Writing@CSU Guide

Citation Guide: Modern Language Association (MLA)

Modern Language Association (MLA) style, used primarily in the humanities, emphasizes the authors of a source and the pages on which information is located in the source. Writers who use the MLA documentation system cite, or formally acknowledge, source information within their text using parentheses, and they provide a list of sources in a works cited list at the end of their document. For more information about MLA style, consult the MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition. Information about the MLA Handbook can also be found at www.mla.org.

[Guide Updated Mar 2022]

Citing Sources within Your Document

MLA style uses parentheses for in-text citations to acknowledge the use of another author’s words, facts, and ideas. When you refer to a source within your text, provide the author’s last name and specific page number(s) – if the source is paginated. Your reader can then go to the works cited list at the end of your document to find a full citation.

Examples of MLA In-Text Formatting Rules

1. Basic Format for a Source Not Named in Your Text

Format:
If you have not mentioned the author in your sentence, you must place the author’s name and the page number in parentheses after the quotation, paraphrase or summary. The period follows the closing parenthesis.

Example:

It would have been impossible for early humans to digest red meat, as their stomachs lacked the necessary acids to break down the muscle and tissue before delivery to the intestines (Tattersall 46).


2. Basic Format for a Source Named in Your Text

Format:
Most often, you will want to name the author of a source within your sentence rather than in a parenthetical citation. By doing so, you create a context for the material (words, facts, or ideas) that you are including, and you indicate where the information from the author begins. When you are using a direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary from a source and have named the author in your sentence, place only the page number in parentheses after the borrowed material. The period follows the closing parenthesis.

When you are using a block (or extended) quotation, the parenthetical citation comes after the final punctuation and a single space.

If you continue to refer to a single source for several sentences in a row within one paragraph – and without intervening references to another source – you may place your reference at the end of the paragraph. However, be sure to include all relevant page numbers.

Example:

According to Tattersall, when early humans emerged from the dense forests to the adjacent woodlands, their mobility and diet were forced to change dramatically (45).

MLA Directory of Variations to In-Text Formatting Rules

1. Citing an Unknown Author

Format:
If you are citing a source that has no known author, such as the book A Woman in Berlin,  use a brief version of the title in the parenthetical citation. 

Example:

The narrator pays particular attention to the culture of rape in Berlin during World War II, calling it a “collective experience” and claiming that German women comforted one another by speaking openly about it- something they never would have considered during peacetime (Woman 147).  


2. Citing Sources with Two Authors

Format:
Include the last name of each author in your citation.

Example:

In the year following Hurricane Katrina, journalist and activist Jane Wholey brought together a group of twenty New Orleans middle schoolers in an effort to reimagine their school system’s food environment from the ground up (Gottlieb and Joshi 2). 


3. Citing Sources with Three or More Authors 

Format:
Use the last name of the first author and the abbreviation “et al.” (Latin for “and others”). If you mention the author’s in a signal phrase, use “ and colleagues” instead of “et al.” 

Example:

(Johnson et al. 17) 


4. Citing Two or More Authors with Same Last Name

Format:
Include the first initial and last name in the parenthetical citation. 

Example:

(F. McCourt 27) 

(M. McCourt 123) 


5. Citing Two or More Works by the Same Author

Format:
For references to authors with more than one work in your works cited list, insert a short version of the title between the author and the page number, separating the author and the title with a comma. 

Example:

(Sacks, Hallucinations 77) 

(Sacks, Mind’s Eye 123) 


6. Citing Two or More Authors Contributing to a Fact or Idea

Format:
If you wish to cite two or more authors as contributors to a particular idea you are using in your paper, you may cite both names as you normally would in the parentheses. Simply separate them with a semicolon. 

Example:

However, African American scholars have normally suggested just the opposite (Brown 15-16; Turner 80-87).  


7. Citing Two or More Works Cited Together 

Format:
Use a semicolon to separate entries. Entries do not need to be alphabetized. 

Example:

Byron Bancroft Johnson founded the American League in 1901 by raiding the National League for its best players, offering them competitive salaries to jump leagues (Appel 3; Stout and Johnson 8). 


8. Citing a Source Quoted in Another Source

Format:
Ideally, you should be able to find the original source of the quotation. If you must use a quotation cited by another author, use the abbreviation “qtd. in” (for “quoted in”) when you cite the source

Example:

When Henry Ford introduced the Model T, he insisted on making it a practical and affordable family car, maintaining that “no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces” (qtd. in Booth 9). 


9. Citing an Entire Source

Format:
If you are referring to an entire source instead of page numbers, you will not need a parenthetical citation.

Example:

Author Jhumpa Lahiri adapted the title for her book of stories Unaccustomed Earth from a line in the first chapter of Nathaniel Hawthorne is The Scarlet Letter


10. Citing a Multivolume Work

Format:
End with the total number of volumes and the abbreviation “vols.”

Example:

Stark, Freya. Letters. Edited by Lucy Moorehead, Compton Press, 1974-82. 8 vols. 


11. Citing Literary Work

Format:
Along with the page number(s), give other identifying information, such as a chapter, scene, or line number, that will help readers find the passage. 

Example:

One prominent motif introduced at the opening of Beloved is beastiality, exemplified in Sethe’s being described as “down on all fours” at the first appearance of her dead daughter’s ghost (Morrison 27; ch. 1). 


12. Citing Novels and Short Stories

Format:
When citing literary works, it is often necessary to include books, numbers, chapter numbers, verses, lines, acts, scenes, or other appropriate section types.

Example:

In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens describes the aptly named Stryver, who "had a pushing way of shouldering himself (morally and physically) into companies and conversations, that argued well for his shouldering his way up in life" (110; bk. 2, ch. 4). 


13. Citing Poems

Format:
When citing literary works, it is often necessary to include books, numbers, chapter numbers, verses, lines, acts, scenes, or other appropriate section types. 

Example:

"The world is too much with us; late and soon/Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers" (lines 1-2). 


14. Citing Plays

Format:
When citing literary works, it is often necessary to include books, numbers, chapter numbers, verses, lines, acts, scenes, or other appropriate section types. 

Example:

Taking on such an "unladylike" project as the representation of Love, Iago says, "is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will" (Othello 1.3.326). 


