56b. MLA list of works cited
The elements you will need for the works cited list at the end of your paper or project will differ slightly for some sources, but the main principles apply to all sources, whether in print or from the Web: You should identify an author, a creator, or a producer whenever possible; give a title; provide the date on which the source was produced; and indicate the medium of delivery. Some sources will require page numbers; some will require a sponsoring person or organization; and some will require other identifying information.
Section 56b provides details for how to cite many of the sources you are likely to encounter. It also provides hints for what you can do when a source does not match one of the models exactly. When you cite sources, your goals are to show that your sources are reliable and relevant, to provide readers with enough information to find sources easily, and to provide that information consistently according to MLA conventions.
Directory to MLA in-text citation models
General guidelines for the MLA works cited list
How to answer the basic question "Who is the author?"
How to cite a source reposted from another source
How to cite course materials
General guidelines for listing authors
The formatting of authors’ names in items 1–12 applies to all sources—books, articles, Web sites—in print, on the Web, or in the media. For more models of specific source types, see items 13–81.
1. Single author
2. Two or three authors
3. Four or more authors Either name all the authors or name the first author followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”). In an in-text citation, use the same form for the authors’ names as you use in the works cited entry. See item 7 in 56a.
4. Organization or company as author
Your in-text citation also should treat the organization as the author (see item 8 in 56a).
5. No author listed
a. Article or other short work
b. Television program
c. Book, entire Web site, or other long work
tip: Often the author’s name is available but is not easy to find. It may appear at the end of the page, in tiny print, or on another page of the site, such as the home page. Also, an organization or a government may be the author (see items 4 and 72).
6. Two or more works by the same author First alphabetize the works by title (ignoring the article A, An, or The at the beginning of a title). Use the author’s name for the first entry; for subsequent entries, use three hyphens and a period. The three hyphens must stand for exactly the same name as in the first entry.
García, Cristina. Dreams of Significant Girls. New York: Simon, 2011. Print.
---. The Lady Matador’s Hotel. New York: Scribner, 2010. Print.
7. Two or more works by the same group of authors To list multiple works by the same group of two or more authors, alphabetize the works by title (ignoring the article A, An, or The at the beginning of a title). Use all authors’ names for the first entry; begin subsequent entries with three hyphens and a period. The three hyphens must stand for all the authors’ names.
Agha, Hussein, and Robert Malley. “The Arab Counterrevolution.” New York Review of Books. NYREV, 29 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.
---. “This Is Not a Revolution.” New York Review of Books. NYREV, 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.
8. Editor or translator Begin with the editor’s or translator’s name followed by the abbreviation “ed.” or “trans.” for one editor or translator. Use “eds.” or “trans.” for more than one editor or translator.
9. Author with editor or translator Begin with the name of the author. Place the editor’s or translator’s name after the title. Here the abbreviation “Ed.” or “Trans.” means “Edited by” or “Translated by,” so it is the same for one or more editors or translators.
10. Illustrated work If a work has both an author and an illustrator, the order of elements in your citation will depend on which of those persons you emphasize in your paper.
a. Author first If you emphasize the author’s work, begin with the author’s name. After the title, use the abbreviation “Illus.” (meaning “Illustrated by”) followed by the illustrator’s name.
Moore, Alan. V for Vendetta. Illus. David Lloyd. New York: Vertigo-DC Comics, 2008. Print.
b. Illustrator first If you emphasize the illustrator, begin your citation with the illustrator’s name, followed by the abbreviation “illus.” (meaning “illustrator”). After the title of the work, put the author’s name, preceded by “By.”
Weaver, Dustin, illus. The Tenth Circle. By Jodi Picoult. New York: Washington Square, 2006. Print.
c. Author and illustrator the same person If the illustrator and the author are the same person, cite the work as you would any other work with one author (not using the label “illus.” or “by”).
Smith, Lane. Abe Lincoln’s Dream. New York: Roaring Brook, 2012. Print.
11. Author using a pseudonym (pen name) or screen name Give the author’s name as it appears in the source (the pseudonym), followed by the author’s real name in brackets. If you don’t know the author’s real name, use only the pseudonym. (For screen names in social media, see items 80 and 81.)
Grammar Girl [Mignon Fogarty]. “When Are Double Words OK?” Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Macmillan, 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.
Pauline. Comment. “Is This the End?” By James Atlas. New York Times. New York Times, 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012.
