Selected Resources ~ MLA Style
|| Books || Reference Books ||
|| Periodicals || Electronic Databases and Web Sites ||
The following examples show how to cite books, reference books, periodicals and databases and websites using MLA Style. The information is based on the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (808.027 G437 2009).
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Basic rules:
- List the author's last name (surname), then the first or given name and initials, followed by a period.
- Capitalize the first, last and major words in the title and subtitle.
- Italicize the title, end with a period. Underline if handwriting.
- Place of publication is the first city listed on title page, followed by a colon.
- UP is abbreviation for university press.
- Double space entries; indent 2nd and subsequent lines of each entry.
| BOOK CITATION: One author |
Basic form:
Author's name. Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date. Medium of
Publication.
Example:
Huizinga, Mary. Waning of the Middle Ages: A Study. New York:
Columbia UP, 2004. Print
| BOOK CITATION: with 2-3 authors |
Basic form:
First author's Last Name, First Name. second author's Name, First Name
first, and last author's First Name and Last Name. Title. City: Publisher, Year. Medium of
Publication.
Example:
Smith, Elena, James M. Whitaker, and Jonathan I. Harper. History of Crime
and Justice in the United States. Austin: U of Texas P, 2003. Print.
| BOOK: more than 3 authors |
Basic rule:
- List only the first author, Last Name first, and add et al. (et al. is Latin and means and others).
Example:
Updike, James, et al. Art and Literature. Boston: John Hopkins UP, 2002. Print.
| BOOK with an EDITOR or TRANSLATOR |
Basic rules:
- Use abbreviation ed. for editor and trans. for translator.
- Use abbreviation eds. for editors.
Basic form:
Editor's Last Name, First name, ed. Title. City: Publisher, Year. Medium of
Publication
Example:
Fellows, Paul R. ed. Understanding Depression. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Print.
| BOOK with AUTHOR and an EDITOR |
Example:
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Collected Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Ed. Thomas Murphy. Chicago: Chicago UP, 2000. Print.
| ESSAY or SHORT STORY or POEM in a TEXTBOOK |
Basic rules:
- Use abbreviations Ed. or Eds. for editor or editors.
- Do not use p. or pp. preceding page numbers.
- List translator (trans.) after title of work translated.
Basic form:
Author, Last Name first. "Title of Essay or Chapter." Title of Book.
Ed. Editor's First and Last Name. City: Publisher, Year. Page numbers. Medium
of Publication.
Example:
Garcia Lorca, Gabriel. "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings." Trans.
Gregory Rabassa. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Eds.
Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell. 5th ed. Boston: Heinle,
2004. 472-77. Print.
| ARTICLES in SHORT STORY CRITICISM or CONTEMPORARY LITERARY CRITICISM originally published in a book. |
Basic rules:
- Use abbreviation Rpt. for reprinted.
- Original publishing information is listed first.
- Information where article was reprinted is then listed.
- Do not use p. or pp. preceding page numbers.
Author of reprinted article, Last Name first. "Title of Article." Title of Book.
Editor(s). City: Publisher, Date. Pages. Rpt. in Short StoryCriticism. Ed. Editor's name, surname first. Volume. City:
Publisher, Year. Pages. Medium of Publication.
Example:
Mallon, Thomas. "The Great War." Modernism Reconsidered. Ed. Robert
Kiely. Boston: Harvard UP, 1983. 202-208. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed.
Jeff Hunter. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 81-99. Print.
| ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE |
Example:
"Baseball." Academic American Encyclopedia. 2002 ed.
| PERIODICALS (NOT including online articles. For those, see below.) |
Basic rule:
- Information on periodical articles varies. List additional information, if available, including the following, in order listed. Author's name, "Title of Article." Name of Periodical, volume, issue (date of publication): page/numbers. Medium of Publication.
Basic form:
Author's name, Last Name first. "Article Title." Title of Magazine. Volume:
Issue (date of publication): pages. Medium of Publication.
| CQ RESEARCHER |
Basic form:
Author, "Title of article." CQ Researcher. Vol: Number. (Date): Pages. Medium of Publication.
Example:
Lii, Ken. "Children Today." CQ Researcher. 14: 2 (16 Jan. 2004): 1-24. Print.
| NEWSPAPER ARTICLE |
Basic rules:
- Abbreviate names of all months except May, June and July.
- List edition (ed.), if indicated: late city ed., natl. ed., final ed.
- List date in following order: day, month, year
- Use + sign to indicate that story continues but not on next page.
- List section, if given, followed by page.
- Do not list volume and issue numbers, even if given.
Example:
Simms, Peter. "Cambodia." New York Times. 5 Dec. 1999, final ed.: D1+. Print.
| SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLE |
Basic form:
Author, "Title of Article." Title of Journal. Volume. Issue (Date): pages. Medium of Publication.
Examples:
Jameston, Andrew. "Fibonacci Numbers." Journal of Mathematics. 4.2
(2003): 8-10. Print.
Kingston, Mary. "Brain Functionality." Research and Methodology. 1.3
(5 May 2001): 835-900. Print.
North, Tamara. "Cancer and Women." Cancer Weekly. Dec. 2004: 12-34. Print.
Ton, Sue. "Study Habits." Education Week. 23 July 2001: 6-9. Print.
| MAGAZINE ARTICLE |
Example:
Kligs, Martin. "Animals in the Sierras." Natural History. 25 May 2003: 5-9. Print.
| ARTICLES in ONLINE DATABASES |
Basic form:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Publication. Date: Pages. Title of
Database. Medium of Publication. Date of Access. <Web Address>.
| ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER |
Ingram, Scot. "Trees." Smithsonian. Nov. 2003: 20-. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 2 May 2001.
| LITERATURE RESOURCE CENTER |
Fuller, Peter. "Isak Dinesen." Art Journal. Spring 1978: 1-9. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 4 May 2001.
| SCIENCE DIRECT |
Smith, Tom. "Self-esteem." Psychology Archive 30.2 (Fall 2003): 10-40.
ScienceDirect. Web. 1 Feb. 2004.
| INFORMATION from WEB SITES |
Basic form:
Author(s). "Title of Page." Title of Internet Site or Home page. Name of Organization or
Publisher Affiliated with Site (or use N.p.). Date of
Posting (or use n.d.) Medium of Publication. Date of Access.<Web Address (optional) >.
Examples:
Gibbons, Sheila. "Candidates' Wives Trivialized by Press." Women's E News.
27 July 2004. Web. 30 Aug. 2004.
Keats, John. Poetical Works. London: Macmillan, 1884. Bartleby.com. 1999.
Web. 28 May 2004.
Kerry, Thomas. "On Vacation." N.p. 5 Feb. 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2009
<http://www.kerrythomas.com>.
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