MLA 1 MLA Documentation, 8 th Edition MLA provides a standard method of academic documentation that is often used in the humanities (except history) and the fine arts. Check with your professor or advisor to confirm whether you should use the new 8 th edition rules or the 7 th edition (which is still in use). Remember: this handout is a partial representation of certain aspects of MLA style; for more information, go to the MLA handbook or the Purdue OWL website. Principles of MLA style, 8th edition: Remember that there is sometimes more than one correct way to document a source. Make your documentation useful to readers. One goal of citing is to ensure that readers can find sources. Each time you cite a source, include both a parenthetical reference and a Works Cited entry. Editing Techniques: Documentation is all about creating good habits and being consistent. Try formatting the same element in each citation before moving on to a different element (i.e. format all author names first, then format all titles, etc.). Create a template for yourself to help you remember citation patterns. Save previous papers and review any comments about style. Click on each URLs link to make sure you can get to the resource. Miscellaneous Tips: Ask your professor what aspects of MLA matter most to them. For example, are they okay with URLs that can be accessed by DU members only or do they prefer stable links? Step1: In-Text Citations (Parenthetical Citations) Basic Rule: Place a citation in parentheses at the end of each sentence that includes any borrowed information that is not common knowledge. Cite both quotations and paraphrases but not summaries. In parentheses, put the author s last name(s) and the page number(s) on which the cited information appears: Ex.: Pirates lives typically ended within two or three years and frequently at the end of a rope (Cawthorne 12). Ex.: Pirates were often hanged after just a few years of marauding at sea (Cawthorne 12).
MLA 2 The sentence and citation are a single unit; the parenthetical citation is part of your sentence. This is why the punctuation comes after the citation. This is also why you should include the author s name in the sentence or in the citation but not both: Ex.: Nigel Cawthorne explains that pirates lives ended within a few years and often at the end of a rope (12). Related Rules: 2 authors, use both last names: (Ness and Lipman 88). 3+ authors, use first author s last name and the abbreviation et al. : (Smith et al. 44). Authors can be groups: (CDC 5). No page number? Omit it: (Smith). No author? Use title: ( Foodborne Outbreaks 31). No author and long title? Abbreviate to 1 or 2 distinct words: The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety ( Childhood 5). Step 2: Works Cited Page At the end of the paper, add a separate page entitled Works Cited where you list publication information about each source cited in your text. Formatting the Page List entries alphabetically. Double space. Use hanging indent. The beginning of each citation should be flush with the left margin, and each additional line should be indented by ½ inch. In Word: Paragraph Line Spacing Options Indentation Special Hanging Creating Citations In order to make citing works in various formats easier, MLA has created a list of elements to include, and how they should be punctuated. Use your best judgment, and find the closest piece of information you can for each element listed. An individual citation probably includes only some of the core elements. Use what you can find, and leave out what is not relevant.
MLA 3 Standard s of a Citation, in Order & Punctuation Definition Related Rules LastName, First 2 authors: LastName, FirstName, and FirstName LastName (note comma before and ). 3+ authors: LastName, FirstName, et al. Most direct title of the work Whole texts are italicized: Book, Film, Television Show, Website, Journal. Use a container if the source is part of a larger work. Partial texts are quoted: Chapter, Poem, Episode, Article, Web Page. A chapter (source) is part of a book (container). A webpage (source) is part of a website (container). Italicize containers. Other Contributors, Editor, Director, Translator, Performer Use: Edited by, Translated by, Directed by, Performance by Version, Edition Abbreviate edition, i.e. Kindle ed. Number, Volume, Issue, Number, Season, Episode Abbreviate volume & Issue, i.e. vol. 23, no. 3 Don t abbreviate season or episode, i.e. season 4, episode 12 Publisher, Name of publisher Abbreviate: University Press UP Publication date, Date of publication or copyright. Give full date if available. Omit: Company, Co., Inc., LLC, Corp. Abbreviate: All months except May, June, July Include Season if available: Fall, Spring, etc. Page numbers, URL, DOI Pages: Use p. for one page, pp. for a page range Title of 2 nd Container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Database, Anthology, Collection, etc. DOI: Use doi: These elements are for the 2 nd container if applicable. For example, often journals are housed in databases. A database would be an example of a 2 nd container. See examples. URL, DOI DOIs are preferred over URLs. Use permalinks for URLs (i.e. when you click on it, it takes you to the resource).
MLA 4 Examples Using Template: Journal Article from a Database Sherman, Gary D., et al. Viewing Cute Images Increases Behavioral Carefulness. Emotion, Number, vol. 9, no. 2, Publisher, -- Publication date, Apr. 2009, pp. 282-86. Title of 2 nd Container, EBSCOhost PsycARTICLES, doi:10.1037/a0014904. Sherman, Gary D., et al. Viewing Cute Images Increases Behavioral Carefulness. Emotion, vol. 9, no. 2, Apr. 2009, pp. 282-86. EBSCOhost PsycARTICLES, doi:10.1037/a0014904. -- Publisher, Book Publication date, 1997. -- Boddie, Caryn, and Peter Boddie. Hiking Colorado. Falcon P Publications, Boddie, Caryn, and Peter Boddie. Hiking Colorado. Falcon P Publications, 1997. Online Periodical Publisher, -- Tucker, Abigail. How Cats Evolved to Win the Internet. The New York Times, Publication date, 15 Oct. 2016, http://nyti.ms/2e6lans. Tucker, Abigail. How Cats Evolved to Win the Internet. The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2016, http://nyti.ms/2e6lans. Title of Container, Other Contributors, Part of a Webpage Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne Outbreaks. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, -- Publisher, Publication date, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Oct. 2016, http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/index.ht ml. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne Outbreaks. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Oct. 2016, http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/index.html.
MLA 5 Book Works Cited Boddie, Caryn, and Peter Boddie. Hiking Colorado. Falcon Press Publications, 1997. Webpage Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne Outbreaks. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Oct. 2016, http://www.cdc.gov/food safety/outbreaks/index.html. Anthology Section Marsh, O.C. Fossil Horses in America. American Naturalist, 1874, pp. 177-82. An Anthology of Nineteenth-Century American Science Writing, ed. by C.R. Resetarits, Anthem Press, 2012, http://du.idm.oclc.org/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&an= 439284&site=ehost-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_iv Ebook Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Green Gables. Open Road Media Teen & Tween, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.du.idm. oclc.org/lib/du/detail.action?docid=1805193. YouTube Video SciShow. 20 Bizarre Ways to Avoid Being Dinner? YouTube, 16 Oct. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6q8f2dshfs. Article from a Database Sherman, Gary D., et al. Viewing Cute Images Increases Behavioral Carefulness. Emotion, vol. 9, no. 2, Apr. 2009, pp. 282-86. EBSCOhost PsycARTICLES, doi:10.1037/a0014904. Podcast Episode 596: Becoming a Badger. This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, episode 596, Chicago Public Media, 9 Sept. 2016. Online Periodical Tucker, Abigail. How Cats Evolved to Win the Internet. The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2016, http://nyti.ms/2e6lans. University Writing Center, University of Denver (303) 871-7456 Updated April 2017