Created by the Modern Language Association, MLA documentation style is fully outlined in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition (2009). Disciplines that use MLA style include English literature, the humanities, and various foreign languages. The sample citations below all relate to a single topic: film appreciation and criticism.

1. Book by a Single Author Citations for most books are arranged as follows: (1) the author’s name, last name first; (2) the title and subtitle, italicized; and (3) the city of publication, an abbreviated form of the publisher’s name, and the date. Each of these three pieces of information is followed by a period and one space. End the citation with the medium of publication (Print) and a period.

Berg, Charles Ramírez. Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, and Resistance. Austin: U of Texas P, 2002. Print.

2. Book by Multiple Authors or Editors Give the first author’s name, last name first; then list the name(s) of the other author(s) in regular order with a comma between authors and the word and before the last one. The final name in a list of editors is followed by a comma and “ed.” or “eds.”

Grieveson, Lee, and Haidee Wasson, eds. Inventing Film Studies. Durham: Duke UP, 2008. Print.

3. Article in a Reference Work Begin with the author of the article; if none is provided, begin with the title of the article in quotation marks. Cite the name of the reference work, followed by the edition (if provided) and the date of publication. If the work is arranged alphabetically, no volume or page numbers are required. If the citation is to an online version of the work, give the author, article title, and website. Then add the publisher or sponsor of the site, the date of publication or last update, the medium (Web), and the date you accessed the work (day, month, year). End with a period.

Katz, Ephraim. “Film Noir.” The Film Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2008. Print.

“Auteur Theory.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007. Web. 22 Oct. 2007.

4. Government Document In most cases, give the name of the governmental body or office followed by the agency and any subdivision as the author, using standard abbreviations. Italicize the title of the document. Congressional documents should include the congressional number and session, house, and type of document (report, resolution, etc.) in abbreviated form, and the number of the material. Add the publication information (the publisher is often the Government Printing Office [GPO]). Then end with the medium (Print). For an online government document, after the title of the document, give any additional print information, the database you accessed, the medium (Web), and your date of access.

United States. Cong. House. Committee on the Judiciary. National Film Preservation Act of 1996. 104th Cong., 2nd sess., H. Rept. 104–558. Washington: GPO, 1996. Print.

United States. Cong. House. Committee on House Administration. Library of Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs Reauthorization Act of 2008. 110th Cong., 2nd sess., H. Rept. 110–683. GPOAccess, Congressional Reports. Web. 15 Jan. 2010.

5. Magazine Article Along with the author’s name, the title of the article in quotation marks, and the title of the magazine in italics, include the full date of publication and inclusive page numbers of the article. The date of publication should be listed as day, month, year, with no commas between them. For monthly magazines, list the month and year only. Use three-letter abbreviations for all months except May, June, and July. End with the medium (Print).

If you are citing the article from an online edition of the magazine, after the title of the article, add the name of the website in italics, followed by a period. Then add the publisher or sponsor of the site, the date of publication, the medium (Web), and the date you accessed the article.

Ansen, David. “Shock and Yawn.” Newsweek 26 Oct. 2009: 48. Print.

Horn, Robert. “From Bangkok to Cannes, Thai Political Tensions Remain.” Time. Time, 24 May 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.

6. Journal Article Follow the format for magazine articles, but include the journal’s volume number and the issue number (if any), with a period between them. Give the year in parentheses followed by a colon and the page numbers. End with the medium (Print).

If an article is accessed online through a database service, after the publication information, add the name of the database in italics, followed by a period. Then give the medium (Web) and your date of access. End with a period.

Skrebels, Paul. “All Night Long: Jazzing around with Othello.” Literature/Film Quarterly 36.2 (2008): 147–56. Print.

Holcomb, Mark. “A Classic Revisited: To Kill a Mockingbird.” Film Quarterly 55.4 (2002): 34–40. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.

7. Newspaper Article Documenting a newspaper article is similar to documenting a magazine article. In citing the name of the newspaper, do not include any initial A, An, or The. Add the city in brackets after the name if the newspaper is not well known and the city’s name is not part of the newspaper’s title. Give the date, the edition (if any), a colon, a space, the section number or letter (if any), and the page number(s). If the article appears on discontinuous pages, give the first page followed by a plus sign (+) to indicate that the article continues on other pages. End with the medium (Print).

If you are citing an article found online, after the title of the article, give the name of the newspaper’s website followed by a period. Then specify the publisher or sponsor of the site, the date of publication, the medium consulted (Web), and the date you accessed the article.