12. Author quoted by another author (indirect source) If one of your sources uses a quotation from another source and you’d like to use the quotation, provide a works cited entry for the source in which you found the quotation. In the text of your paper, you will cite the person quoted and indicate that the quoted words appear in the source (see item 23 in 56a). In the following examples, Belmaker is the source in the works cited list; Townson is quoted in Belmaker.
source (belmaker) quoting another source (townson)
Peter Townson, a journalist working with the DOHA Center for Press Freedom in Qatar, says there is one obvious reason that some countries in the Middle East have embraced social media so heartily. “It’s kind of the preferred way for people to get news, because they know there’s no self-censorship involved,” Townson said in a phone interview.
works cited entry
Belmaker, Genevieve. “Five Ways Journalists Can Use Social Media for On-the-Ground Reporting in the Middle East.” Poynter. Poynter Inst., 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
in-text citation
In describing the growing popularity and acceptance of social media tools in the Middle East, Peter Townson points out that social media are “kind of the preferred way for people to get news, because they know there’s no self-censorship involved” (qtd. in Belmaker).
[View PDF]
How to answer the basic question “Who is the author?”
problem: Sometimes when you need to cite a source, it’s not clear who the author is. This is especially true for sources on the Web or other nonprint sources, which may have been created by one person and uploaded by a different person or an organization. Whom do you cite as the author in such a case? How do you determine who is the author?
example: The video “Surfing the Web on the Job” (see below) was uploaded to YouTube by CBSNewsOnline. Is the person or organization who uploads the video the author of the video? Not necessarily.
strategy: After you view or listen to the source a few times, ask yourself whether you can tell who is chiefly responsible for creating the content in the source. It might be an organization. It might be an identifiable individual. This video consists entirely of reporting by Daniel Sieberg, so in this case the author is Sieberg.
citation: To cite the source, you would use the basic MLA guidelines for a video found on the Web (item 56).
If you want to include the person or organization who uploaded the video, you can add it as supplementary information at the end.
Articles and other short works
Citation at a glance: Article in a journal
Citation at a glance: Article from a database
13. Basic format for an article or other short work
a. Print
b. Web
c. Database
14. Article in a journal
a. Print
b. Online journal
c. Database
15. Article in a magazine
a. Print (monthly)
b. Print (weekly)
c. Web
d. Database
16. Article in a newspaper If the city of publication is not obvious from the title of the newspaper, include the city in brackets after the newspaper title (see item 5a).
If sections are identified by letter, include the section letter as part of the page number (see item 16a). If sections are numbered, include the section number between the date and the page number, using the abbreviation “sec.”: 14 Sept. 2012, sec. 2: 21. If you accessed an e-reader edition of the newspaper, give page numbers if they are available.
a. Print
b. Web
c. E-reader
d. Database
17. Abstract or executive summary Include the label “Abstract” or “Executive summary,” neither italicized nor in quotation marks, after the title of the work.
a. Abstract of an article
Bottomore, Stephen. “The Romance of the Cinematograph.” Abstract. Film History 24.3 (2012): 341-44. General OneFile. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.
b. Abstract of a paper
Dixon, Rosemary, Dmitri Iourinski, and Kyle B. Roberts. “The Opportunities and Challenges of Virtual Library Systems: A Case Study.” Abstract. Paper presented at the 2011 Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science. U of Chicago. 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
c. Abstract of a dissertation
Chen, Shu-Ling. “Mothers and Daughters in Morrison, Tan, Marshall, and Kincaid.” Diss. U of Washington, 2000. DAI 61.6 (2000): AAT9975963. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
d. Executive summary
Pintak, Lawrence. The Murrow Rural Information Initiative: Final Report. Executive summary. Pullman: Murrow Coll. of Communication, Washington State U, 25 May 2012. PDF file.
18. Article with a title in its title Use single quotation marks around a title of a short work or a quoted term that appears in an article title. Italicize a title or term normally italicized.
Silber, Nina. “From ‘Great Emancipator’ to ‘Vampire Hunter’: The Many Stovepipe Hats of Cinematic Lincoln.” Cognoscenti. WBUR, 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
19. Editorial Cite as a source with no author (see item 5) and use the label “Editorial” following the article title.
“New State for the US?” Editorial. Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch Printing, 24 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
20. Unsigned article Cite as a source with no author (see item 5).
“Public Health Response to a Changing Climate.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
“Harper’s Index.” Harper’s Magazine Feb. 2012: 11. Print.
21. Letter to the editor Use the label “Letter” after the title. If the letter has no title, place the label directly after the author’s name.
Fahey, John A. “Recalling the Cuban Missile Crisis.” Letter. Washington Post 28 Oct. 2012: A16. LexisNexis Library Express. Web. 15 Dec. 2012.
22. Comment on an online article If the writer of the comment uses a screen name, see item 11. After the name, include the label “Comment” followed by the title of the article and the author of the article (preceded by “By”). Continue with publication information for the article.
23. Paper or presentation at a conference If the paper or presentation is included in the proceedings of a conference, cite it as a selection in an anthology (see item 35; see also item 45 for proceedings of a conference). If you viewed the presentation live, cite it as a lecture or public address (see item 62).
