MLA Style
This guide is based on the handbook for preparing research papers
published by the Modern Language Association of America and on a
supplemental guide for citing electronic information based on the MLA
style. If you have questions which are not answered by this guide, you
may consult these sources.
REFERENCE LB 2369 .G53 1995
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 4th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1995.
REFERENCE PN171.F56 W35 1998
Walker, Janice R. and Todd W. Taylor. The Columbia Guide to Online Style. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
Taylor, Todd. "The Columbia Guide to Online Style." 1998. Http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html.
There are two parts to citing information in MLA style, a list of the
works cited in the paper, often referred to as the bibliography, and a
parenthetical citation in the text of the paper which refers to a work
in the bibliography.
Preparing the Bibliography
Although the list of works cited appears at the end of your paper, you
should compile it before you begin writing. As you identify sources of
information on your topic, record the bibliographic information for
each source (many people use 3 x 5 cards for this, creating a separate
note card for each source). It's easier to discard references you don't
need than to retrace your steps trying to find the data for a critical
reference you forgot to record.
By having your sources listed in full before you write, you have the
information needed to create the parenthetical in-text citations. If
you cite more than one work by the same author, include the author's
last name and the first word of the title in the in-text citation to
distinguish them.
Begin the bibliography or list of works on a separate page, with a
title centered at the top of the page. The title should be "Works
Cited," "Bibliography," or something similar. The first line of each
citation is flush with the left margin, subsequent lines are indented
one tab stop to the right. (Many word processing programs have a style
or command called "hanging indentation.")
Elements of a Citation
The elements which comprise a bibliographic reference vary according to
the type of source being cited, but there are certain elements which
are common to most types. Most bibliographic references include the
names of the author(s), title of the work, place of publication,
publisher, and date of publication. Citations for some forms require
more information, while others require less. For articles in magazines,
newspapers, and journals, for example, the citations must include both
the title of the article and the title of the publication in which it
appears, but the place of publication and publisher are usually
omitted. Furthermore, some types of publication frequently exclude
bibliographical elements. Reference books, for example, often do not
identify an author, while Web pages often fail to give the author,
publisher, or date of publication. The required elements and the proper
format for the most important types of information sources are given
below. If you encounter other types, check the MLA Handbook at the
Reference Desk or consult one of the online guides.
Citing Books
The basic format for citing a book is:
Author's name. Title of the Book. Publication information, Date.
The author's name is given last name first, followed by a comma, then
the first name. The title is italicized and each element of the
citation ends with a period.
Book With One Author
Kaku, Michio. Hyperspace : A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension. New York: Oxford UP, 1994.
Edited Book (or translated, compiled, etc.)
Sometimes the title page of a book will indicate that the person or
persons listed did not actually write the book, but played another role
in its production. Usually, this occurs when a book is a collection,
anthology, or compilation consisting of separate chapters by different
authors. In these cases, the person(s) listed on the title page are
referred to as compilers or editors. If the person(s) identified on the
title page are listed with such identifiers, use them in the
bibliographic reference. These identifiers are always abbreviated; for
example, "ed." for editor, "comp." for compiler.
Powell, James M., ed. Medieval Studies: an Introduction. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1976.
To cite one chapter from such a compilation, see Chapter From a Book, below.
Book With Two or More Authors
The name of the first author is inverted, but the names of second and
later authors are not. If there are more than three authors, you may
give only the first author followed by et al. (meaning "and others"), or you may list all the authors in the order they appear on the title page of the book.
Nordhoff, Charles, and James Norman Hall. Mutiny on the Bounty. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1932.
Quirk, Randolph, et al. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman, 1985.
or
Quirk, Randolph, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman, 1985.
Second or Later Edition of a Book
A book that gives no edition statement on the title page is probably a
first edition, and requires no special indication in a bibliographic
reference. If the title page indicates that the work is an edition
other than the first, you should note it in the bibliography by number
(2d ed., 3d ed., etc.) or distinguishing phrase (e.g., Rev. ed.). Terms
in an edition statement are usually abbreviated.
Strayer, Joseph R. and Dana C. Munro. The Middle Ages 395-1500. 5th ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1970.
Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events. New, upd. ed. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982.
Book Edited by Another
When a book consists of material written by one author, but prepared
for publication by another (usually the title page indicates that the
second author compiled, edited or translated the work), cite the work
as being written by the original author, but give the secondary author
and his/her role in the citation.