Peers, Martin. “HBO Could Draw True Blood Online.” Wall Street Journal 23 Oct. 2010: B16+. Print.

Dargis, Manohla. “Unblinking Eye, Visual Diary: Warhol’s Films.” New York Times. New York Times, 21 Oct. 2007. Web. 22 Jan. 2010.

8. Newspaper Editorial Document an editorial as a standard newspaper article, but add the word “Editorial” after the title. If the editorial is signed, list the author’s name first; otherwise, begin with the title.

“Avatars Don’t Smoke.” Editorial. New York Times 8 Jan. 2010: A26. Print.

9. Single-Issue CD-ROM, Diskette, or Magnetic Tape Cite these electronic sources as you would books, with the title of the source in italics. Add the number of the electronic edition, release, or version (if applicable), the city and publisher of the source, and the year of publication. End with the medium (CD-ROM, Diskette, etc.).

“Pulp Fiction.” Blockbuster Movie Trivia. 3rd ed. New York: Random, 1998. CD-ROM.

10. Online Scholarly Project or Reference Database Begin with the author if one is listed. Then give the title of the work you are citing, in quotation marks, followed by the title of the site, in italics. If the site has an editor, give the abbreviation “Ed.” followed by the editor’s name. Then cite the name of the sponsoring organization, the date of electronic publication or of the latest update, the medium (Web), and the date on which you accessed the site.

“Origins of American Animation.” American Memory. Lib. of Cong., 31 Mar. 1999. Web. 26 June 2010.

11. Commercial Website Include the creator of the website (if known); the title of the work you are citing, in quotation marks; the site’s title, in italics; the name of any sponsoring organization or publisher (if none is found, use “N.p.”). Then give the date the site was last updated (if none is listed, use “n.d.”), the medium (Web), and your date of access.

“American Beauty.” Crazy for Cinema. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2010.

12. Personal Website The guidelines for citing a personal website are similar to those for a commercial site. Include the name of the person who created the site and the title of the site in italics. If there is no title, include a description such as “Home page.” Then give the publisher or sponsor of the site, the date of the last update, the medium, and your date of access.

Last, Kimberly. 007. Kimberly Last, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2007.

13. Article in an Online Periodical Begin with the author, the title of the article in quotation marks, and the name of the website in italics, followed by a period. Then add the publisher or sponsor of the site, the date of publication, the medium (Web), and the date you accessed the article.

Williams, Mary Elizabeth. “The NC-17 Rating’s Perverse Failure.” Salon. Salon Media Group, 8 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 Jan. 2011.

14. Posting to a Discussion Group Begin with the author’s name and the title of the posting in quotation marks (if there is no title, use “Online posting”). Then give the name of the website, e-mail discussion list, or newsgroup, in italics; the sponsor or publisher of the site (if none, use “N.p.”); and the date of the posting. Add the medium (Web) and your date of access.

Granger, Susan. “Review of The Cider House Rules.” Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, 30 Mar. 2000. Web. 2 Oct. 2010.

15. E-Mail Message Give the writer’s name, the subject of the message in quotation marks, and then the phrase “Message to” and the name of the recipient (if the message was addressed to the author of the work in which the message is being cited, use “Message to the author”). Include the date of the message. End with the medium (E-mail).

Boothe, Jeanna. “Re: Top 100 Movies.” Message to the author. 16 Feb. 2010. E-mail.

16. Work of Art or Photograph The basic citation for artwork includes the name of the artist, the work’s title, the date of composition (if unknown, use “n.d.”), the medium of composition (Oil on Canvas, Bronze, Photograph), the museum or other location, and the city. For artwork cited in a book, use the basic citation followed by the publication information for the book, and end with the medium consulted (Print). For artwork cited online, omit the medium of composition from the basic citation, and then after the city, add the website or database, the medium consulted (Web), and your date of access.

Christenberry, William. Coleman’s Café. 1971. Ektacolor Brownie Print. Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga.

Christenberry, William. Signs Near Greensboro, Alabama. 1973. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Web. 14 Jan. 2003.

Vermeer, Jan. A Woman Weighing Gold. 1664? Oil on Canvas. Natl. Gallery of Art, Washington. Ed. Gerald F. Brommer. Discovering Art History. 2nd ed. Worcester: Davis, 1988. 308. Print.

17. Personal Interview Begin with the name of the person interviewed. Then specify the type of interview (Personal, Telephone, or Internet interview) and the date on which it was conducted.

Sanderson, Andrew. Telephone interview. 12 June 2010.