24. Book review Name the reviewer and the title of the review, if any, followed by “Rev. of” and the title and author of the work reviewed. Add the publication information for the publication in which the review appears. If the review has no author and no title, begin with “Rev. of” and alphabetize the entry by the first principal word in the title of the work reviewed.
a. Print
Flannery, Tim. “A Heroine in Defense of Nature.” Rev. of On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson, by William Souder. New York Review of Books 22 Nov. 2012: 21-23. Print.
b. Web
Telander, Alex C. “In an MMO Far Far Away.” Rev. of Omnitopia Dawn, by Diane Duane. San Francisco Book Review. 1776 Productions, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Aug. 2012.
c. Database
Petley, Christer. Rev. of The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624, by Peter C. Mancall. Caribbean Studies 38.1 (2008): 175-77. JSTOR. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
25. Film review or other review Name the reviewer and the title of the review, if any, followed by “Rev. of” and the title and writer or director of the work reviewed. Add the publication information for the publication in which the review appears. If the review has no author and no title, begin with “Rev. of” and alphabetize the entry by the first principal word in the title of the work reviewed.
a. Print
Lane, Anthony. “Film within a Film.” Rev. of Argo, dir. Ben Affleck, and Sinister, dir. Scott Derrickson. New Yorker 15 Oct. 2012: 98-99. Print.
b. Web
Cobbett, Richard. “World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Review.” Rev. of Mists of Pandaria, by Blizzard Entertainment. PC Gamer. Future Publishing, 4 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.
26. Performance review Name the reviewer and the title of the review, if any, followed by “Rev. of” and the title and author of the work reviewed. Add the publication information for the publication in which the review appears. If the review has no author and no title, begin with “Rev. of” and alphabetize the entry by the first principal word in the title of the work reviewed.
Matson, Andrew. Rev. of Until the Quiet Comes, by Flying Lotus. Seattle Times. Seattle Times, 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.
27. Interview Begin with the person interviewed, followed by the title of the interview (if there is one). If the interview does not have a title, include the word “Interview” after the interviewee’s name. If you wish to include the name of the interviewer, put it after the title of the interview (or after the name of the interviewee if there is no title). (See also item 60 for citing transcripts of interviews.)
a. Print
Robert Bellah. “A Conversation with Robert Bellah.” Interview by Hans Joas. Hedgehog Review 14.2 (2012): n. pag. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
b. Web
Kapoor, Anil. “Anil Kapoor on Q.” Interview by Jian Ghomeshi. Q. CBC Radio, n.d. CBC Radio. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
c. Television or radio
Buffett, Warren, and Carol Loomis. Interview by Charlie Rose. Charlie Rose. PBS. WGBH, Boston, 26 Nov. 2012. Television.
d. Personal To cite an interview that you conducted, begin with the name of the person interviewed. Then write “Personal interview” or “Telephone interview,” followed by the date of the interview.
Akufo, Dautey. Personal interview. 11 Apr. 2012.
28. Article in a reference work (encyclopedia, dictionary, wiki) List the author of the entry (if there is one), the title of the entry, the title of the reference work, the edition number (if any), the date of the edition, and the medium. Page numbers are not necessary, even for print sources, because the entries in the source are arranged alphabetically and are therefore easy to locate.
a. Print
Posner, Rebecca. “Romance Languages.” The Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th ed. 1987. Print.
“Sonata.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Print.
b. Web
“Hip Hop Music.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
Durante, Amy M. “Finn Mac Cumhail.” Encyclopedia Mythica. Encyclopedia Mythica, 17 Apr. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
29. Letter
a. Print Begin with the writer of the letter, the words “Letter to” and the recipient, and the date of the letter (use “N.d.” if it is undated). Add the title of the collection, the editor, and publication information. Add the page range before the medium.
Wharton, Edith. Letter to Henry James. 28 Feb. 1915. Henry James and Edith Wharton: Letters, 1900-1915. Ed. Lyall H. Powers. New York: Scribner’s, 1990. 323-26. Print.
b. Web After information about the letter writer, recipient, and date (if known), give the location of the document, neither italicized nor in quotation marks; the name of the Web site or archive, italicized; the medium (“Web”); and your date of access.
Oblinger, Maggie. Letter to Charlie Thomas. 31 Mar. 1895. Nebraska State Hist. Soc. Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters, 1862-1912. Web. 3 Sept. 2012.
c. Personal To cite a letter that you received, begin with the writer’s name and add the phrase “Letter to the author,” followed by the date. Add the medium (“MS” for “manuscript,” or a handwritten letter; “TS” for “typescript,” or a typed letter).
Primak, Shoshana. Letter to the author. 6 May 2012. TS.
Books and other long works
Citation at a glance: Book
30. Basic format for a book
a. Print
b. E-book
c. Web Give whatever print publication information is available for the work, followed by the title of the Web site, the medium, and your date of access.
