Library

MLA Style

Description

The style recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA) is used for scholarly writing about many topics in the arts and humanities, including literature and linguistics. (Other styles are often used for history, social science, or science papers.)

The information below describes how to cite works within the text of a paper, as well as how to list all the works cited at the end. A "work" in this context means any source—in print, on the Web, or in some other medium—containing information that you used. Some examples are:

Citing Works in the Text

In the MLA style, references to a work or parts of a work inside the text of a paper follow the author-page format. Just enough information should be included in the text to identify that work uniquely, so the reader can find it in the list of works cited at the end of your paper. (Note that this format differs from the author-date system preferred by the APA.)

Pattern

(AuthorLastName StartPage–EndPage)

  • If the author's name appears in the text, or if the identical source was just cited, include only page numbers. Give only the last name unless multiple authors in your list of works cited have the same last name.

Brown specifies ideal containers for city gardening (34-35).

Gibaldi recommends that parenthetical references be kept brief (239). When referring to the entire work rather than just one part, it might suffice to include only the author's name in the text (240).

According to Gibaldi, "a reference directly after a quotation follows the closing quotation mark" (241).

  • Otherwise, include the author's name followed by a space and then the page numbers.

Beverage containers serve as ideal planters (Brown 35).

Parenthetical references should be kept brief (Gibaldi 239).

In MLA style, "a reference directly after a quotation follows the closing quotation mark" (Gibaldi 241).

  • If a work is arranged alphabetically by title in the list of works cited, use a shortened form of the title in lieu of the author's name.

The world's scientists agree that greenhouse gasses must be reduced ("Feeling the Heat" A22).

  • For a work with four or more authors, include only the name of the first author followed by a comma and "et al." (meaning "and others").

Her essay must be considered from a similar perspective (Sauerberg et al. 119).

Listing Sources at the End

At the end of your paper, add a "Works Cited" page that lists all the works whose ideas or information you used. Include every work cited in your text. This list should be ordered alphabetically by the last name of the first author. If the author of a work is unknown, alphabetize the work by its title (ignoring any initial definite articles such as "the" or "an"). For the first author, give the last name first; give the names of any additional authors in normal order. Authors' names should be given as they appear on the title page of the work—if an author's full name appears there, do not use initials in your citation.

A reference with one author precedes a reference with multiple authors if the first author has the same name. If two or more references with multiple authors have the same name for the first author, order them by the last name of the second author, and so on.

Works with the exact same author(s) are alphabetized by title. In this situation, only include the name of the author in the first work cited. In place of the name of the author(s), begin the entries for the second and subsequent works with three hyphens followed by a period.

Books and Pamphlets

Pattern for the Entire Book or Pamphlet

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. Title of the Book. Location: Publisher, PublicationYear.

  • The author's name should be given exactly as it appears on the title page, whether spelled out in full or using initials. The first author's name is always given with the last name first, but the names of any other authors appear in normal order. Fully capitalize the title and subtitle and underline them.

Blocker, Clyde E., Robert H. Plummer, and Richard C. Richardson, Jr. The Two-Year College: A Social Synthesis. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1965.

Maini, Darshan Dingh. Studies in Punjabi Poetry. New Delhi: Vikas, 1979.

  • Give the name of a corporate author in normal order but omit any leading article, such as "a" or "the." Include the corporate author's name even if the publisher is the same organization.

American Council on Education. Annual Report, 1970. Washington: Amer. Council on Educ., 1971.

  • Begin the entry for an anonymous work with the title. Ignore any leading article in the title when ordering your reference list (the following example would be alphabetized under "H").

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.

  • For multiple works by the same author, include the name of the author only in the first work (alphabetized by title). For second and subsequent works by that author, substitute three hyphens followed by a period.

Sobel, Dava. Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love. New York: Walker, 1999.

---. Longitude. New York: Walker and Company, 1995.

Pattern for One Part of the Book or Pamphlet

AuthorALastName, AuthorAFirstName, and AuthorBFirstName AuthorBLastName. "Title of the Chapter." Trans. ChapterTranslatorFirstName ChapterTranslatorLastName. Title of the Book. Ed. BookEditorAFirstName BookEditorALastName and BookEditorBFirstName BookEditorBLastName. Location: Publisher, PublicationYear. StartPage–EndPage.

  • Underline the title of an anthology but enclose the title of an anthologized work in quotation marks. However, if a work in an anthology was originally published as a book, underline the title of the anthologized work.

