how to cite sources in mla format for research paper

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How to Cite Sources

Here is a complete list for how to cite sources. Most of these guides present citation guidance and examples in MLA, APA, and Chicago.

If you’re looking for general information on MLA or APA citations , the EasyBib Writing Center was designed for you! It has articles on what’s needed in an MLA in-text citation , how to format an APA paper, what an MLA annotated bibliography is, making an MLA works cited page, and much more!

MLA Format Citation Examples

The Modern Language Association created the MLA Style, currently in its 9th edition, to provide researchers with guidelines for writing and documenting scholarly borrowings.  Most often used in the humanities, MLA style (or MLA format ) has been adopted and used by numerous other disciplines, in multiple parts of the world.

MLA provides standard rules to follow so that most research papers are formatted in a similar manner. This makes it easier for readers to comprehend the information. The MLA in-text citation guidelines, MLA works cited standards, and MLA annotated bibliography instructions provide scholars with the information they need to properly cite sources in their research papers, articles, and assignments.

• Book Chapter
• Conference Paper
• Documentary
• Encyclopedia
• Google Images
• Kindle Book
• Memorial Inscription
• Museum Exhibit
• Painting or Artwork
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Sheet Music
• Thesis or Dissertation
• YouTube Video

APA Format Citation Examples

The American Psychological Association created the APA citation style in 1929 as a way to help psychologists, anthropologists, and even business managers establish one common way to cite sources and present content.

APA is used when citing sources for academic articles such as journals, and is intended to help readers better comprehend content, and to avoid language bias wherever possible. The APA style (or APA format ) is now in its 7th edition, and provides citation style guides for virtually any type of resource.

Chicago Style Citation Examples

The Chicago/Turabian style of citing sources is generally used when citing sources for humanities papers, and is best known for its requirement that writers place bibliographic citations at the bottom of a page (in Chicago-format footnotes ) or at the end of a paper (endnotes).

The Turabian and Chicago citation styles are almost identical, but the Turabian style is geared towards student published papers such as theses and dissertations, while the Chicago style provides guidelines for all types of publications. This is why you’ll commonly see Chicago style and Turabian style presented together. The Chicago Manual of Style is currently in its 17th edition, and Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is in its 8th edition.

Citing Specific Sources or Events

• Declaration of Independence
• Gettysburg Address
• Martin Luther King Jr. Speech
• President Obama’s Farewell Address
• President Trump’s Inauguration Speech
• White House Press Briefing

Additional FAQs

• Citing Archived Contributors
• Citing a Blog
• Citing a Book Chapter
• Citing a Source in a Foreign Language
• Citing an Image
• Citing a Song
• Citing Special Contributors
• Citing a Translated Article
• Citing a Tweet

6 Interesting Citation Facts

The world of citations may seem cut and dry, but there’s more to them than just specific capitalization rules, MLA in-text citations , and other formatting specifications. Citations have been helping researches document their sources for hundreds of years, and are a great way to learn more about a particular subject area.

Ever wonder what sets all the different styles apart, or how they came to be in the first place? Read on for some interesting facts about citations!

1. There are Over 7,000 Different Citation Styles

You may be familiar with MLA and APA citation styles, but there are actually thousands of citation styles used for all different academic disciplines all across the world. Deciding which one to use can be difficult, so be sure to ask you instructor which one you should be using for your next paper.

2. Some Citation Styles are Named After People

While a majority of citation styles are named for the specific organizations that publish them (i.e. APA is published by the American Psychological Association, and MLA format is named for the Modern Language Association), some are actually named after individuals. The most well-known example of this is perhaps Turabian style, named for Kate L. Turabian, an American educator and writer. She developed this style as a condensed version of the Chicago Manual of Style in order to present a more concise set of rules to students.

3. There are Some Really Specific and Uniquely Named Citation Styles

How specific can citation styles get? The answer is very. For example, the “Flavour and Fragrance Journal” style is based on a bimonthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 1985 by John Wiley & Sons. It publishes original research articles, reviews and special reports on all aspects of flavor and fragrance. Another example is “Nordic Pulp and Paper Research,” a style used by an international scientific magazine covering science and technology for the areas of wood or bio-mass constituents.

4. More citations were created on  EasyBib.com  in the first quarter of 2018 than there are people in California.

The US Census Bureau estimates that approximately 39.5 million people live in the state of California. Meanwhile, about 43 million citations were made on EasyBib from January to March of 2018. That’s a lot of citations.

5. “Citations” is a Word With a Long History

The word “citations” can be traced back literally thousands of years to the Latin word “citare” meaning “to summon, urge, call; put in sudden motion, call forward; rouse, excite.” The word then took on its more modern meaning and relevance to writing papers in the 1600s, where it became known as the “act of citing or quoting a passage from a book, etc.”

