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A Complete Guide to MLA 8th Edition

Key differences in mla 8th edition.

1. One standard citation format that applies to every source type

In previous editions of the MLA Handbook, researchers were required to locate the citation format for the source that they used. For example, if a magazine was used, researchers needed to locate the specific citation format for periodicals. Due to the various ways that information is now received, in books, websites, lectures, tweets, Facebook posts, etc, it has become unrealistic for MLA to create citation formats for every source type. Now, there is one standard, universal format that researchers can use to create their citations.

2. Inclusion of “containers” in citations.

Containers are the elements that “hold” the source. For example, if a television episode is watched on Netflix, Netflix is the container. Both the title of the source and its container are included in a MLA 8th edition citation.

3. The ability to use pseudonyms for author names

It is now acceptable to use online handles or screen names in place of authors’ names.

@WSJ. “Generation X went from the most successful in terms of homeownership rates in 2004 to the least successful by 2015.” Twitter , 8 Apr. 2016, 4:30 p.m., www.twitter.com/WSJ/status/718532887830753280

4. Adding the abbreviations vol. and no. to magazine and journal article citations.

In MLA 7, there was no indication that the numbers in periodical citations referred to the volume and issue numbers.

Example of a journal article citation in MLA 7th Edition:

DelGuidice, Margaux. “When a Leadership Opportunity Knocks, Answer!” Library Media Connection 30.2 (2011): 48-49. Print

An example of a journal article citation in MLA 8th edition:

DelGuidice, Margaux. “When a Leadership Opportunity Knocks, Answer!” Library Media Connection , vol. 30, no. 2, 2011, pp. 48-49.

5. Inclusion of URLS

In previous versions of the MLA handbook, it was up to the discretion of the instructor whether URLs should be included in a citation. In MLA 8, it is highly recommended to include a URL in the citation. Even if it becomes outdated, it is still possible to trace the information online from an older URL.

Omit “https://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in a MLA 8th edition citation.

6. Omitting the publisher from some source types

It is not necessary to include the publisher for periodicals or for a web site when the name of the site matches the name of the publisher. For periodicals, the name of the publisher is generally insignificant.

7. Omitting the city of publication

In previous versions of the MLA handbook, researchers included the city where the publisher was located. Today, this information generally serves little purpose and the city of publication can often be omitted.

Only include the city of publication if the version of the source differs when published in a different country (Example: British editions of books versus versions printed in the United States).

Features that have not changed, and are the same as MLA 7:

  • The overall principles of citing and plagiarism
  • The use of in-text citations and works cited pages

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How to Format an MLA 8 Works Cited List

The purpose of a Works Cited list is to display the sources that were used for a project. Showcasing the sources that were used allows others to locate the original sources themselves. In addition, a Works Cited list gives credit to the original authors of the works that were consulted for a project.

Works Cited lists are typically found at the very end of a project. The last page of a research paper, the final slide of a presentation, and the last screen of a video are all appropriate places to display a Works Cited list.

Each source is displayed in a special format, called a citation. This guide explains how to create citations for the Works Cited page.

When starting to build your Works Cited page, start by consulting your list of core elements. Remember, your core elements are:

  • Title of source
  • Title of container
  • Other contributors
  • Publication date

Citations are listed in alphabetical order by the first word in the citation, which is typically the last name of the author.

When there are two or more sources with the same author, only include the author’s name in the first citation. In the second or subsequent citations, use three hyphens in place of the author’s name, followed by a period.

Sparks, Nicholas. Dear John . Grand Central, 2007, p. 82.

– – -. A Walk to Remember . Warner, 1999.

If the individual is someone other than an author, such as a director or an editor, follow the three hyphens with a comma. Then, include the role of the individual after the comma. Place the citations in alphabetical order by the title of the work when there are multiple works by one author.

Allen, Woody. Getting Even . Vintage, 1978.

– – -, director. Midnight in Paris. Sony Pictures Classics, 2011.

The only instance when it is acceptable to include an author’s name more than once in a Works Cited Page is when the author is a coauthor with another individual or team.

Patterson, James, and Chris Grabenstein. House of Robots . Little, Brown and Co., 2014.

Patterson, James, and Chris Tebbetts. Middle School: Get Me Out of Here. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.

When there is no author listed for a source, place it in alphabetical order by the title. Omit words such as A, An, and The. If the title begins with a number, write the number out in word form.

Twenty-Eight Days Later. Directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Alex Garland, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2002.

Example of an MLA Eighth Edition Works Cited Page:

– – – . A Walk to Remember . Warner, 1999.

How to Format the Author’s Name in an MLA 8th Edition Citation:

The author’s name is generally the first piece of information included in an MLA 8th edition citation. Start with the author’s last name, follow it with a comma, and add the rest of the author’s name exactly as it appears on the source. Immediately following the author’s name is a period.

Sparks, Nicholas. Stine, R.L. Brown, Margaret Wise. Seuss, Dr.

When two authors are included on a source, add them into the citation in the order that they appear on the source. The first author’s name is in reverse order: Last name, comma, and then the rest of the name as it appears on the source. Follow it with a comma and add the word “and.” For the second author’s name, write it exactly as it appears on the source.

Pratchett, Terry, and Neil Gaiman. Mortenson, Greg, and David Oliver Relin.

When three or more authors share responsibility for a work, include only the first author’s name. Write the first author’s name in reverse order: Last name, comma, and then the rest of the name as it appears on the source. After the first author’s name, add a comma, and write et al. This is a latin term meaning “and others.”

White, Karen, et al. Chan, Danny Elizabeth, et al.

An author may not always be the person responsible for a source. Often times, others, such as an editor or a translator can play the leading role.

When citing an edited book in its entirety, add a comma at the end of the editor(s) names and add the role of individual.

Hage, Ghassan, editor. Nielson, Frank, and Rajendra Bhatia, editors. Ashraf, M., et al., editors.

If a translated text was used, place the translator’s name in the “other contributors” section of the citation.

Viripaev, Ivan. Illusions . Translated by Cazimir Liske, Faber and Faber, 2012.

However, if the focus of your research revolves around the translation itself, place the translator’s name as the leading name in the citation.

Eshleman, Clayton, and Lucas Klein, translators. Endure. By Bei Dao, Black Widow Press, 2011.

For other works, such as film and tv shows, the individual that was the main focus of your research should be the leading name in the citation. Add a comma after the name of the individual and add a description of their role.

Parker, Sarah Jessica, actress. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. New World Pictures, 1985.

If the focus was on the whole film or television show, and not an individual, start the citation with the title.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Directed by Alan Metter, performance by Sarah Jessica Parker, New World Pictures, 1985.

It is acceptable to use online usernames or social media handles as the author’s name.

@BilldeBlasio. “A union gathers its strength from its workers. So does a company. I commend @Verizon and its employees for coming to a tentative agreement.” Twitter, 1 June 2016, 8:30 a.m., www.twitter.com/BilldeBlasio/status/737964964066004992.

Companies and organizations can also produce sources. Start the citation with the name of the company or organization.

United States, Food and Drug Administration. National Food Safety Education Month – Myths and Facts. June 4, 2014, www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/ucm368393.htm.

How to Format the Title in MLA 8

Titles of sources are included in the citation as they appear on the source. They are generally located on the front or top of the source. Include all words in the title and any subtitles as well.

Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Atheneum, 1987.

If a subtitle is given, place a colon in between the title and the subtitle.

Sheff, David. Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World. Vintage Books, 1994.

When a title stands alone, meaning it is not part of a larger work, place the title in italics. If it is indeed part of a larger work, such as a short story in an anthology, or a chapter in an edited book, place the title in quotations and the title of the larger work in italics.

Hughes, Langston. “Red-Headed Baby.” The Oxford Book of American Short Stories, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Oxford UP, 1992, pp. 365-370.

*The exception to this rule is when a title that is found in a larger work normally stands alone. In this case, both titles are written in italics, without quotation marks.

Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. The Complete Children’s Short Stories, Wordsworth Editions, 2004, pp. 1-128.

For newspaper, magazine, and journal articles, the title of the article is placed in quotation marks and the name of the source is placed in italics. The same rule applies to other forms as well. Episodes of television shows are placed in quotation marks and the name of the television series is placed in italics. In addition, song titles are placed in quotation marks and the album names are placed in italics directly afterwards. Articles on web sites are placed in quotation marks and the title of the web site is placed in italics.

Example of an MLA 8th edition citation for Periodicals:

Martinson, Nichole. “Can I Cut Through a Murky German Tale to Find Grandma?” Ancestry, vol. 27, no. 1, January/February 2009, p. 63.

Example of an MLA 8th edition citation for television shows:

“Brave New World.” Grey’s Anatomy, directed by Eric Stoltz, season 5, episode 4, ABC, October 16, 2008.

Example of an MLA 8th edition citation for songs:

Rufus Du Sol. “Take Me.” Atlas, Sweat It Out, 2013.

Example of an MLA 8th edition citation for websites:

Provenzano, Nicholas. “Project Based Learning and the Great Gatsby.” The Nerdy Teacher, May 3, 2016. www.thenerdyteacher.com/2016/05/project-based-learning-and-great-gatsby.html.

When citing something that doesn’t have a title, it is acceptable to include a brief description of the source. Only capitalize the first letter in the first word of the description. Do not italicize or place the description in quotation marks.

Example of an MLA 8th edition citation with no title:

Kirschner, Ariel. Purple diagonal stripes painting. King Townhouse, New York.

When citing posts on social media, such as a Tweet, the title is the full posting, placed in quotation marks. For e-mail messages, the subject of the message is used as the title and placed in italics.

Examples of an MLA 8th edition citation for tweets:

@BilldeBlasio. “A union gathers its strength from its workers. So does a company. I commend @Verizon and its employees for coming to a tentative agreement.” Twitter , 1 June 2016, 8:30 a.m., www.twitter.com/BilldeBlasio/status/737964964066004992.

Taparia, Neal. “Team Meeting Reminder for Tomorrow.” Received by Michele Kirschenbaum, 4 May 2016.

How to Format the Title of the Container in MLA 8

Titles do not always stand alone. They are often found in a larger whole, or a container. Here are some examples of containers:

A chapter is placed in a container, which is the book it sits in. A song is placed in a container, which is the album it is on A television episode is placed in a container, which is the name of the show An online article sits in a container, which is the website

It is important to include the title of the container as it provides necessary information to help the reader locate the information themselves.

When a source has a container, place the title of the work in quotation marks and add a period directly afterwards. For the container, place it in italics and add a comma.

Examples of MLA 8th edition citations with containers:

Kivisto, Peter. “Marxism after Marx.” Key Ideas in Sociology, 3rd ed., 2011, pp. 28-33.

Rihanna. “Don’t Stop the Music.” Good Girl Gone Bad, track 3, Def Jam, 2007.

“Walk of Punishment.” Game of Thrones, season 3, episode 3, HBO, 14 Apr. 2013.

Ferlazzo, Larry. “Statistic of the Day: Many Students are Chronically Absent.” Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day, 10 June 2016, www.larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2016/06/10/statistic-of-the-day-many-students-are-chronically-absent/.

There are instances when a source can sit in more than one container. It is possible to have two containers.

Here are some examples:

For a scholarly article, the first container is the title of the journal, the second container is the title of the database. For a television show watched online, the first container is the title of the show, the second container is the title of the web site that the show was watched on.

It is necessary to include information about both containers.

When formatting a citation with two containers, use the following template:

Author. Title of source. Title of first container, Other contributors, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication date, Location. Title of second container, Other contributors, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

If any parts of the above citation are irrelevant to the reader, omit them from the citation.

Examples of MLA 8th edition citations for sources with two containers:

Rossetti, Christina. “Caterpillar.” The Random House Book of Poetry for Children: A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today’s Child, Random House, 1982, p. 76. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=zLF_sKMUYS8C&lpg=PP1&dq=poetry&pg=PA76#v=onepage&q=poetry&f=false.

In the above example, “Caterpillar” is the title of the poem, The Random House Book of Poetry for Children: A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today’s Child is the first container, and Google Books is the second container.

Notice that the title of the source is placed in quotation marks, while the titles of the first and second containers are placed in italics.

Here are a few more examples:

Stemmer, John, et al. “Investigating the Relationship of Library Usage to Student Outcomes.” College & Research Libraries, vol. 7, no. 3, May 2016, pp. 359-375. ERIC, dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.77.3.359

Alesso. “Tear the Roof Up.” Forever , 2015, track 4. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/2ze8tFyaI1W6db1pJBWBGq

How to Format Other Contributors in MLA 8:

While it is generally just the author of a work that is included in a citation, there can be times when there are other contributors that can be included, especially when their work played a large role in your research. “Other contributors” can include directors, performers, editors, translators, and many other roles.

When including another contributor in a citation, first include the role of that individual, add the word “by” and then place their name in standard form (First name Last name).

Some possible examples of contributors include phrases such as:

translated by directed by produced by illustrated by

Examples of MLA 8th edition citations for sources with more than one contributor:

“Daddy’s Home.” Full House, performance by Bob Saget, season 1, episode 6, ABC, 30 Oct. 1987.

Baum, L. Frank. “The Wizard of Oz.” Audible, narrated by Anne Hathaway, Audible Studios, 8 Mar. 2012, www.audible.com/pd?asin=B007BR5KZA&action_code=AUDORWS0424159DCE

Bessen, James, and Alessandro Nuvolari. “Knowledge Sharing Among Investors: Some Historical Perspectives.” Revolutionizing Innovation: Users, Communities, and Open Innovation, edited by Dietmar Harhoff and Karim R. Lakhani, MIT Press, 2016, pp. 135-156. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=RMqrCwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=edited%20book&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false.

It is acceptable to include more than one contributor. In fact, it is acceptable to include many contributors if they all played an important part in your research. . You may want to include a performer and a director, or an editor and a translator, or two performers.

Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, performance by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Paramount Pictures, 1997.

Puff Daddy and the Family. “Victory.” No Way Out, performance by The Notorious B.I.G and Busta Rhymes, Bad Boy, 1997, Track 2.

How to Format the Version in MLA 8:

Sources can be released in different versions, or forms. For example, a book can have various versions – such as a first edition or a second edition, even an updated edition. A song can have an extended version or a radio edit. A movie can have an unrated or an uncut version. It is important to communicate to the reader which version was used to help them locate the exact source themselves.

For books, the version can often be found on the front cover or on the verso page. If it is a numbered edition, type out the numeral and use the abbreviation “ed.” for edition.

If no specific version is mentioned or located, omit this information from the citation.

Examples of MLA 8 edition citations for sources with various versions:

Weinberger, Norman M. “The Auditory System and Elements of Music” The Psychology of Music, edited by Diana Deutsch, 2nd ed., Academic Press, 1999, p.61. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=A3jkobk4yMMC&lpg=PP1&dq=psychology&pg=PR6#v=onepage&q=psychology&f=false.

JFK. Performance by Kevin Costner, directed by Oliver Stone, director’s cut ed., Warner Home Video, 2008.

