MLA is the acronym for the Modern Language Association. It is a publication style that follows a specific format for writing, formatting, and documentation in a research paper or student work (a PowerPoint presentation, for example). MLA style is used by many academic disciplines.
MLA Handbook provides a "universal set of guidelines" for citing sources across all format types.
These guidelines state that, if given, these major elements should be included in the citation:
1. Author.
2. Title of Source.
3. Title of Container,
4. Other Contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.
Note: Container is the larger whole of what you are citing. For example, the larger whole of a chapter is a book, the larger whole of an article can be a journal, magazine, newspaper, encyclopedia, or other type of publication.
Below are some examples for how to format citations on a Works Cited page. All citations should be formatted with a hanging indent.
|
Book, |
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Love in the Time of Cholera. Vintage, 1988. |
|
Book, |
Casell, Kay Ann and Uma Hiremath. Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction. Neal-Schuman, 2004. NOTE: Authors should be listed in the order they are listed on the title page. |
|
Book, |
Robbins, Chandler S., et al. Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden, 1966. |
|
Book, |
Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles, Viking, 1996. NOTE: Some other common descriptions: Adapted by, Directed by, Edited by, Illustrated by, Introduction by, Narrated by, Performance by. |
|
A work (e.g., essay, short story) in an anthology or compilation. |
Kimball, Jean. "Growing Up Together: Joyce and Psychoanalysis, 1900-1922." Joyce through the Ages: A Nonlinear View, edited by Michael Patrick Gillespie, UP of Florida, 1999, pp. 25-45. |
|
Book, |
Blamires, Harry. The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide through Ulysses. 3rd ed., Routledge, 1996. |
|
Article in an online database |
Hannah, Daniel K. "The Private Life, the Public Stage: Henry James in Recent Fiction." Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 30, no. 3, 2007, pp. 70-94. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.uwf.edu/stable/30053134. NOTE: When including the URL, omit the http:// and https:// |
|
Article in print journal |
Hannah, Daniel K. "The Private Life, the Public Stage: Henry James in Recent Fiction." Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 30, no. 3, 2007, pp. 70-94. |
|
Article (web page) on a website |
Farkas, Meredith. "Tips for Being a Great Blogger (and a Good Person)." Information Wants to Be Free, 19 July 2011, meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2011/07/19/tips-for-being-a-great-blogger-and-good-person/. NOTE: When including the URL, omit the http:// and https:// |
| Website (whole site) |
Farkas, Meredith. Information Wants to Be Free. June 2015, meredith.wolfwater.com. |