15. Citing a Work in an Edited Collection or Anthology

Format:
Cite the author of the work, not the editor of the collection or anthology.

Example:

In his satirical essay “A Presidential Candidate,” Mark Twain outlines his plan to thwart the opposition, insisting that “if you know the worst about a candidate, to begin with, every attempt to spring things on him will be checkmated” (3). 


16. Citing a Scared Text

Format:
Give the name of the edition you are using, along with the chapter and verse (or their equivalent). 

Example:

It is still sage advice to “withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it” (King James Bible, Prov. 2.27). 

The Qur’an points to the bee and its natural ability to produce honey as proof of God’s existence (“The Bees” 16.68). 


17. Citing a Source Without Page Numbers

Format:
Give a section, paragraph, or screen number, if numbered, in the parenthetical citation. If no numbers are available, list only the author’s name in the parentheses. 

Example:

First-time American mothers and fathers both have aged an average of three to four years since 1970 (Shulevitz, par 4). 

It is adults, not children, who present the greatest challenge in gift giving, as adults tend to long for intangibles--like life or career success--that are harder to pin down (Rothman). 


18. Citing Sources with Corporate, Group, or Government Authors

Format:
Cite the corporation, group, or government agency as you would an individual author. You may use abbreviations for the source in subsequent references if you add the abbreviation in parentheses at the first mention of the name. In a parenthetical citation, use a brief version of the name. 

Example:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that a twenty-year-old has a three in ten chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age (4). If a worker does become disabled, SSA assigns a representative to review the case individually (7). 


19. Citing a Twitter Post (Tweet)

Format:
Provide the entire tweet in place of the title, and include the time after the date. 

Example:

Curiosity Rover. “Can you see me waving? How to spot #Mars in the night sky: https://youtu.be/hv8hVvJlcJQ.” Twitter, 5 Nov. 2015, 11:00 a.m., twitter.com/marscuriosity/status/672859022911889408/. 


20. Citing a Facebook Post or Comment

Format:
Follow the general format for citing a short work on a website. 

Example:

Bedford English. “Stacey Cochran explores Reflective Writing in the Classroom and as a Writer.” Facebook, 15 Feb. 2016, www.facebook.com/BedfordEnglish/post/10153415001259607/. 


21. Citing Other Online Sources

Format:

For other online sources, adapt the guidelines to the medium. Include as much information as necessary for your readers to easily find your source. The example below is for a podcast. Because no publication date is given, the citation ends with the access date instead. 

Example:

Tanner, Laura. “Virtual Reality in 9/11 Fiction.” Literature Lab, Department of English, Brandeis U, https://www.brandeis.edu/departments/english/literaturelab/tanner.html/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2016. 


22. Citing a Message Posted to a Newsgroup, Electronic Mailing List, or Online Discussion Forum

Format:
Cite the name of the person who posted the message and the title (from the subject line, in quotation marks); if the posting has no title, add the phrase “Online posting.” Then add the name of the website (italicized), the sponsor or publisher, the date of the message, and the URL.

Example:

Robin, Griffith. “Write for the Reading Teacher.” Developing Digital Literacies, NCTE, 23 Oct. 2015, https://www.ncte.connectedcommunity.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=1693&MID=24520&tab=digestviewer&CommunityKey=628d2ad6-8277-4042-a376-2b370ddceabf. 


23. Citing a Short Work From a Website

Format:
Provide the name of the author; the title of the work in quotation marks; the title of the website, italicized; the date of publication in reverse order, and the URL.

Example:

Enzinna, Wes. “Syria’s Unknown Revolution.” Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, 24 Nov. 2015, https://www.pulitzercenter.org/projects/middle-east-syria-enzinna-war-rojava/. 

Format:
If there is no author given, begin the citation with the title of the work and proceed with the rest of the publication information. If the title of the website does not indicate the sponsoring organization, list the sponsor before the URL. If there is no date of publication, give the date of access after the URL.

Example:

“Social and Historical Context: Vitality.” Arapesh Grammar and Digital Language Archive Project, Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, https://www.arapesh.org/socio_historical_context_vitality.php/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2016. 


24. Citing a Blog

Format:
To cite an entry or a comment on a blog, give the author of the entry or comment (if available), the title of the entry or comment in quotation marks, the title of the blog (italicized), the sponsor or publisher, the date the material was posted, and the URL.

Example:

Cimons, Marlene. “Why Cities Could Be the Key to Solving the Climate Crisis.” Thinkprogress.org, Center for American Progress Action Fund, 10 Dec. 2015, https://www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/10/3730938/cities-key-to-climate-crisis/. 


25. Citing Computer Software, and App, or Video Game

Format:
Cite computer software, an App, or Video Game as you would a book.

Example:

Words with Friends. Version 5.84. Zynga, 2013. 


26. Citing an E-mail Message

Format:
Start with the sender of the message. Then give the subject line in quotation marks, followed by a period. Identify the recipient of the message and provide the date of the message.

Example:

Thornbrugh, Caitlin. “Coates Lecture.” Received by Rita Anderson, 20 Oct. 2015. 


27. Citing an Academic Course or Department Website

Format:
For a course page, give the name of the instructor, the course title, the institution in italics, year, and the URL. For a department page, give the department name, a description such as “Department home page,” the institution in italics, the date of the last update, and the URL.

Example:

Masiello, Regina. ENG 101: Expository Writing. Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, 2016, wp.rutgers.edu/courses/55-355101. 

Film Studies. Department Home page. Wayne State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 2016, clas.wayne.edu/FilmStudies/. 

Citing Sources at the End of Your Document

MLA-style research documents include a reference list titled “Works Cited,” which begins on a new page at the end of the document. If you wish to acknowledge sources that you read but did not cite in your text, you may include them in a second list titled “Works Consulted.” In longer documents, the lists of works cited may be given at the end of each chapter or section. In digital documents that use links, such as a website, the list of works cited is often a separate page to which other pages are linked.

If you wish to acknowledge sources that you read but did not cite in your text, you may include them in a second list titled “Works Consulted.” In longer documents, the lists of works cited may be given at the end of each chapter or section. In digital documents that use links, such as a website, the list of works cited is often a separate page to which other pages are linked.

