Electronic Sources
56. Article from an online database or subscription service Cite it as you would a print article, and then give the name of the database in italics, the medium consulted (“Web”), and the date you accessed the article. (See also item 32.)
Sander, Libby. “How 4 Colleges Take on Veterans’ Issues, in Research and Real Life.” Chronicle of Higher Education 59.4 (2012): 17-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
How do I cite articles from databases using MLA style?
Tutorial
How do I cite articles from databases using MLA style?
Libraries subscribe to services such as LexisNexis, ProQuest, InfoTrac, and EBSCOhost that provide access to databases of digital texts. The databases provide publication information, abstracts, and the complete text of documents in a specific subject area, discipline, or profession. (See also Chapter 12.)
The author. Give the last name first, followed by a comma, the first name, and the middle initial (if given). Omit titles such as “MD,” “PhD,” or “Sir”; include suffixes after the name and a comma (O’Driscoll, Gerald P., Jr.). End with a period.
The article title. Give the full title; include the subtitle (if any), preceded by a colon. Enclose the full title in quotation marks, and capitalize all major words. Place a period inside the closing quotation mark.
The periodical title. Italicize the periodical title; exclude any initial “A,” “An,” or “The”; capitalize all major words.
The volume number and issue number if appropriate. For journals, give the volume number, and then insert a period (no space) and the issue number.
The date of publication. For journals, give the year in parentheses, followed by a colon. For monthly magazines, don’t use parentheses; give the month and year. For weekly magazines and newspapers, give the day, month, and year.
Inclusive page number(s). Include section letters for newspapers, if relevant. If no pagination is given, use “n. pag.”
The name of the database. Italicize the name of the database, followed by a period.
The medium consulted. Use “Web” followed by a period.
The date of access. Use the day-month-year format; abbreviate all months except May, June, and July. End with a period.
57. Short work from a Web site Include the author (if available), the title of the document in quotation marks, and the title of the Web site in italics. Then give the sponsor or publisher followed by a comma, the date of publication or last update followed by a period, the medium (“Web”), and the access date. Do not include URLs in works cited entries.
Snelling, Sherri. “Why Laughter Is Crucial for Caregivers.” Next Avenue. PBS, 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
How do I cite works from Web sites using MLA style?
Tutorial
How do I cite works from Web sites using MLA style?
You will likely need to search the site to find some of the citation information you need. For some sites, all of the details may not be available; find as many as you can. Remember that the citation information you provide should allow readers to retrace your steps electronically to locate the sources.
The author of the work. Give the last name first, followed by a comma, the first name, and the middle initial (if given). Omit titles such as “MD,” “PhD,” or “Sir”; include suffixes after the name and a comma (O’Driscoll, Gerald P., Jr.). Insert a period. If no author is given, begin with the title.
The title of the work. Give the full title; include the subtitle (if any), preceded by a colon. Enclose the title and subtitle in quotation marks, and capitalize all major words. Place a period inside the closing quotation mark.
The title of the Web site. Give the title of the entire site, italicized. If there is no clear title and it is a personal home page, use “Home page” without italicizing it. End with a period.
The name of the sponsoring organization. Look for the sponsor’s name at the bottom of the site’s home page. If no publisher or sponsor is available, use “N. p.” Follow with a comma.
The date of publication or most recent update. Use the day-month-year format; abbreviate all months except May, June, and July. If no date is given, use “n.d.” End with a period.
The medium consulted. For works found online, use “Web” followed by a period.
The date you accessed it. Give the most recent date you accessed the site. End with a period.
58. Academic course or department Web site For a course page, give the name of the instructor, the course title in italics, a description such as “Course home page,” the course dates, the department, the institution, the medium, and your date of access. For a department page, give the department name, a description such as “Home page,” the institution, the date of the last update, the medium, and the date of access.
Long, Jacqueline. CLST 273/WSGS 297: Classical Tragedy with a Focus on Women’s Studies and Gender. Course home page. Fall 2012. Classical Studies Dept., Loyola U Chicago. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.