6. Citation Styles are Always Changing

The concept of citations always stays the same. It is a means of preventing plagiarism and demonstrating where you relied on outside sources. The specific style rules, however, can and do change regularly. For example, in 2018 alone, 46 new citation styles were introduced , and 106 updates were made to exiting styles. At EasyBib, we are always on the lookout for ways to improve our styles and opportunities to add new ones to our list.

Why Citations Matter

Here are the ways accurate citations can help your students achieve academic success, and how you can answer the dreaded question, “why should I cite my sources?”

They Give Credit to the Right People

Citing their sources makes sure that the reader can differentiate the student’s original thoughts from those of other researchers. Not only does this make sure that the sources they use receive proper credit for their work, it ensures that the student receives deserved recognition for their unique contributions to the topic. Whether the student is citing in MLA format , APA format , or any other style, citations serve as a natural way to place a student’s work in the broader context of the subject area, and serve as an easy way to gauge their commitment to the project.

They Provide Hard Evidence of Ideas

Having many citations from a wide variety of sources related to their idea means that the student is working on a well-researched and respected subject. Citing sources that back up their claim creates room for fact-checking and further research . And, if they can cite a few sources that have the converse opinion or idea, and then demonstrate to the reader why they believe that that viewpoint is wrong by again citing credible sources, the student is well on their way to winning over the reader and cementing their point of view.

They Promote Originality and Prevent Plagiarism

The point of research projects is not to regurgitate information that can already be found elsewhere. We have Google for that! What the student’s project should aim to do is promote an original idea or a spin on an existing idea, and use reliable sources to promote that idea. Copying or directly referencing a source without proper citation can lead to not only a poor grade, but accusations of academic dishonesty. By citing their sources regularly and accurately, students can easily avoid the trap of plagiarism , and promote further research on their topic.

They Create Better Researchers

By researching sources to back up and promote their ideas, students are becoming better researchers without even knowing it! Each time a new source is read or researched, the student is becoming more engaged with the project and is developing a deeper understanding of the subject area. Proper citations demonstrate a breadth of the student’s reading and dedication to the project itself. By creating citations, students are compelled to make connections between their sources and discern research patterns. Each time they complete this process, they are helping themselves become better researchers and writers overall.

When is the Right Time to Start Making Citations?

Make in-text/parenthetical citations as you need them.

As you are writing your paper, be sure to include references within the text that correspond with references in a works cited or bibliography. These are usually called in-text citations or parenthetical citations in MLA and APA formats. The most effective time to complete these is directly after you have made your reference to another source. For instance, after writing the line from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities : “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…,” you would include a citation like this (depending on your chosen citation style):

(Dickens 11).

This signals to the reader that you have referenced an outside source. What’s great about this system is that the in-text citations serve as a natural list for all of the citations you have made in your paper, which will make completing the works cited page a whole lot easier. After you are done writing, all that will be left for you to do is scan your paper for these references, and then build a works cited page that includes a citation for each one.

Need help creating an MLA works cited page ? Try the MLA format generator on EasyBib.com! We also have a guide on how to format an APA reference page .

2. Understand the General Formatting Rules of Your Citation Style Before You Start Writing

While reading up on paper formatting may not sound exciting, being aware of how your paper should look early on in the paper writing process is super important. Citation styles can dictate more than just the appearance of the citations themselves, but rather can impact the layout of your paper as a whole, with specific guidelines concerning margin width, title treatment, and even font size and spacing. Knowing how to organize your paper before you start writing will ensure that you do not receive a low grade for something as trivial as forgetting a hanging indent.

Don’t know where to start? Here’s a formatting guide on APA format .

3. Double-check All of Your Outside Sources for Relevance and Trustworthiness First

Collecting outside sources that support your research and specific topic is a critical step in writing an effective paper. But before you run to the library and grab the first 20 books you can lay your hands on, keep in mind that selecting a source to include in your paper should not be taken lightly. Before you proceed with using it to backup your ideas, run a quick Internet search for it and see if other scholars in your field have written about it as well. Check to see if there are book reviews about it or peer accolades. If you spot something that seems off to you, you may want to consider leaving it out of your work. Doing this before your start making citations can save you a ton of time in the long run.

Finished with your paper? It may be time to run it through a grammar and plagiarism checker , like the one offered by EasyBib Plus. If you’re just looking to brush up on the basics, our grammar guides  are ready anytime you are.

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MLA Citation Guide (9th edition) : Works Cited and Sample Papers

• Getting Started
• How do I Cite?
• In-Text Citations
• Works Cited and Sample Papers
• Additional Resources

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Quick Rules for an MLA Works Cited List

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in your paper. Here are some quick rules for this Works Cited list:

• Begin the works cited list on a new page after the text.
• Name it "Works Cited," and center the section label in bold at the top of the page.
• Order the reference list alphabetically by author's last name.
• Double-space the entire list (both within and between entries).
• Apply a hanging indent of 0.5 in. to each entry. This means that the first line of the reference is flush left and subsequent lines are indented 0.5 in. from the left margin.

