This quick-guide provides selected examples of frequently used citation formats. For additional examples, consult the complete style manual, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 5th edition, available at the Reference Desk.
MLA style uses parenthetical documentation to cite quotations or paraphrases from a cited work
For examples:
The poem is often interpreted as “a profound testament to the loss of her longtime companion” (Workman 134-36).
Workman argues that the poem is primarily a statement of loss (134-36).
Each parenthetical reference corresponds to an entry in the Works Cited page at the end of the paper where a reader can locate full bibliographic information. For detailed discussion of parenthetical documentation see sections 5.1-5.5 in the MLA Handbook.
Works cited references are double-spaced using a hanging indent of one-half inch on the left and are arranged alphabetically by author’s last name (if known, otherwise article’s title).
1. Book with One Author
Sultan, Nancy. Exile and the Poetics of Loss in Greek Tradition. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield, 1999.
2. Book with more than one author
McCoy, Kathleen, and Judith Harlan. English Literature from 1785. New York: Harper Collins, 1992.
3. Essay or Chapter from a Book
MacLeod, Norman. “ ‘This familiar regressive series’: Aspects of Style in the Novels of Kingsley Amis.” Edinburgh Studies in English and Scots. Ed. A. J. Aitken, Angus McIntosh, and Herman Palsson. London: Longman, 1971. 121 – 43.
4. Newspaper Article
Schmid, Randolph E. “Sea Breeze May Help Clean Air: Salt Brings Rain That Washes Out Pollution.” Lexington Herald-Leader 16 Aug. 2002, local ed.: C2+.
5. Magazine Article
Byrne, Gerry. “Road Rage” New Scientist 9 Dec. 2000: 38-41.
6. Scholarly Journal Article (with continuous pagination)
Hufnagel, Jill. “Atwood's Variation on the Word Sleep.” Explicator 54 (1996): 188-91.
7. Online Article (from a library database) Must cite original source, as well as database.
Hufnagel, Jill. "Atwood’s Variation on the Word Sleep." Explicator 54 (1996): 188-91. EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite. Marshall University Libraries, Huntington, WV. 23 April 2002 <http://search.epnet.com>.
8. Article from a Web Site
Bolden, Tonya. “Olivia Ward Bush.” African American Women Writers of the 19th Century. 2000.* The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 19 August 2002 <http://digital.nypl.org/schomburg/writers_aa19/biographies.html>.
*Note: The copyright date/publication date of the web article should be included if present.
9. Encyclopedia Reference
“Bacon, Sir Francis.” Collier’s Encyclopedia. 43rd ed. 1992.
10. Book Review
Beckwith, Susan Lynne. Rev. of A Geography of Victorian Gothic Fiction: Mapping History's Nightmares, by Robert Mighall. Criticism 43 (2001): 360-5.
[REMINDER: This is not a works cited page. These are illustrations of how to format each item in a works cited page.]
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