How to Format Numbers in MLA 8:

There are times when sources are given a number. For example, a print encyclopedia, which is part of a set, often has a volume number. In addition, lengthy books are sometimes split into a few volumes. Comic books, magazines, and journal issues are often given a volume number AND an issue number. Television episodes are often numbered, as well as their seasons, too.

If a book is given a volume number, it can generally be found on the spine, cover, or on the title page. Comic books, magazines, and journals often have their volume number and issue number printed on the front cover. For television show episodes and seasons, this information can usually be found on the packaging or by clicking on the information while watching the show.

For volume numbers, use the abbreviation “vol.” and for issue numbers, use the abbreviation “no” in the citation.

Examples of MLA 8 edition citations for sources that are numbered:

Fillipponi, Piero, and Herta T. Freitag. “For an Arbitrary Argument.” Applications of Fibonacci Numbers, Edited by G. E. Bergum, et al., vol. 4, Springer Science and Business Media, 1990, pp. 91-98. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=bszoCAAAQBAJ&lpg=PR1&dq=volume%20numbers&pg=PR5#v=onepage&q=volume%20numbers&f=false.

Sadler, Philip M., and Gerhard Sonnert. “Understanding Misconceptions: Teaching and Learning in Middle School Physical Science.” American Educator, vol. 40, no. 1, American Federation of Teachers, 2016, pp. 26-32.

Kanigher, Robert. “Stone Slayer.” Wonder Woman, illustrated by Harry G. Peter, vol. 1, no. 65, DC Comics, April 1954.

“Thirsty Bird.” Orange is the New Black, directed by Jodie Foster, season 2, episode 1, Netflix, 6 June 2014.

How to Format the Publisher in MLA 8:

The publisher is the company that was responsible for making the work available. There are numerous publishing companies that are responsible for the creation and the release of books, movies, television shows, and other sources. Web sites are often published by many different types of organizations and companies, such as museums or government agencies.

To locate the publisher of a book, look at the bottom of the title page or on the verso page. For films and television shows, the publisher can often be found on the packaging or in the credits. For web sites, the name of publisher is often next to the copyright symbol at the bottom of the page.

Here are some examples of how to include the publisher in an MLA 8 edition citation:

How to cite a book in MLA 8:

Grissom, Kathleen. The Kitchen House. Touchstone, 2010.

Touchstone is the name of the publisher for the book.

There are times when it is not necessary to include the publisher in a citation. For web sites, when the name of the site matches the name of the publisher, omit the publisher from the citation. This prevents the same information from being displayed twice in a citation. Also, it is not necessary to include the publisher for any magazines, periodicals, or journals. Often, the name of those sources match the name of the publisher.

Example of how to cite an article on a blog in MLA 8 (when the publisher matches one of the other components of the citation)

Chan, Magdalene. “Volunteering with NYC Department for the Aging.” New York Public Library, 29 June 2016, www.nypl.org/blog/2016/06/29/volunteering-nyc-dfta.

In the above example, the New York Public Library is the name of the web site, but also the name of the organization responsible for publishing the content. Therefore, New York Public Library was only included once in the citation.

How to Format the Publication Date in MLA 8:

The publication date, which is the date that the source was released, is a necessary component of an MLA 8 edition citation. Including this information helps the reader locate the specific source that was used, as often times there are numerous versions of sources that are released at different times.

When including the date of publication, there aren’t any set rules to how the date should be input into the citation. For example, you can use May 5, 2016 or 5 May 2016. What does matter is consistency. Whichever way the date is placed in one citation, the same format should be used in the other citations in your project.

Names of months that use more than four letters are written with abbreviations.

Examples: Jan. Sept. Nov.

In addition, sometimes the day and month might not be featured on a source. Include the information that is readily available.

Example of how to cite a movie in MLA 8:

Ratatouille. Directed by Brad Bird, Pixar, June 29, 2007.

How to Format the Location in MLA 8:

It’s often helpful to include the exact location of where you found your information so that the reader can locate it themselves. For example, let’s say that you used a quote from a book in your project. If the reader wanted to find the quote for themselves, it would be helpful to include the page number in the citation. Or, if you were to use a cover story from a magazine, including the page ranges helps the reader easily find the information. Additionally, web site addresses are extremely helpful to include.

When including a page or page range in your citation, use the abbreviation p. when including information about one page, and use pp. when including a page range.

When including web site addresses in a citation, omit the https:// or https:// of the citation, since the reader can assume that the beginning of the address includes that information.

Here are some examples of MLA 8 edition citations that include locations:

Mohr, Nicholasa. El Bronx Remembered: A Novella and Stories. Harper Trophy, 1975, p. 87.

Szabo, Liz. “Zika Could Hit People in Poverty Hardest.” USA Today, 30 June 2016, www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/06/30/zika-could-hit-people-poverty-hardest/86358782/.

Since the following citation has two containers (the book itself and Google Books) there are two locations included, a page range and a web site address:

Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. Everyman’s Library, 1994, pp. 27-28. Google Books, www.books.google.com/books?id=Y3xXkWyQZggC&lpg=PP1&dq=the%20jungle%20book&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q=the%20jungle%20book&f=false.

How to Create In-Text Citations in MLA 8:

The overall purpose of in-text citations is to allow the reader to briefly see where the direct quote or paraphrase came from, and to be able to identify it later on, as a full citation, in the works cited list.

As stated in the first part of this guide, when using a direct quote or paraphrase, place an in-text citation after the borrowed information. Generally the in-text citation is found immediately following the direct quote or paraphrase, but it is acceptable to insert it in a place, soon after, that allows for a natural pause while reading.

In-text citations are generally made up of two items: the author’s last name and the page number. If there isn’t an author, use the first item in the full citation entry. Place the name of the author (or the first item found in the full citation entry) and the page number in parentheses. Do not include any commas in between the two pieces of information.

Example on an in-text citation found in the body of a project:

“Professor McGonagall’s voice trembled as she went on. ‘That’s not all. They’re saying he tried to kill the Potter’s son, Harry. But – he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they’re saying that when he couldn’t kill Harry Potter, Voldemort’s power somehow broke – and that’s why he’s gone” (Rowling 22).

In the works cited list, found at the end of the project, readers will be able to see the full citation in its entirety, and will be able to locate the source for themselves.

The full citation, on the works cited page, will look like this:

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic, 1999, p. 22.

How to format in-text citations for two authors:

When there are two authors, or coauthors, add both names to the in-text citation, with the word and between the two names.

(Johnson and Selleck 44)

How to format in-text citations for three authors or more:

For three or more authors, include the last name of the first author listed on the source. After the first author’s last name, place et al. afterwards. This is a Latin term which means “and others.”

Example of an in-text citation for three or more authors:

(Chan et al. 134)

How to format an in-text citation for corporate authors: When adding an in-text citation for corporate authors, place the name of the corporation or organization in parentheses, followed by the page number. If there is a common abbreviation in the name of the corporation, it is acceptable to use the abbreviated term:

Examples of in-text citations with corporate authors:

(American Lung Association 14) (Penn. Dept. of Motor Vehicles 62)

When an author’s name is not listed in the full citation, use the title in the in-text citation. It is acceptable to shorten or abbreviate the title. If the title starts with A, An, or The, exclude it from the in-text citation and include the first main word.

Full title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

In-Text citation: ( Tree Grows in Brooklyn )

Full title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

In-Text citation: ( Harry Potter )

How to format page numbers in in-text citations:

For page numbers, use the same style that the source uses. If a source is numbered using Roman numerals, in the in-text citation, use Roman numerals for the page number.

(Franklin IV)

(Wall Street Journal B8)

When it comes to e-books, it can be difficult to determine the page number. Furthermore, the page number on one type of e-reader, such as a Kindle, might differ on another e-reader, like a Nook. Exclude page numbers from in-text citations if the page numbers differ across devices. Only include the page number from an e-book if it is consistent with other readers. It is acceptable to use a chapter number or division number if it is stable across devices.

(Rowling ch. 1)

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For a more complete guide to citing MLA 8th edition, please see our  MLA 8th Edition Citation Guide . This “cheat sheet” is intended to clarify how certain types of sources are meant to be cited. However, it is not a complete guide, and there is more than one way to correctly cite a source since this edition of MLA is contextually based. What that means is, based on your purposes, you may be citing items differently than you have in the past or may cite them differently depending on what project you are working on. This cheat sheet is strictly covering how to cite SOME specific sources in the works cited page; it does not explain rules for formatting any of the core elements or in-text citations. Please check out the complete guide for these rules.

An Abbreviated View

  • Works Cited: Common Print Sources
  • Works Cited: Common Electronic Sources
  • Works Cited: Common Film and TV Sources
  • Works Cited: Interviews

Example Works Cited Page

All sources in MLA 8th edition follow the same pattern and require the same information (if given). There are two types of information sources: core elements and optional elements. Each term is defined in the complete guide, but the punctuation after each element is required across sources.

Core Elements

  • Title of source.
  • Title of container,
  • Other contributors,
  • Publication date,

Optional Elements

  • Date of Original Publication,
  • City of Publication,
  • Other Facts.
  • Date of Access.
Tip Core elements are required for all sources. Some sources may not have these elements, but it is important to check if all the information is available. If it is not, skip that portion of the source.

Works Cited

Common Print Sources

Basic Book Citation

Last name, First name.  Title of Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

Example:  Bradway, Becky.  Pink Houses and Family Taverns.  Indiana University Press, 2002.

Edition other than the First

Last name, First name.  Title of Book . # ed., Publisher, Publication Date.

Example:  Helfer, Meredith, et al.  The Battered Child . 5th ed., University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Article or Chapter in a Book

Last name, First name. “Title of Chapter.”  Title of Book . Edited by Editor’s First and Last name(s), Publisher, Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Example:  Boquet, Edith. “Intellectual Tug-of-War: Snapshots of Life in the Center.”  The St. Martin’s Sourcebook for Writing Tutors,  3 rd  edition, edited by Christina Murphy and Steve Sherwood. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008, pp. 116-29.

Journal Articles

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Journal , vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Example:  Tyson, Phyllis A., and Michael G. Gordon. “The Psychology of Women.”  Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association , vol. 46, 1998, pp. 361-64.

Bernstein, Barton J.  “Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”  Diplomatic History , vol. 28, no. 3, 1991, pp. 126-129.

Magazine/Newspaper Article

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Periodical , Edition, Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Example:  Kramer, Cosmo F.  “A Health Threat Baffling for Its Lack of a Pattern.”   New York Times , national edition, 22 June 2003, p.A14.

Peterman, Jay S.  “Eat This Now!”   US News and World Report , 28 Mar. 2005, p. 56-58.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Print Sources

Title of Source/Container

For books, the title of the source may be the book itself or a chapter/article title. If citing a chapter/article, then the container is the book in which it is stored. For journal and magazine articles, the article’s name will be the title of the source while the name of the journal or periodical will be the container of the source.

Other Contributors

Other contributors are most likely going to be editors. Put the phrase “edited by” in lower case and the editor’s first and last name when adding this information.

Version/Number

If a book is an edition other than the first, that information will be placed under the version portion of the citation. It would also indicate what edition it is using the #th edition format. In journal articles, it will often include a volume number and issue number. The volume number will be printed first, and then the issue number when applicable.

Optional Element: City of Publication

The city of publication is not necessary unless it is from a city that might be unexpected. For example, if you are studying in the US and are using the US version of a book, there is no need to put the city of publication. However, if you are studying in the US and you are using a version of a book from another country, then it would be relevant to put the city of publication before the publisher information.

If you are citing a chapter/article title, put the page range that it is available in the following format: pp. #-# or p. # if it is just one page.

Common Electronic Sources

Entire Websites

Name of Site . Publisher, Publication Date, URL/DOI. Accessed day mon. year.

Example:  The Purdue OWL Family of Sites . The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University, 15 Jan. 2015, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

A Page on a Website

Last name, First name. “Name of Page.”  Name of Site , Website Publisher, Date Posted/Last Updated. URL/DOI. Accessed day mon. year.

Example:  National Institute of Mental Health. “Panic Disorder Among Adults.”  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , 2017. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/ statistics/prevalence/panic-disorder-among-adults.shtml. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

Magazine/Newspaper Articles

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Online Publication , Website Publisher, Publication Date, URL/DOI.

Example:  Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.”  A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites , 16 Aug. 2002, http://alistapart.com/article/writeliving.

Journal Articles Not Accessed Through a Library Database

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Publication , vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, Location (page range and/or URL/DOI).

Example:  Jackson, Gabriel. “Multiple Historic Meanings of the Spanish Civil War.”  Science and Society , vol. 68, no. 3, 2004, pp. 272-76.  JSTOR , 10.1521/siso.68.3.272.40301.

Journal Articles Accessed Through a Library Database

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.”  Title of Publication , vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. #-#.  Name of Database , URL/DOI.

Example:  Jackson, Gabriel. “Multiple Historic Meanings of the Spanish Civil War.”  Science and Society , vol. 68, no. 3, 2004, pp. 272-76.  JSTOR , 10.1521/siso.68.3.272.40301.

Hongmei, Yu. “From Kundun to Mulan: A Political Economic Case Study of Disney and China.”  Asianetwork Exchange , vol. 22, no. 1, 2014, pp. 13-22.  Academic Search Complete , http://ezproxy.uis.edu:2048/.

YouTube Video

Last name, First name or YouTube handle name. “Title Name of Video.”  YouTube , Publication Date, URL/DOI.

Example:  robcanter. “‘Shia LaBeouf’ Live.”  YouTube , 21 Oct. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Electronic Sources

Multiple Containers

Particularly for online sources, you may have to indicate the original publishing information (one container), while also referencing the database used to access that source (another container). In other words, you might have a source that is from a journal but is stored in a library database like JSTOR, Academic Search Premier, or LexisNexis. When this happens, you will want to include information for the journal, and then the database information (see Journal Articles Accessed Through a Library Database for example).

Title of Container/Publisher

Publishers are often very close to the website title. When this happens, it is not necessary to repeat that information. Only cite them when they are significantly different.

For example:  The New York Times  is published by The New York Times Company, which is not significantly different, so we would not need to repeat the publisher. However, a network like WGN, which is produced by the Tribune Company, may need that publisher information.

Use the URL or DOI. DOIs are preferable when available.

Optional Element: Access Dates

Access dates can be important to describe the version examined since the content and URLS can often change. Access dates go after the location but are not required. Cite when relevant.

Common Film and TV Sources

Entire Films

Title of Film . Directed by First and Last name, performance(s) by First and Last name(s), Production Company, Release Date.

Example:  Kill Bill (Vol. 1).  Directed by Quentin Tarantino, performances by Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah, Miramax, 2003.

Film with Emphasis on Contributor

Last name, First name of Contributor, role.  Title of Film.  Performance/Created/Directed by First and Last names of Other Contributors, Production Company, Release Date.

Example:  Thurman, Uma, performer . Kill Bill (Vol. 1).  Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Miramax, 2003.

Entire Television Series

Name of Show . Created by Name of Creator, performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, Production Company, Release Date.