Saalman, Lora, ed. and trans. The China-India Nuclear Crossroads. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for Intl. Peace, 2012. Scribd. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
d. Database
31. Parts of a book
a. Foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword
Ozick, Cynthia. “Portrait of the Essay as a Warm Body.” Introduction. The Best American Essays 1998. Ed. Ozick. Boston: Houghton, 1998. xv-xxi. Print.
b. Chapter in a book
Adams, Henry. “Diplomacy.” The Education of Henry Adams. Boston: Houghton, 1918. N. pag. Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 8 Dec. 2012.
32. Book with a title in its title If the book title contains a title normally italicized, neither italicize the internal title nor place it in quotation marks. If the title within the title is normally put in quotation marks, retain the quotation marks and italicize the entire book title.
Masur, Louis P. Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen’s American Vision. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print.
Millás, Juan José. “Personality Disorders” and Other Stories. Trans. Gregory B. Kaplan. New York: MLA, 2007. Print.
33. Book in a language other than English If your readers are not familiar with the language of the book, include a translation of the title in brackets. Capitalize the title according to the conventions of the book’s language.
Vargas Llosa, Mario. El sueño del celta [The Dream of the Celt]. Madrid: Alfaguara, 2010. Print.
34. Entire anthology or collection An anthology is a collection of works on a common theme, often with different authors for the selections and usually with an editor for the entire volume. (The abbreviation “eds.” is for multiple editors. If the book has only one editor, use the singular “ed.”)
35. One selection from an anthology or a collection
Citation at a glance: Selection from an anthology or a collection
36. Two or more selections from an anthology or a collection For two or more works from the same anthology, provide an entry for the entire anthology (see item 34) and a shortened entry for each selection. Use the medium only for the complete anthology. Alphabetize the entries by authors’ or editors’ last names.
37. Edition other than the first Include the number of the edition (2nd, 3rd, and so on). If the book has a translator or an editor in addition to the author, give the name of the translator or editor before the edition number, using the abbreviation “Trans.” for “Translated by” or “Ed.” for “Edited by” (see item 9).
Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2008.
38. Multivolume work Include the total number of volumes before the city and publisher, using the abbreviation “vols.” If the volumes were published over several years, give the inclusive dates of publication. (The abbreviation “Ed.” means “Edited by,” so it is the same for one or more editors.)
If you cite only one of the volumes in your paper, include the volume number before the city and publisher and give the date of publication for that volume. After the date, give the medium of publication followed by the total number of volumes.
39. Sacred text Give the title of the edition of the sacred text (taken from the title page), italicized; the editor’s or translator’s name (if any); publication information; and the medium. Add the name of the version, if there is one, after the medium.
The Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Ed. Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger. New York: Oxford UP, 1965. Print. Rev. Standard Vers.
The Qur’an: Translation. Trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Elmhurst: Tahrike, 2000. Print.
40. Book in a series After the publication information, give the medium and then the series name as it appears on the title page, followed by the series number, if any.
Denham, A. E., ed. Plato on Art and Beauty. New York: Palgrave, 2012. Print. Philosophers in Depth.
41. Republished book After the title of the book, give the original year of publication, followed by the current publication information. If the republished book contains new material, such as an introduction or an afterword, include information about the new material after the original date.
Trilling, Lionel. The Liberal Imagination. 1950. Introd. Louis Menand. New York: New York Rev. of Books, 2008. Print.
42. Publisher’s imprint If a book was published by an imprint (a division) of a publishing company, give the name of the imprint, a hyphen, and the name of the publisher.
Mantel, Hilary. Bring Up the Bodies. New York: Macrae-Holt, 2012. Print.
43. Pamphlet, brochure, or newsletter Cite as you would a book.
The Legendary Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Concord: Friends of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, 2008. Print.
44. Dissertation
a. Published For dissertations that have been published in book form, italicize the title. After the title and before the book’s publication information, give the abbreviation “Diss.,” the name of the institution, and the year the dissertation was accepted. Add the medium of publication at the end.
Damberg, Cheryl L. Healthcare Reform: Distributional Consequences of an Employer Mandate for Workers in Small Firms. Diss. Rand Graduate School, 1995. Santa Monica: Rand, 1996. Print.
b. Unpublished Begin with the author’s name, followed by the dissertation title in quotation marks; the abbreviation “Diss.”; the name of the institution; the year the dissertation was accepted; and the medium of the dissertation.
Jackson, Shelley. “Writing Whiteness: Contemporary Southern Literature in Black and White.” Diss. U of Maryland, 2000. Print.
45. Proceedings of a conference Cite as you would a book, adding the name, date, and location of the conference after the title.
Sowards, Stacey K., Kyle Alvarado, Diana Arrieta, and Jacob Barde, eds. Across Borders and Environments: Communication and Environmental Justice in International Contexts. Proc. of Eleventh Biennial Conf. on Communication and the Environment, 25-28 June 2011, U of Texas at El Paso. Cincinnati: Intl. Environmental Communication Assn., 2012. PDF file.
