MLA STYLE MLA citation style MLA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the Modern Language Association for acknowledging sources used in a research paper. MLA citation style uses a simple two-part parenthetical documentation system for citing sources: citations in the text of a paper are used to point to an alphabetical Works Cited list that appears at the end of the paper. Together these references identify and credit the sources used in the paper and allow others to access and retrieve this material. Note: A parenthetical reference to a familiar historical document -- e.g., the United States Constitution -- no longer requires a corresponding entry in the Works Cited list. Citing sources in the text In MLA style, references to sources are placed in the text of the paper in order to briefly identify sources for readers and enable them to locate the source of the cited information in the Works Cited list. These parenthetical references should be kept as brief and as clear as possible. Give only the information needed to identify a source. Usually the author's last name and a page reference are all that is needed. Place the parenthetical reference as near as possible to the material being documented, and where a pause would naturally occur, preferably at the end of a sentence. Parenthetical material should complement, not repeat, information that is given in your text. If you include an author's name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in your parenthetical statement. The parenthetical reference should precede the punctuation mark that concludes the sentence, clause, or phrase that contains the cited material. Electronic and online sources are cited just like print resources in references cited in the text. If an online source lacks numbering, omit numbers from the parenthetical references. If a source includes fixed page numbers or section numbering, such as numbering of paragraphs (pars.), cite the relevant numbers. Examples: Author's name in text Dover has expressed this concern (118-21). Author's name in reference Multiple authors of a work This concern has been expressed (Dover 118-21). This hypothesis (Bradley and Rogers 7) suggested this theory (Sumner, Reichl, and Waugh 23). 1
Two locations Williams alludes to this premise (136-39, 145). Two works cited (Burns 54, Thomas 327) Multivolume works References to volumes and pages References to an entire volume In text reference to an entire volume Corporate authors (Wilson 2:1-18) (Henderson, vol. 3) In volume 3, Henderson suggests (United Nations, Economic Commission for Africa 51-63) Works with no author When a work has no author, use the work's title or a shortened version of the title when citing it in text. (If abbreviating a title, omit initial articles and begin with the word by which it is alphabetized in the Works Cited list.): as stated by the presidential commission (Report 4). Online source with numbered paragraphs (Fox, pars. 4-5) Works Cited list Examples References cited in the text of a research paper must appear at the end of the paper in a Works Cited list or bibliography. This list provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source that specifically supports your research. Arrange entries in alphabetical order by authors' last names (surnames), or by title for sources without authors. Capitalize the first word and all other principal words of the titles and subtitles of cited works. (Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, or the "to" in infinitives.) Shorten the publisher's name. 2
When multiple publishers are listed, include all of them, placing a semicolon between each. When more than one city is listed for the same publisher, use only the first city. Use the conjunction "and," not an ampersand [&], when listing multiple authors of a single work. Pagination: Do not use the abbreviations p. or pp. to designate page numbers. Indentation: Align the first line of the entry flush with the left margin, and indent all subsequent lines (5 to 7 spaces) to form a "hanging indent." Underlining vs. Italics: In printed material submitted for grading or editing, words that would be italicized in a publication are usually underlined to avoid ambiguity. If you wish to use italics rather than underlining, check your instructor's or editor's preferences. MLA BIBLIOGRAPHY STYLE (EXAMPLES) Book Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993. Journal Article Wilcox, Rhonda V. "Shifting Roles and Synthetic Women in Star Trek: The Next Generation." Studies in Popular Culture 13.2 (1991): 53-65. Newspaper or Magazine Article Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College: Classes Explore Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3. Book Article or Chapter James, Nancy E. "Two Sides of Paradise: The Eden Myth According to Kirk and Spock." Spectrum of the Fantastic. Ed. Donald Palumbo. 3
Westport: Greenwood, 1988. 219-223. Encyclopedia Article (well known reference books) Sturgeon, Theodore. "Science Fiction." The Encyclopedia Americana. International ed. 1995. Encyclopedia Article (less familiar reference books) Horn, Maurice. "Flash Gordon." The World Encyclopedia of Comics. Ed. Maurice Horn. 2 vols. New York: Chelsea, 1976. Gale Reference Book (and other books featuring reprinted articles) Shayon, Robert Lewis. "The Interplanetary Spock." Saturday Review 17 June 1967: 46. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon R. Gunton. Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. 403. ERIC Document Fuss-Reineck, Marilyn. Sibling Communication in Star Trek: The Next Generation: Conflicts between Brothers. Miami: Speech Communication Assn., 1993. ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED364932. Website Lynch, Tim. "DSN Trials and Tribble-ations Review." Psi Phi: Bradley's Science Fiction Club. 1996. Bradley University. 8 Oct. 1997 <http:// www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/ds9/ep/503r.html>. 4
