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MLA (Modern Language Association) style consists of two elements: citations in the text and a list of works cited at the end of the document.

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MLA TEXTUAL CITATIONS

In MLA style, the textual citation typically includes the name of the source’s author and the number of the page being referred to. Textual citations vary depending on the type of source cited and the context of the citation. The following models illustrate a variety of common situations; for additional examples, consult the MLA Handbook.

1. Entire Work If you are referring to the whole source, not to a particular page or pages, use only the author’s name.

Harwood’s work gives us a careful framework for understanding the aging process and how it affects communication.

2. Specific Page(s) Immediately following the material you are quoting or paraphrasing, include a parenthetical reference with the author’s name and the page number(s) being referred to. Do not add a comma between the name and the page number, and do not use the abbreviation p. or pp.

Each feature evolves independently, so there can’t be a steady progression of fossils representing change (Prothero 27).

If your sentence already includes the author’s name, put only the page number in the parenthetical citation.

Prothero explains why we won’t find a steady progression of human fossils approaching modern humans, as each feature evolves independently (27).

3. Work Without Page Numbers Give a paragraph, section, or screen number only if the number is provided in the source. Use par. (singular) or pars. (plural) to indicate paragraph numbers. Either spell out or use standard abbreviations (such as col., fig., pt., ch., or l.) for other identifying words. Use a comma after the author’s name if it appears in the parenthetical citation.

Under the right conditions, humanitarian aid forestalls health epidemics in the aftermath of natural disasters (Bourmah, pars. 3–6).

Maternal leave of at least three months has a significantly positive effect on the development of attachment in the infant (Ling, screen 2).

4. Multiple Sources by the Same Author If you cite two or more sources by the same author, either include the full source title in the text or add the first noun phrase of the title to the parenthetical citation to prevent confusion.

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Chatterjee believes that diversification in investments can take many forms (Diversification 13).

Risk is a necessary component of a successful investment strategy (Chatterjee, Failsafe 25).

5. Source with Multiple Authors For a source written by two authors, cite both names.

Grendel and Chang assert that . . .

This phenomenon was verified in the late 1970s (Grendel and Chang 281).

For a source written by three or more authors, give only the first author, followed by the abbreviation et al. Follow the same format as in the works-cited list.

Studies show that incidences of type 2 diabetes are widespread and rising quickly (Gianarikas et al.).

6. Source Quoted Within Another Source Give the source of the quotation in the text. In the parenthetical citation, give the author and page number(s) of the source in which you found the quotation, preceded by qtd. in.

Freud describes the change in men’s egos as science proved that the earth was not the center of the universe and that man was descended from animals (qtd. in Prothero 89–90).

Only the source by Prothero will appear in the list of works cited.

7. Source Authored by an Organization If the author is an organization rather than a person, use the name of the organization. When giving the organization’s name in parentheses, abbreviate common words.

In a recent booklet, the Association of Sleep Disorders discusses the causes of narcolepsy (2–3).

The causes of narcolepsy are discussed in a recent booklet (Assn. of Sleep Disorders 2–3).

8. Source with an Unknown Author If the source does not identify an author, shorten the title to the first noun phrase in your parenthetical citation.

Multidisciplinary study in academia is becoming increasingly common (“Interdisciplinary Programs” 23).

In a web document, the author’s name is often at the end of the document or in small print on the home page. Do some research before assuming that a website does not have an author. Remember that an organization might be the author. (See item 7.)

9. Multiple Sources in One Citation When you refer to two or more sources at the same point, separate the sources with a semicolon.

Much speculation exists about the origin of this theory (Brady 42; Yao 388).

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10. Multiple Authors with the Same Last Name If the authors of two or more sources have the same last name, spell out the first names of those authors in the text and use the authors’ first initials in parenthetical citations.

In contrast, Albert Martinez has a radically different explanation (29).

The economy’s strength may be derived from its growing bond market (J. Martinez 87).

11. Chapter or Section in an Edited Book Cite the author of the work, not the editor of the anthology.

Wolburg and Treise note that college binge drinkers include students with both high and low GPAs (4).

12. Multivolume Work If you use only one volume of a multivolume work, list the volume number in the works-cited list only. If you use more than one volume of a multivolume work, indicate the specific volume you are referring to, followed by a colon and the page number, in your parenthetical citation.

Many religious organizations opposed the Revolutionary War (Hazlitt 2: 423).

13. Entry in a Reference Work If the entry does not have an author, use the word or term you looked up. You do not need to cite page numbers for entries in encyclopedias and dictionaries because they are arranged alphabetically.

The term groupism is important to understand when preparing to communicate with Japanese business counterparts (“Groupism”).