MLA Works Cited Formatting

The list is alphabetized by author. If the author’s name is not given, alphabetize the entry using the title of the source. If you cite more than one work by the same author, alphabetize the group under the author’s last name, with each entry listed alphabetically by title.

All entries in the list are double-spaced, with no extra space between entries. Entries are formatted with a hanging indent: the first line of an entry is flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented one-half inch. Unless otherwise noted, use commas to separate items within each entry. Titles f longer works, such as books, journals, or websites, are italicized. Titles of short works, such as articles or chapters, are enclosed in quotation marks. MLA generally indicates the “container” of the source – the larger object, if any, in which the source can be found. Some sources may have multiple levels of containers, such as a periodical article that is accessed via a database. Occasionally, sources may be identified by a descriptive label (editorial, map, letter, photograph, and so on.

MLA Works Cited formatting rules call for the end documentation to begin on a new page at the end of your document and that it carries the next sequential number available. For instance, if your paper is 6½ pages long, the Works Cited should begin on page 8, not halfway down page 7.

Note: Unless otherwise informed, you can count on your instructor not counting the Works Cited page into the total count of an eight page assignment.

The page itself should be formatted in the following way:

  • The title of the page-Works Cited-should be centered one inch from the top of the page.
  • Double space between the title and the first entry, then double space all entries.

Individual entries should be formatted in the following way:

  • The first line of an entry is flush with the left margin.
  • When the entry has a second line, give that line a hanging indent five spaces in from the margin.
  • Entries are listed alphabetically by author: last name first.
  • Use only one space after periods and colons.
  • Spell out months containing up to four letters; abbreviate all others to three letters (i.e., July, Dec.).

Specific rules depend on whether or not an author's name is mentioned in the sentence where the citation occurs.

MLA Directory of Works Cited Formatting Rules

The following pages provide rules for general categories of sources.

Books, Anthologies and Collections

1. Book with One Author

Format:
List the author’s last name first, followed by a comma and the first name. Italicize the book title and subtitle, if any. List the publisher (abbreviating University Press as UP), then insert a comma and the publication year. End with a period.

Example:

Bowker, Gordon. James Joyce: A New Biography. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2012.

Format:
Cite an online book as you would a print book, providing the website and DOI (digital object indentifier, a unique number assigned to specific content). If a DOI is not available, provide a stable URL. It is optional whether to include http:// or https:// in a URL, but it should be included with a DOI.

Example:

Piketty, Thomas. Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Translated by Arthur Goldhammer, Harvard UP, 2014. Google Books, books.google.com/books?isbn=0674369556/.

Format:
Cite an e-Book as you would a print book, then provide the name of the e-reader.

Example:

Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Nook., Scribner, 2014.


2. Book with Two Authors

Format:
List both authors in the same order as on the title page, the last name first for only the first author listed. Use a comma to separate the author’s names.

Example:

Stiglitz, Joseph E., and Bruce C. Greenwald. Creating a Learning Society: A New Approach to Growth, Development, and Social Progress. Columbia UP, 2015


3. Book with Three or More Authors

Format:
Provide the first author’s name (last name first), followed by a comma, and then the abbreviation “et al” (Latin for “and others”).

Example:

Cunningham, Stewart, et al. Media Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.


4. Book with a Corporate or Group Author

Format:
Write out the full name of the corporation or group, omitting any articles at the beginning (such as The), and cite the name as you would an author. This name is often also the name of the publisher.

Example:

Human Rights Watch. World Report of 2015: Events of 2014. Seven Stories Press, 2015.


5. Book with an Unknown Author

Format:
When no author is listed on the title or copyright page, begin the entry with the title of the work. Alphabetize the entry by the first word of the title other than A, An, or The.

Example:

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. Macmillan, 2012.


6. Two or More Books by the Same Author

Format:
Use the author’s name in the first entry. Thereafter, use three hyphens followed by a period in place of the author’s name. List the entries alphabetically by title.

Example:

García, Cristina. Dreams of Significant Girls. Simon and Schuster, 2011.

---. The Lady Matador’s Hotel. Scribner, 2010.


7. Citing the Editor(s) of a Book

Format:
Use the descriptive label “editor” or “editors” after the editors’ names.

Example:

Horner, Avril, and Anne Rowe, editors. Living on Paper: Letters from Iris Murdoch. Princeton UP, 2016.


8. Citing an Author of a Book When There is an Editor or a Translator

Format:
Start with the author’s name, then give the title. Include the label “Edited by” or “Translated by” and the name of the editor or translator, first name first.

Example:

Ferrante, Elena. The Story of the Last Child. Translated by Ann Goldstein, Europa Editions, 2015.


9. Citing a Book in a Language Other than English

Format:
Provide a translation of the book's title in square brackets.

Example:

Márquez, Gabriel García. Del amor y otros demonios [Of Love and Other Demons].Vintage Books, 2010.


10. Citing an Edition Other Than the First Edition

Format:
Include the number of the edition and the abbreviation “ed” (meaning “edition”) after the title.

Example:

Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. 3rd ed., U of Minnesota P, 2008.

Nadakavukaren, Anne.?Our Global Environment: A Health Perspective. 8th ed., Waveland Press, 2020.


11. Citing a Republished Book

Format:
Indicate the original date of publication after the title. Include any information relevant to republication, such as a new introduction. For online books, give the website and URL.

Example:

Trilling, Lionel. The Liberal Imagination. 1950. Introduction by Louis Menand, New York Review of Books, 2008.

Langer, Judith A., and Arthur N. Applebee. How Writing Shapes Thinking: A Study of Teaching and Learning. 1987. WAC Clearinghouse, 2011. WAC Clearinghouse, wac.colostate.edu/books/langer_applebee/.


12. Citing a Multivolume Work

Format:
End with the total number of volumes and the abbreviation “vols.”

Example:

Plath, Sylvia. The Letters of Sylvia Plath: Volume I: 1940-1956. Edited by Peter K. Steinberg and Karen V. Kukil, vol. 1, Haper, 2017. 2 vols. 

Format:
If you have used only one of the volumes in your document, include the volume number after the title. List the total number of volumes after the publication information.

Example:

Stark, Freya.? Letters: New Worlds for Old, 1942-46. Edited by Lucy Moorehead, Compton Press, 1974-82. 8 vols. .


