how to cite an essay in an anthology mla

MLA Citation Guide 9th Edition: Citing an anthology / print

• Recent Changes
• Citing a Print Book
• Citing an eBook
• Citing an anthology / print
• Citing a Print Magazine Article
• Citing a Print Newspaper Article
• Citing a Print Journal Article
• Citing Magazine or Newspaper Articles from a Library Database
• CIting Journal Articles from a Library Database
• Citing a Website
• Citing a DVD / Streaming Service
• Citing Blogs & Interviews
• Additional MLA Resources

Chapter, essay or short story in an anthology

Author’s Last Name, First name. "Title of the Work, Chapter, Short Story or Essay." Title of the Anthology ( in italics) ,   edited by First Name, Last Name (s), edition if available (ex: 2nd ed.) ,  Publisher, Year of Publication, Page Numbers of the chapter. 

A short story contained in a multi-volume edition

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." Title of the multivolume work (in italics) , edited by First Name Last Name , volume number (vol.), Publisher, Year of Publication, Page numbers of the short story. 

Example from the MLA Handbook:

Anthology or edited collection

Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. Title of the Anthology (in italics). Publisher, Year of Publication. 

Entry in a print reference

Last Name, First Name and First Name Last Name. "Title of entry in the reference book." Title of the reference book or the encyclopedia (in italics), edited by First and Last Names, Edition number if given, Volume number if any, Publisher, Date of Publication, Pages of the entry. 

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College-wide MLA Citation Guide: 9th edition

• MLA RESEARCH PAPER
• CITING AN ANTHOLOGY
• CITING BOOKS & eBOOKS
• CITING PRINT ARTICLES
• CITING DIGITAL ARTICLES
• CITING POETRY
• CITING NEWSPAPERS
• CITING WEBSITES
• IN-TEXT CITATIONS
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Example Citation for a Work in an Anthology

Print Book

Plath, Sylvia. "Daddy."  The Seagull Reader: Poems,  edited by Joseph Kelly, 4th ed., W. W. Norton, 2017, pp 243-246. 

Thomas, Dylan. "Do Not Go into That Good Night." The Seagull Reader: Poems,  edited by Joseph Kelly, 4th ed., W. W. Norton, 2017,

           p 337. 

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MLA Citation Style, 9th Edition

• MLA Style, 9th Edition
• In-text citations
• Books - Multiple Authors
• Books - with editors, translators, etc.
• Book - Essay, Short Story, Poem, etc
• Books - later editions
• Articles - Multiple Authors
• Articles - from scholarly journals
• Articles - from newspapers
• Articles - from magazines
• YouTube Video
• Television Shows
• Images from the Web
• Works Cited: Websites
• Works Cited: Social Media / Informal Communication
• Works Cited: Conference Proceeding/Paper
• Don't See an Example for Your Source?!
• Report an Error / Question

A work (e.g., essay, short story) in an anthology or compilation

When you are citing one work from a book in the text of your paper and the book has many different authors, you will list the information about that work (critical essay, short story from an anthology, etc) first.

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MLA citation style

Works cited - anthology or compilation.

Include the word “editor” after the editor’s name.

Abate, Corinne S., editor. Privacy, Domesticity, and Women in Early Modern England . Ashgate, 2003.

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Work in an Anthology

Introduction, Preface, Foreword, Afterword

Example modified from Purdue Owl

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite an Essay in MLA

How to Cite an Essay in MLA

The guidelines for citing an essay in MLA format are similar to those for citing a chapter in a book. Include the author of the essay, the title of the essay, the name of the collection if the essay belongs to one, the editor of the collection or other contributors, the publication information, and the page number(s).

Citing an Essay

Mla essay citation structure.

Last, First M. “Essay Title.” Collection Title, edited by First M. Last, Publisher, year published, page numbers. Website Title , URL (if applicable).

MLA Essay Citation Example

Gupta, Sanjay. “Balancing and Checking.” Essays on Modern Democracy, edited by Bob Towsky, Brook Stone Publishers, 1996, pp. 36-48. Essay Database, www . databaseforessays.org/modern/modern-democracy.

MLA Essay In-text Citation Structure

(Last Name Page #)

MLA Essay In-text Citation Example

Click here to cite an essay via an EasyBib citation form.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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To cite your sources in an essay in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author’s name(s), chapter title, book title, editor(s), publication year, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for in-text citations and a works-cited-list entry for essay sources and some examples are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author on the first occurrence. For subsequent citations, use only the surname(s). In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the author(s).

Citation in prose:

First mention: Annette Wheeler Cafarelli

Subsequent occurrences: Wheeler Cafarelli

Parenthetical:

….(Wheeler Cafarelli).

Works-cited-list entry template and example:

The title of the chapter is enclosed in double quotation marks and uses title case. The book or collection title is given in italics and uses title case.

Surname, First Name. “Title of the Chapter.” Title of the Book , edited by Editor(s) Name, Publisher, Publication Year, page range.