46. Manuscript Give the author, a title or a description of the manuscript, and the date of composition. Use the abbreviation “MS” for “manuscript” (handwritten) or “TS” for “typescript.” Add the name and location of the institution housing the material. For a manuscript found on the Web, give the preceding information but omit “MS” or “TS.” List the title of the Web site, the medium (“Web”), and your date of access.
Arendt, Hannah. Between Past and Future. N.d. 1st draft. Hannah Arendt Papers. MS Div., Lib. of Cong. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
Web sites and parts of Web sites
47. An entire Web site
a. Web site with author or editor
Halsall, Paul, ed. Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Fordham U, 4 Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.
b. Web site with organization as author
c. Web site with no author Begin with the title of the site. If the site has no title, begin with a label such as “Home page.”
Jacob Leisler Papers Project. Dept. of History, New York U, n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
d. Web site with no title Use the label “Home page” or another appropriate description in place of a title.
Gray, Bethany. Home page. Iowa State U, 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2012.
note: If your instructor requires a URL for Web sources, include the URL, enclosed in angle brackets, at the end of the entry.
Railton, Stephen. Mark Twain in His Times. Stephen Railton and U of Virginia Lib., 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/>.
48. Short work from a Web site
Citation at a glance: Short work from a Web site
a. Short work with author
b. Short work with no author
49. Long work from a Web site
50. Entire blog Cite a blog as you would an entire Web site (see item 47).
Kiuchi, Tatsuro. Tatsuro Kiuchi: News & Blog. N.p., 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
51. Blog post or comment Cite a blog post or comment (a response to a post) as you would a short work from a Web site (see item 48). If the post or comment has no title, use the label “Blog post” or “Blog comment.” Follow with the remaining information as for an entire blog (see item 50). (See item 11 for the use of screen names.)
52. Academic course or department home page Cite as a short work from a Web site (see item 48). For a course home page, begin with the name of the instructor and the title of the course or title of the page (use “Course home page” if there is no other title). For a department home page, begin with the name of the department and the label “Dept. home page.”
Masiello, Regina. “355:101: Expository Writing.” Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences. Writing Program, Rutgers U, 2012. Web. 19 Aug. 2012.
Comparative Media Studies. Dept. home page. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Audio, visual, and multimedia sources
53. Podcast If you view or listen to a podcast on the Web, cite it as you would a short work from a Web site (see item 48). If you download the podcast and view or listen to it on a computer or portable player, give the file type (such as “MP3 file” or “MOV file”) as the medium.
a. Web
b. Downloaded
54. Film (DVD, BD, or other format) Begin with the title, italicized. Then give the director (“Dir.”) and the lead actors (“Perf.”) or narrator (“Narr.”); the distributor; the year of the film’s release; and the medium. For the medium, use “Film” if you viewed the film in a theater or streamed it through a service such as Netflix; use “DVD” or “BD” if you viewed the film on a DVD or Blu-ray Disc; use “Web” if you viewed the film on a Web site on a computer. If you aren’t sure of the medium, use “Film.”
If your paper emphasizes a person or a category of people involved with the film, you may begin with those names and titles, as in the second example.
55. Supplementary material accompanying a film Begin with the title of the supplementary material, in quotation marks, and the names of any important contributors, as for a film. End with information about the film, as in item 54.
“Sweeney’s London.” Prod. Eric Young. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Dir. Tim Burton. DreamWorks, 2007. DVD. Disc 2.
56. Video or audio from the Web Cite video or audio that you accessed on the Web as you would a short work from a Web site (see item 48), giving information about the author before other information about the video or audio.
57. Video game List the developer or author of the game (if any); the title, italicized; the version (“Vers.”), if there is one; the distributor and date of publication; and the platform or medium. If the game can be played on the Web, add information as for a work from a Web site (see item 48).
Firaxis Games. Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution. Take-Two Interactive, 2008. Xbox 360. Edgeworld. Atom Entertainment, 1 May 2012. Web. 15 June 2012.
58. Computer software or app Cite as a video game (see item 57), giving whatever information is available about the version, distributor, date, and platform.
Words with Friends. Vers. 5.84. Zynga, 2013. iOS 4.3.
59. Television or radio episode or program If you are citing an episode or a segment of a program, begin with the title of the episode or segment, in quotation marks. Then give the title of the program, italicized; relevant information about the program, such as the writer (“By”), director (“Dir.”), performers (“Perf.”), or narrator or host (“Narr.”); the network; the local station and location (not necessary for cable networks, as in the second example on p. 639); the date of broadcast; and the medium (“Television,” “Radio”).