14. Electronic Source When citing electronic sources, follow the same rules as for print sources, providing author names and page numbers, if available. If an author’s name is not given, use either the full title of the source in the text or the first noun phrase of the title in the parenthetical citation. (See item 8 on page 474.) If no page numbers appear, include other identifying numbers, such as paragraph or section numbers, only if they are provided in the source.

Twenty million books were in print by the early sixteenth century (Rawlins).

THE MLA LIST OF WORKS CITED

A list of works cited provides the information your readers will need to find each source you have cited in the text. It should not include sources you consulted for background reading. Following are some guidelines for an MLA-style list of works cited.

Following are models of works-cited-list entries for a variety of sources. For further examples of MLA-style citations, consult the MLA Handbook.

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BOOKS

15. Book by One Author Include the author’s full name, in reverse order, followed by the book title. Next give the name of the publisher, followed by the year of publication.

Gleick, James. The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. Pantheon, 2011.

16. Book by Multiple Authors For a book by two authors, present the names in the sequence in which they appear on the title page. Use reverse order for the name of the first author only. Use a comma to separate the names of the authors.

Burt, Stephen, and David Mikics. The Art of the Sonnet. Harvard UP, 2010.

For a book by three or more authors, use the abbreviation et al. after the first author’s name.

Thomas, David N., et al. The Biology of Polar Regions. Oxford UP, 2008.

17. Multiple Books by the Same Author For the second and subsequent entries by the same author, use three hyphens followed by a period in place of the name. Arrange the entries alphabetically by title, ignoring An or The.

Hassan, Robert. Empires of Speed: Time and the Acceleration of Politics and Society. Brill, 2009.

---. The Information Society: Cyber Dreams and Digital Nightmares. Polity, 2008.

18. Book Authored by an Organization The organization takes the position of the author.

World Bank. Atlas of Global Development: A Visual Guide to the World’s Greatest Challenges. World Bank, 2011.

19. Book by an Unknown Author If the author of the book is unknown, begin with the title.

The World Almanac Notebook Atlas. Hammond, 2010.

Note that you would ignore The in alphabetizing this entry.

20. Edited Book List the book editor’s name, followed by editor or editors (if more than one), in place of the author’s name.

Levi, Scott Cameron, and Ron Sela, editors. Islamic Central Asia: An Anthology of Historical Sources. Indiana UP, 2010.

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21. Chapter or Section in an Edited Book Give the author and title of the chapter first, followed by the book title and editor. Present the editor’s name in normal order, preceded by edited by. After the publication information, give the pages on which the material appears.

Marx, Karl. “Proletarians and Communists.” Marx Today: Selected Works and Recent Debates, edited by John F. Sitton, Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010, pp. 51–56.

22. Book in an Edition Other Than the First List the edition number after the title of the book.

Geary, Patrick, editor. Readings in Medieval History. 4th ed., U of Toronto P, 2010.

23. Multivolume Work If you use two or more volumes from a multivolume work, indicate the total number of volumes (for example, 4 vols.) after the publication date. If you use only one volume, give the volume number before the publisher, and give the total number of volumes after the date.

Sophocles. The Complete Sophocles. Edited by Peter Burian and Alan Shapiro, vol. 1, Oxford UP, 2010. 2 vols.

24. Book That Is Part of a Series End the entry with the series name as it appears on the title page (but use common abbreviations, such as Ser.), followed by the series number, if any. Do not italicize the series name.

Aune, David Edward, editor. The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Blackwell Companions to Religion.

25. Translated Book After the title, present the translator’s name in normal order, preceded by translated by.

Torre, Domingo de la, et al. Travelers to the Other World: A Maya View of North America. Translated by Robert M. Laughlin, edited by Carol Karasik, U of New Mexico P, 2010.

26. Book in a Language Other Than English You may give a translation of the book’s title in brackets.

Moine, Fabienne. Poésie et identité féminines en Angleterre: le genre en jeu, 1830–1900 [Poetry and Female Identity in England: Genre/Gender at Play]. L’Harmattan, 2010.

27. Entry in a Reference Work If entries are listed alphabetically, you do not need to include a page number.

“Desdemona.” Women in Shakespeare: A Dictionary, edited by Alison Findlay, Bloomsbury, 2014. Arden Shakespeare Dictionary Series.

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PRINT PERIODICALS

28. Journal Article List the author’s name, the article title (in quotation marks), and the journal title (italicized), followed by the volume number, issue number, month or season, year, and page number(s).

Mooney, William. “Sex, Booze, and the Code: Four Versions of the Maltese Falcon.” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol 39, no. 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 54–72.

29. Magazine Article List the author’s name, the article title (in quotation marks), and the magazine title (italicized), followed by the issue date and page number(s).

Seabrook, John. “Crush Point.” The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2011, pp. 32–38.