Lovecraft, H. P. Tales of H. P. Lovecraft. Sel. and int. Joyce Carol Oates. Hopewell, NJ: Ecco Press, 1997.
(The tales were written by H. P. Lovecraft, but they were selected for
the volume by Joyce Carol Oates, who also wrote an introduction.)
Book By A Corporate Author
A corporate author may be a company, a committee, an association, or
any other group. The distinguishing element is that individuals' names
are not listed on the title page.
American Library Association. Intellectual Freedom Manual. 2d ed. Chicago: ALA, 1983.
Chapter From a Book
When you cite an essay, short story, poem or other short work from a
collected volume, the citation must include the author and title of the
part, as well as the bibliographic information for the collected volume.
Author of Part. "Title of Part." Title of Collected Volume. Editor or compiler. Publication information, Date. Pages.
Moravcevich, N. "The Romanticization of the Prostitute in Dostoyevsky's Fiction." The Image of the Prostitute in Modern Literature. Ed. Pierre L. Horn and Mary Beth Bringle. New York: Unger, 1984. 53-61.
(Moravcevich wrote a short paper on Dostoyevsky; Horn and Bringle
compiled a book of several short papers, including the one by
Moravcevich.)
If you cite more than one part from the same collected volume, create a
full citation for the collected volume and briefer citations for the
individual parts with cross-references to the collected volume. Each
abbreviated citation must include the author of the part and the title
of the part in quotes. The cross-reference must include the author of
the compilation and page numbers of the part.
Powell, James M., ed. Medieval Studies: an Introduction. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1976.
Beech, George. "Prosopography." Powell 151-184.
Ware, R. Dean. "Medieval Chronology: Theory and Practice." Powell 213-237.
(Beech and Ware wrote two of the chapters in the book edited by Powell.)
Citing Reference Books
Citing Encyclopedia Articles
The basic elements of a citation for an article in an encyclopedia are
Author. "Article Title." Encyclopedia Title. Editor. Edition. Publication information, Date.
Hillenbrand, Robert. "Abbasid." The Dictionary of Art. Ed. Jane Turner. New York: Grove, 1996.
If any of the basic elements are missing, leave them out. Don't use
terms like "Unknown" or "Anonymous." In many encyclopedias, the authors
of the articles are not identified; in this case, begin the citation
with the article title.
"Amalric II." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropaedia. 15th ed. 1998.
For many general encyclopedias, such as the Britannica, World Book, Americana, or Academic American,
you may omit the place of publication and publisher, since these are
well known reference works. However, since these encyclopedias are
frequently revised, you must include the edition statement and date
(these may often be the same; e.g., 1993 ed.). For electronic
encyclopedias, see Citing Electronic Sources.
Electronic Encyclopedias
The basic format for citing an article from an electronic encyclopedia is:
Author.
"Article Title." Encyclopedia Title. Edition or version. Editor.
Medium. Vendor. Internet protocol and URL, Release date or date of
access.
Ignore any elements which are not applicable to the
encyclopedia's medium. For example, an encyclopedia on CD-ROM will not
have an Internet address, and you should give the release date of the
CD-ROM, rather than the date you accessed it. An online encyclopedia
may be continuously revised, so an edition or version may be
meaningless (but you should include it if it is given), and unless you
can find an update or copyright date, you should give the date you
accessed it. In many encyclopedias, the authors of the articles are not
identified; in this case, begin the citation with the article title.
"Garland, Judy." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Ver. 7.0.2. CD-ROM. Grolier Electronic Publishing, 1995.
Citing Articles
The basic elements of a periodical article citation are:
Author. "Article Title." Periodical Title. Issue information (Date): Pages.
The first author's name should be inverted, last name first. If there
are two or more authors, names of the second and later authors are not
inverted. "Issue information" varies according to the type of
periodical being cited.
Scholarly Journal
Many scholarly journals number pages continuously throughout an annual
volume, rather than beginning each issue with page 1. For these
journals, "issue information" includes only the volume number.
Lidston, Robert C. "Malamud's The Natural: an Arthurian Quest in the Big Leagues." West Virginia University Philological Papers 27 (1981): 75-81.