Sample Paper with Works Cited List

The Modern Language Association (MLA) has compiled  several sample papers  that include explanations of the elements and formatting in MLA 9th edition. 

MLA Title Pages

MLA Title Page: Format and Template   This resource discusses the correct format for title pages in MLA style and includes examples.

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• Last Updated: Jun 24, 2022 12:43 PM
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• MJC Library & Learning Center
• Research Guides

Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

Mla style (8th/9th ed.).

• Citing Sources
• Avoid Plagiarism

MLA Citation Style Video

Formatting your paper, formatting your works cited page, citation examples, in-text citation basics, mla annotated bibliography example, noodletools.

• APA Style, 7th Edition
• Chicago Style
• Harvard Style
• Other Styles
• Annotated Bibliographies
• How to Create an Attribution

What is MLA Style?

Created by the Modern Language Association, MLA is most often used by the Humanities, which includes languages, literature, philosophy, visual & performing arts.

Watch this short but excellent video from Hayden Memorial Library at Citrus College, It walks you through creating an MLA citation and the corresponding in-text citation

• Margins:  1" all around (except for the page number)
• Font:   Easily readable typeface set to a standard size (Times-New Roman 12pt is always safe)
• Line-spacing:  Double-space throughout the paper, including heading, title, block quotes, and Works Cited. 
• Page Numbers:  All pages are numbered in right hand corner, 1/2" from top. Last name appears before the page numbers.
• Heading:  Top left corner. Your name, your instructor's name, course number, date. Date must be written dd Month yyyy. 
• Title:  Centered. Plain (no italics, underlining, or font variation). Standard double-spacing between heading/title, and title/first line of paper.

Use Word to Format Your Paper:

This brief video will show you how to use Word 2010 to format your paper.

Use Google Docs to Format Your Paper:

This brief video will show you how to set up your document in MLA format using Google Docs.

Sample MLA Papers:

• MLA Sample Paper (Purdue OWL) This paper includes instructions for formatting your paper.
• Sample Paper from MLA Style Center

Placement: The Works Cited list appears at the end of the paper, on its own page(s) . For example, If your research paper ends on page 8, your Works Cited begins on page 9. 

Arrangement: Alphabetize entries by author's last name. If source has no named author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring A, An, or The.

Spacing: Like the rest of the MLA paper, the Works Cited list is double-spaced throughout. Be sure NOT to add extra spaces between citations.

Indentation: To make citations easier to scan, add a hanging indent to any citation that runs more than one line.

Citation Examples and Template:  

Use the links below to see examples of source citations and practice using one of the templates.

If you don't find what you need below, check out the MLA's,  Ask the MLA .

• MLA Citations - Containers
• MLA Citation Examples (Yellow Handout)
• MLA Practice Template (Printable)
• Interactive Practice Template (Online)

Citation Examples by Format:

• How to Cite a Book
• How to Cite a Book Chapter or Handout Professor Uploaded to a Website
• How to Cite Online Work
• How to Cite an Online Lecture or Speech
• How Do I Cite Generative AI in MLA style?
• How to Cite a Song, Recording, or Performance
• How to Cite a Movie, Video, or Television Show
• How to Cite an Image

What Are In-Text Citations?

In-text citations are brief references within the body of your paper that tell your readers that a) you've used an outside source, and b) point them toward that source in your Works Cited list. Where relevant, the in-text citation also points your reader to the location in the source being cited (e.g. page number).

The in-text citation can appear within the body of your paper, within a parentheses, or a combination of the two.

You need to cite all direct quotations, paraphrased information, and summarized ideas.

What To Include in an In-Text Citation

• An in-text citation begins with the shortest piece of information that di­rects your reader to the entry in the Works Cited list. Therefore, it begins with what ever comes first in the entry: the author’s name or the title of the work.
• Most often, an MLA in-text citation begins with the  author's last name  followed by the page number : (Jones 14).
• If there is no author, use the "Title" of the source:  ("Global Warming" 129).

If page numbers are available, they MUST be listed. This often means examining the pdf version of database articles to locate page numbers.

Detailed Rules

• For most citations, the parenthetical reference is placed BEFORE the punctuation:

Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty 42).

• Direct quotes longer than 4 lines are indented an extra 1/2 inch, the quotation marks are removed, and the parenthetical comes AFTER punctuation.

A preliminary study presented recently at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting found that getting enough sleep was associated with greater protection of death from all causes.If magnesium does work to help someone get a little shuteye, that may be because it is acting on certain receptors on the surface of brain cells to quiet down brain cell activity.The nutrient acts on the benzodiazepine receptor, which is the same receptor used by Valium-type drugs and the sleep medication Ambien. (Gurubhagavatula)

• If author name or title is used within the text, do NOT list it again within parenthesis. 