13. Citing a Book in a Series

Format:
If a series name and/or number appears on the titles page, include it at the end of the citation, after the date. 

Example:

Trindade, Luís, editor. Narratives in Motion: Journalism and Modernist Events in 1920s Portugal. Berghahn, 2016. Remapping Cultural History 15. 


14. Citing a Book with a Title Within the Title

Format:
Do not use italics for the title within the title.

Example:

Stuckey, Sterling. African Culture and Melville’s Art: The Creative Process in Benito Cereno and Moby-Dick. Oxford UP, 2009. 


15. Citing a Work in an Edited Collection or Anthology

Format:
Give the author, then the title in quotation marks. Follow with the title of the collection in italics, the label “edited by” and the name(s) of the editor(s) (first name first), the publication information, and the inclusive page numbers for the selection of the chapter.

Example:

Sayrafiezadeh, Saïd. “Paranoia.”? New American Stories, edited by Ben Marcus, Vintage Books, 2015, pp. 3-29 

Format::
If you are using multiple selections from the same anthology, include the anthology itself in your list of works cited, and cross-reference it in the citations for individual works.

Example:

Eisenberg, Deborah. “Some Other, Better Otto.” Marcus, pp. 94-136.

Marcus, Ben, editor.?New American Stories. Vintage Books, 2015.

Sayrafiezadeh, Saïd. “Paranoia.” Marcus, pp. 3-29.


16. Citing a Foreword, Introduction, Preface, or Afterword

Format:
Begin with the author of the part you are citing and the name of that part. Add the title of the work; “by” or “edited by” and the work’s author or editor (first name first); and publication information. Then give the inclusive page numbers for the part.

Example:

Pollan, Michael. Foreword. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by Samin Nosrat, Simon & Schuster, 2017, pp. 1-4.

Format:
If the author of the foreword or other part is also the author of the work, use only the last name after “by”.

Example:

Olson, Gregory Allen. Introduction. Landmark Speeches on the Vietnam War, by Olson, Texas A&M UP, 2010, pp. 1-12.

Format:
If the part has a title, include the title in quotation marks directly after the author.

Example:

Sullivan, John Jeremiah. “The Ill-Defined Plot.” Introduction.?The Best American Essays 2014, edited by Sullivan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014, pp. xvii-xxvi.


17. Citing a Dissertation or Thesis

Format:
Cite as you would a book. Add the year the dissertation was accepted and the school, followed by a label such as “dissertation” or “thesis”.

Example:

Havig, Jenna S. Advantages and Disadvantages of Flexible Seating. 2017. Minot State University, thesis.


18. Citing a Screenplay

Format:
Provide information as you would for a book.

Example:

Cholodenko, Lisa, and Stuart Blumberg. The Kids Are All Right: The Shooting Script. Newmarket Press, 2011.


19. Citing a Graphic Narrative or Illustrated Work

Format:
List the primary author/illustrator in the first position.

Example:

Ellis, Adam. Super Chill: A Year of Living Anxiously. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2018.

Ahmed, Saladin. Abbott. Illustrated by Sami Kivela, BOOM! Studios, 2018.

Smith, Lane. Abe Lincoln’s Dream. Roaring Book Press, 2012.


20. Citing a Sacred Text

Format:
Include the title of the version as it appears on the title page. If the title does not identify the version, place that information directly after the title.

Example:

The Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Revised Standard Version, Oxford UP, 1965.


21. Citing Published Proceeding of a Conference

Format:
Provide information as you would for a book. Do not include information about the sponsors, date, and location of the conference.

Example:

Meisner, Marx S., et al., editors. Communication for the Commons: Revisiting Participation and Environment. Proceedings of Twelfth Biennial Conference on Communication and the Environment. International Environmental Communication Association, 2015. 

Journals, Magazines and Newspaper Articles

1. Article in a Journal

Format:
Enclose the article title in quotation marks. Italicize the journal title, then list the volume number, issue number, month or season (if applicable) and year of publication, and inclusive page numbers.

Example:

Schechter, Laura. “‘On the Outside Facing the Wooded Ridge’: Close Reading Translations and Interpretive Diversity.” Pedagogy, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 51-68. 

Format:
For an article available online, provide the print information, if given, and end with the DOI or URL.

Example:

Woyach, Jennifer A., et al. “‘The Course of Her Whimsical Adventures’: ‘Fantomina’ and Trigger Warnings at a Women’s College.” Pedagogy, vol. 18, no. 3, Oct. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-6937018. 

Format:
For an article from a database, cite the database name before the DOI or URL. 

Example:

Woyach, Jennifer A., et al. “Ibrutinib Regimens versus Chemoimmunotherapy in Older Patients with Untreated CLL.” New England Journal of Medicine, Dec. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1812836. 


2. Citing an Article in a Monthly or Bimonthly Magazine

Format:
After the author’s name and title of the article, list the title of the magazine in italics, the date (use abbreviations for all months except May, June, and July), and inclusive page numbers.

Example:

Blackmore, Susan. “Decoding the Puzzle of Human Consciousness: Why Us?” Scientific American, Sept. 2018, pp. 48-53. 


3. Citing an Article in a Weekly or Biweekly Magazine

Format:
Give the exact date of publication, in day-month-year order.

Example:

Grossman, Lev. “A Star Is Born.” Time, 2 Nov. 2015, pp. 30-39.

Format:
Cite online articles the same as you would a print article, and then give the URL.

Example:

Leonard, Andrew. “The Surveillance State High School.” Salon, 27 Nov. 2012, www.salon.com/2012/11/27/the_surveillance_state_high_school/.


4. Citing an Article in a Newspaper

Format:
If the newspaper is not a national newspaper (such as Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, or Chronicle of Higher Education) or if the city of publication is not part of its name, add the city in square brackets after the name of the newspaper: “[Chisholm, MN],” List the date in day-month-year order, followed by the page numbers (use the section letter before the page number if the newspaper uses letters to designate sections). If the article does not appear on consecutive pages, write only the first page number and a plus sign (+), with no space between.

Example:

Sherry, Allison. “Volunteers’ Personal Touch Turns High-Tech Data into Votes.” Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2012, pp. 1A+.