Cafarelli, Annette Wheeler. “Rousseau and British Romanticism: Women and British Romanticism.” Cultural Interactions in the Romantic Age: Critical Essays in Comparative Literature , edited by Gregory Maertz. State U of New York P, 1998, pp. 125–56.

To cite an essay in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author(s), the essay title, the book title, editor(s), publication year, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for citations in prose, parenthetical citations, and works-cited-list entries for an essay by multiple authors, and some examples, are given below:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author (e.g., Mary Strine).

For sources with two authors, use both full author names in prose (e.g., Mary Strine and Beth Radick).

For sources with three or more authors, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” (e.g., Mary Strine and others). In subsequent citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” (e.g., Strine and others).

In parenthetical citations, use only the author’s surname. For sources with two authors, use two surnames (e.g., Strine and Radick). For sources with three or more author names, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”

First mention: Mary Strine…

Subsequent mention: Strine…

First mention: Mary Strine and Beth Radick…

Subsequent mention: Strine and Radick…

First mention: Mary Strine and colleagues …. or Mary Strine and others

Subsequent occurrences: Strine and colleagues …. or Strine and others

…. (Strine).

….(Strine and Radick).

….(Strine et al.).

The title of the essay is enclosed in double quotation marks and uses title case. The book or collection title is given in italics and uses title case.

Surname, First Name, et al. “Title of the Essay.” Title of the Book , edited by Editor(s) Name, Publisher, Publication Year, page range.

Strine, Mary M., et al. “Research in Interpretation and Performance Studies: Trends, Issues, Priorities.” Speech Communication: Essays to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Speech Communication Association , edited by Gerald M. Phillips and Julia T. Wood, Southern Illinois UP, 1990, pp. 181–204.

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MLA Citation Style Guide: Anthology, Compilation, or Edited Book

• Parenthetical Citations
• Works Cited
• Journal Article from an Online Periodical
• Journal Article from an Online Database
• Magazine Article
• Magazine Article from a Database
• Newspaper Article
• Newspaper Article from a Database
• Newspaper Article from a Website
• Two or Three Authors
• More Than Three Authors
• Anthology, Compilation, or Edited Book
• Corporate Author
• Book with No Author
• Article in a Reference Book
• Multivolume Work
• Translation
• Basic Web Page
• Document from a Web Site
• Listserv, Blog, or Tweet
• Audiovisual Media
• Images and Art
• Indirect Source
• Government Publication

Anthology, Compilation, or Edited Book (p.153-154)

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MLA Style Guide, 7th Edition: Parts of Books or Anthologies

• About In-text Citations
• In-text Examples
• How to Paraphrase and Quote
• What to Include
• Editors, Translators, etc.
• Publication Date
• Volume/Issue
• Place of Publication
• Date of Access (when needed)
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with Organization as Author
• Work with No Author

Parts of Books or Anthologies

• Multi-Volume Works
• Journal Article
• Newspaper Article
• Magazine Article
• Government Publication
• Web Publications
• Other Common Sources
• Formatting Your Paper
• Formatting Your 'Works Cited' List
• Annotated Bibliography

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MLA Citation Style 7th Edition: E. Work in an Anthology

• Quotes & Paraphrasing
• Works Cited Guidelines
• A. One Author
• B. Two or Three Authors
• C. More than Three Authors
• D. Anthology or Compilation
• E. Work in an Anthology
• F. Corporate Author
• G. No Author
• I. Article in a Reference Book
• J. Edition other than the First
• K. Introduction, Foreword, Preface, or Afterword
• L. Translation
• M. Government Publication
• A. Basic Journal Article
• B. Journal Article from an Online Periodical
• C. Journal Article from Database
• D. Magazine Article
• E. Magazine Article from Database
• F. Newspaper Article
• A. Basic Web Page
• B. Document from a Web site
• C. No Author
• A. Video or DVD
• B. Sound Recording
• C. Musical Composition
• D. YouTube Video
• A. Work of Art
• B. Online Image
• D. Indirect Sources
• E. Scripture
• C. Indirect Sources
• D. Scripture

Work in an Anthology (157-160)

• EasyBib Create citations for free (MLA only is free) using this online tool.
• MLA Website
• Purdue Online Writing Lab - MLA
• Research & Documentation Online 5th ed. A comprehensive resource to APA, MLA, and Chicago citation. Developed by Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister from Gustavus Adolphus College.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text using MLA style are covered throughout the  MLA Handbook  and in chapter 7 of the  MLA Style Manual . Both books provide extensive examples, so it's a good idea to consult them if you want to become even more familiar with MLA guidelines or if you have a particular reference question.

Basic in-text citation rules

In MLA Style, referring to the works of others in your text is done using parenthetical citations . This method involves providing relevant source information in parentheses whenever a sentence uses a quotation or paraphrase. Usually, the simplest way to do this is to put all of the source information in parentheses at the end of the sentence (i.e., just before the period). However, as the examples below will illustrate, there are situations where it makes sense to put the parenthetical elsewhere in the sentence, or even to leave information out.