Haggerty notes magnesium is effective at relieving some symptoms of PMS (42).

• MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue.
• In-Text Citations: An Overview from the MLA Style Center.

MLA tells us that, you should cite a source in an annotated bibliography just as you would in a list of works cited and then append an annotation to the end of the entry. Annotations describe and/or evaluate sources. Further, annotations should not rehash minor details, cite evidence, quote the author, or recount steps in an argument. Writing an effective annotation requires reading the work, understanding its aims, and clearly summarizing them.

To learn more about annotated bibliographies click on the link below from Purdue OWL

Sample annotated bibliography using mla.

• MLA 9 Annotated Bibliography Sample

Annotated Bibliography Template

You may also want to use the template below. Just type over the words in the template with your own information, citations, and annotations.

• MLA, 9th ed. Annotated Bibliography Template

Use NoodleTools to help you create your citations .

It's easy; it's a form you fill out with the information about your source; it helps you catch mistakes.

• NoodleTools Express Use NoodleTools Express to create citations on the fly in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.
• NoodleTools (Login Full Database) This link opens in a new window Create and organize your research notes, share and collaborate on research projects, compose and error check citations, and complete your list of works cited in MLA, APA, or Chicago style using the full version of NoodleTools. You'll need to Create a Personal ID and password the first time you use NoodleTools.

NoodleTools Help:

• NoodleTools Help Desk Look up questions and answers on the NoodleTools Web site
• NoodleTools for Researchers Research guide created for MJC students
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• Next: APA Style, 7th Edition >>
• Last Updated: Jul 10, 2024 5:03 PM
• URL: https://libguides.mjc.edu/citeyoursources

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses .

Finding and Evaluating Information: Using MLA

• RTC Library
• What Do You Need?
• Finding Articles
• Finding Books
• Internet Searching
• Evaluating Information

About This Page

This page provides information on citing journals, books, websites and other sources using MLA.

Library Resources

• APA/MLA Guidelines - 7th/8th Editions : A QuickStudy Digital Reference Guide Quick reference guide to the essentials of two of the most highly used writing style guides for college- level students. The 7th edition of the American Psychological Association's publication manual combined with reference to the 8th edition of the Modern Language Association's rules of punctuation, reference citation, structure and format in 6 digital pages filled with the answers you need for these commonly used guidelines. *Important note: As of 2023, the most recent edition of MLA is 9th Edition, so there may be slight differences between the new edition and the MLA (8th Edition) part of this guide.

MLA stands for the M odern L anguage A ssociation.  The MLA also publishes a manual that offers a standard for writers in English and the humanities to use when formatting papers and bibliographies.

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers describes how to format your paper, how to cite the resources you use within the body of the paper, and how to create the Works Cited list - the list of sources you used - at the end of the paper.  

Recommended resources to help you with MLA: 

RTC Library videos on using Noodletools, the easy way to create a bibliography:

• NoodleTools - How to Register
• NoodleTools - Starting a New Project
• NoodleTools - Adding A Source
• NoodleTools - Exporting a Reference

NoodleTools  - available for free on the RTC Library Database page - This resource can help you format your MLA reference list.

The Citation Machine  - Another web resource to help you format MLA citation lists (comes with a 30 second commerical).  This one won't save your citations.

OWL  - The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University has pages about both MLA and APA citation styles. 

Works Cited

The Works Cited list is the bibliography  - the list of sources you used  for your paper - at the end of your paper.  This is a sample of a Works Cited list:

Creating Citations for the Works Cited List

A Book Citation

These elements go in this order:  The Author's last name, Author's First and Middle Names. Book Title. Publisher Name, Year of Publication.  (The place of publication isn't needed unless the publisher has offices in more than one city. If it does, put the place of publication before the publisher name.)

Example: Finer, Kim. Tuberculosis. Columbia UP, 1995. 

A Journal article from an online database

These elements go in this order: Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Article: Subtitle. Name of Journal, volume number, issue number, date of publication, pages. Name of the database, DOI, Permalink or shortened URL for article in the database.

Griffith, Richard. "Role of the Law in Controlling the Spread of Tuberculosis."      Nurse Prescribing , vol. 7, no. 7, July 2009, pp. 320-24. CINAHL Plus      with Full Text , https://doi.org/10.12968/npre.2009.7.7.43308. Accessed 26      July 2023.

An Article from a Paper Journal  

These elements go in this order: The Author's last name, author's first name and middle initials. Title of the article.  Title of the journal, volume, issue, date, pages. 

Henderson, Donald A. “Smallpox: Dispelling the myths.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 86, no. 12 Dec. 2008, pp917-19.

These elements go in this order: The Author's last name, author's first name and middle initials. Title of the page.  Sponsor of Website, date of publication, URL. Date of access. 

