Print Books

16. One author List the author’s last name first, followed by a comma and the first name. Italicize the book title and subtitle, if any. List the city of publication and the publisher, separated by a colon; then insert a comma and the publication year. End with the medium “Print” and a period.

Martenson, Chris. The Crash Course: The Unsustainable Future of Our Economy, Energy, and Environment. Hoboken: Wiley, 2011. Print.

17. Two or three authors List all the authors in the same order as on the title page, last name first for only the first author listed. Use commas to separate authors’ names.

Gable, Walter, and Carolyn Zogg. The Seneca Army Depot: Fighting Wars from the New York Army Homefront. Charleston: History Press, 2012. Print.

18. Four or more authors Provide the first author’s name (last name first) followed by a comma, and then the abbreviation “et al.” (Latin for “and others”).

Heartney, Eleanor, et al. After the Revolution: Women Who Transformed Contemporary Art. New York: Prestel, 2013. Print.

19. Corporate or group author Write out the full name of the corporation or group, and cite the name as you would an author. This name is often also the name of the publisher.

National Geographic. Great Empires: An Illustrated Atlas. Washington: Natl. Geographic, 2012. Print.

20. Unknown author When no author is listed on the title or copyright page, begin the entry with the title of the work. Alphabetize the entry by the first word of the title other than A, An, or The.

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan, 2012. Print.

21. Two or more books by the same author Use the author’s name in the first entry. Thereafter, use three hyphens followed by a period in place of the author’s name. List the entries alphabetically by title.

Hitchens, Christopher. Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens. New York: Hachette, 2012. Print.

---. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. New York: Hachette, 2009. Print.

---. Mortality. New York: Hachette, 2012. Print.

22. Editor(s) Use the abbreviation “ed.” or “eds.”

Bradley, Adam, and Andrew DuBois, eds. The Anthology of Rap. New Haven: Yale UP, 2011. Print.

23. Author with an editor Include the name of the editor (first name first) after the title. Use the abbreviation “Ed.” (meaning “Edited by”).

Solomon, Golda. Medicine Woman of Jazz. Ed. M. Stefan Strozier and Kyle Tourke. New York: World Audience, 2012. Print.

24. Translated book List the author first and then the title, followed by the name of the translator and publication information. Use the abbreviation “Trans.”

Paz, Octavio. The Poems of Octavio Paz. Trans. Eliot Weinberger. New York: New Directions, 2012. Print.

25. Edition other than the first Include the number of the edition and the abbreviation “ed.” (meaning “edition”) after the title.

MacQueen, Norrie. The United Nations, Peace Operations and the Cold War. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson, 2011. Print.

26. Republished book Indicate the original date of publication after the title.

Davidson, Bruce. Subway. 1986. New York: Aperture, 2011. Print.

27. Multivolume work Include the total number of volumes and the abbreviation “vols.” after the title.

Gates, Alexander, and Robert P. Blauvelt. Encyclopedia of Pollution. 2 vols. New York: Infobase, 2012. Print.

If you have used only one of the volumes in your document, include the volume number after the title. List the total number of volumes after the publication information.

Lyubimov, Alexander V., ed. Encyclopedia of Drug Metabolism and Interactions. Vol. 3. Hoboken: Wiley, 2012. Print. 6 vols.

28. Work in an edited collection or anthology Begin your citation with the author. Surround the title of the selection with quotation marks. Follow this with the title of the anthology or collection in italics, the abbreviation “Ed.” (meaning “Edited by”), and the names of the editor(s) (first name first) as well as publication information. Then give the inclusive page numbers for the selection or chapter. End with the medium.

Hayden, Thomas. “How to Hatch a Dinosaur.” The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012. Ed. Dan Ariely and Tim Folger. New York: Houghton, 2012. 35-43. Print.

If you are using multiple works from the same anthology, you may include the anthology itself in your list of works cited and cross-reference it in the citations for individual works. Do not include the medium in the cross-referenced entries.

Gears, Jeff. “‘The Great Machine Doesn’t Wear a Cape!’: American Cultural Anxiety and the Post-9/11 Superhero.” Pustz 250-61.

Lewis, A. David. “The Militarism of American Superheroes after 9/11.” Pustz 223-36.

Pustz, Matthew, ed. Comic Books and American Cultural History: An Anthology. New York: Continuum, 2012. Print.

29. Foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword Begin with the author of the part you are citing and the name of that part. Add the title of the work; “By” or “Ed.” and the work’s author or editor (first name first); and publication information. Then give the inclusive page numbers for the part. End with the medium.

Mika, Mike. Introduction. The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect. By Chris Melissinos and Patrick O’Rourke. New York: Welcome, 2012. 10-11. Print.

If the foreword or other part has a title, include the title in quotation marks between the author and the name of the part.

Kaplan, Jacob. “Not to Be Forgotten.” Foreword. Chicago Cable Cars. By Greg Borzo. Charleston: History Press, 2012. 9-12. Print.

30. Sacred text Include the title of the version as it appears on the title page. If the title does not identify the version, place that information directly after the title.

Holy Bible, 1611 King James Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.

31. Dissertation or thesis Cite as you would a book, but include an appropriate label such as “Diss.” or “MA thesis” after the title. Add the school and the year before any publication information.

Adams, Claire E. Effects of Mindfulness on Body Image, Affect, and Smoking in Women. Diss. Louisiana State U, 2011. Ann Arbor: ProQuest, 2011. Print.

How do I cite books using MLA style?

Tutorial

How do I cite books using MLA style?

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When citing a book, use the information from the title page and the copyright page (on the reverse side of the title page), not from the book’s cover or a library catalog. Consult the section on preparing a references list for additional models for citing books.

For a closer look, click on each image to enlarge it.

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  1. 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.

  2. The title. Give the full title; include the subtitle (if any), preceded by a colon. Italicize the title and subtitle; capitalize all major words. End with a period.

  3. The city of publication. If more than one city is given, use the first one listed. Insert a colon.

  4. The publisher. Give a shortened version of the publisher’s name (“Harper” for HarperCollins Publishers; “Harcourt” for Harcourt Brace; “Oxford UP” for Oxford University Press). Do not include the words “Publisher” or “Inc.” Follow with a comma.

  5. The year of publication. If more than one copyright date is given, use the most recent one. Use “n.d.” if no date is given. End with a period.

  6. The medium consulted. For a printed book, insert “Print” and end with a period.