General Guidelines

• The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1) upon the source medium (e.g. print, web, DVD) and (2) upon the source’s entry on the Works Cited page.
• Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry on the Works Cited page.

In-text citations: Author-page style

MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example:

Both citations in the examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information:

Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads . Oxford UP, 1967.

In-text citations for print sources with known author

For print sources like books, magazines, scholarly journal articles, and newspapers, provide a signal word or phrase (usually the author’s last name) and a page number. If you provide the signal word/phrase in the sentence, you do not need to include it in the parenthetical citation.

These examples must correspond to an entry that begins with Burke, which will be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of an entry on the Works Cited page:

Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method . University of California Press, 1966.

In-text citations for print sources by a corporate author

When a source has a corporate author, it is acceptable to use the name of the corporation followed by the page number for the in-text citation. You should also use abbreviations (e.g., nat'l for national) where appropriate, so as to avoid interrupting the flow of reading with overly long parenthetical citations.

In-text citations for sources with non-standard labeling systems

If a source uses a labeling or numbering system other than page numbers, such as a script or poetry, precede the citation with said label. When citing a poem, for instance, the parenthetical would begin with the word “line”, and then the line number or range. For example, the examination of William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” would be cited as such:

The speaker makes an ardent call for the exploration of the connection between the violence of nature and the divinity of creation. “In what distant deeps or skies. / Burnt the fire of thine eyes," they ask in reference to the tiger as they attempt to reconcile their intimidation with their relationship to creationism (lines 5-6).

Longer labels, such as chapters (ch.) and scenes (sc.), should be abbreviated.

In-text citations for print sources with no known author

When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name, following these guidelines.

Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number if it is available.

Titles longer than a standard noun phrase should be shortened into a noun phrase by excluding articles. For example, To the Lighthouse would be shortened to Lighthouse .

If the title cannot be easily shortened into a noun phrase, the title should be cut after the first clause, phrase, or punctuation:

In this example, since the reader does not know the author of the article, an abbreviated title appears in the parenthetical citation, and the full title of the article appears first at the left-hand margin of its respective entry on the Works Cited page. Thus, the writer includes the title in quotation marks as the signal phrase in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader directly to the source on the Works Cited page. The Works Cited entry appears as follows:

"The Impact of Global Warming in North America." Global Warming: Early Signs . 1999. www.climatehotmap.org/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2009.

If the title of the work begins with a quotation mark, such as a title that refers to another work, that quote or quoted title can be used as the shortened title. The single quotation marks must be included in the parenthetical, rather than the double quotation.

Parenthetical citations and Works Cited pages, used in conjunction, allow readers to know which sources you consulted in writing your essay, so that they can either verify your interpretation of the sources or use them in their own scholarly work.

Author-page citation for classic and literary works with multiple editions

Page numbers are always required, but additional citation information can help literary scholars, who may have a different edition of a classic work, like Marx and Engels's  The Communist Manifesto . In such cases, give the page number of your edition (making sure the edition is listed in your Works Cited page, of course) followed by a semicolon, and then the appropriate abbreviations for volume (vol.), book (bk.), part (pt.), chapter (ch.), section (sec.), or paragraph (par.). For example:

Author-page citation for works in an anthology, periodical, or collection

When you cite a work that appears inside a larger source (for instance, an article in a periodical or an essay in a collection), cite the author of the  internal source (i.e., the article or essay). For example, to cite Albert Einstein's article "A Brief Outline of the Theory of Relativity," which was published in  Nature  in 1921, you might write something like this:

See also our page on documenting periodicals in the Works Cited .

Citing authors with same last names

Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even the authors' full name if different authors share initials) in your citation. For example:

Citing a work by multiple authors

For a source with two authors, list the authors’ last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation:

Corresponding Works Cited entry:

Best, David, and Sharon Marcus. “Surface Reading: An Introduction.” Representations , vol. 108, no. 1, Fall 2009, pp. 1-21. JSTOR, doi:10.1525/rep.2009.108.1.1

For a source with three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name, and replace the additional names with et al.

Franck, Caroline, et al. “Agricultural Subsidies and the American Obesity Epidemic.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine , vol. 45, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 327-333.

Citing multiple works by the same author

If you cite more than one work by an author, include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the others. Put short titles of books in italics and short titles of articles in quotation marks.

Citing two articles by the same author :

Citing two books by the same author :

Additionally, if the author's name is not mentioned in the sentence, format your citation with the author's name followed by a comma, followed by a shortened title of the work, and, when appropriate, the page number(s):

Citing multivolume works

If you cite from different volumes of a multivolume work, always include the volume number followed by a colon. Put a space after the colon, then provide the page number(s). (If you only cite from one volume, provide only the page number in parentheses.)

Citing the Bible

In your first parenthetical citation, you want to make clear which Bible you're using (and underline or italicize the title), as each version varies in its translation, followed by book (do not italicize or underline), chapter, and verse. For example:

If future references employ the same edition of the Bible you’re using, list only the book, chapter, and verse in the parenthetical citation:

John of Patmos echoes this passage when describing his vision (Rev. 4.6-8).