30. Newspaper Article List the author’s name, the article title (in quotation marks), and the newspaper name (italicized), followed by the issue date and page number(s) (which might include a section letter).

Robertson, Campbell. “Beyond the Oil Spill, the Tragedy of an Ailing Gulf.” The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2011, p. A17.

31. Unsigned Article If the author of an article is not indicated, begin with the title. Alphabetize the work by title, ignoring any initial article.

“How Much Is Enough?” The Economist, 26 Feb. 2011, p. 5.

32. Article That Skips Pages Give the page on which the article starts, followed by a plus sign (+) and a period.

Kennicott, Philip. “Out-Vermeering Vermeer.” The Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2011, pp. E1+.

33. Review For a book or film review, give the author of the review and the title of the review (in quotation marks), followed by the words Review of and the title of the work reviewed (italicized). Insert a comma and the word by, then give the name of the author of the work reviewed. (Instead of by, you might use edited by, translated by, or directed by, depending on the work.) End with the publication information for the periodical in which the review was published.

Wynne, Clive. “Our Conflicted Relationship with Animals.” Review of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, by Hal Herzog, Nature, vol. 467, no. 7313, 16 Sept. 2010, pp. 275–76.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

34. Entire Website If you are citing an entire website, begin with the name of the author or editor (if given) and the title of the site (italicized). Then give the name of the publisher (often an institution or an organization), the date of publication or most recent update, and the URL, followed by a period. If no publication date is available, include the date you accessed the site at the end of the entry.

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Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org. Accessed 12 Jan. 2014.

35. Short Work from a Website If you are citing a portion of a website, begin with the author, the title of the material (in quotation marks), and the title of the site (italicized). Then include the publisher, the date of publication, and the URL. If the publisher name is the same as the site title, you do not need to repeat it.

Ferenstein, Greg. “How Mobile Technology Is a Game Changer for Developing Africa.” Mashable, 19 July 2010, mashable.com/2010/07/19/mobile-africa/#mahVbvylbaqO.

36. Online Book Begin with the author’s name and the title of the work, along with publication information about the print source, if the book has been published in print. Then include the name of the site where you accessed the book and the URL.

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

37. Article in an Online Periodical Begin with the author’s name and include the title of the document, the name of the periodical, and the date of publication. If the periodical is a scholarly journal, include relevant identifying numbers, such as volume, issue, and page numbers before the date. End with the URL.

Maas, Korey D. “Natural Law, Lutheranism, and the Public Good.” Lutheran Witness, vol. 130, no. 3, 2 Mar. 2011, blogs.lcms.org/2011/natural-law-lutheranism-and-the-public-good-3-2011.

For magazine and newspaper articles found online, give the author, the title of the article (in quotation marks), the title of the magazine or newspaper (italicized), the date of publication, and add the URL.

Crowell, Maddy. “How Computers Are Getting Better at Detecting Liars.” The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2015, www.csmonitor.com/Science/Science-Notebook/2015/1212/How-computers-are-getting-better-at-detecting-liars.

38. Article from a Database or Subscription Service After giving the print article information, give the name of the database (italicized), and the DOI of the article. If no DOI is available and the database provides a stable URL or permalink, give the complete URL. For subscription databases such as EBSCO, you may use a truncated URL.

Coles, Kimberly Anne. “The Matter of Belief in John Donne’s Holy Sonnets.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 3, Fall 2015, pp. 899-931. JSTOR, doi:10.1086/683855.

39. Dissertation The title appears in quotation marks if the dissertation is unpublished or in italics if it is published.

Zimmer, Kenyon. The Whole World Is Our Country: Immigration and Anarchism in the United States, 1885–1940. Dissertation, U of Pittsburgh, 2010.

40. CD-ROM Treat material on a CD-ROM as you would if it were in print form and include the descriptive term CD-ROM at the end of the entry. That is, if the source is an article in a database, include the database title. If it is a book, treat it as a book.

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Greek-Cypriot Maritime Guide 2011. Marine Information Services, 2011. CD-ROM.

41. Email Message Use the email’s subject line as the title. Include the words Received by followed by the name of the recipient (if you were the recipient, use the phrase the author). End with the date the email was sent.

Lange, Frauke. “Data for Genealogical Project.” Received by the author, 26 Dec. 2016.

42. Online Posting List the author’s name, the title (or subject line) in quotation marks, the name of the discussion group or newsgroup in italics, the publisher, the posting date, and the URL. If the posting includes the time when it was posted, list the time along with the date.

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

43. Other Online Sources Follow the MLA guidelines already discussed, adapting them as appropriate to the electronic medium. The following examples are for a podcast and a blog post, respectively.

McDougall, Christopher. “How Did Endurance Help Early Humans Survive?” TED Radio Hour, National Public Radio, 20 Nov. 2015, www.npr.org/2015/11/20/455904655/how-did-endurance-help-early-humans-survive.