Newspaper or Magazine Article on the Internet Andreadis, Athena. "The Enterprise Finds Twin Earths Everywhere It Goes, But Future Colonizers of Distant Planets Won't Be So Lucky." Astronomy Jan. 1999: 64-. Academic Universe. Lexis-Nexis. B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Lib., Brookville, NY. 7 Feb. 1999 <http:// web.lexis-nexis.com/universe>. Gale Literature Criticism Online Shayon, Robert Lewis. "The Interplanetary Spock." Saturday Review 17 June 1967: 46. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon R. Gunton and Gerald J. Senick. Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. 403. Literature Criticism Online. Thomson Gale. B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Lib., Brookville, NY. 15 Nov. 2007 <http:// galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/litcrit?locid=nysl_li_liu>. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MLA STYLE FOR A BIBLIOGRAPHY GENERAL RULES OF MLA STYLE * List citations in alphabetical order by authors (or editors ) last names. Do not number your citations. * Each entry should begin flush with the left-hand margin, but the second (and third or more) line of the same citation should be indented 5 spaces. * In all cases, the citation begins with the author s name (last name first). If there are two or three authors, the second and third authors names are listed first name first. For example: Bender, David R., John Ashton and Marie White. National Information Policies: A Strategy for the Future. 5
Washington, D.C.: Special Libraries Association, 1991. * If an author s name is not given, the citation begins with the title. Citations with no author given appear alphabetically in your list according to the first letter of the first word in the title. (However, ignore initial articles a, an, and the when alphabetizing. For example, a newspaper story with the headline A Library with On-Line Books if no author was given would appear in your list with other citations filed under L.) * If you are listing more than one item by the same author, you do not need to retype the author s name for the second, third, etc. citation by that author. Instead, type three hyphens and a period, and then give the title. The three hyphens stand for exactly the same name or names as in the preceding citation. Works by the same author are alphabetized in your list by title. For example: Schiller, Herbert. Culture, Inc. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. ---. Information and the Crisis Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. * A book that has an editor rather than an author should be indicated after the editor s name by the abbreviation ed.. For example: Dubus, Andre, ed. Into the Silence: American Stories. Cambridge: Green Street, 1988. * Magazine, journal and book titles are always underlined. * The title of a magazine or journal article is always put in quotations. The same goes for newspaper article headlines. * Separate main titles from subtitles with a colon (:) even though the computer record may use a semicolon. * All words in the titles and subtitles of books or articles are capitalized except the following parts of speech (when they are not the first word in a title or subtitle): -- articles: a, an, the -- prepositions: against, between, in, of, to, and others -- coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, do, yet and others -- the to infinitives: as in How to Play Chess SPECIFIC MLA FORMATS: BOOKS * Citations for books are arranged in 3 sections, each followed by a period: Author s name (last name first) 6
Title (and subtitle, if there is one) (underlined) Place of publication, publisher, date. For example: Fink, Deborah. Process and Politics in Library Research. Chicago: American Library Association, 1989. * When citing a book, if more than one city is listed on the title page as the place of publication, cite only the first one. Include the state or country only when absolutely necessary. For example, most people know that New York City is in New York State, so indicating the state is not necessary. Few people, however, may know that Dubuque is in Iowa, so the MLA abbreviation for Iowa (IA )would be included in the citation. Therefore: Roszak, Theodore. The Cult of Information. New York: Pantheon, 1986. Widman, Rudy, et. al. Electronic Access to Information. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1991. PERIODICAL ARTICLES FORMAT USED FOR PAPER COPIES OF ARTICLES * PERIODICAL ARTICLES IN PROFESSIONAL, POPULAR, OR NEWS MAGAZINES Author. Title of article. Title of magazine Day (if given) Month and year : Page numbers. Bazell, Robert. Science and Society: Growth Industry. New Republic 15 Mar. 1993: 13-14. NOTE: -- Dates that contain the exact day of the month are written in day, month, year order with no commas. -- Abbreviate the names of months except May, June, and July. -- When giving the page numbers of an article, do not use the abbreviations p. or pp. It is understood that the numbers to the right of the colon are page numbers. -- If the article does not appear on consecutive pages, give the first page number followed by a plus sign (+). In the above example, if the article was printed on pages 13-14 and continued on pages 26-30, you would write 13+ (not 13-30 ). * PERIODICAL ARTICLES IN SCHOLARY AND RESEARCH JOURNALS Author. Title of article. Title of Journal Volume number. Issue number (Date of publication): page numbers. 7