Example:  Mad Men . Created by Matthew Weiner, performances by John Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Vincent Kartheiser, season 1, Lionsgate, 2008.

Television Series with Emphasis on Contributor

Last name, First name of Contributor, role.  Name of Show . Performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, Production Company, Release Date.

Example:  Weiner, Matthew, creator.  Mad Men . Performances by John Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Vincent Kartheiser, season 1, Lionsgate, 2008.

Television Show Episode from DVD/Blu-ray

Name of Episode.”  Name of Show . Created by First and Last Name, performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, episode #, Production Company, Release Date, Disc #.

Example:  “Heaven and Hell.”  Supernatural , created by Eric Kripke, performances by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, season 4, episode 10, Warner Bros. Television, 2008, disc 3.

Television Show Episode from Online Streaming Service (Hulu, Netflix, HBO GO, etc.)

“Name of Episode.”  Name of Show , created by First and Last name, performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, episode #, Production Company, Release Date.  Online Server , URL.

Example:  “Not Everything is About Annalise.”  How to Get Away with Murder , created by Peter Nowalk, performances by Viola Davis and Alfred Enoch, season 3, episode 11,ABC, 2 Feb. 2017.  Hulu , https://www.hulu.com/watch/1030716.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Film and TV Sources

If your source is talking about contribution of a specific individual to a film or movie, then put that name in the author spot and then add a comma and describe their role (performer, creator, director, narrator, etc.).

If citing an entire film or an entire series without discussing the contribution of a specific individual, then the title will be placed in italics and will take up the Title of Source/Title of Container areas.

If citing an episode in a series, then the title of the episode will go in quotes and the series name will go in italics.

Other contributors are most likely going to be relevant actors, but other roles can include directors, editors, narrators, and performers. To indicate these different roles, use the following terms before listing the contributor’s names: adapted by, directed by, edited by, narrated by, and performance by. Put down relevant information depending on how you are using the source (if talking about the acting, cite the actors).

For television shows in particular, the version will be the season and the number will be the number of the cited episode.

TV and movies are produced by several entities; however, do your best to name the name the distributor primarily responsible for its creation in this area.

The disc number or URL will be the likely locations for these sources.

Recorded/Published Interviews (not an interview you conducted)

Interviewee Name.  Name of Show . Interviewed by Interviewer Name, Distributor/Network, Date Broadcasted. Other Facts.

Example:  Wiesel, Elie.  Nightline . Interviewed by Ted Koppel, WABC, 18 Apr. 2002. TV Broadcast.

Personal/Original Interview (an interview you conducted)

Interviewee Name. Type of interview. Date Conducted. Other Facts.

Example:  Johnson, Jacob. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 25 Mar. 2012. Telephone interview. Barry, Michael. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 9 Aug. 2014. Personal interview.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Interviews

Author/Other Contributors

For interviews, the author is the person interviewed. Name the interviewer in the “other contributors” section preceded by the phrase “interviewed by” in lower case.

The location could be a URL, DOI, disc number, or may not be applicable depending on where you viewed the interview.

Barry, Michael. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 9 Aug. 2014. Personal interview.

Bernstein, Barton J. “Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”  Diplomatic History , vol. 28, no. 3, 1991, pp. 126-129.

Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.”  A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites , 16 Aug. 2002, http://alistapart.com/article/writeliving.

Bradway, Becky.  Pink Houses and Family Taverns , Indiana University Press, 2002.

Boquet, Edith. “Intellectual Tug-of-War: Snapshots of Life in the Center.”  The St. Martin’s Sourcebook for Writing Tutors , 3rd edition, edited by Christina Murphy and Steve Sherwood. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008, pp. 116-29.

“Heaven and Hell.”  Supernatura l, created by Eric Kripke, performances by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, season 4, episode 10, Warner Bros. Television, 2008, disc 3.

Helfer, Meredith, et al.  The Battered Child . 5th ed., University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Hongmei, Yu. “From Kundun to Mulan: A Political Economic Case Study of Disney and China.”  Asianetwork Exchange,  vol. 22, no. 1, 2014, pp. 13-22.  Academic Search Complete , http://ezproxy.uis.edu:2048/

Jackson, Gabriel. “Multiple Historic Meanings of the Spanish Civil War.”  Science and Society , vol. 68, no. 3, 2004, pp. 272-76.  JSTOR , 10.1521/siso.68.3.272.40301

Johnson, Jacob. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 25 Mar. 2012. Telephone interview.

Kill Bill (Vol. 1) . Directed by Quentin Tarantino, performances by Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah, Miramax, 2003.

Kramer, Cosmo F.  “A Health Threat Baffling for Its Lack of a Pattern.”  N ew York Times , national edition, 22 June 2003, p. A14.

Mad Men . Created by Matthew Weiner, performances by John Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Vincent Kartheiser, season 1, Lionsgate, 2008.

National Institute of Mental Health. “Panic Disorder Among Adults.”  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , 2017, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/panic-disorder-among-adults.shtml. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

“Not Everything is About Annalise.”  How to Get Away with Murder , created by Peter Nowalk, performances by Viola Davis and Alfred Enoch, season 3, episode 11, ABC, 2 Feb. 2017.  Hulu , https://www.hulu.com/watch/1030716.

robcanter. “‘Shia LaBeouf’ Live.”  YouTube , 21 Oct. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI.

Rowling, Joanne Kathleen.  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone . London, Bloomsbury, 1997.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites . The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University, 15 Jan. 2015, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

Tyson, Phyllis A., and Michael G. Gordon. “The Psychology of Women.”   Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association , vol. 46, 1998, pp. 361-64.

Wiesel, Elie.  Nightline . Interviewed by Ted Koppel, WABC, 18 Apr. 2002. TV Broadcast.

mla 8 bibliography format

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Citation Guides: MLA Style 8th edition

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About this guide

This guide is based on the MLA Handbook, 8th ed . For more details and examples, consult the MLA Handbook . This is a print reference volume which is available in the Ely Library Reference Collection ( REF LB 2369 .M53 2016 ).

Additional MLA Style Guide Websites

  • Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting & Style Guide ...updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (8th ed.)
  • Government & Legal Documents MLA Style (8th/9th Edition) Citation Guide (Portland State)
  • Seneca Libraries - MLA Citation Guide (MLA 8th Ed.) Quote vs paraphrase, plagiarism tutorials, ask a citation expert, and more
  • The MLA Handbook 8th Edition (2016) This is a print reference volume which is available in the Ely Library Reference Collection (REF LB 2369 .M53 2016).

How To Document Information: Creating a Works Cited Page

MLA Format: Everything You Need to Know Here    |   Books    |    A Work in an Anthology or Collection

An Article in a Reference Book      |     Gale Series Literary Criticism     |    Government & Legal Documents

Journal, Magazine, Newspaper Articles - From Library Databases

Journal, Magazine, Newspaper Articles - Print Versions    |     Web Pages

Parenthetical Citations in Text

Format rules.

  • Place the list of works cited at the end of the paper.
  • Center the title, "Works Cited", one inch from the top of the page.
  • Double space between the title and the first entry.
  • Double space both within and between entries .
  • Begin each entry flush with the left margin.
  • Indent subsequent lines one-half inch (five spaces).
  • Alphabetize by the author's (or editor's) last name.
  • Entries without an author are alphabetized by title.

mla 8 bibliography format

Basic Format

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book . Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication.

Books by a Single Author

Fukuyama, Francis. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution . New York: Farrar, 2002. Print.

Books by Two or More Authors

If the book has two or three authors, list all of the authors. If the book has more than three authors, list the first one, followed by et al. The same rule applies when listing editors of a book.

Block, Holly, et al. Art Cuba: The New Generation . New York: Abrams, 2001. Print. Salzman, Jack, David Lionel Smith, and Cornel West, eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and  History . 5 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1996. Print.

A work in an anthology or collection

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Work." Title of the Anthology or Collection . Ed. Editor First Name Last Name. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Page Number Range. Medium of Publication.

Walker, Timothy. "Sign of the Times." The Transcendentalists: an Anthology . Ed. Perry Miller. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1950. 560-563. Print.

An Article or Entry in a Reference Book

Author's Last Name, First Name (if available). "Title of the Article or Entry." Title of the Reference Book . Vol. Volume Number. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Signed Examples (have an author)

Bolz, Frank A., Jr. "Lindbergh Law." Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement . Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2005. Print.

Piccarella, John. "Hendrix, Jimi." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . 2nd ed. Vol. 11. New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001. Print.

Unsigned Example (no author)

"Northern Right Whale." Beacham's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America . Ed. Walton Beacham, et al. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Print.

Gale Series Literary Criticism

Articles featured in the Gale series of literary criticism come from two different kinds of sources, books and periodicals, and the citations will differ depending on which type of source the article was originally published in. Citations must include information for the original book or periodical and the Gale series volume in which it is found.

Originally published in a book

Freibert, Lucy M. "Control and Creativity: The Politics of Risk in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ." Critical Essays on Margaret Atwood . Ed. Judith McCombs and G.K. Hall, 1988. 280-91. Print. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism . Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter, et al. Vol. 135. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 13-18. Print.

Originally published in a journal

Malmgren, Carl D. " On the Road Reconsidered: Kerouac and the Modernist Tradition." Ball State University Forum 30 (1989): 59-67. Print. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism . Ed. Linda Pavloski and Scott Darga. Vol. 117. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 204-9. Print.

Journal, Magazine, Newspaper Articles- From a Library Database

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Periodical Title Volume number.Issue number (Date of publication): Page number range. Database Name . Medium of Publication. Date of Access. <URL>.

Journal Article

Cummings, Scott T. "Interactive Shakespeare." Theatre Topics 8.1 (1998): 93-112. Project Muse . Web. 14 Aug. 2003. <http://www.press.jhu.edu>.

Magazine or Newspaper Article

Danto, Arthur C. "Paint It Black." Nation 18-25 Aug. 2003: 46-48. Academic Search Premier . Web. 14 Aug. 2003. <http://www.ebsco.com>.

Note: The URL is an optional element in the latest edition of the MLA Handbook and may or may not be required by your instructor.

Journal, Magazine, Newspaper Articles- Print Versions

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Periodical Title Volume number.Issue number (Date of publication): Page number range. Medium of Publication.

Article in a Journal Carter, Nancy Carol. "The Special Case of Alaska: Native Law and Research." Legal Reference Services Quarterly 22.4 (2003): 11-46. Print.

Note: if page numbers are continuous throughout a volume, the issue number is not necessary.

Dusinberre, Juliet. "Pancakes and a Date for As You Like It ." Shakespeare Quarterly 54 (2003): 371-405. Print.

Article in a Magazine

For most magazine articles, you only need to cite the magazine's date of publication (no volume or issue number).

Goodell, Jeff. "The Plunder of Wyoming." Rolling Stone 21 Aug. 2003: 64-69. Print.

Article in a Newspaper

Gladstone, Valerie. "Shiva Meets Martha Graham, at a Very High Speed." New York Times 10 Aug. 2003, New England ed., sec. 2: 3. Print.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page/Document." Title of the Web Site . Sponsoring Organization, Publication/Updated Date. Medium of Publication. Date of Access. <URL>.

"Argonne Researchers Create Powerful Stem Cells From Blood." Argonne National Laboratory, 24 Feb. 2003. Web. 10 Jan. 2004. <http://www.anl.gov/ Media_Center/News/2003/news030224.htm>.

Bromwich, Michael R. "Criminal Calls: A Review of the Bureau of Prisons' Management of Inmate Telephone Privileges." United States Department of Justice, Aug. 1999. Web. 10 Jan. 2004. <http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/9908/exec.htm>.

Weart, Spencer. "Aerosols: Effects of Haze and Cloud." American Institute of Physics. Web. 3 Jun. 2005. <http://www.aip.org/history/climate/aerosol.htm>.

Citing Web Pages in Text

You should cite your use of "another's words, facts, or ideas." Citations in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited.

  • Citations include the author's name and the page numbers if available.
  • If an author isn't available, use the first one or two words of the title enclosed in quotation marks.
  • When a web page lacks numbering, omit page numbers from your parenthetical citations. Do not use page numbers generated on a printout of a web document. PDF documents found on the web will have page numbers that can be used.

Basic Format (Author's Last Name Page Number) or ("Partial Title")

Web Page with an Author (Bromwich)

Web Page without an Author ("Argonne Researchers")

(Author's Last Name Page Number) or (Page Number Only)

Work by One Author

(Dodge 114)

Work by Three or Fewer Authors

(Jackson, Follers, and Bettancourt 203)

Work by Four or More Authors

(Fitzwilly, et al. 26)

Citing Volume and Page Numbers of a Multivolume Work

"In the year 1824, some 13,000 black Americans emigrated to Haiti..." (Salzman, Smith, and West 3: 1348).

Citing a Work Listed by Title (no author)

This led to a rule requiring avoidance measures within 500 yards of the whales ("Northern Right Whale" 105).

Two or More Works by the Same Author

... an article about W.P.A. writers (Brinkley, "Unmasking" A15).

"From 1897 to 1917, Storyville...became the world's most famous red-light district" (Brinkley, "American Heritage" 382).

Note: if the author's name is included in a sentence, only the page number need be cited.

Direct Quotes

The author's analysis of occupations reveals that "virtually all female convicts were poor or working-class" (Dodge 114).

Watts and Bahill conclude that "outlawing aluminum bats would produce faster batted-ball speeds" (144).

Paraphrasing or reference to a source

The themes and context of the novel draw on French feminist theory (Freibert 16).

...in his painting of Fidel Castro greet the Pope (Block, et al. 140).

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MLA Guide (8th edition)

The following examples are intended to introduce you to the basics of citing sources using the MLA Handbook (eighth edition). For resources not covered by this guide, please refer to the Handbook or contact a librarian for assistance. For help with layout, margins, spacing, and page numbers, see The MLA Style Center . Consider using RefWorks to help you track your research and automatically create a bibliography in MLA style.

If you need help with the previous version of MLA, please see the guide for MLA (7 th edition, 2009) . If you are unsure which version of MLA to use, please consult with your professor.

Table of Contents:

Using MLA 8th Edition

Citing Books & Book Chapters

  • Citing Periodical Articles

Citing Film and Television

Citing Online Content

In-Text Citations

For More Help

While earlier editions of the MLA Handbook provided specific rules for each format type, the current edition asks the same questions for all formats, identifying core elements for each source. The MLA Practice Template , which is available online and in the print style manual, can help you organize the core elements.

  • Title of source.
  • Title of container,
  • Other contributors,
  • Publication date,

Often a particular work such as a journal article or book is found within a larger source, which MLA8 refers to as a container. Elements 3-9 all describe the container for a specific work (elements 1-2). A work may have one container (e.g., a printed collection of essays) or multiple containers (e.g., a journal article within an online journal within a database). When source has more than one container, you will answer questions 3-9 for each container.

To see examples of how to use the containers, see “Works Cited: A Quick Guide” at the MLA Style Center .

Works Cited List

The following section illustrates how to cite commonly used source types. This is not an exhaustive list. Use the containers and core elements describe above to create citations for other resources. For more specific examples, please refer to the Handbook (LAU Ref Stacks LB2369 .G53 2016 ) or contact a librarian for assistance.