For a program you accessed on the Web, after the information about the program give the network, the original broadcast date, the title of the Web site, the medium (“Web”), and your date of access. If you are citing an entire program (not an episode or a segment), begin your entry with the title of the program, italicized.
a. Broadcast
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. 29 Nov. 2012. Television.
b. Web
c. Podcast
60. Transcript You might find a transcript related to an interview or a program on a radio or television Web site or in a transcript database, such as in the first example. Cite the source as you would an interview (see item 27) or a radio or television program (see item 59). Add the label “Transcript” at the end of the entry.
Cullen, Heidi. “Weather Warnings for a ‘Climate Changed Planet. ’” Interview by Terry Gross. Fresh Air. Natl. Public Radio, 25 July 2011. LexisNexis Library Express. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Transcript.
“Missing Athletes Join a Long List of Olympic Defectors.” Narr. Melissa Block. All Things Considered. Natl. Public Radio, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 28 Aug. 2012. Transcript.
61. Performance For a live performance of a concert, a play, a ballet, or an opera, begin with the title of the work performed, italicized (unless it is named by form, number, and key). Then give the author or composer of the work (“By”); relevant information such as the director (“Dir.”), the choreographer (“Chor.”), the conductor (“Cond.”), or the major performers (“Perf.”); the theater, ballet, or opera company, if any; the theater and location; the date of the performance; and the label “Performance.”
Wetu in the City: An Urban Black Indian Tale. By Mwalim [Morgan James Peters]. Dir. Naheem Garcia. Hibernian Hall, Boston. 16 Nov. 2012. Performance.
Symphony no. 4 in G. By Gustav Mahler. Cond. Mark Wigglesworth. Perf. Juliane Banse and Boston Symphony Orch. Symphony Hall, Boston. 17 Apr. 2009. Performance.
62. Lecture or public address Begin with the speaker’s name, followed by the title of the lecture (if any), in quotation marks; the organization sponsoring the lecture; the location; the date; and a label such as “Lecture” or “Address.” If you viewed the lecture on the Web, cite as you would a short work from a Web site (see item 48).
a. Live
Berry, Wendell E. “It All Turns on Affection.” Natl. Endowment for the Humanities. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington. 23 Apr. 2012. Lecture.
b. Web
Clinton, Hillary Rodham. “Remarks on ‘Creating an AIDS-Free Generation.’” US Department of State: Diplomacy in Action. US Dept. of State, 8 Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
63. Musical score For both print and online versions, begin with the composer’s name; the title of the work, italicized (unless it is named by form, number, and key); and the date of composition. For a print source, give the place of publication; the name of the publisher and date of publication; and the medium. For an online source, give the title of the Web site; the publisher or sponsor of the site; the date of Web publication; the medium; and your date of access.
Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony no. 5 in C Minor, op. 67. 1807. Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities. CCARH, Stanford U, 2000. Web. 23 Aug. 2012.
64. Sound recording Begin with the name of the person you want to emphasize: the composer, conductor (“Cond.”), or performer (“Perf.”). For a long work, give the title, italicized (unless it is named by form, number, and key); the names of pertinent artists (such as performers, readers, or musicians); and the orchestra and conductor, if relevant. End with the manufacturer, the date, and the medium (“CD,” “Audiocassette”). For a song, put the title in quotation marks. If you include the name of the album or CD, italicize it.
a. CD
Bizet, Georges. Carmen. Perf. Jennifer Larmore, Thomas Moser, Angela Gheorghiu, and Samuel Ramey. Bavarian State Orch. and Chorus. Cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli. Warner, 1996. CD.
Blige, Mary J. “Don’t Mind.” Life II: The Journey Continues (Act 1). Geffen, 2011. CD.
b. Downloaded
Blige, Mary J. “Don’t Mind.” Life II: The Journey Continues (Act 1). Geffen, 2011. MP3 file.
65. Work of art (a) For an original work of art, cite the artist’s name; the title of the artwork, italicized; the date of composition; the medium of composition (for instance, “Oil on canvas,” “Charcoal on paper”); and the institution and city in which the artwork is located. (b) For artworks found on the Web, omit the medium of composition and include the title of the Web site, the medium (“Web”), and your date of access. (c) If you downloaded a digital file from an archive or other online source, cite as in (a) but include the type of file as the medium (“JPEG file,” “TIFF file”). (d) If you viewed the artwork as a reproduction in a print source, omit the medium of composition and add publication information about the print source, including the page number or figure number for the artwork; give the medium of reproduction at the end.
a. Original
Constable, John. Dedham Vale. 1802. Oil on canvas. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
b. Web
Hessing, Valjean. Caddo Myth. 1976. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha. Joslyn Art Museum. Web. 19 Apr. 2012.
c. Digital file
Diebenkorn, Richard. Ocean Park No. 38. 1971. Phillips Collection, Washington. JPEG file.
d. Reproduction (print)
O’Keeffe, Georgia. Black and Purple Petunias. 1925. Private collection. Two Lives: A Conversation in Paintings and Photographs. Ed. Alexandra Arrowsmith and Thomas West. New York: Harper, 1992. 67. Print.