When a scholarly journal begins each issue with page 1, it is necessary
to indicate the issue number as well as the volume number. Add a period
and the issue number directly after the volume number with no
intervening space. For combined issues, hyphenate the two (or more)
issue numbers (e.g., 14.2 indicates volume 14, issue 2; 8.3-4 means
combined issues 3 and 4 of volume 8). If you don't know whether a
journal pages continuously throughout the volume--when you read an
article from a Galileo database, for example--it's safer to include the
issue number, unless the page numbers are high enough that it is
unlikely that the issue it came from began at page 1.
Keller, Robert Scott. "Mark Twain and the Mental Cripple: the Challenge of Myth." Mark Twain Journal 21.4 (1983): 18-20.
Newspaper Article
Except for major national newspapers, such as The Wall Street Journal or USA Today,
the citation for a newspaper article must indicate the city where it is
published. Many newspapers include their city in the title (e.g., Atlanta Constitution),
but for those that don't, you need to add the city in square brackets
following the title. The title is italicized, but the city in brackets
is not (e.g., State Journal
[Lansing, MI]). For a newspaper article, the issue information must
include the complete date, the edition, and the section and page.
Date
The correct date format is Day Month Year (e.g., 30 Aug. 1997). Abbreviate all months except May, June, and July.
Edition
Many newspapers publish different editions, so if an edition statement
appears on the masthead of the paper or in the index citation you use,
you must include it (e.g., late ed.; Eastern ed.). If a citation
includes an edition statement, it should follow the date and be
preceded by a comma and a space (e.g., 30 Aug. 1997, late ed.).
Section and Page
Since newspapers paginate sections differently, you need to cite the
section and page numbers as they appear in the newspaper. Give the
section first, so page 2 of section C is cited as "C2." For clarity, if
the newspaper numbers its sections, separate the section and page
numbers with a colon (e.g., sec. 2:8). If the article continues on
consecutive pages, cite them as a range (e.g., A4-5). Newspaper
articles often skip pages, however, beginning on page 1, for example,
then skipping to page 15. When this happens, give the first page number
followed by a plus sign (e.g., A1+).
Schwartz, John. "Sometimes E-Mail Just Doesn't Deliver." Washington Post 12 Oct. 1998: WBIZ24.
Larson, Susan. "Not Just Horsing Around; James Carville Saddles Up and Lassos Starr." Times-Picayune [New Orleans] 25 Oct. 1998: E1.
Anonymous Articles
Authors of newspaper articles are frequently unidentified. If no author
is named, begin the citation with the title of the article. Do not use
terms like "Unknown" or "Anonymous."
"Starr: Nothing Illegal about Lewinsky Leaks." Palm Beach Post 1 Jan. 1999, final ed.: A6.
Article in a Popular Magazine
For articles from magazines published every week or every other week,
the issue information includes the complete date. For articles from
popular magazines which are published every month or every other month,
give the month and year. For popular magzines, the date does not appear
within parentheses, and volume and issue numbers are never given, even
when they appear in the issue. If the article is not printed on
consecutive pages, give the first page njmber and a plus sign (e.g.,
46+).
Crothers, Tim. "The Book on Maddux." Sports Illustrated 6 July 1998: 44-46.
Anonymous Article
If no author is given, begin the citation with the article title. Never use terms like "Unkown" or "Anonymous."
"How Senate Trial Would Proceed." Time 21 Dec. 1998: 26.
Editorials, Letters, etc.
Magazines and scholarly journals often include other types of
information than articles, such as editorials and letters to the
editor. To cite one of these types, add the type (Letter, Editorial,
etc.) following the title.
Vidal, Gore. "Birds & Bees & Clinton." Editorial. Nation 28 Dec. 1998: 5-6.
If no author is given, begin the citation with the article title. Never use terms like "Unkown" or "Anonymous."
"Impeachment Fever." Editorial. Nation 28 Dec. 1998: 3.
Citing Electronic Sources
Many of the basic elements of a citation for an electronic source are
the same as for other types of publications. However, electronic
sources frequently don't provide enough information to identify author,
title, place of publication and publisher, or date of publication. Even
when given, sometimes these elements need to be modified to accurately
identify an electronic source. Authors' names, for example, may be
identified only by e-mail addresses or login names; at times a file
name must serve as a title, or an Internet protocol and URL must
substitute for the publication information.
Citations for electronic sources also require some additional
information to describe the electronic format. This additional
information includes the medium, the vendor of the electronic version,
and the date the electronic version was released or the date you
accessed it.