Dickens, Charles. “To Miss Burdett Coutts, 3 November 1847.” The Letters of Charles Dickens , edited by Graham Storey and K.J. Fielding, Pilgrim ed., vol. 5, Clarendon Press / Oxford UP, 1989, pp. 181-188.

Dove, Rita. “The Breathing, the Endless News.” Collected Poems, 1974-2004 . W.W. Norton, 2016, p. 193.

Khalaf, Farida, and Andrea C. Hoffmann. The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This is My Story . Translated by Jamie Bulloch, Simon and Schuster, 2016.

Marder, Tod A., and Mark Wilson Jones, editors. The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present . Cambridge UP, 2015.

Nesselrath, Arnold. “Impressions of the Pantheon in the Renaissance.” The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present , edited by Tod A. Marder and Mark Wilson Jones, Cambridge UP, 2015, pp. 255-295.

Wilken, Robert Louis. The Christians as the Romans Saw Them . 2nd ed. Yale UP, 2003. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bdb2.

Citing Periodical Articles (including scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers)

Meichtry, Stacy, and Anton Troianovski. “Terror Roils Continental Leaders.” Wall Street Journal , Europe edition, 28 July 2016, A1+.

Ratcliffe, Sophie. “The Episodic Trollope and An Editor’s Tales .” Victorian Studies , vol. 58, no. 1, Autumn 2015, pp. 57-83.

Ratcliffe, Sophie. “The Episodic Trollope and An Editor’s Tales .” Victorian Studies , vol. 58, no. 1, Autumn 2015, pp. 57-83. Project Muse , muse.jhu.edu/article/613211/pdf.

Wood, Graeme. “What ISIS Really Wants.” The Atlantic , Mar. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980 .

Wood, Graeme. “What ISIS Really Wants.” The Atlantic , Mar. 2015, pp. 78-94.  Academic Search Premier , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=100848076&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

“Blame Canada.” Madam Secretary , season 1, episode 5, CBS Television Studios, 19 Oct. 2014. Netflix , www.netflix.com/title/80024232 .

Desire for Beauty . Directed by Miguel Gaudêncio, KinoNation, 2013. Snag Films , www.snagfilms.com/films/title/desire_for_beauty .

Suffragette . Directed by Sarah Gavron, performance by Carey Mulligan, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2016.

@BenjaminHarvey. “At least 59,644: # of people detained, removed from their jobs or stripped of professional licenses so far #TurkeyCoup #TurkeyPurge.” Twitter , 19 July 2016, 8:08 a.m., twitter.com/BenjaminHarvey/status/755418986096058369.

Hume, Tim, et al. “Pope on Priest Killing: World is at War, but It’s Not a Religious One.”  CNN , 27 July 2016, 7:46 p.m., www.cnn.com/2016/07/27/europe/france-church-attack-aftermath.

Linjanco. Comment on “Theresa May Arrives in Berlin for Talks with Angela Merkel.” The Guardian , 20 July 2016, 7:29 p.m., discussion.theguardian.com/comment-permalink/79490863.

Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible . Folger Shakespeare Library / Bodleian Libraries, U of Oxford / Harry Ransom Center, U of Texas, Austin, www.manifoldgreatness.org.

Roudman, Sam. “Can the Green Party Capitalize on Sanders’ Disillusioned Fans?” Vocativ , 26 July 2016, 5:30 p.m., www.vocativ.com/345196/can-the-green-party-capitalize-on-sanders-disillusioned-fans.

In-text citations should include the author’s last name and the page number(s) to which you refer. If you mention the author in the sentence, then you should only mention the page number in the parenthetical reference. If you cite more than one work by the same author, then include the title of the work in your notation. For example: (Dove, “Breathing” 193).

Trollope uses editing metaphors to represent “a range of complex matters relating to ethical judgment and ideas of selfhood in time” (Ratcliffe 59).

Ratcliffe argues that Trollope uses editing metaphors to represent “a range of complex matters relating to ethical judgment and ideas of selfhood in time” (59).

Following are links to sites that have additional information and further examples:

  • MLA Style Guide : Provides additional resources for citation from the Modern Language Association.
  • RefWorks : Once you have created an account, go to Tools/Preview Output Style to see examples of MLA style.
  • Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) : Excellent source for research, writing and citation tips.
  • Citing Electronic Primary Sources : From the Library of Congress. Provides MLA and Turabian examples of citing formats such as films, photographs, maps and recorded sound that are accessed electronically.

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Below are examples of common MLA citation formats. For the most authoritative guide to MLA format, please consult the style manual. There is a copy at the Info & Research Help Desk.

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mla 8 bibliography format

Here are some of the changes in the latest version of MLA Style:

No requirement to state whether your source was in Print or from the Web . Any time you use an online resource, however, make sure you include the web address (URL) at the end of your citation.

No requirement to list the date you accessed an online source, but if an item is undated, you need to include it.

Publisher location is no longer needed if a book is published after 1900. If you're citing a book published before 1900, you do need the location information.

Protocol (http://) is not included as part of the URL.

Use a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) instead of the URL if available.

Articles  

Article (from a database) with one author:

Lastname, First M.   "Title of Article." Title of Publication,  vol. #, no. #,   date,   pages. Name of Database,  URL.

Geuss, Raymond. "Happiness and Politics." Arion: A Journal of Humanities

and the Classics,  vol. 10, no. 1, Spring-Summer 2002, pp. 15-33.  JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/20163869.

Article (print) with one author:

Lastname, First M.  "Title of Article." Title of Publication , vol. #, no. #,  date, pages.  

Fromm, Erich. "What is Happiness?"  Science Digest , vol. 39,  March 1956, pp. 43-7.

Article (found using Google) with one author:

Lastname, First M.  "Title of Article." Title of Publication or Overall

Website , vol. #, no. #, date, pages [if available], URL.

Cohen, Patricia. "Author's Personal Forecast: Not Always Sunny But

Pleasantly Skeptical." New York Times , 9 Oct.

2009,  www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/books/10ehrenreich.html.

Article (from a publisher website with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)) with two authors:

Lastname, First M., and Firstname M. Surname. "Title of Article." Title of

Publication, vol. #, no. #,  date, pages. Name of publishing site or database,  DOI.  

Lykken, David and Auke Tellegen. "Happiness is a Stochastic Phenomenon."

Psychological Science , vol. 7, no. 3, May 1996: 186-189. SAGE Journals ,

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1996.tb00355.x.

Article (from a database) with three authors:

Lastname, First M., Annie B. Surname, and Anon Y. Mous. "Title of Article." Title of

Publication,  vol. #, no. #,  date, pages.  Name of publishing site or database,  URL.

More than three authors? List all authors or use the format below:

Authorone, First M. et. al. "Title of Article." Title of Publication,  vol. #, no. #, date, pages.

Name of publishing site or database,  URL.

Book with one author, published after 1900:

Lastname, First M.  Title of Book: Subtitle of Book . Publisher, Date.  

Munro, Alice.  Too Much Happiness: Stories . Yale UP, 2009. 

Book with one author, published before 1900:

Lastname, First M.   Title of Book: Subtitle of Book.  Location, Publisher, Date. 

Beecher, Catharine E.  Letters to the People on Health and Happiness . New York, Harper and Brothers, 1855.

Books with multiple authors, published after 1900:

The author name format follows the author format as listed under articles. Follow the rest of the format for books.

An edited book, published after 1900:

Editor, First M., editor.  Title of Book: Subtitle of Book . Publisher, Date.

Cahn, Steven M., and Christine Vitrano, editors.  Happiness: Classic and

Contemporary Readings in Philosophy. Oxford UP, 2007.  

An online book published after 1900 :

Lastname, First M.   Title of Book: Subtitle of Book . Publisher, Date. URL.

McMahon, Darrin M. Happiness: A History . Grove Press, 2006. 

https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0802142893.

An online book published before 1900 (requires listing the publication location):

Lastname, First M.  Title of Book: Subtitle of Book . Location, Publisher, Date. URL.

Wainewright, William. On the Elements of Human Happiness.  London, William

Skeffington, 1857. books.google.com/books?id=51cCAAAAQAAJ.

Websites & Pages

Website with one author and publication date:

Author, Firstname M. Title of Site.  Publication date, URL.

Veenhoven, Ruut. World Database of Happiness.  1984-2014,  worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/. 

Website with a corporate or organizational author and publication date:

Title of Site. Sponsor of Site, publication date. URL.  

Well-Being Concepts . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

31 May 2016. www.cdc.gov/hrqol/wellbeing.htm.

Web site with a corporate author but no publication date:

Title of Site . Sponsor of Site. URL. Accessed date.

Why Happiness . Action for Happiness. www.actionforhappiness.org/why-happiness.

Accessed 26 Aug. 2016.

Web page with a corporate author but no publication date:

"Title of page." Title of Site . Corporation Name. URL. Accessed date.

"Happiness"  Employee Health & Fitness Program.  City of Eugene, City

Manager's Office. www.eugene-or.gov/2535/Happiness.  Accessed 6 Jan. 2017.

Image from an online source with a creator listed:

Creator, First M. Title of Image  or Description of Image. Date created, URL.   

Gelman, Andrew. Average Happiness as a Function of Age,  from General

Social Survey.  26 Dec. 2010, andrewgelman.com/2010/12/26/age_and_happine/.

Image from an online source with a title, but no creator listed:

Title of Image or Description of Image. Date created, URL.

Smiling Woman at Desk. 13 Aug. 2013, www.bbc.com/news/business-23640900.

Image from a print source with a creator listed:

Creator, First M. Title of image  or Description of Image. Date created,  [Continue the remainder of the citation

with title of book or article as appropriate].

Want to see the latest updates to MLA style, straight from the source ? Check out the MLA Style Center blog posts through the links below!

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😕 What is an MLA Citation Generator?

An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take information such as document titles, author, and URLs as in input, and output fully formatted citations that can be inserted into the Works Cited page of an MLA-compliant academic paper.

The citations on a Works Cited page show the external sources that were used to write the main body of the academic paper, either directly as references and quotes, or indirectly as ideas.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an MLA Citation Generator?

MLA style is most often used by middle school and high school students in preparation for transition to college and further education. Ironically, MLA style is not actually used all that often beyond middle and high school, with APA (American Psychological Association) style being the favored style at colleges across the country.

It is also important at this level to learn why it's critical to cite sources, not just how to cite them.

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Writing citations manually is time consuming and error prone. Automating this process with a citation generator is easy, straightforward, and gives accurate results. It's also easier to keep citations organized and in the correct order.

The Works Cited page contributes to the overall grade of a paper, so it is important to produce accurately formatted citations that follow the guidelines in the official MLA Handbook .

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's MLA Citation Generator?

It's super easy to create MLA style citations with our MLA Citation Generator. Scroll back up to the generator at the top of the page and select the type of source you're citing. Books, journal articles, and webpages are all examples of the types of sources our generator can cite automatically. Then either search for the source, or enter the details manually in the citation form.

The generator will produce a formatted MLA citation that can be copied and pasted directly into your document, or saved to MyBib as part of your overall Works Cited page (which can be downloaded fully later!).

MyBib supports the following for MLA style:

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Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

  • Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
  • Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
  • Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
  • Book: What have reviews said about it?
  • What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
  • Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
  • Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
  • Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
  • Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
  • Are there ads?
  • When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
  • Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
  • Does the source even have a date?
  • Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
  • If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?

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Avoid plagiarism — quickly check for missing citations and check for writing mistakes., your ultimate mla format guide & generator, what is mla.

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association , an organization that focuses on language and literature.

Depending on which subject area your class or research focuses on, your professor may ask you to cite your sources in MLA style. This is a specific way to cite, following the Modern Language Association's guidelines. There are other styles, such as APA format and Chicago citation style , but MLA format is often used for literature, language, liberal arts, and other humanities subjects. This guide extensively covers this format but is not associated with the organization.

What is MLA Citing?

The Modern Language Association Handbook is in its 9th edition and standardizes the way scholars document their sources and format their papers. When everyone documents their sources and papers in the same way, it is simple to recognize and understand the types of sources used for a project. Readers of your work will look at your citations not only to understand them but possibly to explore them as well.

When you're borrowing information from a source and placing it in your research or assignment, it’s important to give credit to the original author. This is done by creating an MLA citation. Depending on the type of information you're including in your work, you may place citations in the body of your project and in a works-cited list at the end of your project.

The handbook explains how to create MLA citations. This page summarizes the information in the handbook’s 9th edition.

There is also a section below on a recommended way to create an MLA header. These headers appear at the top of your assignment’s pages. Check with your instructor on whether they prefer a certain MLA format for the header.

What is MLA Format?

The 9th edition is the most recent and updated version for MLA citations. Released in April 2021, the citation format differs slightly from previous versions. This update follows the 2016 update for the 8th edition that contained many significant changes from previous editions.

For the 8th edition, the biggest difference and most exciting update was the use of one standard format for all source types. In previous versions, scholars were required to locate the citation format for the specific source that they used. There were different formats for books, websites, periodicals, and so on. After 2016, using one universal MLA citation format allowed scholars to spend less time trying to locate the proper format to document their sources and focus more on their research .

Other updates included the addition of “containers.” A container provides details on a work contained within a larger work. For example, books contain chapters, albums contain songs, and journals contain journal articles. The source is the larger work, such as a website, while the container is a smaller work within that source, such as a short story on the website.

MLA now encourages you to add DOIs or URLs to citations. Use a DOI instead of a URL when it’s available. According to the MLA 9th edition, you can usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx).

Social media pseudonyms and usernames can replace the real name of the author. Volume and issue numbers are now abbreviated as “vol.” and “no.” Cities of publication and the source’s medium (such as print or web) are no longer included in citations. For academic presses/publishers, with the words “university” or “press,” shorten “university” to “U”, and “press” to “P” (Cambridge UP). Lowercase seasons when using them in the date field of a citation (spring 2021 not Spring 2021).

Bibliography vs. Works Cited - What's the Difference?

You may have heard the two terms, "Bibliography" and "Works Cited" thrown around interchangeably. The truth is that they are two different words with two completely different meanings.

A bibliography is a list of sources that the writer recommends for further reading. A works-cited list is a list of sources that were included in the author's writing.

Want to suggest some books and websites to your reader? Create an MLA format bibliography by creating a list of full citations and label the page as "Bibliography."

Did you use any quotes or place any paraphrases in your writing? Create in-text citations and place them in the body of your work. Then, create a list of full citations and place them at the end of the project. Label the page as "Works Cited."

The good news is that references in MLA bibliography format and regular works-cited lists are structured the exact same way.

Citing Basics

When adding information to your project from another source, you are required to add an MLA citation. There are two types of MLA format citations: in-text citations and full citations.

Full Citation Basics:

All sources used for a project are found on the MLA format “Works Cited” page, which is generally the last portion of a project.

