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 6th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (ReadyReference 808.027 G437 2003).

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BOOKS

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.
• Underline or italicize the title, end with a period. Use one form consistently.
• 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.

Basic form:

Author's name. Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date.

Example:

Huizinga, Mary. Waning of the Middle Ages: A Study. New York:

Columbia UP, 2004.

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.

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.

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.

Basic rule:

• 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.

Example:

Fellows, Paul R. ed. Understanding Depression. Detroit: Gale, 2003.

Example:
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Collected Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Ed. Thomas Murphy. Chicago: Chicago UP, 2000.

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.

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.

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REFERENCE BOOKS

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 Story

Criticism. Ed. Editor's name, surname first. Volume. City:

Publisher, Year. Pages.

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.

Example:

"Baseball." Academic American Encyclopedia. 2002 ed.

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PERIODICALS
(Magazines, Journals, Serials, and Newspapers)

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.

Basic form:

Author's name, Last Name first. "Article Title." Title of Magazine. Volume:

Issue (date of publication): pages.

Basic form:

Author, "Title of article." CQ Researcher. Vol: Number. (Date): Pages.

Example:

Lii, Ken. "Children Today." CQ Researcher. 14: 2 (16 Jan. 2004): 1-24.

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+.

Basic form:

Author, "Title of Article." Title of Journal. Volume. Issue (Date): pages.

Examples:

Jameston, Andrew. "Fibonacci Numbers." Journal of Mathematics. 4.2

(2003): 8-10.

Kingston, Mary. "Brain Functionality." Research and Methodology. 1.3

(5 May 2001): 835-900.

North, Tamara. "Cancer and Women." Cancer Weekly. Dec. 2004: 12-34.

Ton, Sue. "Study Habits." Education Week. 23 July 2001: 6-9.

Examples:

Kligs, Martin. "Animals in the Sierras." Natural History. 25 May 2003: 5-9.

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ELECTRONIC DATABASES and WEB SITES

Basic form:

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Publication. Date: Pages. Title of

Database. Service Name. Name of Library. Date of Access.

<Web Address>.

Ingram, Scot. "Trees." Smithsonian. Nov. 2003: 20-. Expanded Academic.

Infotrac. Macdonald DeWitt Lib. 2 May 2001

<http://www.galenet.com>.

Fuller, Peter. "Isak Dinesen." Art Journal. Spring 1978: 1-9. Literature

Resource Center. Gale. Macdonald DeWitt Lib. 4 May 2001

<http://www.galegroup.com>.

Smith, Tom. "Self-esteem." Psychology Archive 30.2 (Fall 2003): 10-40.

ScienceDirect. Elsevier. Macdonald DeWitt Lib. 1 Feb. 2004

<http://www.sciencedirect.com>.

Basic form:

Author(s). "Title of Page." Title of Internet Site or Home page. Date of

Posting. Name of Organization Affiliated with Site. Date of

Access.

<Web Address>.

Examples:

Gibbons, Sheila. "Candidates' Wives Trivialized by Press." Women's E News.

27 July 2004. 30 Aug. 2004

<http://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1925>.

Keats, John. Poetical Works. London: Macmillan, 1884. Bartleby.com. 1999.

28 May 2004 <http://www.bartleby.com/126/index1.html> .

Kerry, Tom. Home page. 24 Aug. 2003. 28 Sept. 2004

<http://www.tomkerry.com>.

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