66. Photograph (a) For an original photograph, cite the photographer’s name; the title of the photograph, italicized; the date of composition; the medium (“Photograph”); and the institution and city in which the photograph is located. (b) For photographs found on the Web, omit the medium “Photograph” and include the title of the Web site, the medium “Web,” and your date of access. (c) If you downloaded a digital file from an archive or other online source, cite as in (a) but include the type of file as the medium (“JPEG file,” “TIFF file”). (d) If you viewed the photograph as a reproduction in a print source, omit the medium of composition and add publication information about the print source, including the page number or figure number for the artwork; give the medium of reproduction at the end.
a. Original
Feinstein, Harold. Hangin’ Out, Sharing a Public Bench, NYC. 1948. Photograph. Panopticon Gallery, Boston.
b. Web
McCurry, Steve. A World of Prayer. Magnum Photos. Magnum Photos, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
c. Digital file
Lucy Branham in Occoquan Prison Dress. 1919. Lib. of Cong. JPEG file.
d. Reproduction (print)
Kertész, André. Meudon. 1928. Street Photography: From Atget to Cartier-Bresson. By Clive Scott. London: Tauris, 2011. 61. Print.
67. Cartoon Give the cartoonist’s name; the title of the cartoon, if it has one, in quotation marks; the label “Cartoon” or “Comic strip”; publication information; and the medium. To cite an online cartoon, give the title of the Web site, the sponsor or publisher, the medium, and your date of access.
Zyglis, Adam. “Delta and Denial.” Cartoon. Buffalo News. Buffalo News, 11 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
68. Advertisement Name the product or company being advertised, followed by the word “Advertisement.” Give publication information for the source in which the advertisement appears.
UnitedHealthcare. Advertisement. Smithsonian Dec. 2012: 27. Print.
Corolla. Advertisement. Root. Slate Group, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
69. Visual such as a table, a chart, or another graphicCite a visual as you would a short work within a longer work. Use the label “Table,” “Chart,” or “Graphic” following the title. Add the medium and, for an online source, the sponsor or publisher and the date of access. If the visual has a number in the source, give that number immediately before the medium.
“Canada’s Energy Flow 2007.” Chart. Economist. Economist Newspaper, 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
“CDC Climate Ready States and Cities Initiative.” Graphic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
70. Map Cite a map as you would a short work within a longer work. Or, if the map is published on its own, cite it as a book or another long work. Use the label “Map” following the title. Add the medium and, for an online source, the sponsor or publisher and the date of access.
“Population Origin Groups in Rural Texas.” Map. Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. U of Texas at Austin, 1976. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.
71. Digital file A digital file is any document or image that exists in digital form, independent of a Web site. To cite a digital file, begin with information required for the source (such as a photograph, a report, a sound recording, or a radio program), following the guidelines throughout section 56b. Then for the medium, indicate the type of file: “JPEG file,” “PDF file,” “MP3 file,” and so on.
“Back to School.” This American Life. Narr. Ira Glass. Episode 474. Chicago Public Media, 14 Sept. 2012. MP3 file.
National Institute of Mental Health. What Rescue Workers Can Do. Washington: US Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2006. PDF file.
[View PDF]
How to cite a source reposted from another source
PROBLEM: Some sources that you find online, particularly on blogs or on video-sharing sites, did not originate with the person who uploaded or published the source online. In such a case, how do you give proper credit for the source?
example: Say you need to cite President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. You have found a video on YouTube that provides footage of the address (see image). The video was uploaded by PaddyIrishMan2 on October 29, 2006. But clearly, PaddyIrishMan2 is not the author of the video or of the address.
strategy: Start with what you know. The source is a video that you viewed on the Web. For this particular video, John F. Kennedy is the speaker and the author of the inaugural address. PaddyIrishMan2 is identified as the person who uploaded the source to YouTube.
citation: To cite the source, you can combine the basic MLA guidelines for a lecture or public address (see item 62) and for a video found on the Web (see item 56).
Because Kennedy’s inauguration is a well-known historical event, you can be fairly certain that this is not the only version of the inauguration video. It is a good idea, therefore, to include information about which version you viewed as supplementary information at the end of your citation.
note: If your work calls for a primary source, you should try to find the original source of the video; a reference librarian can help.