MLA citing format often includes the following pieces of information, in this order:

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Source." Title of Container , Other contributors, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

For more information about each individual element and for proper formatting rules, see the sections below on author names, titles, containers, names of other contributors, source versions, numbers, publishers, publication dates, and locations.

Find more in-depth rules regarding the works-cited list in MLA format on the page down below, along with a sample page.

Don't forget, our BibMe MLA citation generator is an MLA formatter that helps you create your citations quickly and easily!

Citation Components

The author's name is generally the first item in a citation (unless the source does not have an author). The author's name is followed by a period.

If the source has one author , place the last name first, add a comma, and then the first name.

MLA format:

Lee, Harper.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott.

If your source has two authors , place them in the same order they're shown on the source. The first author is in reverse order, add a comma and the word "and", then place the second author in standard form. Follow their names with a period.

Monsen, Avery, and Jory John.

For three or more authors , only include the first listed author's name. Place the first author's name in reverse order (Last name, First name) place a comma afterwards, and then add the Latin phrase "et al."

Borokhovic, Kenneth A., et al.

For social media posts, it's acceptable to use a screen name or username in place of the author's name. Start the citation with the user's handle.

@TheOnion. "Experts Warn Number of Retirees Will Completely Overwhelm Scenic Railway Industry by 2030." Twitter , 9 Oct. 2017, 9:50 a.m., twitter.com/TheOnion/status/917386689500340225.

No author listed? If there isn't an author, start the citation with the title and skip the author section completely.

Citations do not need to always start with the name of the author. When your research focuses on a specific individual that is someone other than the author, it is appropriate for readers to see that individual's name at the beginning of the citation. Directors, actors, translators, editors, and illustrators are common individuals to list at the beginning. Again, only include their name in place of the author if your research focuses on that specific individual.

To include someone other than the author at the beginning of the citation, place their name in reverse order, add a comma afterwards, and then the role of that individual followed by a period.

Fimmel, Travis, performer. Vikings . Created by Michael Hirst, History Channel, 2013-2016.

Gage, John T., editor. The Promise of Reason: Studies in the New Rhetoric . SIU Press, 2011.

Here's a helpful table to refer to when structuring author names:

Works Cited in MLA

Titles and Containers:

Titles follow the name of the author and are written in title capitalization form.

If you're citing a source in its entirety, such as a full book, a movie, or a music album, then place the title in italics.

Franzen, Jonathan. The Corrections . Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001.

Rufus Du Sol. Bloom . Sweat It Out! 2016.

If you're citing a source, such as a chapter in a book, a song on an album, or an article in a journal or website, then place the title of the piece in quotations and add a period afterwards. Follow it with the title of the full source, in italics, and then add a comma. This second portion is called the container . Containers house smaller works, such as songs, in larger comprehensive works, such as albums.

Examples with containers:

Wondering what to do with subtitles? Place a colon in between the title and subtitle. Write both parts in title capitalization form.

Nasar, Sylvia. A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash . Simon and Schuster, 2001.

If the source does not have a title , give a brief description and do not use quotation marks or italics.

Israel, Aaron. Brooklyn rooftop acrylic painting. 2012, 12 W 9th Street, New York City.

For a tweet , the full text of the tweet is placed where the title sits.

@LOCMaps. "#DYK the first public zoo to open in the US was the #Philadelphia Zoo? #50States." Twitter , 9 Feb. 2017, 3:14 p.m., twitter.com/LOCMaps/status/829785441549185024.

For email messages, the subject of the email is the title. Place this information in quotation marks.

Rabe, Leor. "Fwd: Japan Itinerary." Received by Raphael Rabe, 11 Feb 2017.

Citations with Two Containers:

It is possible for a source to sit in a second or larger container. A journal article sits in its first container, which is the journal itself, but it can also sit in a larger container, such as a database. A song can sit in its first container, which is the album it's found on. Then it can sit in its next container, which could be Spotify or iTunes.

It is important to include the second container because the content on one container may differ from content from another container.

MLA citing with two containers should be formatted like this:

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Source." Title of Container , Other Contributors, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication Date, Location. Title of Second Container , Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

In most cases, for the second container, only the title of the second container and the location is needed. Why? For readers to locate the source themselves, they'll most likely use the majority of the information found in the first part of the citation.

Examples of Citations with 2 Containers:

Sallis, James, et al. "Physical Education's Role in Public Health: Steps Forward and Backward Over 20 Years and Hope for the Future." Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport , vol. 83, no. 2, Jun. 2012, pp. 125-135. ProQuest , ezproxy.nypl.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1023317255?accountid=35635.

Baker, Martha. "Fashion: Isaac in Wonderland." New York Magazine , vol. 24, no. 3, 21 Jan. 1991, pp. 50-54. Google Books , books.google.com/books?id=PukCAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=magazine&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=magazine&f=false.

Remember, BibMe has an MLA works-cited generator that creates citations for you quickly and easily!

Format for Other Contributors:

In MLA citing, when there are other individuals (besides the author) who play a significant role in your research, include them in this section of the citation. Other contributors can also be added to help individuals locate the source themselves. You can add as many other contributors as you like.

Start this part of the citation with the individual's role, followed by the word "by". Notice that when adding other contributors after a period, you capitalize the first letter of the individual's role. When adding other contributors after a comma, you lowercase the first letter of the individual’s role.

Gaitskill, Mary. "Twilight of the Superheroes." The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: 50 North American Stories Since 1970, edited by Lex Williford and Michael Martone, Simon and Schuster, 2012, pp. 228-238.

The Incredibles . Directed by Brad Bird, produced by John Walker, Pixar, 2004.

Gospodinov, Georgi. The Physics of Sorrow . Translated by Angela Rodel, Open Letter, 2015.

Format for Versions:

Sources can come in different versions. There are numerous bible versions; books can come in versions (such as numbered editions), and even movies and songs can have special versions.

When a source indicates that it is different than other versions, include this information in the citation. This will help readers locate the exact source that you used for your project.

The Bible . Lexham English Version, Logos, 2011, lexhamenglishbible.com.

Crank, J. The Mathematics of Diffusion . 2nd ed., Clarendon, 1979.

Afrojack. "Take Over Control." Beatport , performance by Eva Simons, extended version, 2011, www.beatport.com/track/take-over-control-feat-eva-simons-extended/1621534.

Format for Numbers:

Any numbers related to a source that isn't the publication date, page range, or version number should be placed in the numbers position of the citation. This includes volume and issue numbers for journal articles, volume or series numbers for books, comic book numbers, and television episode numbers, to name a few.

When including volume and issue numbers, use the abbreviation “vol.” for volume and “no.” for number.

Zhai, Xiaojuan, and Jingjing Wang. "Improving Relations Between Users and Libraries: A Survey of Chinese Academic Libraries." The Electronic Library , vol. 34, no. 4, 2016, pp. 597-616. ProQuest Research Library , ezproxy.nypl.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/docview/1841764839?accountid=35635.

"Chestnut." Westworld , directed by Richard J. Lewis, season 1, episode 2, Warner Bros., 2016.

Publishers:

The publisher produces the source. In the citation, place the publisher before the date of publication. Include the publisher for any source type except websites when the name of the publisher is the same as the name of the website. Also, it’s not necessary to include the name of publishers for newspapers, magazines, or journal articles, since the name of the publisher is generally insignificant.

When sources have more than one publisher that share responsibility for the production of the source, place a slash between the names of the publishers.

Use the abbreviation “UP” when the name of the publisher includes the words “University Press.”

Cambridge UP

Publication Dates:

When including the date that the source was published, display the amount of information that is found on the source, whether it's the full date, the month and year, or just the year.

If the date includes a season rather than a month, make sure to lowercase the season (spring 2021 not Spring 2021). Do not capitalize the season.

2 Nov. 2016 or Nov. 2, 2016

When multiple dates are shown on the source, include the date that is most relevant to your work and research.

Abbreviate months longer than 4 letters.

The location refers to the place where the source can be found. This can be in the form of a URL, page number, disc number, or physical place.

When citing websites in MLA, include DOIs or URLs. Copy the DOI or URL directly from the address bar or link in your browser window. If a DOI number is present, use it in place of a URL. You can usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx.

For page numbers, use the abbreviation “p.” when referring to only one page, and “pp.” for a range of pages.

In-Text & Parenthetical Citation Basics:

When using a direct quote or paraphrasing information from a source, add an in-text or parenthetical citation into the body of your work. Direct quotes are word-for-word quotes pulled from a source and added to your project. A paraphrase is when you take a section of information from a source and put it in your own words. Both direct quotes and paraphrases require an in-text or parenthetical citation to follow it.

Format your parenthetical or in-text citation in MLA as follows:

"Direct quote" or paraphrase (Author's last name and page number).

Author's last name said that "Direct Quote" or paraphrase (page number).

*See the comprehensive section below on MLA in-text citations for further clarification and instructions.

MLA In-Text and Parenthetical Citations

What is an in-text citation or parenthetical citation.

You used information from websites, articles, books, and other sources for your paper, right? Hopefully, you did, because the best research and writing projects validate claims using information from other sources.

The purpose of an in-text citation is to give the reader a brief idea about where you found the information used in your writing.

When you place a line of text, word for word (called a direct quote), or an idea (called a paraphrase) from another source into your writing, you, the writer, must display:

  • who created that information (the original author's name)
  • the page number you found it on

Check out this example:

"A main clause has to have a finite verb " (Cameron 94).

No author? No problem! Include the title, and if it's lengthy, shorten it.

The major thing to keep in mind is that whichever information you include in the in-text or parenthetical citation, whether it's the author's name or the title, it needs to match the first word in the full citation. The full citation is found on the “Works Cited” page in MLA.

Format your parenthetical and MLA in-text citation as follows:

"Direct quote" or Paraphrase (Author's last name and page number). This is an MLA parenthetical citation as the author's name is in parentheses.

Author's Last Name states, "Direct Quote" or paraphrase (page number). This is an MLA citation in prose as the author's name is in the prose of your sentence.

"Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour—and even then somebody generally had to go after him" (Twain 8).

Twain went on to say, “Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour—and even then somebody generally had to go after him” (8).

Other things to keep in mind:

If your in-text citation comes from a website or another source that does not have page numbers, use the following abbreviations:

  • If the source has designated paragraph numbers, use par. or pars.
  • If the source has designated sections, use sec. or secs.
  • If the source has designated chapters, use ch. or chs.
  • If the source has designated lines, use line or lines.

Example in MLA formatting:

Gregor's sister is quite persuasive, especially when she states to her parents, "It'll be the death of both of you, I can see it coming. We can't all work as hard as we have to and then come home to be tortured like this, we can't endure it" (Kafka, ch. 3).

  • If there aren't page, paragraph, section, or chapter numbers, only include the author's name in the in-text or parenthetical citation.
  • If the original source is an audio or video recording, after the author's name or title, place a timestamp.

The girl's affection towards Marley is clear when she blushes upon his arrival and shares that she would like to accompany him to the theater ( Tales of Times Ago 12:45).

  • Two authors : place both names in the reference.

Malcolm and Knowles state... (12).

The smaller the class size, the more attention a student receives, which greatly impacts learning (Malcolm and Knowles 12).

  • Three or more authors : place all three names in the in-text citation. It's also acceptable to use the phrase, "and others," or another cohesive term. For parenthetical citations, use the abbreviation et al.

Smith, Baker, and Klein share that.... (78). OR Smith and others share that.... (78).

Many lizards, including the Carolina anole, only eat when they're hungry. They'll ignore food until their body sends a signal to eat (Smith et al. 78).

  • Authors with the same last name : Include the first initial of the author’s first name in the in-text or parenthetical citation.

One study shows that the average time spent on homework is 52 minutes (R. Brown 17). However, a more recent study, released in 2018, found that the average student spends 42 minutes completing homework (S. Brown 966).

  • Quoted text : Share in the text that the quote comes from another individual.

Lawrence shares his insight by stating that “instructions need to be shared, not assumed” (Young 55).

Common Examples:

Citations for books:.

The basic entry for a book consists of the author's name, the book title, the publisher, and the year published.

Author's Last name, First name. Book Title . Publisher, Year Published.

MLA book citation example:

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein . Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818.

The first author's name should be reversed, with a comma after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears on the title page.

For a book written by two authors:

  • List them in order as they appear on the cover or title page.
  • Only the first author's name should be reversed, while the second author's name is written in normal order. Separate author names by a comma, and place the word "and" before the second author's name.

Smith, John, and Bob Anderson. The Sample Book . Books For Us, 2017.

  • For books with three or more authors, only include the first author, followed by a comma and the abbreviation "et al."

Campbell, Megan, et al. The Best Noun Book . Books For Us, 2017.

The full title of the book, including any subtitles, should be italicized and followed by a period. If the book has a subtitle, the main title should be followed by a colon (unless the main title ends with a question mark or exclamation point).

The Best Books for Kids: A Complete Anthology.

Publication information can generally be found on the title page of a book. If it is not available there, it may also be found on the copyright page. State the name of the publisher.

If you are citing a specific page range from the book, include the page(s) at the end of the citation.

Smith, John, and Bob Anderson. The Sample Book . Books For Us, 2017, pp. 5-12.

When a book has no edition number/name present, it is generally a first edition. If you have to cite a specific edition of a book later than the first, see the section below on citing edited books.

Citations for Translated Books:

If the translation is the focus of your project, include the translator's name at the beginning of the citation, like this:

Translator's Last name, First name, translator. Title . By Original Author's First name Last name, Publisher, Year published.

If it's not the actual translation that is the focus, but the text itself, include the translator's name in the "other contributors" position, like this:

Original Author's Last name, First name. Title . Translated by First Name Last name. Publisher, Year published.

Citations for E-Books:

E-books are formatted differently than print books. Why? Some e-books have different, or extra, information than print books. In addition, e-book pages are often numbered differently. Since the content and format may differ from print books, e-book citations are structured differently. When citing an e-book from a website, format the e-book citation with the website title and URL. When citing an e-book in a digital book format, which lacks a URL or that requires software on an e-reader device, include “e-book ed.” for the Version element of the citation. If you know that the e-book file format (EPUB, MOBI, etc.) varies depending on the e-book publication, you may also include the file format as a supplemental element at the end of the entry.

Format for an e-book found on the Internet:

Author's Last name, First name. Title of E-Book . Publisher, Year Published. Title of Website , URL.

Rodgers, Tara. Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound . Duke UP, 2010. Google Books , books.google.com/books?id=syqTarqO5XEC&lpg=PP1&dq=electronic%20music&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=electronic%20music&f=false.

Format for an e-book found on an e-reader:

Author's Last name, First name. Title of E-book. . E-Book ed., Publisher, Year Published.

Rodgers, Tara. Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound . E-book ed., Duke UP, 2010. EPUB.

Author's Last name, First name. Title of E-book. E-Book ed., Publisher, Year Published. File Format.

Rodgers, Tara. Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound . E-Book ed., Duke UP, 2010. EPUB.

Citations for Chapters in Books:

Individual chapters are cited when a writer uses a book filled with many chapters, each written by different authors. When citing a specific chapter in a book or an anthology, structure the citation like this:

Last name, First name of Chapter's Author. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book , Other Contributors and their roles, Version (if there's a specific edition), Publisher, Year Published, Page or Page Range.