Moore, Cathy. "3 ways to save jobs of time when designing training." Action @ Work, 8 Sep. 2014, https://www.blog.cathy-moore.com/2014/09/3-ways-to-save-gobs-of-time-when-designing-training. Accessed 6 Feb. 2023. 

A YouTube Video

MLA doesn't give a specific example for YouTube videos, so you will see many variations in MLA format. This is one way:  "Title of video."  YouTube,  uploaded by Screen Name, day month year, www.youtube.com/xxxxx.

Example:  "Cranes in the Sky." YouTube , uploaded by solangeknowlesmusic, 2 October 2016,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0qrinhNnOM. 

Showing Your Sources Within Your Paper - In-Text Citations

While quoting or paraphrasing a book, journal article, website, or other source in your paper, you need to signal that these words or ideas are not yours.  This is usually done by listing the author’s last name and year at the end of the sentence. This is called in-text citation, because you are citing the work in your text.

Example: It has been noted that “the best known lipids are fats” (Finer 25).

Short Quotes and Long Quotes

Short quotes - Put in double quotation marks, then in parenthesis list the author’s last name and page number.

Long quotes – For quotes that  take up more than four lines – put in one blank line and then indent one inch from the margin. Do not put in quotation marks.

The text of the paper. This is your writing.  Then comes the long quote.  You include a blank line, indent an inch, and then:

Scientists believe that malaria originated in Africa around 30 million years ago. Human malaria perhaps evolved into its current state along with our anthropoid and early human ancestors, although no one really knows when. There is no record of its presence in Europe until the first century A.D., when it was first recorded in Rome. (Marcus 2004)

After a blank space, the text of paper – your writing - continues.

Paraphrases

Paraphrases are when you use your own words to tell the reader what someone said.  We often do this for clarity or to shorten an explanation.

To show that you are paraphrasing, include the author and page at the end of the sentence, before the period.

Example: Others who have studied the coast believe that dams have limited erosion (Campbell 255).

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In-Text Citations: An Overview

In-text citations are brief, unobtrusive references that direct readers to the works-cited-list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the source being cited.

An in-text citation begins with the shortest piece of information that di­rects your reader to the entry in the works-cited list. Thus, it begins with what ever comes first in the entry: the author’s name or the title (or descrip­tion) of the work. The citation can appear in your prose or in parentheses.

Citation in prose  Naomi Baron broke new ground on the subject. Parenthetical citation At least one researcher has broken new ground on the subject (Baron). Work cited Baron, Naomi S. “Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media.” PMLA , vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 193–200. 

When relevant, an in-text citation also has a second component: if a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work includes a page number, line number, time stamp, or other way to point readers to the place in the work where the information can be found, that location marker must be included in parentheses.

Parenthetical citation According to Naomi Baron, reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (194).

The author or title can also appear alongside the page number or other loca­tion marker in parentheses.

Parenthetical citation Reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (Baron 194).

All in-text references should be concise. Avoid, for instance, providing the author’s name or title of a work in both your prose and parentheses.

Citation (incorrect) According to Naomi Baron, reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (Baron 194). Citation (correct) According to Naomi Baron, reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (194).

For more on what to include in an in-text citation and how to style it, see sections 6.3–6.30 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook ).

56 Comments

Brandi unruh 10 april 2021 at 11:04 am.

Hello! I am a high school English teacher trying to answer a question that came up during our research unit. I can’t seem to find a definitive answer online. When using a shortened title in an in-text citation, does an ellipsis need to be included? For example, if the title was “The Problem of Poverty in America: A Historical and Cultural Analysis”, would the in-text citation be (“The Problem of Poverty in America...”) or (“The Problem of Poverty in America”)? Thank you for your time and expertise!

Your e-mail address will not be published

Laura Kiernan 12 April 2021 AT 11:04 AM

No, an ellipsis would not be used in an in-text citation. We provide extensive guidance on shortening titles in 6.10 of the new ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

angel 10 May 2021 AT 02:05 PM

hii How to write an in text citation of an entry from encyclopedia which has an editor but no separate authors for each entry ?

William Feeler 11 May 2021 AT 01:05 PM

I see no mention of paragraph numbers for unpaginated prose or sections/lines for drama. are these practices gone?

Laura Kiernan 18 May 2021 AT 01:05 PM

This post provides a general overview of our approach to in-text citations. The complete guidelines appear in sections 6.1–6.30 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Vonceil Park 11 May 2021 AT 01:05 PM

Dear MLA Staff, A professor at my College demands students to provide paragraph number in the in-text citation for online articles that have no page number nor paragraph number. Do we just count the paragraph number and put them in the parenthesis, for example: (para. 3)?

Laura Kiernan 18 May 2021 AT 12:05 PM

Thank you for your question. Your approach to modifying our style in accordance with your professor's instructions works, but we would suggest confirming that styling with your professor.