Format:
For newspaper articles found online, cite as you would a print article and give the URL.

Example:

Humphrey, Tom. “Politics Outweigh School Vouchers.” Knoxville News Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2016, www.knoxnews.com/opinion/columnists/tom-humphrey/tom-humphrey-politics-outweigh-arguments-about-school-vouchers-29c77b33-9963-0ef8-e053-0100007fcba4-366300461.html/.


5. Citing an Unsigned Article

Format:
Begin with the title of the article. Alphabetize by the first word other than "A," "An," or "The."

Example:

“I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” New York Times, 5 Sept. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html. 


6. Citing an Article that Skips Pages

Format:
Give only the first page number and a plus sign (+), with no space between. 

Example:

Mahler, Jonathan. “The Second Coming.” New York Times Magazine, 15 Aug. 2010, pp. 30+. 


7. Citing a Article with a Quotation in the Title

Format:
Enclose the quotation in single quotation marks within the article title, which is enclosed in double quotation marks. 

Example:

Díaz, Isabel González. “Enriching the ‘Rags-to-Riches’ Myth.” Black Scholar, vol. 43, no. 1-2, spring 2013, pp. 43–51. 


8. Citing an Article in a Special Issue

Format:
After the author and the title of the article (in quotation marks) include the title of the special issue (in italics), and then write the words “special issue of” before the regular title of the periodical. 

Example:

Redd, Steven B., and Alex Mitz. “Policy Perspectives on National Security and Foreign Policy Decision Making.” 2013 Public Policy Yearbook, special issue of Policy Studies Journal, vol. 41, no. 1, Apr. 2013, pp. S11–S37. 


9. Citing a Editorial

Format:
Include the word "Editorial" after the page number(s) or URL.

Example:

“City’s Blight Fight Making Difference.”? The Columbus Dispatch, 17, Nov. 2015, www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2015/11/17/1-city-flight-making-difference.html/. Editorial.


10. Citing a Letter to the Editor

Format:
If there is no title, use "Letter to the Editor" as the title.

Example:

Adrouny, Salpi. “Our Shockingly Low Local Voter Turnout.”? AJC.com, 8 Nov. 2015, www.ajc.com/news-old/news/opinion/readers-write-nov-8/npHrS/. Letter.


11. Citing a Review

Format:
Start with the author and title of the review, then the words “Review of” followed by the title of the work under review. Insert a comma and the word “by” or “editor” (for an edited book) or “directed by” (for a play or film) and the name of the author or director. Continue with publication information for the review. Use this citation format for all reviews, including books, films, and video games.

Example:

Walton, James. “Noble, Embattled Souls.” Review of?The Bone Clocks and Slade House, by David Mitchell, New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2015, pp. 55-58.

Format:
Cite online reviews as you would a print review, then give the URL.

Example:

Savage, Phil. “Fallout 4 Review.” Review of Fallout 4, by Bethesda Game Studios. PC Gamer, Future Publishing, 8 Nov. 2015, www.pcgamer.com/fallout-4-review/.


12. Citing a Published Interview

Format:
Begin with the person interviewed. If the published interview has a title, give it in quotation marks. If not, write the word “Interview.” If an interview is identified and relevant to your project, give that name next. Then supply the publication information.

Example

Musk, Elon. “Interviewing Elon Musk.” Interview by David Gelles. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2018, p. A2, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/19/insider/elon-musk-interview.html. 

Media and Field Sources

1. Citing a Film or Video

Format:
Generally, begin with the title of the film or recording. If you want to emphasize an individual’s role, such as the director or actor, list that name first. Always supply the name of the director, the distributor, and the year of the original release. You may also insert other relevant information, such as the names of the performers or screenplay writers, before the distributor.

Example:

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, performances by Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, and Naomi Watts, Fox Searchlight, 2014.

Damon, Matt. The Martian. Directed by Ridley Scott, Twentieth Century Fox, 2015.

Format:
For videos found on the web, give the URL after the publication information. If no publication date is given, include the access date at the end of the citation. 

Example:

Fletcher, Antoine. “The Ancient Art of the Atlatl.”? Russell Cave National Monument, narrated by Brenton Bellomy, National Park Service, 12 Feb. 2014, https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=C92C0D0A-1DD8-B71C-07CBC6E8970CD73F/.

Format:
For media other than film (such as videotape and DVD), cite it as for a film, unless you are discussing supplementary material found on the DVD, in which case your entry should refer to DVD.

Example:

“Sweeney’s London.” Produced by Eric Young. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Tim Burton, DreamWorks, 2007, disc 2. 


2. Citing a Sound Recording or Audio Clip

Format:
Begin with the name of the person whose work you want to highlight: the composer, the conductor, or the performer. Next list the title, followed by the names of other artists (composer, conductor, performers). The recording information includes the manufacturer and the date.

Example:

Bizet, Georges. Carmen. Performances by Jennifer Larmore, Thomas Moser, Angela Gheorghiu, and Samuel Ramey, Bavarian State Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, Warner, 1996.

Format:
If you wish to cite a particular track on the recording, give its performer and title (in quotation marks), and then proceed with the information about the recording. For live recordings, include the date of the performance between the title and the recording information. For recordings found online, include the URL, after the publication date.

Example:

Adele. “Easy on Me.” 30. Melted Stone and Colonia Records, 2021.

Goldbarth, Albert. “Fourteen Pages.” The Poetry Foundation, 15 Apr. 2016, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts/89129/. 14 pages.


3. Citing a Television or Radio Program

Format:
Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Then give the title of the program, italicized, and relevant information about the program, such as the writer, director, performers, or narrator. Then provide the episode number (if any), the network, and the date of broadcast. If the material you are citing is an interview, include the word “Interview” and, if relevant, the name of the interviewer.

Example:

“New Frontiers.” Alaska: The Last Frontier, Episode 8-1, Discovery, 7 Oct. 2018. 

“All Things Considered for Monday, December 3, 2018.” All Things Considered, hosted by Audie Cornish, Ailsa Chang, Mary Louise Kelly, Michel Martin, and Ari Shapiro, NPR, 11 Nov. 2021, https://www.npr.ord/programs/all-things-considered/2021/11/11/1054644343?showDate=2021-11-11. 


