Citation Guide - MLA: Modern Languages Association Style Guide
Examples below are based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., located at LB2369 .G53 2003 Info. Commons Ref.
(Earlier editions may be available in the Main Stacks for checkout under the same call number.)
Note the specific punctuation, indentation, and abbreviation.
It is necessary to alphabetize a list of citations by author.
Do not indent the first line. If the information wraps onto more than one line, indent the next line/s 5 spaces or 1/2 inch.
EXAMPLES
Book with one author | Book with an editor | Journal articles | Newspaper article | Online article | Lecture | Interview | Web site | E-mail | Art Works | More Information & Examples
| Book with one author | MLA |
Author's last name, First name and Initial. Title underlined. Publication location:
example: Townsend, Robert M. The Medieval Village Economy. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1993. |
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| Book with an editor | MLA |
Editor's last name, First name and Initial, ed. Title underlined. Publication location:
example: Mcrae, Murdo William, ed. The Literature of Science: Perspectives on Popular Science
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| Journal article - one author | MLA |
Author's last name, First name and Initial. "Title of the article." Journal title underlined
Yeh, Michelle. "The 'Cult of Poetry' in Contemporary China." Journal of Asian Studies
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| Journal article - 3 authors | MLA |
Author's last name, First name and Initial, Author's first and last name, and Author's first
example: White, Sabina, Andrew Winzelberg, and James Norlin. "Laughter and Stress." Humor 5.3
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| Newspaper article | MLA |
Author's last name, First name and Initial. "Title of the article." Newspaper title
example: Taylor, Paul. "Keyboard Grief: Coping with Computer-Caused Injuries." Globe and Mail
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| Note that because there is no specific edition for the Globe and Mail that segment of the citation is omitted. Also note that in a nationwide periodical such as the New York Times it is not necessary to include the city in brackets. | |
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| Online article (from Library database) | MLA |
Author's last name, First name and Initial. "Title of the article." Article's original source
Lanken, Dane. "When the Earth Moves." Canadian Geographic Mar.-Apr. 1996:
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| Note that it is always best to cite the original source of an article, unless the article was originally retrieved from an online database or other such electronic source. | |
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| Lecture | MLA |
Speaker's last name, First name and Initial. "Title of the presentation (if known)."
Atwood, Margaret. "Silencing the Scream." Boundaries of the Imagination Forum. MLA
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| Interview | MLA |
Interviewee's last name, First name and Initial. "Title of the interview (if given)."
example: Gordimer, Nadine. Interview. New York Times. 10 Oct. 1991, late ed.:C25 example: Lansbury, Angela. Interview. Off-Camera: Conversations with the Makers of Prime-Time
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| Web Site | MLA |
Title of the web site. Editor's First and Last name (if given). Name of sponsoring
example: Portuguese Language Page. U of Chicago. 1 May 1997
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Author's last name, First name and Initial (if given). "Title or description of the e-mail."
Danford, Tom. "Monday Greetings." E-mail to Terry Craig. 13 Sept. 1993. |
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| Art Works | MLA |
Works of art reproduced in a printed source
example: Cassatt, Mary. Mother and Child. Wichita Art Museum. c.1890. American Painting:
example: Monet, Claude. Meadow with Haystacks at Giverny. 1885. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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| Note that it is optional to give the date of the art work. | |
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| More Information & Examples | MLA |
Research and Documentation online: Humanities - click on the headings on the left side to find examples for in-text citations and lists of works cited, along with guidelines for formatting a paper and a sample paper in MLA style. Includes examples for many other types of material besides those shown above. MLA Citation Guide (Ohio State University) - Includes both bibliography and in-text examples for many types of materials. MLA Style FAQ - from MLA's web site. Citation Styles Handbook: MLA (Writers' Workshop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) - another good source of examples. Modern Language Association (MLA) Style - examples from The New Guide to Writing Research Papers. |
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