Arathi Babu 17 May 2021 AT 08:05 AM

How to write an in text citation of an unsigned entry from a reference work?

Laura Kiernan 08 June 2021 AT 11:06 AM

If the entry was in a print work, the in-text citation would include the entry’s title or a shortened version of the entry’s title and the page number of the quotation. If the entry was in a reference work without page numbers, the in-text citation should just contain the title or shortened title of the entry.

Sethu 17 May 2021 AT 02:05 PM

For example: Can I give an in-text citation like the following: Shakespeare, in his work Hamlet, quotes: "To be or not to be" (7).

For citing commonly studied verse works, see 6.22 in the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Trinity Klein 21 May 2021 AT 11:05 AM

Can you please help with proper in-text citation placement for an embedded quotation? Does the citation come immediately after the quotation or at the very end of the sentence? For example, is this correct: He asks her to take him home “in the voice of a child afraid of the dark” which comes as a shock to Scout because he has so long held a bold and rebellious reputation (372). Or should the (372) come immediately after ...dark"...? Thank you!

For more information about the placement of a parenthetical citations, see 6.43 in the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Karima 30 May 2021 AT 05:05 PM

Dear MLA staff, 1) In case i am quoting from multiple sources by the same author, am i required to introduce again the source i am quoting from in the beginning of my sentence? (Quotes are used in multiple paragraphs)

For guidance on citing multiple sources by the same author, see 6.8 in the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Yves 23 June 2021 AT 06:06 PM

Hello, is there a specific rule about how to format a range of page numbers in the parenthetical citation? For example, could (Eden 44-45) be written as (Eden 44-5), or is only one example correct?

Laura Kiernan 24 September 2021 AT 02:09 PM

For information about styling number ranges, see section 2.139 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Faliravo 11 August 2021 AT 05:08 AM

Good morning MLA team, My professor insists that I include the year of publication for in-text citations. Is it going to be okay if I insert the year between the author and the page number?

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Laura Kiernan 24 September 2021 AT 01:09 PM

Your approach to modifying our style in accordance with your professor’s instructions works, but we would suggest confirming that styling with your professor.

Pauline 14 September 2021 AT 11:09 PM

How do I cite an entire work. For example, if I want to say Toni Morrison's the "Bluest Eye" has been used as a textbook for many English literature classes, I suppose I shouldn't put any page number in the parenthetical citation. But I can't find any MLA references on this.

See section 4.14 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

myron glassenberg 04 February 2022 AT 01:02 PM

if source is the whole book, how do I cite in text and in works cited pages. e.g. freud (no page number) Freud , ( 1892) The Pleasure Principle.

Rita Rozzi 20 September 2023 AT 07:09 PM

There is no section 4.14 in the ninth edition. Do you have any updated information? Thank you.

Laura Kiernan 21 September 2023 AT 03:09 PM

Section 4.14, which is titled "Passing Mentions," can be found in chapter 4 of the ninth edition of the handbook.

Lauren McFall 13 October 2021 AT 02:10 PM

Students often refer to the same source consecutively across more than one sentence. I'm having a hard time finding information about the preferred approach according to the MLA. As a parallel, APA makes a specific recommendation - "cite the source in the first sentence in which it is relevant and do not repeat the citation in subsequent sentences as long as the source remains clear and unchanged" https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/appropriate-citation

Laura Kiernan 20 October 2021 AT 04:10 PM

See 6.45 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Ruth Schafer 01 December 2022 AT 07:12 PM

6.45 out of the MLA Handbook's ninth edition does not provide an example of how to cite a multi-sentence paraphrase when using an unpaginated source. Can you give an example of how to cite a multi-sentence paraphrase where the source does not have published page numbering?

Should I introduce the source in my prose and then again at the end of the multi-sentence paraphrase in parentheses when I have finished citing the paraphrase? Example: John Smith from Smith Architecture explains that crawl space foundations are...blah blah blah. These foundations are most commonly used in midwestern constructions where the frost line is...blah, blah, blah. Keep writing the paraphrase and then at the end of the final sentence instead of a page citation write the author's last name (Smith). This way if you switch to a different source, at least the reader knows that you have finished with the Smith source and have moved on to your own commentary or another source's information. Usually, I'd use a page citation at the end of the paraphrase, but when dealing with a source that does not have page numbering, I'm unsure what to do.

Lizzie 18 October 2021 AT 10:10 PM

If I only use textual evidence from the novel I'm examining, do I need to include the authors name with each in text citation? There are no other works cited, so it seems redundant/clutter-y to me

Kayden 29 October 2021 AT 05:10 PM

If I'm trying to cite multiple paragraphs from the same source would it be correct to say (par. 3 and 13) or should it be (par. 3, 13) and is it different if they are next to each other too like (par. 6-7) or (par. 6 and 7).