Citing indirect sources

Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source. An indirect source is a source cited within another source. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For example:

Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source, rather than citing an indirect source.

Citing transcripts, plays, or screenplays

Sources that take the form of a dialogue involving two or more participants have special guidelines for their quotation and citation. Each line of dialogue should begin with the speaker's name written in all capitals and indented half an inch. A period follows the name (e.g., JAMES.) . After the period, write the dialogue. Each successive line after the first should receive an additional indentation. When another person begins speaking, start a new line with that person's name indented only half an inch. Repeat this pattern each time the speaker changes. You can include stage directions in the quote if they appear in the original source.

Conclude with a parenthetical that explains where to find the excerpt in the source. Usually, the author and title of the source can be given in a signal phrase before quoting the excerpt, so the concluding parenthetical will often just contain location information like page numbers or act/scene indicators.

Here is an example from O'Neill's  The Iceman Cometh.

WILLIE. (Pleadingly) Give me a drink, Rocky. Harry said it was all right. God, I need a drink.

ROCKY. Den grab it. It's right under your nose.

WILLIE. (Avidly) Thanks. (He takes the bottle with both twitching hands and tilts it to his lips and gulps down the whiskey in big swallows.) (1.1)

Citing non-print or sources from the Internet

With more and more scholarly work published on the Internet, you may have to cite sources you found in digital environments. While many sources on the Internet should not be used for scholarly work (reference the OWL's  Evaluating Sources of Information  resource), some Web sources are perfectly acceptable for research. When creating in-text citations for electronic, film, or Internet sources, remember that your citation must reference the source on your Works Cited page.

Sometimes writers are confused with how to craft parenthetical citations for electronic sources because of the absence of page numbers. However, these sorts of entries often do not require a page number in the parenthetical citation. For electronic and Internet sources, follow the following guidelines:

• Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).
• Do not provide paragraph numbers or page numbers based on your Web browser’s print preview function.
• Unless you must list the Web site name in the signal phrase in order to get the reader to the appropriate entry, do not include URLs in-text. Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes, for example, a domain name, like  CNN.com  or  Forbes.com,  as opposed to writing out http://www.cnn.com or http://www.forbes.com.

Miscellaneous non-print sources

Two types of non-print sources you may encounter are films and lectures/presentations:

In the two examples above “Herzog” (a film’s director) and “Yates” (a presentor) lead the reader to the first item in each citation’s respective entry on the Works Cited page:

Herzog, Werner, dir. Fitzcarraldo . Perf. Klaus Kinski. Filmverlag der Autoren, 1982.

Yates, Jane. "Invention in Rhetoric and Composition." Gaps Addressed: Future Work in Rhetoric and Composition, CCCC, Palmer House Hilton, 2002. Address.

Electronic sources

Electronic sources may include web pages and online news or magazine articles:

In the first example (an online magazine article), the writer has chosen not to include the author name in-text; however, two entries from the same author appear in the Works Cited. Thus, the writer includes both the author’s last name and the article title in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader to the appropriate entry on the Works Cited page (see below).

In the second example (a web page), a parenthetical citation is not necessary because the page does not list an author, and the title of the article, “MLA Formatting and Style Guide,” is used as a signal phrase within the sentence. If the title of the article was not named in the sentence, an abbreviated version would appear in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. Both corresponding Works Cited entries are as follows:

Taylor, Rumsey. "Fitzcarraldo." Slant , 13 Jun. 2003, www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/fitzcarraldo/. Accessed 29 Sep. 2009. 

"MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL , 2 Aug. 2016, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Accessed 2 April 2018.

Multiple citations

To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi-colon:

Time-based media sources

When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).

When a citation is not needed

Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known quotations, or common knowledge (For example, it is expected that U.S. citizens know that George Washington was the first President.). Remember that citing sources is a rhetorical task, and, as such, can vary based on your audience. If you’re writing for an expert audience of a scholarly journal, for example, you may need to deal with expectations of what constitutes “common knowledge” that differ from common norms.

Other Sources

The MLA Handbook describes how to cite many different kinds of authors and content creators. However, you may occasionally encounter a source or author category that the handbook does not describe, making the best way to proceed can be unclear.

In these cases, it's typically acceptable to apply the general principles of MLA citation to the new kind of source in a way that's consistent and sensible. A good way to do this is to simply use the standard MLA directions for a type of source that resembles the source you want to cite.

You may also want to investigate whether a third-party organization has provided directions for how to cite this kind of source. For example, Norquest College provides guidelines for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers⁠ —an author category that does not appear in the MLA Handbook . In cases like this, however, it's a good idea to ask your instructor or supervisor whether using third-party citation guidelines might present problems.