Levi-Strauss, Claude. "The Structural Study of Myth." Literary Adverb Theory: An Anthology , edited by Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan, 3rd ed., Wiley Blackwell, 2017, pp. 178-195.

Citations for Edited Books:

If your book is not a first edition, you should note this in the citation. If the book is a revised edition or an edition that includes substantial new content, include the number, name, or year of the edition and the abbreviation "ed." after the book title. "Revised edition" should be abbreviated as "Revised ed." and "Abridged edition" should be "Abridged ed." The edition can usually be found on the title page, as well the copyright page, along with the edition's date.

Author's Last name, First name, editor. Title of Book . Numbered ed., Publisher, Year Published.

Ferraro, Gary, and Susan Andreatta, editors. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective . 10th ed., Cengage Learning, 2014.

Smith, John. The MLA Sample Paper Book . Revised ed., Books For Us, 2017.

If your edited book has more than one author, refer to the directions above under the heading "Authors."

Also, BibMe.org helps you create your citations with more than one author quickly and easily! Try our MLA formatter!

Citations for Websites:

Wondering how to cite a website in MLA? The most basic entry for an MLA website citation consists of the author name(s), page title, website title, sponsoring institution/publisher, date published, and the DOI or URL.

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Individual Web Page." Title of Website , Publisher, Date, DOI or URL.

Fosslien, Liz, and Mollie West. "3 Ways to Hack Your Environment to Help You Create." Huffpost Preposition Endeavor , Huffington Post, Dec. 7, 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/3-ways-to-hack-your-environment-to-help-you-create us 580f758be4b02444efa569bc.

The first author's name should be reversed, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears on the website.

For a page with two or more authors, list them in the order they appear on the website. Only the first author's name should be reversed, with the others written in normal order. Separate author names by a comma, and place the word "and" before the last author's name. For pages with three or more authors, only include the first author, followed by the abbreviation "et al."

If no author is available, begin the citation with the page title.

The page title should be placed within quotation marks. Place a period after the page title within the quotation marks. The page title is followed by the name of the website, which is italicized, followed by a comma.

After the website title, include the sponsoring institution or publisher followed by a comma. The sponsoring institution/publisher can usually be found at the bottom of the website, in the footer. If the name of the publisher is the same as the name as the website, do not include the publisher information in your citation. In MLA format, it is not recommended to include duplicate information for a website.

Next, state the publication date of the page.In some cases, a specific date might not be available, and the date published may only be specific to a month or even a year. Provide whatever date information is available.

End the citation with the URL. You can usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx. End the entire citation with a period.

Looking for an MLA formatter to create your website citations quickly and easily? Check out the BibMe MLA citation machine! Our MLA format website creates your citations in just a few clicks.

Citations for Online Journal Articles:

The most basic entry for a journal consists of the author name(s), article title, journal name, volume number, issue number, year published, page numbers, name of website or database where the article was found, and URL or Direct Object Identifier (DOI).

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Journal Article." Title of Journal , vol. number, issue no., Date, Page Range. Database or Website Name , URL or DOI.

Snyder, Vivian. "The Effect Course-Based Reading Strategy Training on the Reading Comprehension Skills of Developmental College Students." Research and Teaching in Developmental Education , vol. 18, no. 2, spring 2002, pp. 37-41. *JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/42802532.

*According to MLA 9th edition, lowercase seasons (spring 2002 not Spring 2002). Do not capitalize seasons.

Most online journal articles have two containers. The first is the journal that the article is in, and the second is the website or database the journal is in.

The first author's name should be reversed, with a comma after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears in the journal.

For an article written by two authors, list them in the order they appear in the journal. Only the first author's name should be reversed, while the second is written in normal order. Separate author names by a comma, and place the word "and" before the second author's name.

Krispeth, Klein, and Stewart Jacobs.

For articles with three or more authors, include the name of the first author in the citation, followed by a comma and the abbreviation "et al."

Jones, Langston, et al.

The article title should be placed within quotation marks. Place a period after the article title within the quotation marks, unless the article title ends with a question mark or exclamation mark. The article title is followed by the name of the journal, which is italicized.

Include the volume number of the journal, but use the abbreviation "vol." You may also need to include the issue number, depending on the journal. Use the abbreviation "no." before the journal's issue number.

Jones, Robert, et al. "Librarianship in the Future." Libraries Today , vol. 5, no. 2, Mar. 2017, pp. 89-103. Database Life , www.dbl.com/6854.

You can usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx. If the article has a DOI, use the DOI instead of the URL.

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)

Simply put, a Digital Object Identifier (usually abbreviated as “DOI”) is an identification number or source link for a document or file. It’s a system that is widely used by journals today. The DOI is comprised of symbols, numbers, and letters.

Example: https://doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1805-z.

This unique number system is very beneficial to readers and authors since it can be used to immediately locate an exact document, even if a host web page or database has altered an article’s URL.

How do I find an article’s DOI?

In print or PDF form, the first place to check is the front page of the article. If it is an online article, look for the DOI near the top of the article, at the very end of the article, or wherever citation information is located. Here are a few examples:

Here is an example from The New England Journal of Medicine:

DOI example 1

Here is an example from the bottom of a Nature article:

DOI example 2

Where in a citation is the DOI included?

If a DOI for an article exists, place it at the end of the citation. Here’s an example for the New England Journal of Medicine article previously shown:

Thomas, Cristina, et al. “Facing Uncertainty.” New England Journal of Medicine , vol. 381, no. 23, 2019, pp. 2253–2259, https://doi:10.1056/nejmcps1906037.

Citations for Blogs:

Blogs can be good sources to use for research papers and projects since many are regularly updated and written by influencers and experts.

Blogs can belong to a single individual, a group of people, or a company. Most entries for a blog include a title for that day’s entry, the date it was posted, and the information.

To cite a blog, you’ll need the following pieces of information: * The author’s name(s) or the name of the company who posted the blog * The title of the individual blog post * The title of the blog * The name of the publisher (if it differs from the name of the author(s) or title of the blog) * The date the blog post was posted * The website address (URL) for the blog post

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Blog Post.” Title of Blog , Publisher, Date Published, URL.

BibMe. “How to Spell in English: British vs. American.” BibMe Blog, www.bibme.org/blog/writing-tips/how-to-spell-in-english-british-vs-american/.

Notice in the above example, the date is missing. If there is no date shown on the blog post, omit it from the full citation.

Williams, Lindsay. “How to Get the Most from Your Online Language Lessons with a Tutor.” Lindsay Does Languages , 2019 Feb. 12, www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-online-language-lessons-with-a-tutor/.

Cite a blog post in the text of the paper using this format:

(Author’s Last name) OR Author’s Last name...

Since there isn’t a page number, only use the author’s last name.

Citations for Newspapers:

The most basic entry for a newspaper consists of the author name(s), article title, newspaper name, publication date, page numbers, and sometimes a URL if found online. Omit volume numbers, issue numbers, and the names of publishers from newspaper citations.

Format if found on a website:

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper's Website , Publication Date, URL.

Format if found on a database:

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper , Publication Date, Page or Page Range (if available). Title of Database , URL.

MLA format example:

This example is for a print newspaper:

Hageman, William. "Program Brings Together Veterans, Neglected Dogs." Chicago Tribune , 4 Jan. 2015, p. 10.

The full article title should be placed within quotations. Next, state the name of the newspaper in italics.

Towards the end of the citation, include the page numbers on which the article appears with a period. Cite all inclusive page numbers --- if the article spans pages that are not consecutive, cite only the first page, followed by a plus sign.

Don't forget, the BibMe citation generator in MLA creates citations for you quickly and easily! Also, check out BibMe Plus paper checker, which scans your paper for correct usage of language elements. Have a determiner out of place in your writing? A pronoun spelled incorrectly? An overused adjective ? No worries, BibMe Plus has you covered!

Citations for Photographs:

The most basic entry for a photograph consists of the photographer's name, the title of the photograph, the title of the book, website, or collection where the photograph can be located, the publisher of the photograph or publication where the image was located, the date the photograph was posted or taken, and the page number, location of the museum (such as a city and state), or URL if found online.

Photographer's Last name, First name. "Title of the Photograph." Title of the Book, Website, Collection, or other type of publication where the photograph was found , Date photograph was taken, Page Number (if applicable), Location (such as a city and state if necessary) where the photograph can be found, or URL.

Begin with the name of the photographer or main contributor (if available). This person's name should be reversed, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (and any middle name).

For a photograph taken from a publication or website, include the title of the photograph in quotation marks followed by a period. If the photograph does not have a formal title, create a description. If you make your own description, only include a capital at the beginning of the description and at the beginning of any proper nouns. Do not place the description in italics or quotation marks.

Place the title of the publication in italics immediately following the description, followed by a comma.

Digital Image/Photograph found online:

Photograph of the Hudson Area Public Library. JMS Collective , 19 Apr. 2016, www.jmscollective.com/hudson-ny-3/historic-hudson-armory-now-public-\ library/.

*Note that the above photograph does not have a formal title, so the photograph citation contains a description instead.

Photograph or Image viewed in a museum:

Vishniac, Roman. "Red Spotted Purple." Roman Vishniac's Science Work , early 1950s - late 1960s, International Center of Photography at Mana, New Jersey.

Photograph or Image found in a book:

Barnard, Edwin. Photograph of Murray Street, Hobart. Exiled: The Port Arthur Convict Photographs , National Library of Australia, 2010, p. 20.

Citing Social Media in MLA Format:

It's not uncommon to see social media posts included in research projects and papers. Most social media citations use the following structure:

@Username (First name Last name, if known, and differs from handle). "Text of post." Social Media Platform , Date posted, URL.

If the post is a photo or image instead of text, include a description of the image. Only capitalize the first letter in the description and the first letter for any proper nouns. Do not place the description in quotation marks.

If the post is long or includes emojis or links, it is acceptable to include only the beginning of the tweet with an ellipsis at the end of the included portion.

Citing a Twee:

@BibMe. "Need help with MLA essay format? Here are 6 steps to getting it done..." Twitter , 3 Dec. 2018, twitter.com/bibme/status/1069682724716204032.

Citing a Facebook Post:

DeGeneres, Ellen. "Holiday party goals..." Facebook , 21 Dec. 2018, www.facebook.com/ellentv/photos/a.182755292239/10157188088077240/?type=3&theater.

Citing an Instagram Post:

@dualipa. "A lil Hollywood glam brunch! Thank you @variety for by Breakthrough Artist of the Year award and thank you for your continuous support...." Instagram , 2 Dec. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/Bq33SC2BAsr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

Citations for Music:

Citing a Song from the Internet:

To cite this type of source, structure the reference as follows:

Singer's Last Name, First name OR Band Name. "Title of Song." Title of Website or Service , Other Contributors and their roles (if applicable), Version, Date Published, URL.

Lopez, Jennifer. "Us." Spotify , 2 Feb. 2018, open.spotify.com/track/2MMvonKGALz6YOJwaKDO3q.

Citing a song from an album or downloaded:

Singer's Last name, First name OR Band Name. "Title of Song." Title of Album , Other Contributors and their roles (if applicable), Version, Publisher, Date Published or Released.

Lopez, Jennifer. "On the Floor." LOVE? , performance by Pitbull, Island, 2011.

Citations for Films:

The most basic entry for a film consists of the title, director, publisher, and year of release. You may also choose to include the names of the writer(s), performer(s), and the producer(s), depending on who your research focuses on. You can also include certain individuals to help readers locate the exact source themselves.

Example of a common way to cite a film:

Film Title . Directed by First name Last name, performance by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year.

BibMe: The Movie . Directed by John Smith, performance by Jane Doe, New York Stories, 2017.

If your research focuses on a specific individual, you can begin the citation with that individual's name (in reverse order) and their role. Format it the same way as you would an author's name.

Doe, Jane, performer. BibMe: The Movie . Directed by John Smith, New York Stories, 2017.

If the film is dubbed in English or does not have an English title, use the foreign language title in the citation, followed by a square bracket that includes the translated title.

Citas gobiernan el mundo [ Citations Rule the World ]. Directed by Sara Paul, Showcase Films, 2017.

If the film was found online, such as YouTube or another site, include the name of the website and the URL.

Last name, First name of Individual who posted the video OR Account name. "Film Title." Website Title , other individuals and their roles (if applicable), Publisher, Year Published, URL.

The New York Public Library. "2018 National Book Awards Finalists at NYPL." YouTube , 15 Nov. 2018, youtu.be/edJqg3NuF2Q.

*Note that the New York Public Library was not listed as the publisher of the video. Adding "The New York Public Library" in the citation twice is not necessary.

Since the citation has two titles included (the title of the film and the title of the website), the title of the film is placed in quotation marks and the title of the website is in italics.

Citations for TV/Radio:

The most basic MLA format citation for a radio/TV program consists of the individuals responsible for the creation of the episode (if they're important to your research), the episode title, program/series name, broadcasting network or publisher, the original broadcast date, and the URL.

"The Highlights of 100." Seinfeld , NBC, 2 Feb. 1995.

If your research focuses on a specific individual from a TV or radio broadcast, include their name at the beginning of the citation in the author position.

If relevant, you may also choose to include the names of personnel involved with the program. Depending if the personnel are relevant to the specific episode or the series as a whole, place the personnel names after the program/series name. You may cite narrator(s) preceded by "narrated by", writer(s) preceded by "written by", directors preceded by "directed by", performer(s) preceded by "performance by", and/or producer(s) preceded by "produced by" and then the individual names. Include as many individuals as you like. Write these personnel names in normal order --- do not reverse the first and last names.

"The Highlights of 100." Seinfeld , directed by Andy Ackerman, written by Peter Mehlman, NBC, 2 Feb. 1995.

Also include the name of the network on which the program was broadcasted, followed by a comma.

State the date on which your program was originally broadcasted, followed by a period. When including the URL, follow the date with a comma and place the URL at the end, followed by a period to end the citation. You can usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them.

Citations for Lectures:

The most basic entry for a lecture consists of the speaker's name, presentation title, date conducted, and the name and location of the venue.

Speaker's Last name, First name. Title of Lecture . Date Conducted, Venue, Location.

Pausch, Randy. Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams . 18 Sept. 2007, McConomy Auditorium, Pittsburgh.

Begin the citation with the name of the speaker. This person's name should be reversed. If the lecture has a title, place it in the citation in italics, followed by a period. State the date on which the lecture was conducted, followed by a comma. Conclude your citation with the location/venue name and the city in which it occurred, separated by a comma.

Citations for Encyclopedias

The most basic entry for an encyclopedia consists of the author name(s), article title, encyclopedia name, publisher, and year published.

Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Encyclopedia Name , Publisher, Year Published.

Smith, John. "Internet." Encyclopedia Britannica , 2012.

Notice that the name of the publisher was not included in the example above. Only include the name of the publisher if it differs from the name of the encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica is the name of the encyclopedia AND the name of the publisher. It is not necessary to include Encyclopedia Britannica twice in the citation.