Laura Kiernan 04 November 2021 AT 11:11 AM

See sections 6.18–6.20 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Rachel 17 November 2021 AT 01:11 PM

When citing from an online source without pagination, if you include the author's name in the introduction to the quote, do you need to include anything in parentheses like the article title?

Laura Kiernan 22 November 2021 AT 12:11 PM

See section 6.26 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

July 25 November 2021 AT 05:11 PM

When quoting an online source (e.g. a website), do I have to indicate the fact that it's an online source in the in-text-citations as in (Name [online]) or is the author's name enough?

Thank you in advance for your answer.

Laura Kiernan 29 November 2021 AT 10:11 AM

According to MLA style, an in-text citation for an online work should not note that the work is online.

Pinkie 19 March 2022 AT 08:03 PM

If I'm writing a response paper, and I need to summarize the whole article to introduce it, then should I use in-text citation?

Laura Kiernan 25 March 2022 AT 01:03 PM

For guidance on paraphrasing, see sections 4.5–4.8 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Kay 09 April 2022 AT 06:04 PM

Hi, am I supposed to include the DOI when one is available in the citation? If I cite the print version of a journal article that has a DOI, still include the DOI in the citation? Thank you!

Laura Kiernan 11 April 2022 AT 11:04 AM

Thank you for your questions. For guidance on including a DOI in your works-cited-list entry, see sections 5.84 and 5.93 in the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Mike 16 April 2022 AT 05:04 PM

Website in-text Citation...

When I'm writing an in-text citation for a website, I'm seeing all manner of different things to include. Do I need to add the author name and year of publishing for the article?\ Do I just need the website name? I'm not really understanding what I need to add or obtain for such a citation within the text I'm writing.

I'm writing a book on my life, and I'm quoting a particular webpage to show one particular angle of an argument I'm making, and, of course, it's not common knowledge, so I want to make sure that I follow all the rules for this kind of thing, so I don't get in trouble with the author(s) of the sources I have quoted from...

Laura Kiernan 18 April 2022 AT 02:04 PM

Thank you for your questions about MLA style. For guidance on in-text citations for web pages, see section 6.26 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Cynthia 21 May 2022 AT 10:05 PM

When you're doing an In-text citations do you put the quotations over the chapter title and then quotations over what you get from the text or do you italicize the title?

Laura Kiernan 25 May 2022 AT 03:05 PM

Thank you for your question. For guidance on how to style chapter titles, see 2.109 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Napatsi 15 August 2022 AT 07:08 PM

I'm trying to find how to put in the in-text citation for a UN declaration article but can only find the "Resolutions of International Governing Bodies" on page 446 of the 9th edition but not how to out it in without an author.

Kim 27 September 2022 AT 12:09 PM

I'm quoting a passage from an unpublished manuscript, and it is not the only work I'm citing by the author, but the only one without a year. So using "Smith 1995, 82" is not possible. What would an in-text citation for this case look like?

Jen 17 November 2022 AT 08:11 PM

How do I cite a news cast for in-text citation like ABC News?

Samantha 04 December 2022 AT 05:12 PM

Hi, For MLA format, should a quote where you need to de-capitalize the first letter be written as "you want" or "(y)ou want". Thanks!

Laura Kiernan 07 December 2022 AT 01:12 PM

Thank you for your question. For guidance on how to indicate that you have lowercased the first letter of a quotation, see 6.56 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Maria Albeti 07 February 2023 AT 01:02 PM

Stewart, David W. Focus groups. In: Frey, B.B. (ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, vol. 2, pp. 687–692. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications 2018 In this case, how is the correct form to write, because the article is IN the the book?

Eros Karadzhov 15 February 2023 AT 02:02 PM

If we have a sentence that is a statement, but at the end we quote a question, which punctuation mark do we keep, the question mark or the period; maybe both? Example: (1) The author ends his poem with the following question on purpose: "Or does it explode?" (Hughes 11). (2) The author ends his poem with the following question on purpose: "Or does it explode" (Hughes 11)?

Which would be correct, or maybe both are wrong?

Thank you in advance!

Laura Kiernan 16 February 2023 AT 03:02 PM

Thank you for your question. For guidance on quotations ending in a question mark, see section 6.53 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Anonymous 08 March 2023 AT 05:03 PM

What about online articles with no known author or multiple authors? What should the in-text citation look like?

Maria 25 March 2023 AT 04:03 PM

Please settle a dispute with my colleagues. I encourage composition students to avoid listing the title of journal articles within the essay unless it is especially relevant because it clutters their arguments. I came to this conclusion from my interpretation of this statement from MLA: "All in-text references should be concise. Avoid, for instance, providing the author’s name or title of a work in both your prose and parentheses." Could someone please provide an answer or further clarification?