[View PDF]
How to cite course materials
PROBLEM: Sometimes you will be assigned to work with materials that an instructor has uploaded to a course Web site or has handed out in class. Complete publication information may not always be given for such sources. A PDF file or a hard-copy article, for instance, may have a title and an author’s name but give no other information. Or a video may not include information about the creator or the date the video was created. When you write a paper using such sources, how should you cite them in your own work?
example: Perhaps your instructor has included a PDF file of an article in a collection of readings on the course Web site (see image at right). You are writing a paper in which you use a passage from the work.
strategy: Look through section 56b for a model that matches the type of source you’re working with. Is it an article? A chapter from a book? A photograph? A video? The model or models you find will give you an idea of the information you need to gather about the source. The usual required information is (1) the author or creator, (2) the title, (3) the date the work was published or created, (4) the date you accessed the source (usually only for sources on the Web), and (5) the medium in which the source was presented (see p. 602).
citation: For your citation, you can give only as much of the required information as you can find in the source. In this example, you know the source is an article with an author and a title, and you accessed it as a PDF file. So you can combine items 13a (basic format for an article) and 71 (digital file) to create the works cited entry for the source. Since you can’t tell when the article was published, you should use “N.d.” for “No date.” At the end of your citation, it is a good idea to include the description “Course materials” and supplementary information about the course (such as its title or number and the term).
note: When in doubt about how much information to include or where to find it, consult your instructor.
Government and legal documents
72. Government document Treat the government agency as the author, giving the name of the government followed by the name of the department and the agency, if any. For print sources, add the medium at the end of the entry. For sources found on the Web, follow the model for an entire Web site (see item 47) or for short or long works from a Web site (see items 48 and 49).
Canada. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Dev. Gathering Strength: Canada’s Aboriginal Action Plan. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Govt. Services Can., 2000. Print.
73. Testimony before a legislative body
Carson, Johnnie. “Assessing US Policy on Peacekeeping Operations in Africa.” Testimony before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. US Department of State: Diplomacy in Action. US Dept. of State, 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012.
74. Historical document To cite a historical document, such as the US Constitution or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, begin with the document author, if it has one, and then give the document title, neither italicized nor in quotation marks, and the document date. For a print version, continue as for a selection in an anthology (see item 35) or for a book (with the title not italicized). For an online version, cite as a short work from a Web site (see item 48).
Jefferson, Thomas. First Inaugural Address. 1801. The American Reader. Ed. Diane Ravitch. New York: Harper, 1990. 42-44. Print.
Constitution of the United States. 1787. The Charters of Freedom. US Natl. Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2013.
75. Legislative act (law) Begin with the name of the act, neither italicized nor in quotation marks. Then provide the act’s Public Law number; its Statutes at Large volume and page numbers; its date of enactment; and the medium of publication.
Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996. Pub. L. 104-231. 110 Stat. 3048. 2 Oct. 1996. Print.
76. Court case Name the first plaintiff and the first defendant. Then give the volume, name, and page number of the law report; the court name; the year of the decision; and publication information. Do not italicize the name of the case. (In the text of the paper, the name of the case is italicized; see item 19 in 56a.)
Utah v. Evans. 536 US 452. Supreme Court of the US. 2002. Supreme Court Collection. Legal Information Inst., Cornell U Law School, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2012.
Personal communication and social media
77. E-mail message Begin with the writer’s name and the subject line. Then write “Message to” followed by the name of the recipient. End with the date of the message and the medium (“E-mail”).
Lowe, Walter. “Review Questions.” Message to the author. 15 Mar. 2013. E-mail.
78. Text message Cite like an e-mail message, giving the medium as “Text message.”
Wiley, Joanna. Message to the author. 29 Nov. 2012. Text message.
79. Posting to an online discussion list When possible, cite archived versions of postings. If you cannot locate an archived version, keep a copy of the posting for your records. Begin with the author’s name, followed by the title or subject line, in quotation marks (use the label “Online posting” if the posting has no title). Then proceed as for a short work from a Web site (see item 48).
Baker, Frank. “A New Twist on a Classic.” Developing Digital Literacies. NCTE, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.
80. Facebook post or comment Cite as a short work from a Web site (see item 48), beginning with the writer’s real name followed by the screen name in parentheses, if both are given. Otherwise use whatever name is given in the source. Follow with the title of the post, if any, in quotation marks. If there is no title, use the label “Post.”
Bedford/St. Martin’s. “Liz Losh Discusses Teaching about Interactive Media with Comics: http://ow.ly/imucP.” Facebook. Facebook, 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.
Erin Houlihan. Post. Facebook. Facebook, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
81. Twitter post (tweet) Begin with the writer’s real name followed by the screen name in parentheses, if both are given. Otherwise use whatever name is given in the source. Give the text of the entire tweet in quotation marks, using the writer’s capitalization and punctuation. Follow the text with the date and time noted on the tweet. Use “Tweet” as the medium.
Curiosity Rover. “The journey of 352,000,000 miles begins with a single launch. One year ago today, I left Earth for Mars http://twitpic.com/bgq1vn.” 26 Nov. 2012, 10:10 a.m. Tweet.
hackerhandbooks.com/bedhandbook
- Researched writing > Exercises: MLA papers: 56–4 to 56–8