MLA 9 Citation Style: Anthology or Edited Book

• Textbook With One Author
• Textbook With Two Authors
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• Textbook as an Anthology or Edited Book
• Textbook Work Within an Anthology or Edited Book
• Textbook Two or More from an Anthology or Edited Book
• Textbook with One Author (Mobile)
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• Textbook as an Anthology or Edited Book (Mobile)
• Textbook Work Within an Anthology or Edited Book (Mobile)
• Textbook Two or More from an Anthology or Edited Book (Mobile)
• Two Authors
• Three or More Authors
• Anthology or Edited Book
• Work in an Anthology or Edited Book
• Two or More Selections from the Same Anthology or Edited Book
• Journal Article (Print)
• Journal Article (Online)
• Newspaper Articles (Print)
• Newspaper Articles (Online)
• Database Article with One Author
• Database Article with Two Authors
• Database Article with More Than Three Authors
• Database Previously Published Scholarly Article (Blooms, MasterPlots, Literary Reference Center)
• Online Government Publication
• Website with an Author’s/Contributor’s Name
• Website with No Author’s/Contributor’s Name
• Web Page with Author
• Web Page with No Author’s/Contributor’s Name
• Art – From a Book
• Art – From a Web Page
• Picture/Photo Online -- General
• Motion Picture -- DVD
• Motion Picture -- Streaming
• Video -- Online (YouTube, etc.)
• An Interview You Conducted
• Lecture Notes, PowerPoints, or Handouts from Class
• In-Text Citations
• Works Cited Page
• Popular vs. Scholarly Sources
• Direct Quotes, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

MLA Citation -- Anthology or Edited Book

Works Cited Format

Last name, First name, editor. Title of Book . Edition * (if any), Publisher, Date.

In-Text Citation Format 

(Editor’s Last Name p. # * )

* Please note, the in-text citation should be just the number itself and should not include the p., as in the example below.

Works Cited Example

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, editors. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing .  Compact 9 th

     ed. * , Cengage Learning, 2017.

In-Text Citation Example 

(Kriszner and Mandell 13)

*Sometimes the edition may include a qualifier, such as shorter edition or portable edition . When citing an anthology itself, you should include the qualifier before the edition number. For example: Compact  9 th ed.

More than 3 authors or editors

When you have more than three editors, you cite as you would a book with more than three authors--First author’s information followed by et al. in both the Works Cited and the in-text citation.

A Word About Punctuation

The punctuation in your citations does matter.  Make sure you pay attention to where the periods and commas are in the examples. 

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How to Cite an Anthology in MLA Style

You can cite an anthology, which is a published collection of literary pieces in a single book, using Modern Language Association format both in-text and on the Works Cited page. You would rarely cite an entire anthology, except in referring to the introduction or a bio, so generally cite a specific literary work within the text.

Works Cited Citation

To cite an entry in an anthology, include the author's name, title of the piece in quotation marks, title of the anthology in italics, editor's name, city of publication, publisher, publication year, page numbers of the entry and medium in the following format:

Wharton, Edith. "The Angel at the Grave." The Norton Anthology of Literature By Women: The Traditions in English. Eds. Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: Norton, 2007. 31-43. Print.

If the citation takes up more than one line, indent all lines after the first.

In-Text Citation

For in-text citations, include the author's last name and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence as follows:

"The House stood a few yards back from the elm-shaded village street," (Wharton 31).

If the author's name is mentioned in the sentence, just include the page number like this:

Wharton uses the tool of personification in her writing, stating that the house possessed Mrs. Anson and was conscious of its victory (35).

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Based in Gatineau, Canada, Kat Walcott has been writing entertainment and informative articles since 2008. Her work has appeared in major publications including Her Campus, Equals6 and Uppercase. She holds an honors diploma in social science from Heritage College and is currently majoring in communication studies and minoring in sexuality studies.

How do I cite an excerpt from an anthology?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

To cite an excerpt from an anthology, follow the MLA format template . You will likely list a description in place of a title:

De Quincey, Thomas. Excerpt from  Confessions of an English Opium-Eater .  English Romantic Writers , edited by David Perkins, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1967, pp. 725-30.

If the anthology provides original publication information for the work that is excerpted, you may list it in the optional-element slot at the end of the template:

Duyckinck, Evert A. “An Intellectual Chowder.”  Moby-Dick , by Herman Melville, edited by Harrison Hayford and Hershel Parker, Norton Critical Edition, W. W. Norton, 1967, pp. 613-16. Excerpt from “Melville’s  Moby-Dick; or, The Whale ,”  Literary World , vol. 9, 22 Nov. 1851, pp. 403-04.