Auerbach, Erich. "Odysseus' Scar." Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. Trans. Willard R. Trask. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1953. 3-23.

  • If the works in an anthology were translated by different people, give the translator's name immediately following the title of the anthologized work. If all the works in the anthology were translated or edited by the same person, give that person's name immediately following the title of the anthology itself.

Unamuno y Jugo, Miguel de. Abel Sanchez. Trans. Anthony Kerrigan. Eleven Modern Short Novels. Ed. Leo Hamalian and Edmond L. Volpe. 2nd ed. New York: Putnam's, 1970. 253-350.

Pattern for Electronic Books

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. Title of the Book. Ed. EditorFirstName EditorLastName. PrintPublicationInformation. Title of the Internet Site. ElectronicPublicationDay Month Year. LastAccessedDay Month Year <SourceURL>.

  • Cite as much of this information as is available.

Green, Miranda J. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth. London: Routledge, 1992. NetLibrary. 2002. 24 July 2005 <http://www.netlibrary.com/>.

Keats, John. Poetical Works. 1884. Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Ed. Steven van Leeuwen. 2002. 5 May 2002 <http://www.bartleby.com/>.

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Articles

Pattern for Print Journals

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName, and AuthorBFirstName AuthorBLastName. "Title of the article." Title of the journal VolumeNum.IssueNum (PublicationYear): StartPage–EndPage.

Vickery, Laurie. "The Politics of Abuse: The Traumatized Child in Toni Morrison and Marguerite Duras." Mosaic 29.2 (1996): 91-109.

Pattern for Other Print Serials

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Title of the article." Title of the periodical PublicationDay Month Year: StartPage–EndPage.

  • For magazine articles, omit the volume and issue numbers even if known. Abbreviate the names of all months except May, June, and July.

Mehta, Pratap Bhanu. "Exploding Myths." New Republic 6 June 1998: 17-19.

  • For newspaper articles, include any edition information after the date. If each section is paginated separately, indicate the section number or letter before the page number. If the article is not printed on consecutive pages, give only the first page number followed by a "+" symbol.

Hennenberger, Melinda. "The Leonardo Cover-Up." New York Times 21 Apr. 2002, late ed., sec. 6: 42+.

Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A. "What's in a Movie Soundtrack? Catchy Tunes and Big Business." Wall Street Journal 1 Apr. 1994, eastern ed.: B1.

Pattern for Online Serials

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Title of the article." Title of Periodical PrintPublicationInformation. AnyDatabaseOrArchiveName. LastAccessedDay Month Year <SourceURL>.

  • For an article accessed from a subscription electronic database, include publication information about any print version, the name of the database, and the URL of the database's search page or home page (if known).

Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A. "What's in a Movie Soundtrack? Catchy Tunes and Big Revenues." Wall Street Journal 1 April 1994, B1. LexisNexis. 12 July 2005 <http://www.lexisnexis.com/>.

  • For journal articles accessed independently online, give the name of the archive or database (if any) and the complete URL where the article was found.

Butler, Darrell L., and Martin Sellborn. "Barriers to Adopting Technology for Teaching and Learning." Educause Quarterly 25.2 (2002): 22-28. Educause. 3 Aug. 2002 <http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0223.pdf>.

Dane, Gabreille. "Reading Ophelia's Madness." Exemplaria 10.2 (1988). 22 June 2002 <http://web.english.ufl.edu/english/exemplaria/danefram.htm>.

  • For online magazine or newspaper articles, indicate the publication date, the date that the article was last accessed, and the complete URL of the article.

Noonan, David. "And the Beat Goes On." Newsweek 11 July 2005. 21 July 2005 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8445416/site/newsweek/>.

Solomon, Christopher. "Going to Seattle." New York Times on the Web 17 July 2005. 18 July 2005 <http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/travel/17going.html>.

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Web Sites

Pattern for Documents

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Title of the Document." AnyPrintPublicationInformation. Title of the Internet Site. LastUpdatedDay Month Year. AnySponsoringOrganization. LastAccessedDay Month Year. <SourceURL>.

  • Give the date the document was electronically published or last updated, if known. This information is often found near the bottom of the Web page. Include the full date when you last accessed this document on the Web.

"Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style." MLA. 10 July 2003. Modern Language Association. 18 July 2005 <http://www.mla.org/style_faq>.

  • If a personal Web site has no title, use the description "Home page" for the title.