Babrow, Austin S. Student Motives for Watching Soap Operas. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 31.3 (Summer 1997): 309-321. NOTE: -- Citations for journal articles include a volume number and an issue number and the date is put in parentheses. Citations for non-scholarly articles do not include volume or issue numbers and the date is not put in parentheses. -- When giving the title of a periodical, omit any introductory article in the magazine or journal title (e.g. William and Mary Quarterly, not The William and Mary Quarterly). No punctuation mark after the name of a periodical. * NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Author. Headline. Title of Newspaper Day Month Year: Section letter or number, page numbers. MacKenzie, Bill. Packin the Heat. San Francisco Chronicle 4 Nov. 1993: A16+. NOTE: -- If the newspaper section is a number rather than a letter, use the abbreviation sec.. For example: Market Leaks: Illegal Insider Trading Seems to be on Rise; Ethical Issues Muddled. Wall Street Journal 2 Mar. 1984, sec 1: 1. -- If an edition is specified on the front page (often in the upper right hand corner of the print copy or in a special field of the bibliographic record), identify it after the date and before the page reference. This is done because other editions of the newspaper may be paged differently or have differences in content. For example: Starr, Kevin. Can Democracy Survive if Information is Controlled? New York Times 18 July 1993, late ed.: B1+. -- When giving the name of a newspaper, omit the initial article The. -- If the city is not part of the name, add it in brackets after the newspaper s name (e.g. Evening Sun [Baltimore]). PERIODICAL ARTICLES FORMAT USED WHEN DATABASE PROVIDES THE FULL-TEXT OF THE ARTICLE BEING CITED 8
If you access the full-text of a periodical article from a database even if the document was originally published in a traditional print publication you must indicate the name of the database, the database service or publisher, the name of the library through which the database was accessed, and the date you accessed the article. This information is in addition to the standard information given when citing a paper copy of a periodical article, as shown above. You must also indicate the URL (web address) of the database service. For example: Citation from Gale PowerSearch databases: Acid rain's dirty business: stealing minerals from soil. Jocelyn Kaiser. Science 272.n5259 (April 12, 1996): p198(2). (1066 words) From Expanded Academic ASAP. MLA format: Kaiser, Jocelyn. Acid Rain s Dirty Business: Stealing Minerals from the Soil. Science 12 Apr. 1996: 198+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. Skyline College Library. 15 Nov. 2007. <http://find.galegroup.com>. ---- Citation from Gale PowerSearch databases: Report on Acid Rain Finds Good News and Bad News.(National Desk).Carol Kaesuk Yoon. The New York Times (Oct 7, 1999) (952 words) From General OneFile. MLA format: Yoon, Carol K. Report on Acid Rain Finds Good News and Bad News. New York Times 7 Oct. 1999: n. p. General OneFile. Gale. Skyline College Library. 15 Nov. 2007. <http://find.galegroup.com>. -- The numbers of pages (that are shown in parentheses in database citations) are not used in MLA citations. For articles with multiple pages, the plus sign (+) is added after the beginning page number. --If no page numbers are listed in the database citation, use n. p. (for no page numbers available.) -- Do not include parenthetical information at the end of article titles in database citations. This is extra information about the article that is provided by the database company, but is not part of the article title. WEB PAGES Citations written in MLA style for Web pages include as much of the following information as is given for the page. If any of these pieces of information is not given, leave it out. - Author's last name, first name, middle initial 9
- "Title of the Page." (If no title is given, provide a description, such as Personal Home Page. ) - Title of the overall website of which the page is a part (underlined) - Day Month & Year of publication or latest update - Name of any institution or organization sponsoring or associated with the Web site (if given and if different from the title of the site) - Day Month Year of your visit to this page - <URL (web address) of the page>. EXAMPLE: Levin, Gilbert V. and Ron L. Levin. "Liquid Water and Life on Mars." Life on Mars. 1 Sep. 1998. Biospherics Incorporated. 16 Nov. 2007. <http://www.biospherics.com/mars/spie2/spie98.htm>. COMMON ERRORS IN MLA FORMAT RULES Note the following MLA rules that often cause problems for students: -- All words in the titles and subtitles of books or articles are capitalized except the following parts of speech (when they are not the first word in a title or subtitle): articles: a, an, the prepositions: against, between, in, of, to, and others coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, do, yet and others the to infinitives: as in How to Play Chess -- Dates that contain the exact day of the month are written in day, month, year order with no commas, e.g. 23 Jan. 2007 -- The numbers of pages (that are shown in parentheses in database citations) are not used in MLA citations. In MLA format, the plus sign (+) is added after the beginning page number for multiple page articles from databases. -- Do not include parenthetical information at the end of article titles in database citations. This is extra information included by the database, but it is not part of the article title. For example, in the following: Report on Acid Rain Finds Good News and Bad News.(National Desk). (National Desk) is not part of the article title. -- Scholarly journal articles require the volume and issue numbers before the date; then the date must be put in parentheses. Magazine and newspaper articles do not include the volume and issue numbers and the date is not put in parentheses. OTHER EXAMPLES If you are including a source in your bibliography not covered by the above examples, check http://www.skylinecollege.edu/library/citing.html#mla for more citation examples. 10