Medium: The
same information may have been released in different electronic
formats, and may not be the same in each. Therefore, you must include
the format in which you accessed the information. The usual formats are
CD-ROM, online, and diskette.
Vendor: The
organization which releases the electronic version is not always the
original publisher of the information. Publishers often license their
data to one or more vendors who produce the electronic versions. Since
different electronic versions may not be identical and all electronic
versions may differ from the original, it is necessary to specify the
name of the vendor of the electronic version.
Dates:
Electronic information sources often reproduce information earlier
published in print. For example, an article originally appearing in a
magazine may later be reproduced in an electronic database or on a Web
page. If an identical version of an electronic source originally
appeared in print, it must be cited as you would cite the original,
adding the medium, vendor, and date of the electronic version to the
citation.
Electronic versions on CD-ROM
or other durable medium may give a date at which their coverage ends.
If no exact date is given for a version on CD-ROM, give the date at
which its coverage ends. For example, if the menu of the New York Times on Disc indicates that the database covers Jan. 1997-Oct. 1997, use Oct. 1997 as the date of the electronic version.
Online versions in electronic
databases or on web pages do not usually give the dates covered; for
online databases give the date you accessed the information.
Some electronic formats
regularly fail to include dates when the information was first
published or when it was released in electronic form. Web pages, for
example, often give no dates at all. When the date of the information
cannot be determined, give the date you accessed it.
Electronic Periodical Indexes
As a general rule, do not cite information from an online periodical
index unless the text you read was included in the database. What needs
to be cited is the source which contains the text you read. So, if you
looked up an article in GALILEO and read the print
edition, cite the printed journal and not the database. If, however,
you read the text from the database, cite the database.
GALILEO Databases
For a full-text article from a GALILEO database, give
the article citation, just as you would for a print edition of the
periodical article, then give the medium (Online), the name of the GALILEO database in italics, the vendor (GALILEO), and the date you accessed the article.
Kittell, Ellen E. "Women, Audience, and Public Acts in Medieval Flanders." Journal of Women's History 10.3 (1998): 74-96. Periodical Abstracts. GALILEO. 21 Jan. 1999.
"The Computer's Tale." Discover Dec. 1998: 34. Periodical Abstracts. GALILEO. 21 Jan. 1999.
Web Pages
Web pages can be the most difficult sources to cite accurately. This is
because some of the basic elements are often not given on a Web page,
and some of the other elements are meaningless for this type of source.
Since almost anyone can post a Web page, and there are no editorial
controls over its content, basic publication information, such as place
of publication and publisher, are irrelevant. Web pages commonly do not
identify an author, and dates, if given at all, may indicate when the
information was written, when it was first posted on the 'Net, or when
it was last updated. The basic citation elements for a Web page are:
Author. "Title of Page." Title of the Complete Work or Site (if applicable). Version or file numbers (if given). Date of the document or last revision (if given). URL (Access date).
Omit any of the elements which are not given on the page. Never use
terms like "Unknown" or "Anonymous." The minimum information which is
allowable for a Web page citation is the page title, URL, and access
date. If an identical version of a Web page has also appeared in print,
cite it as you would the print source, adding the URL and date you
accessed it at the end.
Documenting Sources in Text
Whenever you draw on the work of others, you must give credit by
documenting the ideas, facts, opinions, or direct quotations that you
borrow and indicating the sources you borrow them from. Do this by
inserting brief in-text citations in you paper. These in-text citations
refer to items in your list of works cited and they should include just
enough information to enable the reader to quickly identify the source.
In most instances, the author's name and page number are enough.
Examples
In one study, 53 percent of
faculty queried believed that their students were unable to evaluate
information sources. (Smith 491)
When the author's name is mentioned in the text of your paper, it is
only necessary to provide the page number in the in-text citation.
According to Smith, 53 percent of the faculty were disappointed in their students' ability to evaluate information. (491)
If you cite more than one work by the same author, distinguish them by
including the first word of the titles in in-text citations.
(Smith "Information" 491)
If a work is listed by title, rather than by author, in your
bibliography, the in-text citation should consist of the first word or
two of the title, followed by the page number.
(Information Science 36)
When using titles in in-text citations, they should appear in the same
form as in the bibliography. That is, titles of periodical and
encyclopedia articles should be in quotes, book titles should be in
italics.The in-text citations for Web pages omit page numbers, since an
entire Web document is considered a single "page."
|