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

OTHER SOURCES

44. Government Document Begin with the author. If the author is a government agency, begin with the name of the country and the agency. Follow with the document title, publisher, and date.

United States, National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis. The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report: Final Report of the National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in the United States. US Government Public Office, 2011.

For an online source, include the URL.

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Phelps, G. A., et al. A Refined Characterization of the Alluvial Geology of Yucca Flat and Its Effect on Bulk Hydraulic Conductivity. Open-File Report 2010-1307, US Department of the Interior/US Geological Survey, 2011, http:// pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1307/of2010-1307.pdf.

45. Article from Conference Proceedings List the author’s name, the article title, the proceedings title, and the editor’s name, followed by the publication information.

Glicksman, Robert. “Climate Change Adaptation and the Federal Lands.” The Past, Present, and Future of Our Public Lands: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Public Land Law Review Commission’s Report, edited by Gary C. Bryner, Natural Resources Law Center, 2010.

46. Pamphlet Cite a pamphlet as you would a book.

The Legendary Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Friends of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, 2008.

47. Report Cite a report as you would a book.

Liebreich, Michael, et al. Green Investing 2010: Policy Mechanisms to Bridge the Financing Gap. World Economic Forum, 2010.

48. Interview For a published interview, begin with the name of the person interviewed. If the interview has a title, enclose it in quotation marks. Insert the words Interview by and give the interviewer’s name followed by the information on the work in which the interview was published.

Walcott, Derek. “Purple Prose.” Interview by Alexander Newbauer, Harper’s Magazine, Feb. 2010, pp. 24–26.

If you conducted the interview yourself, give the interviewee’s name, the words Personal interview, and the date.

Youngblood, Adelaide. Personal interview, 5 Jan. 2011.

49. Letter or Memo If the letter or memo was addressed to you, give the writer’s name, followed by the words Letter [or Memo] to the author and the date it was written.

Jakobiak, Ursula. Letter to the author, 27 Oct. 2016.

If the letter or memo was addressed to someone other than you, give the recipient’s name in place of the words the author.

50. Lecture or Speech Give the speaker’s name, the title of the lecture or speech (if known), the event and sponsoring organization (if applicable), and the place and date. End with a descriptive term such as Lecture or Keynote Speech.

Wang, Samuel. “Neuroscience and Everyday Life.” Freshman Assembly, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 12 Sept. 2010. Lecture.

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51. Map or Chart Give the author (if known), the title (in quotation marks), and the publication information. For an online source, include the name of the website (italicized), the name of the site’s publisher, the date of publication, and the URL.

“Map of Sudan.” Global Citizen, Citizens for Global Solutions, 2011, globalsolutions.org/blog/bashir#.VthzNMfi_FI.

52. Photograph or Work of Art Give the name of the artist; the title of the artwork, italicized; the date of composition; and the institution and city in which the artwork can be found. For artworks found online, include the title of the website on which you found the work, the publisher, and the URL.

Smedley, W. T. On the Beach at Narragansett Pier. 1900, Cabinet of American Illustration, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/cai/item/2010718015/.

53. Legal Source For a legal case, give the name of the first plaintiff and first defendant, the law report number, the name of the court, and the year of the decision, followed by the publication information.

Utah v. Evans. 536 US 452. Supreme Court of the US. 2002. Legal Information Institute, Cornell U Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/536/452.

For a legislative act, give the name of the act, the Public Law number, the Statutes at Large volume and page numbers, and the date the law was enacted.

Protect America Act of 2007. Pub. L. 110-55. 5 Stat. 121–552. 5 Aug. 2007.

54. Radio or Television Program Give the title of the episode or segment, if applicable, and the title of the program. Include relevant information about the narrator, director, or performers. Then give the network and the broadcast date. If you accessed the program on the web, include the URL.

“Aircraft Safety.” Nightline, narrated by Cynthia McFadden, ABC, 4 Apr. 2011.

“The Cathedral.” Reply All, narrated by Sruthi Pinnamaneni, episode 50, Gimlet Media, 7 Jan. 2016, gimletmedia.com/episode/50-the-cathedral/.

55. Film, Video, or DVD Give the title of the film and the name of the director. You may also give the names of major performers (performances by) or the narrator (narrated by). Give the distributor and the year of the original release.

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The King’s Speech. Directed by Tom Hooper, performances by Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter, The Weinstein Company, 2010.

56. Advertisement Include the name of the product, organization, or service being advertised; and the publication information. At the end of the entry, add the descriptive term Advertisement.

NeutronicEar. Smithsonian, Mar. 2011, p. 89. Advertisement.

SAMPLE MLA LIST OF WORKS CITED

Following is a sample list of works cited using the MLA citation system.