4. Citing a Work of Art, Photograph, or Other Image

Format:
Give the name of the artist; the title of the work (italicized); the date of composition; the name of the collection, museum, or owner; and the city. If you are citing artwork published in a book, add the publication information for the book. 

Example:

Cattelan, Maurizio. Untitled (for Parkett, no. 100/101). 2017, Museum of Modern Art, New York. 

Husni-Bey, Adelita. The Council. 2018, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Format:
For online visuals, including charts or graphs, include the website (italicized), and the URL.

Example:

Goodbye, Cassini. Al Jazeera, 14 Sep. 2017, https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/ interactive/2017/04/cassini-saturnian-exploration-170426143907634.html 


5. Citing a Cartoon

Format:
Treat a cartoon like an article in a newspaper or magazine. Give the cartoonist’s name, the title of the cartoon if there is one (in quotation marks), and the publication information for the source.

Example:

Zyglis, Adam. “City of Light.”? Buffalo News, 8 Nov. 2015, https://adamzyglis.buffalonews.com/2015/11/08/city-of-light/.


6. Citing an Advertisement

Format:
Provide the name of the product, service, or organization being advertised, followed by the usual publication information. For advertisements found online, include the URL before “Advertisement.”

Example:

AT&T. National Geographic , Dec. 2015, p. 14. Advertisement.

Toyota, The Root, Slate Group, 28 Nov. 2015, www.theroot.com/. Advertisement.


7. Citing a Live Performance

Format:
Generally, begin with the title of the performance. Then give the author and director; the major performers; and the theater, city, and date.

Example:

Hamilton. By Lin Manuel-Miranda, directed by Thomas Kail, CIBC Theater, Chicago, 19 Oct. 2016. .


8. Citing a Musical Score

Format:
Give the composer, title, and date. Italicize the title unless it identifies the composition by form (“symphony,” “suite”), number (“op. 39,” “K. 231”), or key (“E-flat”).

Example:

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony no. 5 in C Minor, op. 67. 1807.

Format:
If you are referring to a published score, provide publication data as you would for a book. Insert the date of composition between the title and the publication information.

Example:/p>

Minchin, Tim. Roald Dahl’s Matild: The Musical. 2012. Wise-Music Sales, 2013.


9. Citing an Interview Conducted by the Writer

Format:
Last Name of Person You Interviewed, First Name of Person You Interviewed. Personal interview. Day(s) Month (abbreviated) Year of Interview.

Note: If your interview was conducted over the telephone or email, insert "Telephone interview" or "Email interview" in the place of "Personal interview."???????

Example:

Neuhoff, Christine S. Personal interview. 15 Sep. 1998.


10. Citing a Personal Interview

Format:
Place the name of the person interviewed first, followed by words to indicate how the interview was conducted (“Personal interview,” “Telephone interview,” or “E-mail interview”), and the date. (Note the MLA style is to hyphenate e-mail.)

Example:

Halseth, Annie. Personal interview. 11 Apr. 2021.


11. Citing Surveys Conducted by the Writer

Format:
Name of Survey. Personal Survey. Day Month (abbreviated version) Year of Survey.

Example:

Human Rights Ordinances Questionnaire. Personal survey. 5 Oct. 1998.


12. Citing an Unpublished Letter

Format:
If the letter was written to you, give the writer’s name, the words “Letter to the author” (no quotation marks), and the date the letter was written. If the letter was written to someone else, give that person’s name rather than “the author.”

Example:

Witham, Lyle. Letter to the author, 6 May 2021.


13. Lectures or Speeches

Format:
Last Name of Lecturer or Speaker, First Name of Lecturer or Speaker. "Title or Description of Speech/Lecture." Meeting and Sponsoring Organization (if applicable). Place of Event, Day Month (abbreviated version) Year of Event.

Example:

Sofos, John. "Food Safety in the 90's." Colorado State U. Ft. Collins, 23 Oct. 1998.


14. Citing a Lecture or Public Address

Format:
Give the speaker’s name and title of the lecture (if there is one). If the lecture was part of a meeting or convention, identify that event. Conclude with the event information, including venue, city, and date.

Example:

Smith, Anna Deavere. “On the road: A Search for American Character.” National Endowment for the Humanities, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, 6 Apr. 2015. Address.

Format:
For lectures and public addresses found on the Web, provide the URL after the date. End with the appropriate label (“Lecture,” “Panel discussion,” “Reading”).

Exampl:

Khosla, Raj. “Precision Agriculture and Global Food Security.” US Department of State: Diplomacy in Action, 26 Mar. 2013, www.state.gov/e/stas/series/212172.htm/. Address. 

Database Sources

1. Portable Periodical Databases

Information is often collected in portable databases such as CD-ROM, diskette, or magnetic tapes. Just as print journals, newspapers, magazines, and indexes are published and updated periodically, so are some of these; they should be treated like similarly, with additional information about the electronic format:

  1. title of database,
  2. publication medium (like "CD-ROM," "Diskette," or "Magnetic Tape"),
  3. name of the vendor (the manufacturer or distributor of the CD-ROM, etc.), if relevant, and
  4. date of electronic publication (which is likely to be different from the date of print publication).

Format:
Last Name of Author [when there is an author], First Name of Author. "Title of Article in the Database." Journal or Book in Which the Print Version Could be Found. Day Month (abbreviated version) and Year of publication of the print version, Information about Edition, Release, or Version (if relevant): Page Numbers. Title of Database. Publication Medium (i.e., CD-ROM, Diskette, or Magnetic Tape). Vendor of the Database. Date of electronic publication.

Example:

"The Events of Yesterday." The Charleston Mercury 28 Dec. 1860. The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective. CD-ROM. Folio Corporation. 1990.


2. Portable Non-Periodical Databases

Unlike online databases, which exist on a computer service or network and subject to continual revision, formats for sources on CD-ROM, diskette, or magnetic tape vary according to whether or not the database is published periodically.

Non-periodical databases, like books, are published at a single, specific time. They might be updated, or different versions of them might be issued, but updates/versions are not released in any regular manner. Because these databases are like books, they should be treated like them as much as possible, with an entry listing the basic bibliographic information first, then adding in the information specific to the electronic medium.

Format:
[What follows is the format for a typical entry of this kind.]

