italics: In printed material submitted for grading or editing, words that would be italicized in a publication are usually underlined to avoid ambiguity. If you wish to use italics rather than underlining, check your instructor's or editor's preferences.

• Books
• Articles in encyclopedias or entries in dictionaries
• Articles in journals, magazines and newspapers
• Government documents
• Videos and sound recordings
• CD-ROMs

• Online books
• Article in an online encyclopedia or dictionary
• Article in a full-text journal accessed from a database to which the library subscribes
• Articles in an online periodical accessed directly
• Homepage for a course

Books:

References to an entire book should include the following elements:

• author(s) or editor(s)
• the complete title
• edition, if indicated
• place of publication
• the shortened name of the publisher
• date of publication

No author or editor:

One author:

Another work, same author:

Two authors:

Three authors:

More than three authors:

Corporate author:

Multivolume work:

Essay or Chapter in Edited Books or Anthologies: References to an essay or chapter in an edited book or compilation must include the following elements:

• essay or chapter author(s)
• essay or chapter title
• book title
• book editor(s) or compilers
• place of publication
• the shortened name of the publisher
• date of publication
• inclusive page numbers of the cited piece

Article in a book:

Reprinted article:

Articles or entries from reference books:
If the article or entry is signed, place the author's name first; if it is unsigned, give the title first. For well-known reference works, it is not necessary to include full publication information. Include only the title of the reference source, edition, and date of publication.

Dictionary entry:

Encyclopedia entry:

Article from a less familiar reference book:
For articles from less familiar reference sources, include the full publication information.

Article in Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers:
References to periodical articles must include the following elements:

• author(s)
• article title
• publication title (journal, magazine, etc.)
• volume number
• publication date (abbreviate months, if used)
• the inclusive page numbers

Issue numbers should be stated as decimals to a given volume number. In the example below, the number 25.4 reads as Volume 25, issue 4. When citing newspapers, it is important to specify the edition used (e.g. late ed.) because different editions of a newspaper may contain different material.

Journal article, one author:

Journal article, two authors:

Magazine article:

Newspaper article, no author:

Newspaper article, one author, discontinuous pages:

Government Documents:
References to government documents vary in their required elements. In general, if you do not know the writer of the document, cite as author the government agency that issued it.

State document:

Federal document:

International document:

Audio-Visual Materials

Film or video recording:

Sound recording:

Sound recording, specific song:

CD-ROM
Citations should include the medium of the electronic publication (CD-ROM), the name of the vendor that made the material available on CD-ROM, and publications dates for the version used, if relevant.

CITING MATERIAL FROM ONLINE SOURCES

• Online books
• Article from an online encyclopedia
• Article in a full-text journal accessed from a database to which the library subscribes
• Article in an online periodical that is accessed directly
• Homepage for a course

Online Sources:
Citations for online sources, like those for print sources, should provide information that both identifies a source and allows that source to be located and retrieved again. In most cases, citations should include the date the content was accessed, and a URL. In many cases, it is also necessary to identify the website or database that has made the material available online.

Because there are currently few standards that govern the organization and presentation of online publications, the information that is available to fulfill these objectives can vary widely from resource to resource. In general, references to online works require more information than references to print sources.

See sections 5.9.1-4 in the MLA Handbook for more complete information on creating citations for online sources.

Online book within a scholarly project:

Article from an online encyclopedia:

Article in a full-text journal accessed from a database to which the library subscribes :
For works from a subscription service, like ProQuest Direct or Academic Universe, use the URL of the service's main page (if known). Also, if a library is the subscriber to the service, the name of the service and the name and city of the library should be included in the citation. When only the starting page number is provided, include this number, followed by a hyphen, space, and a period. See example, below.

Article from an online magazine (accessed directly):

Home Page for a Course:
Include the instructor's name, the name of the course, the phrase Course home page, dates of course, the academic department, institution, date accessed and the URL.

Professional site:

Personal site:

For more detailed information about Reference List citations, please refer to the MLA resources listed below.

Return to Top

The examples of MLA style and format listed on this page include many of the most common types of sources used in academic research. For additional examples and more detailed information about MLA citation style, refer to the following resources:

• Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003.

  This book is designed for high school and undergraduate students. You can find it at the following locations: Olin Library Reference Z253 .M68 2003 ; Uris Library Reference Z253 .M68 2003 ; Hotel Library Reference LB2369 .G53x 2003 ; ILR Library Reference LB2369 .G53 1999 (5th edition)
  

• Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA style manual and guide to scholarly publishing. 2nd ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 1998.
  
  This book is designed for graduate students, and professional writers. You can find this publication at the following locations: Olin Library Reference PN147 .G444x 1998; Uris Library Reference PN147 .G444x 1998; Hotel Library PN147 .G444x 1998; Mann Library Reference PN147 .A28 1998; Africana Library Reference PN147 .G444x 1998.
  
  

• Modern Language Association.

  Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style.