Dept. of English. Home page. East Carolina U, 2012. Web. 3 Jan. 2013.
59. Personal Web site If the site has no title, give a description such as “Home page.”
Beal, Timothy. Home page. Harper, 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
60. Message posted to a newsgroup, electronic mailing list, or online discussion forum Cite the name of the person who posted the message and the title (from the subject line, in quotation marks); if the posting has no title, add the phrase “Online posting.” Then add the name of the Web site (italicized), the sponsor or publisher, the date of the message, the medium (“Web”), and the date you accessed the posting.
Biesanz, Jeremy. “Tanaka Personality Dissertation Award.” Social Psychology Network. Scott Plous, Wesleyan U, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
61. Article or page on a wiki Because the material on a wiki is likely to change, include your date of access.
“Sustainability.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2012. Web. 22 Dec. 2012.
62. Blog To cite an entry or a comment on a blog, give the author of the entry or comment (if available), the title of the entry or comment in quotation marks, the title of the blog (italicized), the sponsor or publisher, the date the material was posted, the medium, and the access date.
Marcotte, Amanda. “War Isn’t a Male Value.” The XX Factor. Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Feb. 2013.
63. E-mail message Cite the sender of the message; the title (from the subject line); a phrase indicating the recipient of the message (“Message to”); the date of the message; and the medium (“E-mail”). (Note that MLA’s style is to hyphenate the word e-mail.)
Zhang, Xudong. “Commentary on Mo Yan’s ‘Change.’” Message to Prof. Kristin Ross. 17 Apr. 2012. E-mail.
McMann, Lillian. “Ideas for Final Paper.” Message to Carla Chavez. 25 Jan. 2013. E-mail.
64. Online book Cite an online book as you would a print book; then give title of the database or Web site (italicized), the medium (“Web”), and the access date (see also item 16).
Sunderland, Jane. Language, Gender and Children’s Fiction. New York: Continuum, 2011. Google Book Search. Web. 4 May 2012.
65. Online periodical article Provide the author, the title of the article (in quotation marks), and the name of the Web site (in italics). Then add the publisher or sponsor, the date of publication, the medium (“Web”), and your date of access (see also items 32–40).
Gold, Jenny. “ ‘Life Specialists’ Help Young Patients Cope with Illness.” Washingtonpost.com. Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
Campos, Paul. “Too Many Lawyers? Who Says?” Salon.com. Salon Media Group, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.
66. Online film or video clip (See also item 49 on p. 663.)
“Great Barrier Reef Loses More Than Half Its Coral Cover.” The Guardian. Reuters, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
67. Online image Treat maps, charts, advertisements, and other visual documents you find online as you would the print versions, but include the Web site (italicized), sponsor or publisher of the site, the medium (“Web”), and your date of access. For a work of art found online, omit the medium of composition, and after the location, add the title of the Web site or database (italicized), the medium consulted (“Web”), and your date of access. (See also item 42 and items 53–55.)
“Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona.” Map. Google Maps. Google, 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 6 Feb. 2013.
Thompson, Bob. Tree. 1962. Natl. Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
IBM. Advertisement. New Yorker. Condé Nast, 2012. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.
68. DVD, Blu-ray disc, or CD-ROM Treat a work published on DVD, Blu-ray disc, or CD-ROM as you would a book, noting “DVD,” “Blu-ray disc,” or “CD-ROM” as the medium.
Lewis, Michael. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Cologne: Random House Audio, 2011. CD-ROM.
69. Computer software or video game Cite computer software as you would a book. Provide additional information about the medium on which it is distributed (“CD-ROM,” “Xbox 360,” and so on) and the version.
Cross of the Dutchman. Leeuwarden: Triangle Studios, 2012. CD-ROM.
70. Other online sources For other online sources, adapt the guidelines to the medium. Include as much information as necessary for your readers to easily find your source. The example below is for a radio program available in an online archive.
“Why Legos Are So Expensive — And So Popular.” All Things Considered. Host Robert Siegal. Chicago Public Radio. WBEZ, Chicago. 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.