If there are no authors for the article, begin the citation with the article title instead.

"Media." World Book Encyclopedia , 2010.

If the encyclopedia arranges articles alphabetically, do not cite the page number(s) or number of volumes. If articles are not arranged alphabetically, you may want to include page number(s) and/or volume number, which is preceded by the abbreviation "vol." The volume should be cited after the encyclopedia name (or any edition), and before any publication information. After the publication year, include the page numbers on which the article appears, along with a period. Cite all inclusive page numbers --- if the article spans pages that are not consecutive, cite only the first page, followed by a plus sign.

Saunders, Bill. "Treasure." Encyclopedia Britannica , vol. 18, 2012, p. 56.

If the encyclopedia entry is found on a website, use the following structure:

Last name, First name. "Encyclopedia Entry." Title of Encyclopedia Website , Publisher, Year published, URL.

Citations for Magazines:

The most basic entry for a magazine consists of the author name(s), article title, magazine name, the volume and issue numbers (if available), publication date, page numbers, and URL if found online.

Last name, First name. "Article Title." Magazine Name , vol. number, issue no., Publication Date, Page Numbers or URL.

Print example:

Pratt, Sybil. "A Feast of Tradition." BookPage , Oct. 2017, p. 8.

Online example:

Geagan, Kate. "Sweeter Swaps: How to Choose Sustainable Sweeteners." Clean Eating , no. 83, Nov./Dec. 2018, pp. 36-37. Flipster , cleaneating.eoncontent.ebscohost.com/1927216#&pageSet=19.

The first author's name should be reversed, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears in the magazine.

For an article written by two or more authors, list them in the order as they appear on the title page. Only the first author's name should be reversed, while the others are written in normal order. Separate author names by a comma, and place the word "and" before the last author's name. For articles with three or more authors, only include the first author, followed by the abbreviation "et al."

The full article title should be placed within quotations. Unless there is punctuation that ends the article title, place a period after the title within the quotations. Next, state the name of the magazine in italics.

If volume and issue numbers are available, include them in the citation. Use the abbreviations “vol.” and “no.” before the volume number and issue number.

Example: vol. 6, no. 1

The date the magazine was published comes directly after the volume and issue number. Use whichever date the magazine includes, whether it's a complete date, a period spanning two months, a season (lowercased), or just a month and year. Follow this information with a comma.

Include the page number(s) on which the article appears. Cite all inclusive page numbers --- if the article spans pages that are not consecutive, cite only the first page, followed by a plus sign.

If the magazine article was found online, include the DOI or URL. Use a DOI instead of a URL when it is available. You can usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx. End the citation with a period.

Citations for Interviews:

Begin your citation with the name of the person interviewed. This person's name should be reversed, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name).

For an interview that has been broadcast or published, if there is a title, include it after the name of the person interviewed.

Jolie, Angelina. "Being a Mother." Interview conducted by Steve Kroft, 60 Minutes , CBS, 3 Feb. 2009.

If there is no title, use the word "Interview" in place of a title and do not use quotation marks or italics. If the interviewer's name is known, add it, preceded by "Conducted by", after the word "Interview". Do not reverse the interviewer's name.

Jenkins, Lila. Interview. Conducted by Jessica Grossman. 5 Mar. 2017.

For published interviews found online, include the title of the website after the title of the interview. In addition, add the URL at the end of the citation.

Michaels, Jamye. "Fighting to Survive." Women's Magazine of Life , 2 Nov. 2016, www.womensmagazine.com/fightingtosurvive.com.

Citations for Dissertations and Theses:

In order to obtain a degree, most colleges and universities require students to submit a dissertation or thesis towards the end of their academic track. Dissertations and theses are lengthy essays or in-depth research projects that relate to the scope of the student’s learning.

For example, if a student is close to obtaining their Master’s in Library Science, the student could study and write about the Internet searching habits of elderly individuals, or perhaps focus on the research skills of economically disadvantaged adults.

Upon completion, this individual assignment is often presented to the main directors, committee members, or professors at the school for approval.

A dissertation is generally assigned to students who are completing their doctorate degree, and many graduate schools require students to hand in a thesis to obtain a master’s degree.

Since so much research and work went into these scholarly projects, and new ideas and conclusions are often produced, many colleges and universities publish the completed papers. You can find these projects on many school websites and databases.

Here’s one way you can reference a dissertation or thesis:

Author’s Last Name, First name. Title of Dissertation or Thesis . Year Completed. University or College, Degree Abbr. Database , DOI or URL.

Kim, Kee Han. Development of an Improved Methodology for Analyzing Existing Single-Family Residential Energy Use . 2014. Texas A & M U, PhD. ProQuest , https://ezproxy.nypl.org/socabs/docview/1665251619/abstract/E9D36166E31040AEPQ/1?accountid=35635.

Fletcher, Marissa. Influences of Nutrition and Pathogenicity from a Microbial Diet on Immunity and Longevity in Caenorhabditis Elegans . 2012. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD. DSpace@MIT , https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/120633.

Using Visuals

Including a visual in your project is a great way to make information come to life, as visuals can complement written work and enhance understanding.

Photographs, maps, charts, graphs, line drawings, musical scores, and tables are images that can be included in a project.

Follow these directions to add an image to your research paper:

  • Images should be placed close to where they’re mentioned in the text.
  • Provide a brief explanation about the image in the written portion of the paper, but do not write out all data shown in the image. Doing so would make the image unnecessary. (See the visual “Table example” at the end of this section.)

Correct example: Table 1 shows commonly used words in Shakespeare’s plays and their English translation.

Incorrect example: Table 1 shows commonly used words in Shakespeare’s plays and their English translation. Brave translates to handsome , character means a letter or word , egal means equal , fancy is a term for desire , and honest translates to pure .

  • Tables are titled Table X, figures are Fig. X, and examples are Ex. X.
  • Any type of image that includes an illustration is considered a “Figure”.
  • Musical scores or sheet music are considered “Examples”.
  • If the information below the image contains all of the source information, a full reference on the “Works Cited” page is not necessary.
  • Double space everything.
  • The image should have the same 1-inch margins as the rest of the paper.

Check out the examples below to see how tables, figures, and musical scores are arranged.

Table Example:

MLA table citation

Figure Example:

MLA figure citation

Musical score example:

MLA musical score citation

Your “Works Cited” Page

An MLA "Works Cited" or MLA "Work Cited" page contains all of the citations for a project.

  • This page sits on its own and is found at the end of a project.
  • If there is only one citation on the page, title the page: Work Cited. While it might seem silly to have a full page dedicated to one citation, a “Work Cited” page in MLA is still necessary. If there are multiple citations on the page, title the page: Works Cited.
  • Double space the entire list of works cited.
  • Include the writer's last name and the page number, at the top right corner of the page.
  • Every in-text or parenthetical citation in the body of the project should correspond with its full citation listed on the MLA “Works Cited” or “Work Cited” page.
  • All full citations in MLA formatting have a hanging indent. This means that the first line of the citation sits flush against the left margin. The second line, and any subsequent lines, are indented in another half inch. If you need a visual, all full citations on this page have a hanging indent.
  • Citations are listed in alphabetical order by the first letter found in the citation.
  • If there are multiple sources by the same author, only include the author's name in the first citation. For each citation afterwards, MLA formatting requires you to include three dashes and a period. Organize the citations by the title.

Example of a Works-Cited List with Multiple Works by Same Author:

Riggs, Ransom. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children . Quirk, 2011.

---. Tales of the Peculiar . Dutton, 2016.

  • When alphabetizing by titles, ignore “A,” “An,” and “The,” and use the next part of the title.
  • If the title starts with a number, place the title where it would belong if the number was spelled out.

MLA formatting example:

1492: The Year Our World Began would be alphabetized under F (for fourteen)

Sample Works Cited:

Works Cited in MLA

Formatting Your Header:

The first page of your MLA format paper should include a header. An MLA cover page, or MLA title page, that sits on its own isn't necessary or recommended.

MLA heading format includes the following pieces of information, styled like this, in this order:

Your professor or teacher's name

The class and/or course number

Date of submission

  • Double space everything on the page.
  • In the top right corner, include your last name and the page number.
  • The title should be centered in the middle of the page.
  • Use any type of font that is easy to read for the entire paper.
  • MLA paper format requires 12-point font, or another size close to it.

Sample MLA Header:

MLA Header

Using BibMe.org to Create Citations for your MLA Works Cited Page or MLA Bibliography

Wondering how to use MLA format? The BibMe automatic MLA format generator formats your citations for you. Enter a title, web address, ISBN number, or other identifying information into the MLA format template to automatically cite your sources. If you need help with BibMe.org or our citation machine in MLA, click here on more styles .

Try This Out:

The BibMe service is an extremely helpful resource that helps you create your citations for your project, but there's more. The BibMe service also has a feature that will help to proofread your entire MLA format essay. The BibMe Plus paper checker scans for proper spelling, punctuation, language elements, and syntax. It will tell you if a language element, such as a preposition , conjunction , or interjection , is a bit off. It also has a built-in plagiarism checker , which scans papers for instances of accidental plagiarism. Try it out now!

More Information:

Here's more information on the previous handbooks. There's further good information here , including MLA format examples and examples of MLA in-text citations.

Background Information and History:

The Modern Language Association was developed in 1883 and was created to strengthen the study and teaching of languages and literature. With over 25,000 current members worldwide, the Modern Language Association continuously strives to keep its members up-to-date on the best practices, methods, and trends related to language and literature. The Modern Language Association boasts an annual conference, journal, an online communication platform, numerous area-focused committees, and one of its most popular publications, the MLA Handbook, now in its 9th edition.

Updated June 25, 2021

Edited and written by Elise Barbeau and Michele Kirschenbaum. Elise is a citation expert and has her master’s degree in public history/library science. She has experience in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing. Michele is a certified library media specialist who loves citations and teaching. She’s been writing about citing sources since 2014.

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MLA Formatting and Style Guide

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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

In-Text Citations

Resources on using in-text citations in MLA style

Works Cited Page

Resources on writing an MLA style works cited page, including citation formats

Scribbr MLA Citation Generator

Accurate MLA citations, verified by experts, trusted by millions.

Save hours of repetitive work.

Stop wasting hours figuring out the correct citation format. With Scribbr's citation generator , you can search for your source by title, URL, ISBN, or DOI and generate accurate MLA citations in seconds. No experience needed.

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Rely on accurate citations, verified by experts.

You don’t want points taken off for incorrect citations. That’s why our MLA citation experts have invested countless hours perfecting our algorithms. As a result, we’re proud to be recommended by teachers worldwide.

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Staying focused is already challenging enough. You don’t need video pop-ups and flickering banner ads slowing you down. At Scribbr, we keep distractions to a minimum while also keeping the citation generator free for everyone.

Features you'll love

Search for your source by title, URL, DOI, ISBN, and more to retrieve the relevant information automatically.

MLA 8th & 9th edition

Scribbr's Citation Generator supports both MLA 8 and MLA 9 (as well as APA and Harvard ). No matter what edition you're using, we’ve got you covered!

Export to Bib(La)TeX

Easily export in BibTeX format and continue working in your favorite LaTeX editor.

Export to Word

Reference list finished? Export to Word with perfect indentation and spacing set up for you.

Sorting, grouping, and filtering

Organize the reference list the way you want: from A to Z, new to old, or grouped by source type.

Save multiple lists

Stay organized by creating a separate reference list for each of your assignments.

Choose between Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, and more options to match your style.

Industry-standard technology

Scribbr's citation generator is built using the same citation software (CSL) as Mendeley and Zotero, but with an added layer for improved accuracy.

Annotations

Create perfectly formatted MLA Style annotated bibliographies with just a few clicks.

Explanatory tips help you get the details right to ensure accurate citations.

Citation guides

Getting to grips with citation is simple with the help of our highly rated MLA citation guides and videos .

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How to cite in MLA format

MLA handbook 9th edition

MLA is one of the most common citation styles used by students and academics. This quick guide explains how to cite sources according to the 9th edition (the most recent) of the MLA Handbook . You can also use Scribbr’s free  citation generator to automatically generate references and in-text citations.

An MLA citation has two components:

  • In-text citation : Every time you quote or paraphrase a source, you cite the author and the page number in parentheses.
  • Works Cited : At the end of your paper, you give a full reference for every source you cited, alphabetized by the author’s last name.

MLA Works Cited list

The list of Works Cited (also known as the bibliography or reference page) gives full details of every source you cited in your text. Each entry is built from nine core elements:

Following this format, you can create a citation for any type of source—for example, a book , journal article , website , or movie . You only include information that’s relevant to the type of source you’re citing.

Missing information in MLA citations

Regardless of the source type, the most important elements of any MLA citation are the author , the source title , and the publication date. If any of these are missing from the source, the Works Cited entry will look slightly different.

MLA Citation Generator

Generate accurate MLA citations in seconds

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MLA in-text citations

MLA in-text citations are brief references that direct your reader to the full source entry. You include them every time you quote , block quote , paraphrase or summarize a source.

The in-text citation must match the first word of the Works Cited entry—usually the author’s last name . It also includes a page number or range to help the reader locate the relevant passage.

If you already named the author in your sentence, include only the page number in parentheses:

Sources with no page numbers

If the source has no page numbers, you either use an alternative locator, or leave the page number out of the citation:

Tools and resources

Besides the MLA Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more helpful tools and resources;

  • Citation generator : Generate flawless APA , MLA , and Harvard citations in seconds
  • Free plagiarism checker : Detect and correct plagiarism with the most accurate plagiarism checker for students
  • AI Proofreader : Upload and improve unlimited documents and earn higher grades on your assignments. Try it for free!
  • Paraphrasing tool: Avoid accidental plagiarism and make your text sound better.
  • Grammar checker : Eliminate pesky spelling and grammar mistakes.
  • Summarizer: Read more in less time. Distill lengthy and complex texts down to their key points.
  • AI detector: Find out if your text was written with ChatGPT or any other AI writing tool. ChatGPT 2 & ChatGPT 3 supported.
  • Proofreading services : Hire a professional editor to improve your writing
  • Citation checker : Check your work for citation errors and missing citations.
  • Guides and videos : Explore hundreds of articles, bite-sized videos, time-saving templates, and handy checklists that guide you through the process of research, writing, and citation.

IRSC Libraries Home

MLA Style Guide, 8th & 9th Editions: MLA Annotated Bibliography

  • Works Cited entries: What to Include
  • Title of source
  • Title of container
  • Contributors
  • Publication date
  • Supplemental Elements
  • Book with Personal Author(s)
  • Book with Organization as Author
  • Book with Editor(s)
  • Parts of Books
  • Government Publication
  • Journal Article
  • Magazine Article
  • Multivolume Works
  • Newspaper Article
  • Other Formats
  • Websites, Social Media, and Email
  • About In-text Citations
  • In-text Examples
  • How to Paraphrase and Quote
  • Citing Poetry
  • Formatting Your MLA Paper
  • Formatting Your Works Cited List
  • MLA Annotated Bibliography
  • MLA 9th Edition Quick Guide
  • Submit Your Paper for MLA Style Review

Annotated Bibliography

  • Updated MLA Ninth Edition Annotated Bibliography Template

This template includes a space to add your topic and thesis statement as this is preferred for the annotated bibliography assignments in ENC courses taught at IRSC. Always follow your professor's instructions over any instructions on this LibGuide or inside the MLA Handbook.