Lancashire, Ian. Home page. 23 Jan. 2005. 18 Jul. 2005 <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~ian/>.

Pattern for Postings

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Title of the Posting." Online posting. PostingDay Month Year. Name of Email Group, Forum or Blog. LastAccessedDay Month Year <SourceURL>.

  • Follow the title of a posting with the phrase "Online posting." Do not underline the name of the group.

Lavagnino, John. "OCR and Handwriting." Online posting. 7 May 2002. Humanist Discussion Group. 24 May 2002 <http://lists.village.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/ v16/0001.html>.

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Proceedings

AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Title of Presentation." Title of the Meeting. MeetingInformation. Ed. EditorFirstName EditorLastName. Location: Publisher, PublicationYear.

  • The published proceedings of a conference are cited like a book, with added information about the conference.

Wall, Cheryl A., ed. Changing Our Own Words: Essays on Criticism, Theory, and Writing by Black Women. Proc. of a Conf. Held at Rutgers U in Oct., 1987. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1989.

  • A presentation in the proceedings is cited like one part of a book or pamphlet.

Smith, Valerie. "Black Feminist Theory and the Representation of the 'Other.'" Changing Our Own Words: Essays on Criticism, Theory, and Writing by Black Women. Proc. of a Conf. Held at Rutgers U in Oct., 1987. Ed. Cheryl A. Wall. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1989.

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Government Publications

GovernmentName. AgencyName. Title of Publication. By AuthorFirstName AuthorLastName. TypeOfPublication PublicationNumber. Location: Publisher, PublicationYear.

  • If the writer is known, either begin the entry with the author's name or else begin with the government agency name and follow the document title with "By" and the author's name.

United States. Cong. House. Memphis Riots and Massacres. By E. B. Washburne. 39th Cong., 2nd sess. H. Rept. 101, 1866. New York: Arno, 1969.

  • If the writer is not known, treat the government agency as the author. For second and subsequent works by that agency, substitute three hyphens followed by a period for the government's name.

United Nations. Centre for National Resources. State Petroleum Enterprises in Developing Countries. Elmsford: Pergamon, 1980.

---. Economic Commission for Africa. Industrial Growth in Africa. New York: United Nations, 1963.

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Audiovisual Materials

Pattern for a Music Recording

ComposerLastName, ComposerFirstName. Title of the piece. Cond. ConductorFirstName ConductorLastName. Label, RecordingNumber, RecordingYear.

  • Begin a commercial music recording with the composer, the conductor, or the performer depending on the desired emphasis.

Berlioz, Hector. Symphonie fantastique, op. 14. Cond. Georg Solti. Chicago Symphony Orch. London, CS 6790, 1968.

  • Begin a recording of the spoken word with the speaker, the writer, or the production director depending on the desired emphasis.

Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." Robert Frost Reads His Poetry. Caedmon, TC 1072, 1958.

Pattern for a Television Broadcast or Series

Title of the Program. DirectorOrProducerName. SeriesName. NetworkName. LocalStation, LocalStationCity. BroadcastDay Month Year.

The First Americans. Narr. Hugh Downs. Writ. and prod. Craig Fisher. NBS News Special. KNBC, Los Angeles. 21 Mar. 1968.

  • If citing a specific episode, begin with the episode name in quotes. Include any other pertinent information as in the example below.

"The Joy Ride." Writ. Alfred Shaughnesy. Upstairs, Downstairs. Created by Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh. Dir. Bill Bain. Prod. John Hawkesworth. Masterpiece Theatre. Introd. Alistair Cooke. PBS. WGBH, Boston. 6 Feb. 1977.

Pattern for a Motion Picture

Title of the Film. Dir. DirectorFirstName DirectorLastName. DistributorName, ReleaseYear.

Rashomon. Dir. Akira Kurosawa. Daiei, 1950.

  • The names of the writer, performers, producer, and other contributors may be added after the title.

Giulietta degli spiriti [Juliet of the Spirits]. Dir. Federico Fellini. Music by Nino Rota. With Giulietta Masina. Rizzoli, 1965.

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Other Resources

This description of the MLA style is based on the sixth edition of Joseph Gibaldi's MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Beatley Reference LB2369.M53 2003). See also Keys for Writers: a Brief Handbook (Beatley Reference PE1408.R16 1999).

For more detail and additional examples of the MLA style see the following:

You can also find online guides to the MLA style at many of the sites listed in the Other Resources section of the Creating a bibliography page.

Page updated: September 29, 2005

 

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