MLA Style Guide

• How To Use This Guide
• Introduction to MLA Style
• Introduction to Containers
• Introduction to DOI
• Formatting: Guidelines and Samples
• How to Format In-text Citations
• Number and Type of Author(s)
• Multiple Sources with the Same Author Name
• Repeated Use of a Source
• Indirect Sources
• Listing Author Names
• Tips for Online Sources
• Book Chapter
• Book with 1 Author
• Book with 2 Authors
• Book with 3+ Authors
• Book with Corporate Author
• Book with Editor(s)
• Authored Chapter of a Edited Book
• Translated Book
• Reference Book
• Classical Works
• eBook from Library Database
• eBook from Website
• Image from a Book
• Image from a Website
• Including Images in Your Paper
• Referencing: Indigenous Elders & Knowledge Keepers
• Journal Article, Print
• Journal Article with 1 Author, Online
• Journal Article with 2 Authors, Online
• Journal Article with 3+ Authors, Online
• Magazine Article, Print or Online
• Newspaper Article, Print or Online
• Referencing: Personal Communications
• Referencing: Podcasts
• Page, Article or Posting on a Website
• Website (General)
• Website, No Author
• Website, Same Author/Publisher
• Website, Same Author/Publisher/Title
• Comment on an Article or Post on a Website
• Television Series
• Netflix or Other Streaming Video App
• Video from a Website
• Helpful Resources
• Take a Quiz

When creating a reference for a story, essay or poem from an anthology or collection, begin with the author of the selection followed by the title of the selection in quotations. Include the date of original publication if know. Then, include reference information for the anthology or collection as a whole (container). Conclude with page numbers of the selection .

*See page 27 of the MLA Handbook, 8th edition, for referencing a selection from a collection that usually appears independently.

• Works Cited Format
• In-text Citation Format

There are different ways to format an in-text citation depending on your writing style and sentence structure. Formatting examples are outlined below:

Remember, in-text citation formatting may change depending on a number of factors .

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• How to cite a book in MLA

How to Cite a Book in MLA | Format & Examples

Published on June 28, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on March 5, 2024.

An MLA book citation always includes the author(s) , title (italicized), publisher, and publication year in the Works Cited entry. If relevant, also include the names of any editors or translators, the edition, and the volume. “University Press” should be abbreviated to “UP” in a Works Cited entry.

The in-text citation gives the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses.

To automattically create MLA citations, try our free MLA Citation Generator .

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Table of contents

Citing a book chapter, editions of books, multi-volume books, translated books, e-books and online books, where to find information for a book citation, frequently asked questions about mla style.

Use this format if the book’s chapters are written by different authors, or if the book is a collection of self-contained works (such as stories , essays, poems or plays ). A similar format can be used to cite images from books or dictionary entries . If you cite several chapters from the same book, include a separate Works Cited entry for each one.

Start the Works Cited entry with the author and title of the chapter, followed by the book’s title, editor, publisher, and date , and end with the page range on which the chapter appears.

If there are two editors, give the full names of both. If there are more than two editors, follow the same rules as for citing multiple authors : name only the first editor followed by et al.

If you are citing a work from a book with no named editor (e.g. a collection of a single author’s poems or plays), use the same format, but leave out the editor element.

• Multiple editors

Citing a whole collection or anthology

If you refer to a whole collection without citing a specific work within it, follow the standard book citation format. Include the editor(s) where the author would usually go, with a label to identify their role.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

If the book cover or title page specifies an edition, add the edition number or name, followed by the abbreviation “ed.”, after the title. Note that versions of the Bible are treated slightly differently.

Including the original publication date

Classic books are often published and republished many times. If the original publication date is relevant or necessary to put the source in context, you can also include this directly after the title.

If you cite only one volume of a multi-volume work, include the volume number in the Works Cited entry.

If you cite more than one volume of the book, cite them as a single work and specify the total number of volumes in your Works Cited entry. In this case, the in-text citations must include the volume number as well as the page number.

• Citing a single volume
• Citing multiple volumes

If the book is translated, include the translator’s name after the title.

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The citation format for an e-book depends on how you accessed it.

Books accessed online

If you accessed the book via a website or database, use the standard MLA book citation format, followed by the name of the website or database and a link to the book. Look for a DOI, stable URL or permalink. If the book was accessed as a PDF, you may note this in your reference .

Downloaded e-books

If you downloaded the book onto an e-reader device or app, you only have to add “E-book ed.” after the title.

If the e-book does not have page numbers, use an alternate locator, such as a chapter or section heading, in your in-text citation. Do not use locators that are specific to the device (e.g. Kindle locations).

The title, author, publisher, and publication year are usually found on the book’s title page. You might have to check the copyright page for the publisher and publication year.

Note that the copyright date is not always the same as the publication date. If several different years appear on the copyright page, use the most recent one.

If the book has any editors or translators named on the cover page, include them in the citation after the book’s title.

In MLA style , book titles appear in italics, with all major words capitalized. If there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space (even if no colon appears in the source). For example:

The format is the same in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. However, when you mention the book title in the text, you don’t have to include the subtitle.

The title of a part of a book—such as a chapter, or a short story or poem in a collection—is not italicized, but instead placed in quotation marks.

If a source has two authors, name both authors in your MLA in-text citation and Works Cited entry. If there are three or more authors, name only the first author, followed by et al.

In MLA Style , you should cite a specific chapter or work within a book in two situations:

• When each of the book’s chapters is written by a different author.
• When the book is a collection of self-contained works (such as poems , plays , or short stories ), even if they are all written by the same author.