Your professor may ask that you create an annotated bibliography in MLA style. An annotated bibliography is similar to the Works Cited page found at the end of a paper. The paper formatting is the same but instead of following a full research paper, the student will write a brief annotation for each source which will directly follow the source's Works Cited entry. The annotations contain descriptive or evaluative comments about your sources. Annotations should be short, typically no longer than one paragraph. Indent the annotation an inch from the start of the entry. Each citation should adhere to MLA guidelines. The title might be 'Annotated Bibliography' or 'Annotated List of Works Cited'.

Below is an example of an annotated bibliography in MLA style. You are welcome to use the template linked above to get you started with the correct formatting.

Updated MLA 9th Edition Annotated Bibliography Example

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  • Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024 11:37 AM
  • URL: https://irsc.libguides.com/mla

mla 8 bibliography format

In-text citation

  • Works Cited
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  • Audiovisual
  • Encyclopaedias and dictionaries
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  • Interviews / speeches
  • Journals / periodicals
  • Live performances
  • Music scores / recordings
  • Online communication / social media
  • Other sources
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  • Other styles AGLC4 APA 7th Chicago 17th (A) Notes Chicago 17th (B) Author-Date Harvard MLA 9th Vancouver
  • Referencing home

The MLA 9th style uses author-date in-text citations, used when quoting or paraphrasing people’s work. 

Two types of in-text citations

1. author prominent format .

Use this format if you want to emphasise the author. Their name becomes part of your sentence.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," wrote Charles Dickens of the eighteenth century (5).

2. Information prominent format

Use this format if you want to emphasise the information. It cites the author’s name, typically at the end of a sentence.

as demonstrated in the opening line, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" (Dickens 5).

Examples of in-text citations

Less than three lines of text.

If a prose quotation is no more than four lines and does not require special emphasis, put it in quotation marks and incorporate it into the text. Include the page number(s) in brackets.

"It was the best of times it was the worst of times" wrote Charles Dickens of the eighteenth century (5).

  • See Plays and Poetry sections below for how to cite these in-text.

More than three lines of text

If a quotation is longer than three lines, set it off from your text by beginning a new line, indenting half an inch from the left margin. Quotation marks around the text are not required. Introduce the quotation with a colon. Place the parenthetical reference after the last line. For example, the above discusses John Corner in his book, The Art of Record: A Critical Introduction to Documentary , which refers to Brian Winston's revaluation of the documentary tradition in the writings of John Grierson.

Winston's reassessment of Grierson finds the play-off between creativity and realness unconvincing: Grierson's taxonomic triumph was to make his particular species of non-fiction film, the non-fiction genre while at the same time allowing the films to use the significant fictionalising technique of dramatisation. (Winston 103)

This is a usefully provocative point, though agreement with it will largely rest on certain, contestable ideas about 'fictionalisation' and 'dramatisation'. The issue is dealt with directly in Chapter Two, as part of considering the debate around drama-documentary forms, and it occurs in relation to specific works throughout this book.

Two authors

In prose, the first time the two authors are mentioned, use both first and second names. In a parenthetical citation use 'and', not '&' to connect the two surnames.

Others, like Cheryl Brown and Laura Czerniewicz argue that the idea of a generation of ‘digital natives’ is flawed (359). The Brown and Czerniewicz article focuses on…

(Brown and Czerniewicz 359)

Three or more authors

When citing a source with three or more authors in prose you only refer to the first coauthor and can follow the additional authors by “and others“ or “and colleagues.” A parenthetical citation requires the first author's surname, followed by et al.

Laura Czerniewicz and colleagues argue…

(Czerniewicz et al. 53)

Different authors, same surname

If you use works from more than one author with the same last name, eliminate any ambiguity by including the author's first initial as well (or if the initial is also the same, the full first name).

(N. Palmer 45)

(N. Palmer 45; M. Palmer 102)

Citing more than one author

If you are citing more than one source at the same point, place them in the same parentheses, separated by a semi-colon.

(Jackson 41; Smith 150)

Same author, two or more works

If you cite multiple works by the same author, include a shortened title in each in-text citation to establish which work you are referring to. To avoid overly lengthy in-text citations, shorten the title to a simple noun phrase, or a few words.

The first example references Said's book, so the title is italicised. The second example references Said's journal article, so it is in quotation marks.

For more tips on how to abbreviate titles of sources, see 6.10 of the MLA Handbook .

..."the Orient was a scholar's word, signifying what modern Europe had recently made of the still peculiar East" (Said, Orientalism 92).

..."there is something basically unworkable or at least drastically changed about the traditional frameworks in which we study literature" (Said, "Globalizing Literary Study" 64).

Anonymous or no author

For works that are anonymously authored, or have no author, include a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation (do not list the author as "anonymous", nor as "anon.").

It has been argued that the hat symbolised freedom (Wandering Merchant 157).

Corporate author

Abbreviate terms that are commonly abbreviated (e.g. Department becomes Dept.), so as to not disrupt the flow of your text with overly long in-text citations.

If the corporate author is identified in the works-cited list by the names of administrative units separated by commas, give all the names in the parenthetical citation.

The Australian Research Council found that there are limited policies and procedures in place to manage foreign interference (4).

(Monash University 176)

Citing an author within another source

An indirect source is a source that is cited in another source. To quote this second-hand source, use “qtd. in” (quoted in), and then include the information of the source you actually consulted. Similarly, for the reference list use the source that you actually consulted (i.e. the indirect source). Keep in mind that it is good academic practice to seek out and use the original source, rather than the second-hand one, however this is not always possible.

For the below example, the student is using Petrarch's quote which is found in Hui. The page number refers to the source actually consulted (Hui), and the reference list would only list Hui, as shown below:

Hui, Andrew. The Poetics of Ruins in Renaissance Literature. Fordham UP, 2016.

For more information, see section 6.77 of the MLA Handbook .

Petrarch laments that Cicero’s manuscripts are “in such fragmentary and mutilated condition that it would perhaps have been better for them to have perished” (qtd. in Hui 4).

Author in a translation

If you think your audience would require a translation for your quoted material, then provide one. Give the source of the translation, as well as the source of the quote.

If you did the translation yourself, then insert my trans. where you would usually put the translation source, as shown in the example above.

If you're quoting in a language that does not use the Latin alphabet (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, etc.), then consistently use the original writing system for your quotes or romanisation. Note that proper nouns are usually romanised.

For more information, see 6.75 Translations of Quotations in the MLA Style Guide .

Mme d'Aulnoy's heroine is "la chatte blanche" ("the white cat"; my trans.; 56)

Poetry - Short quotations

Quotations from poetry from part of a line up to three lines in length, which do not need particular emphasis, may be added, placed in quotation marks, within your text as part of a sentence. Use a slash with a space on either side ( / ) to indicate a new line of poetry.

If the poem you are referencing has line numbers, then omit page numbers all-together and cite by line number instead. Do not use the abbreviation l. or ll. , but instead in your first citation, use the word line, or lines as shown in the example below. After the first citation, it can be assumed that the numbers refer to lines, so you can include the numbers alone.

More's distress that she had not written about the problems of the slave trade earlier are expressed in the poem: "Whene'er to Afric's shores I turn my eyes, / Horrors of deepest, deadliest guilt arise" (line 5).

Poetry - Block quotations

When quoting a block of poetry, introduce it in the same manner as a prose block quotation, i.e. begin the quote on a new line and indent each line as below. There is no need to add quotation marks. A reference to the page or line number should be included in parenthesis at the end of the last line. If the original text is creatively spaced or indented, then try to replicate the original as best you can.

Judith Wright 's poetry explores the Australian environment:

And have we eaten in the heart of the yellow wheat the sullen unforgetting seed of fire? And now, set free by the climate of man's hate, that seed sets time ablaze (14)

If you quote the lines of more than one actor or if the piece you are quoting is long, the quotation should not be integrated into your text. The rules in MLA for presenting this text are:

  • Leave a line between your text and the quotation
  • Begin each part of the dialogue with the character's name, indented half an inch from the margin, in upper case and with a full-stop, e.g. BODYGUARDS.
  • Start dialogue after full-stop or match spacing shown in original source
  • Indent all dialogue an additional amount, as shown below
  • End each piece of dialogue with a full-stop
  • End the last line of the quotation with a full-stop and then add the section and line numbers in parentheses.

For more information, see section 6.40 of the MLA 9th Handbook .

TARTUFFE. Yes, my brother, I am a sinner, a guilty man. An unhappy sinner full of iniquity. (III. vi.)

In-text citation general checklist

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IMAGES

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  6. 8+ MLA Annotated Bibliography Templates & Samples

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VIDEO

  1. MLA International Bibliography Tutorial

  2. Cite a Journal Article in MLA (8) Style

  3. MLA International Bibliography: Subject Searching & the MLA Thesaurus

  4. How To Create An Annotated Bibliography In APA Style?

  5. Bibliography || What is Bibliography || Bibliography in english || mr strength

  6. How to write References, Citations & Bibliography in Thesis/Dissertation

COMMENTS

  1. MLA 8th Edition Changes

    MLA Eighth Edition: What's New and Different In April 2016, MLA replaced its seventh edition resources with a new eighth edition. This updated version reflects the ways in which digital publication has changed how writers and researchers document sources.

  2. Creating an MLA Bibliography

    When you use the correct MLA bibliography format, it shows the reader what sources you consulted, makes finding your sources easier for the reader, and gives credibility to your work as a researcher and writer. This MLA sample paper will show you how the bibliography is incorporated into the rest of your paper.

  3. A Complete Guide to MLA 8th Edition

    How to Format the Publication Date in MLA 8: The publication date, which is the date that the source was released, is a necessary component of an MLA 8 edition citation. Including this information helps the reader locate the specific source that was used, as often times there are numerous versions of sources that are released at different times.

  4. MLA8 Citation Samples

    MLA 8 Citation Samples This handout explains core elements of MLA 8 citations and how to format a Works Cited page; and provides full citation examples of commonly cited sources. List of Core Elements

  5. MLA Format

    The MLA Handbook provides guidelines for creating MLA citations and formatting academic papers. This quick guide will help you set up your MLA format paper in no time. Start by applying these MLA format guidelines to your document: Times New Roman 12 1″ page margins Double line spacing ½" indent for new paragraphs

  6. MLA Style Cheat Sheet (8th Edition)

    Writing Handouts. MLA Style Cheat Sheet (8th Edition) For a more complete guide to citing MLA 8th edition, please see our MLA 8th Edition Citation Guide. This "cheat sheet" is intended to clarify how certain types of sources are meant to be cited. However, it is not a complete guide, and there is more than one way to correctly cite a source ...

  7. MLA Style 8th edition

    MLA Style 8th edition - Citation Guides - LibGuides at Westfield State University Describes and demonstrates MLA style citations and formatting How To Document Information: Creating a Works Cited Page MLA Format: Everything You Need to Know Here | Books | A Work in an Anthology or Collection

  8. A Complete Guide to MLA 8

    MLA 8 was designed to simplify the process, helping writers accurately and intuitively cite sources more easily, requiring that every source type follow the same format. This means that books, websites, periodicals, videos, photographs, and all other types of sources now use this same standard format.

  9. PDF Modern Language Association (MLA) 8th Edition Format and Documentation

    This handout covers the most common, basic elements of MLA 8 formatting and documentation. For further information, consult the MLA Manual, 8th edition, available at the Chester Fritz Library, or visit the MLA website: http://www.mla.org. Formatting Your Paper Margins: All margins (top, bottom, and sides) set at 1 inch.

  10. MLA Guide (8th edition)

    Author. Title of source. Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location. Often a particular work such as a journal article or book is found within a larger source, which MLA8 refers to as a container. Elements 3-9 all describe the container for a specific work (elements 1-2).

  11. MLA Format, 8th Edition

    ISBN: 9781603292627 Publication Date: 2016 The 2016 edition with complete details of using MLA Style for papers and citations, as well as details on when to cite and how to avoid plagiarism. Here are some of the changes in the latest version of MLA Style: No requirement to state whether your source was in Print or from the Web.

  12. Free MLA Citation Generator [Updated for 2024]

    Updated for 2024 Generate accurate citations in MLA format automatically, with MyBib! 😕 What is an MLA Citation Generator? An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format.

  13. Citation Machine®: MLA8 Format & MLA8 Citation Generator

    MLA8 Citation Generator. Citation Machine® helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. Cite sources in APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and Harvard for free.

  14. MLA Format and MLA Citations

    The good news is that references in MLA bibliography format and regular works-cited lists are structured the exact same way. Citing Basics . When adding information to your project from another source, you are required to add an MLA citation. There are two types of MLA format citations: in-text citations and full citations. Full Citation Basics:

  15. MLA Formatting and Style Guide

    MLA Formatting and Style Guide Overview of how to create MLA in-text citations and reference lists ... Resources on writing an MLA style works cited page, including citation formats. Basic Format Basic guidelines for formatting the works cited page at the end of an MLA style paper Books Periodicals

  16. How to Write a Bibliography in MLA Format with Examples

    Writing a Bibliography: MLA Format Made possible with support from: Below are standard formats and examples for basic bibliographic information recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA). For more information on the MLA format, see MLA Style Center. Basics

  17. PDF MLA 8th edition ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

    MLA ANNOTATED BIB. PAGE 2 . spread throughout all of time and space in attempts to stop the Great Intelligence from altering history by killing each generation of the Doctor all at once. Clara Oswald recalls her many different lives to the best of her ability, some she remembers vividly, and some she explains felt just like a dream.

  18. MLA Style Annotated Bibliography

    MLA format for annotated bibliographies The list should be titled either "Annotated Bibliography" or "Annotated List of Works Cited." You may be told which title to use; "bibliography" is normally used for a list that also includes sources you didn't cite in your paper or that isn't connected to a paper at all.

  19. Free MLA Citation Generator

    How to cite in MLA format. MLA is one of the most common citation styles used by students and academics. This quick guide explains how to cite sources according to the 9th edition (the most recent) of the MLA Handbook.You can also use Scribbr's free citation generator to automatically generate references and in-text citations.. An MLA citation has two components:

  20. MLA Style Guide, 8th & 9th Editions: MLA Annotated Bibliography

    Your professor may ask that you create an annotated bibliography in MLA style. An annotated bibliography is similar to the Works Cited page found at the end of a paper. The paper formatting is the same but instead of following a full research paper, the student will write a brief annotation for each source which will directly follow the source ...

  21. In-text citation

    In-text citation. The MLA 9th style uses author-date in-text citations, used when quoting or paraphrasing people's work. Two types of in-text citations 1. Author prominent format . Use this format if you want to emphasise the author. Their name becomes part of your sentence.