Author's Last Name [if author is given], Author's First Name. "Title of the Part of the Work" (if relevant, and underlined if it is a book-length source). Title of Database or Product. Edition, Release, or Version (if relevant). Publication Medium [i.e., CD-ROM, Diskette, or Magnetic Tape]. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Example:

Sheehy, Donald, ed. Robert Frost: Poems, Life, Legacy. CD-ROM. New York: Holt, 1997.

Digital Sources

1. Citing a Scholarly Reference or Scholarly Project Databases

Note: Not all of the following information will be available in every case.

Format:
Begin with the author's name if given (last name first). "Title of Short Work Within the Database or Scholarly Project." [if citing a particular part] Title of Database or Scholarly Project. Name of Editor, if given. Version [if applicable]. Date of Electronic Publication or Last Update. Name of Sponsoring Institution or Organization. Date of Access .

Example:

The Einstein Papers Project. Ed. Robert Schulmann. 18 Feb. 1998. Boston U. 10 Mar. 1998 .


2. Citing Personal or Professional Web Sites

Note: Not all of the following information will be available in every case.

Format:
Provide the last name and the first name of creator [if available]. Include the title of the website, the date of electronic publication or the date when last updated and the date accessed.

Examples:

Watson, Chad J. Home page. 27 Jan. 1998. 10 Mar. 1998 . Nature Conservancy, The. New York's Tug Hill Plateau. No date. 2 July 2002.


3. Citing Online Computer Services Articles

Note: Not all of the following information will be available in every case.

Format:
Provide the last name and first Name of the author. Include the title of the article (in quotation marks), the title of the journal or book where the print version of the source can be found (underlined), the date of publication. Include information about the edition, release or version (if relevant), the page numbers (if available), the title of the database (underlined), and include the word “Online. Finish with the name of the computer service and the day, month, and year accessed.

Examples:

Wever, Katharine. "In a Painting, Gershwin Packed the House." New York Times 30 Aug. 1998, late ed.: sec. 2, p. 30. New York Times Fulltext. Online. Dialog. 21 Sep. 1998. Boynton, Robert S. "The New Intellectuals." Atlantic Monthly Mar. 1993. Atlantic Monthly Online. Online. America Online. 3 Mar. 1995.


4. Citing a Short Work from a Website

Format:
Provide the name of the author; the title of the work in quotation marks; the title of the website, italicized; the date of publication in reverse order, and the URL.

Example:

Martin, Amy. “As Greenland’s Ice Sheet Melts, Scientists Want to Know ‘How Fast.’” Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, 4 Dec. 2018, https://www.pulitzercenter.org/reporting/ greenlands-ice-sheet-melts-scientists-want-know-how-fast.

Format:
If there is no author given, begin the citation with the title of the work and proceed with the rest of the publication information. If the title of the website does not indicate the sponsoring organization, list the sponsor before the URL. If there is no date of publication, give the date of access after the URL.

Example:

“Social and Historical Context: Vitality.” Arapesh Grammar and Digital Language Archive Project, Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, https://www.arapesh.org/ socio_historical_context_vitality.php/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2021.


5.Citing an Academic Course or Department Website

Format:
For a course page, give the name of the instructor, the course title, the institution in italics, year, and the URL. For a department page, give the department name, a description such as “Department home page,” the institution in italics, the date of the last update, and the URL.

Example:

Masiello, Regina. ENG 101: Expository Writing. Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, 2016, https://www.wp.rutgers.edu/courses/55-355101/.

Film Studies. Department home page. Wayne State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 2016, https://www.clas.wayne.edu/FilmStudies/.


6.Citing a Message Posted to a Newsgroup, Electronic Mailing List, or Online Discussion Forum

Format:
Cite the name of the person who posted the message and the title (from the subject line, in quotation marks); if the posting has no title, add the phrase “Online posting.” Then add the name of the website (italicized), the sponsor or publisher, the date of the message, and the URL.

Example:

Robin, Griffith. “Write for the Reading Teacher.” Developing Digital Literacies, NCTE, 23 Oct. 2015, ncte.connectedcommunity.org/communities/community-home/ digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=1693&MID=24520&tab=digestviewer& CommunityKey=628d2ad6-8277-4042-a376-2b370ddceabf/.nbsp;


7.Citing a Blog

Format:
To cite an entry or a comment on a blog, give the author of the entry or comment (if available), the title of the entry or comment in quotation marks, the title of the blog (italicized), the sponsor or publisher, the date the material was posted, and the URL.

Example:

Ayala, Erica. “From the Field to the Rink: How One Hockey Pro Is Bringing Politics to the Ice.” Thinkprogress.org, Center for American Progress Action Fund, 4 Dec. 2018, https://www.thinkprogress.org/how-hockey-pro-miye-doench-bringingpolitics-ice/. 


8.Citing an E-mail Message

Format:
Start with the sender of the message. Then identify the recipient of the message. Finally, provide the date of the message.

Example:

Page, Ellen. E-mail to Ried Vincent. 20 Oct. 2021.


9.Citing a Facebook Post or Comment

Format:
Follow the general format for citing a short work on a website.

Example:

Bedford English. “Stacey Cochran Explores Reflective Writing in the Classroom and as a Writer.”? Facebook, 15 Feb. 2016, https://www.facebook.com/BedfordEnglish/ posts/10153415001259607/. 


10.Citing a Twitter Post (Tweet)

Format:
Follow the general format for citing a short work on a website, but provide the entire tweet in place of the title, and include the time after the date. If the name of the poster is not provided, use the Twitter handle. If the name is provided, include the handle in brackets.

Example:

Curiosity Rover. “Can you hear me now? It’s all thanks to the Deep Space Network, @NASA’s 24/7 communication link to spacecraft beyond the moon. Tune in and join the conversation live tonight Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET, 0300 UTC): youtube.com/NASAJPL/live.” Twitter, 8 Nov. 2018, 5:08 p.m., twitter.com/ MarsCuriosity/status/1060700718745608192. 


11.Citing Computer Software, an App, or Video Game

Format:
Cite computer software, an App or Video Game as you would a book.

Example:

Mint.Version 6.5.5, Inuit, 2018. 