If you cite multiple chapters or works from the same book, include a separate Works Cited entry for each chapter.

Some source types, such as books and journal articles , may contain footnotes (or endnotes) with additional information. The following rules apply when citing information from a note in an MLA in-text citation :

• To cite information from a single numbered note, write “n” after the page number, and then write the note number, e.g. (Smith 105n2)
• To cite information from multiple numbered notes, write “nn” and include a range, e.g. (Smith 77nn1–2)
• To cite information from an unnumbered note, write “un” after the page number, with a space in between, e.g. (Jones 250 un)

You must include an MLA in-text citation every time you quote or paraphrase from a source (e.g. a book , movie , website , or article ).

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McCombes, S. (2024, March 05). How to Cite a Book in MLA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/book-citation/

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How to Cite an Anthology in MLA Format

Basic information.

• To cite the complete anthology or list of references, start with the editors followed by a quotation "ed" and "a" or for several editors, "eds;" (for edited by). It is an exceptional kind of citation. For an anthology or group of references, to cite a specific piece, refer to a collection or anthology as below:

Edited Reference or Section of a Book

• When citing works that have been retrieved from an edited reference or anthology or a section of a book, then this is how the citation should appear:

Additional sample is listed below:

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How To Cite An Anthology In MLA: Explained In Details

Before using any literary piece in your writing, you have to cite it effectively to avoid penalties for plagiarizing. It may seem confusing to cite sources because of the variety of citation styles available. But that isn’t the case. Citations are straightforward if you stick to the laid down principles.

You have to understand a citation style to utilize it better. Some of the major ones are MLA, APA , and Chicago styles.

This post explains how to cite an anthology in MLA . You’ll also learn how to use other citation styles, as well. Keep reading!

Table of Contents

What Is An Anthology?

An anthology is a compilation or collection of books. It may consist of essays, poetry, songs, short fiction, plays, movies, and other literature. The typical anthologies are mostly literary works. An editor compiles various literatures and publishes them as one book.

How To Cite A Whole Anthology In MLA

Works cited entries:  Refers to citations on the reference page.

For a single editor:  Write the name of the editor or compiler, add a comma and then write “editor or ed.” or “comp.” Start with the surname first before the first name. Next, write the title of the anthology in italics. After that, write the publishers and year published. An example is:

Collins, Jane, editor.  Tenets of Humanity: Practical and Theoretical Approaches.  Peterson Publishers, 2006.

For multiple editors:  List the editors, add a comma and then write “editors.” Write their names the same way they appear on the title page of the anthology. Write the first editor’s surname first, add a comma and write the first name. Now, write the other editors’ first names before surnames.

Just like the one for a single author, write the title of the anthology in italics. Then write the details of the publication. For example:

Collins, Jane, Robert Freeman, and James White, editors.  Tenets of Humanity: Practical and Theoretical Approaches.  Peterson Publishers, 2006.

In-text citation:  Refers to sources within the text.

When you are mentioning the anthology as a whole in your text, use the editor’s name. However, use the author’s name if you are quoting or paraphrasing a work in the anthology.

But if you quote a work within the anthology, you need to create a works cited citation that’s different from that of the anthology (if you wrote one for it).

How To Cite A Book Within An Anthology In MLA

Works cited entries:.

When you what to cite a book that’s part of an anthology, write the author’s name first. After that, write the book’s title in quotation marks. Next is the anthology’s title in italics. Then write the editor’s name and the publication city, publisher, and year.

Furthermore, add the page numbers of the book and finally the medium. For example:

Westland, George. “The Rise of a New Moon.”  The Scarlet Anthology of Old Literature.  Eds. Robert Freeman and Lucy Collins. Illinois: Scarlet, 2008. 27 – 39. Print.

In-text citation:

When you write sources within your text, add the author’s surname and the page number. Place them at the end of the sentence in parentheses. An example is:

“She took what was left of her diary and drove home” (Westland 32).

If you write the author’s name in the sentence, you don’t have to include it in the parenthesis. For example, Westland uses a simile to compare Lucy’s courage to a lion (37).

Other Ways To Cite An Anthology

Apa style :.

It allows you to cite your work under two categories: the reference list and in-text citation.

For an anthology reference list citation:

Write the editor’s last name, then a comma before the first name initials. Put “Ed.” in parentheses and add the year. After that, write the anthology’s title in italics and subtitle if included. Next, write the volume number, if any.

Place the publisher location (city and state) and publisher’s name.

For example:

Peters, D. (Ed.). (2003).  Ancient Literature: The Pioneers of Poetry . Washington, DC: Miter’s House.

When you use an in-text citation, write the editor’s last name, a comma, and year. Place it at the end of the sentence. An example is (Peters, 2003).

You can add the author’s name within the text and add the editor’s name and year. For instance:

Ron Laker was a significant contributor to ancient literature (for a collection of his works, see Peters, 2003).

For an anthology with multiple volumes:

Include the editor’s surname and first name initials. And let an “ed.” follow in parentheses.

Next, write the different years in which all the volumes were published in parentheses after the title. Then insert the volume numbers in parentheses. And add the publisher’s city and publishers.

Peters, D. (Ed.). (2003 – 2006).  Ancient Literature: The Pioneers of Poetry  (Vols. 1 – 3). Washington, DC: Miter’s House.

To write an in-text citation for an anthology with multiple volumes, write the editor’s name in parentheses. Also, include the volume years in the same parentheses.

For example: (Peters, 1999 – 2003).

For a book that’s part of an anthology:

Write the author’s surname, first name, initial, and date. Then, include the book’s title. Next is the editor’s name, and then “ed.” follows, with the anthology’s title and page where the book is located.

Finally, write the publisher’s location and publisher’s name. Then the original publication date in parentheses. For example:

Laker, R. (2018).The Ancient Art. In D. Peters (Ed.), Ancient  Literature: The Pioneers of Poetry  (pp. 92 – 104). Washington, DC: Miter’s House. (Original work published 2001).

For the in-text citation of a book within an anthology, write the author’s name in parentheses. Then include the original work’s publication date and the anthology’s publication date.

For instance: (Laker, 2001/2018).

The Chicago style:

It has both the bibliography citation and in-text citation. For in-text citation, use superscript to show the footnote number after the sentence.

To write the bibliography citation for an anthology, start with the editor’s last name before the first name. Now add “ed.” and include the anthology’s title in italics. Next is the publication information, which includes place, publisher, and date.

Martins, John, ed.  The Collection of American Contemporary Literature.  New York: Wellers Press, 2004.

For the footnote, write the editor’s name (first name and last name), the title, and the publication information in parentheses. However, include the page number of the part you use in your text.

John Martins, ed.  The Collection of Contemporary Literature  (New York: Wellers Press, 2004), 56-58.

If the anthology has more than three editors, write the first editor’s name and write “et al.”

For a book within an anthology:

Under the bibliography, write the author’s last name, first name, and the title of the book (in a quotation mark). Additionally, note the anthology’s title in italics and the editor’s first and last names. Then, include the page of the book, place of publication, and publisher in parentheses.

After that, add the publication year. For instance:

Woodland, James, “The Adventures of the Sea.” In  The Collection of American Contemporary Literature,  edited by John Martins, 69 – 77 .  New York: Wellers Press, 2004.

Under the footnote, the format follows the bibliography except that the author’s first name comes before the last name and the page numbers come last. Also, the place of publication, publisher, and publication year are in parentheses.

For instance: James Woodland, “The Adventures of the Sea,” in  The Collection of American Contemporary Literature,  ed. John Martins   (New York: Wellers Press, 2004), 69 – 77.

For a work credited to more than one author:

Under the footnote, write the authors’ first names and last names as it appears in the book. Next, include the title of the work, anthology’s title, and editor’s name.

Lastly, write the publication city, publisher, and publication year in parentheses. And add the page number.

However, for more than three authors, start with the first author’s first name and last name and write “et al.”

James Woodland et al., “The Adventures of the Sea,” in  The Collection of American Contemporary Literature,  ed. John Martins   (New York: Wellers Press, 2004), 69 – 77.

Under the bibliography, start with the first author’s last name before the first name, and then write the first and last names of subsequent authors. The format is constant even when the authors are more than three.

However, the rest of the format follows the footnote except that the page numbers come after the editor’s name. Also, the place of publication, publisher, and publication year are not in parentheses.

For instance: Woodland, James, Mary Lander, James Brown, and Jodi Ashton, “The Adventures of the Sea.” In  The   Collection of American Contemporary Literature,  edited by John Martins, 69 – 77 .  New York: Wellers Press, 2004.

For work without a credited author:

Under the footnote, start with the work’s title in quotation marks, and the anthology’s title follows. Then, write the editor’s name, including the publication city, publisher, and publication year (in parentheses). Lastly, note the page number.

For example: “The Adventures of the Sea,” in  The   Collection of American Contemporary Literature,  ed.

John Martins   (New York: Wellers Press, 2004), 69 – 77.

Like other ones, the format for the bibliography follows the footnote except that the page numbers come after the editor’s name. Additionally, the place of publication, publisher, and publication year are not in parentheses.

For instance: “The Adventures of the Sea.” In  The Collection of American Contemporary Literature,  edited by John Martins, 69 – 77 .  New York: Wellers Press, 2004.

It can be challenging to cite an anthology in MLA, but once you learn the basics, you’ll get the hang of it. Additionally, learning to use other referencing styles will help you differentiate them. It’ll also help you use anyone that’s recommended at any time.

Now that you know how to cite an anthology in MLA , utilize them appropriately in your work.

About the Author

CJ grew up admiring books. His family owned a small bookstore throughout his early childhood, and he would spend weekends flipping through book after book, always sure to read the ones that looked the most interesting. Not much has changed since then, except now some of those interesting books he picks off the shelf were designed by his company!