12.Citing Other Online Sources

Format:
For other online sources, adapt the guidelines to the medium. Include as much information as necessary for you readers to easily find your source. The examples below are for a podcast. Because no publication date is given, the citation ends with the access date instead.

Example:

Tanner, Laura. “Virtual Reality in 9/11 Fiction.”?Literature Lab, Department of English, Brandeis U, https://www.brandeis.edu/departments/english/literaturelab/tanner.html/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2019.


13. Citing an Entire Website

Format:
For a website with no author, provide the name of the site in italics, followed by the sponsor or publisher, the copyright date or the most recent update date, and the URL. A date of access is not required for web sources if a copyright or recent update date is provided.

Example:

The Newton Project. U of Oxford, 2016, https://www.newtonproject.oxford.ac.uk/prism .php?id=1. 


14. Citing an Instagram Post

Format:
Begin with the account owner’s last name and first name. If names are not available, begin with the account owner’s username, and include any other contributors. Follow with the photo title in quotation marks, or a description if the title isn’t available. End with the date the photo was published and the URL.

Example:

National Geographic. Renan Ozturk, photographer. "Photo of the Vatnajökull of Iceland, Europe’s largest icecap". Instagram, 26 Nov. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/ BqnzWQ6AY-x/. 

Reference Works

1. Citing an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Almanac

Format:
Cite as you would a book.

Example:

The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997. 


2. Citing an Entry in an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Handbook, or Almanac (Including Wiki)

Format:
Unless the entry is signed, begin your citation with the title of the entry in quotation marks, followed by a period. Give the title of the reference work (beginning with the first word other than A, An, or The), italicized, and the edition (if available) and year of publication. If there is no date of publication, include your date of access.

Example:

“Balls in Your Court, The.”?The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. 2nd? ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. 

Format:
Cite an online entry as you would a print entry, then give the URL.

Example:

“House Music,”?Wikipedia, 8 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music. 


3. Citing a Brochure or Pamphlet

Format:
Format the entry as you would for a book.

Example:

This Is Edinburgh Information Pack: Summer/Spring 2018. Edinburgh.org, 2018, https://edinburgh.org/media/1297024/This-is-Edinburgh-Press-Information-Pack-2018.pdf. 


4. Citing a Government Publication

Format:
In most cases, cite the government agency as the author. If there is a named author, editor, or compiler, provide that name after the title. Do not abbreviate “Congress,” “Senate,” “House,” “Resolution,” or “Report.”

Example:

United States, Department of Agriculture. Eligibility Manual for School Meals: Determining and Verifying Eligibility. National School Lunch Program. Food and Nutrition Service, July 2015, https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/SP40_CACFP18_SFSP20-2015a1.pdf/. 

Format:
When documenting a bill, report, or resolution of the United States Congress, include the number and session of Congress from which it emerged.

Example:

United States, Congress, House. Medicaid Extenders Act of 2019. 116th Congress, 1st session, House Resolution 259, Public Law No. 116-3, https://www.congress.gov/ bill/116th-congress/house-bill/259. 


5. Citing a Map or Chart

Format:
Generally, treat a map or chart as you would a book without listed authors, listing its title and publication information. For a map in an atlas or other volume, give the map title (in quotation marks), followed by the publication information for the atlas and page number(s) for the map. If the creator of the map or chart is listed, use his or her name as you would an author’s name.

Example:

“The Transatlantic Slave System.” Ways of the World: A Brief Global History. 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019, p. 411.

Format:
For a map or chart found online, cite as you would a print source, then give the URL.

Example:“Africa.” Worldatlas.com, 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/af.htm.nbsp;

MLA Directory of Variations to Works Cited Formatting Rules

1. Citing Two or More Works by the Same Author in Works Cited

Format:
For references to authors with more than one work in your works cited list, insert a short version of the title between the author and the page number, separating the author and the title with a comma.

Example:

(Sacks, Hallucinations 77)

(Sacks, Mind’s Eye 123)


2. Citing an Anonymous Source or If No Author is Named on Title Page

Format:
If you are citing a source that has no known author; such as the book A Woman in Berlin, use a brief version of the title in the parenthetical citation.

Example:

The narrator pays particular attention to the culture of rape in Berlin during World War II, calling it a “collective experience” and claiming that German women comforted one another by speaking about it – something they never would have considered during peacetime (Woman 147).


3. Citing a Source Without Page Numbers

Format:
Give a section, paragraph, or screen number, if remembered, in the parenthetical citation. 

Example:

First-time American mothers and fathers both have aged an average of three to four years since 1970 (Shulevitz, par. 4). 

It is adults, not children, who present the greatest challenge in gift giving, as adults tend to long for intangibles – like love or career success – that are harder to pin down (Rothman).


4. Citing a Literary Work

Format:
Along with the page number(s), give other identifying information, such as a chapter, scene, or line number, that will help readers find the passage. 

Example:

One prominent motif introduced at the opening of Beloved is bestiality, exemplified in Sethe’s being described as “down on all fours” at the first appearance of her dead daughter’s ghost (Morrison 27; ch. 1). 


5. Citing a Work in an Edited Collection or Anthology

Format:
Cite the author of the work, not the editor of the collection or anthology. Give the author, then the title in quotation marks. Follow with the title of the collection in italics, the label “edited by” and the name(s) of the editor(s) (first name first), the publication information, and the inclusive page numbers for the selection or chapter.

Example:

In his satirical essay “A Presidential Candidate,” Mark Twain outlines his plan to thwart the opposition, insisting that “if you know the worst about a candidate, to begin with, every attempt to spring things on him will be checkmated” (3).

Sayrafiezadeh, Saïd. “Paranoia.” New American Stories, edited by Ben Marcus, Vintage Books, 2015, pp. 3-29.

(Sacks, Mind’s Eye 123)

Additional MLA Style Resources

Print Resources:

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 9th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

Online Resources:

The official Modern Language Association website, updated regularly, is the comprehensive guide to all things MLA: the organization, its journals, products and services.

Citation: Please adapt for your documentation style.

Mangialetti, Tony, Will Allen, Mike Palmquist, Peter Connor, Heidi Scott, & Laurel Nesbitt. (2017). Citation Guide: Modern Language Association (MLA). Writing@CSU. Colorado State University. https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=4