Erika Suffern 30 March 2023 AT 04:03 PM

You are right to identify a principle of concision in our guidelines. That said, it is not wrong to mention a title in prose, but it should be done, as you note, when relevant–not as a de rigeur practice or for “filler.” As Eric Hayot notes in The Elements of Academic Style: Writing for the Humanities (Columbia UP, 2014), “giving the title” in prose “suggests fuller forthcoming treatment” (159). Another reason for including the title in prose might be to call attention to something about it. Many writers who do mention a title in prose fear having an incomplete citation and are tempted also to include the title in a parenthetical reference, which is unnecessary.

Jay 29 April 2023 AT 12:04 AM

How do I in-text cite a direct quote from the introduction of an ebook with no page numbers? Would I write (Author "Introduction") or just write (Author)?

Kiara 11 February 2024 AT 03:02 PM

Hello! I am a university student who is currently creating works cited entries and in-text citations for a reflection essay. How do I properly cite professor and peer comments?

Therese Willis 30 July 2024 AT 10:07 PM

What is the proper way to write MLA in-text citattion from a website for this: According to an article titled “Caitlin Clark: Changing the Game” (McCord, 2024), Clark put women’s basketball on the map and taught millions what it meant to love the sport. She has shown off her iconic logo shot and her ability to control the court when needed, all while maintaining a professional image.

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• Tags: Academic Writing , Citations and References , MLA , MLA Citation , MLA Style

If you are a student of literature or humanities, you may come across the MLA style of citation. What is it and how do you actually use it to cite your sources? That’s what we’re about to find out. This article will help you understand the rules and conventions of the MLA style of citation. 

What is MLA format?

The MLA format is the citation style devised by the Modern Language Association , primarily used in academic writing in the humanities and liberal arts , particularly in disciplines like philosophy, literature, language, etc. 

While there are other citation styles such as the Chicago Manual of Style and APA, your professors may ask you to adhere to this specific style in your papers. 

The MLA handbook is currently in its 8th edition (as of 2016) and lists formatting guidelines and provides rules for two types of citations: in-text citations and a ‘Works Cited’ page at the end of the paper. The in-text citations are brief, with the author’s name and the page number. Citations on the Works Cited page are more extensive and give full information about the source.

The purpose of citations (besides avoiding plagiarism) is to document the sources you are using to build your research paper. While it may seem like a mundane list to some, it is in fact greatly useful in shedding light on the background research you’ve done to arrive at your argument or thesis statement.

What’s different in the 8th edition? 

In earlier editions, the MLA handbook had specific sets of guidelines for citing each type of source. This means that if a researcher wants to cite a book and a film, they would have to refer to the handbook for unique instructions for each. The 8th edition eliminates this hurdle to accommodate emerging forms of published content, including online resources and electronic forms of mass media. It specifies a general set of principles that scholars need to adhere to, followed by examples of various kinds of sources. 

In-text citations in MLA

An in-text citation is included in the body of your text, immediately after you refer to, paraphrase, or quote an external source. The MLA format follows the author-page system of in-text citations. 

An in-text citation is typically written inside a parenthesis and looks something like this:

When you write, make sure that your reader always knows who is speaking (Strunk 72).

This is generally known as a parenthetical citation. 

There is also the narrative in-text citation, used if you have already referred to the author within the body of the paper. This means that you’ll only have to include the page number in the parenthesis. It looks like this:

Strunk emphasizes the need for writers to indicate who is speaking (72).

Works Cited section 

A paper formatted in the MLA style also includes a “Works Cited” page after the body text. It is a list of all the sources you have referred to throughout the paper. Each entry in this list must correspond to an in-text citation. 

Elements of an entry in the Works Cited section: 

You’ll notice that each entry in the Works Cited list contains a particular set of information about the source and is written in a specific order.

Every citation must have the following information: 

Author name(s). “Title of the source.” Title of the container , other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location.

Let us deconstruct the elements of an MLA citation one by one.

An ‘author’ refers to the person or persons who are the creators of the sources. It is the first element of an MLA citation. You can use the table given below to see how authors’ names are listed in the Works Cited section. 

When you’re including sources with two or more authors, list the authors in the same order as shown on the source. 

If a source does not have a known author, simply start with the next element, the title. 

Title of source

The title of the source material is the second element of an MLA citation. As the name suggests, it is the title of the source you are referring to in your paper. 

• If your source is a book, italicize the name. 
• The names of all other sources (including web pages, media formats, journal articles, etc.) are included within quotation marks. 
• The quotations rule applies to any source that is a part of a larger item like, for example, a song in an album or a journal article in a periodical. 

Title of container

• The 8th edition of the MLA handbook requires you to include a “container”, which is the larger body of source material that the source you cite is in. 
• For example, if you are citing an essay in an anthology, you will list the individual essay as a source and the anthology as a container. 
• The title of a container is italicized, and is followed by a comma. 

Barthes, Roland. “The Romans in Film.” Mythologies , translated by Annette Lavers, Vintage Classics, 2009, pp. 15–18. 

Examples of containers

• A book is a container for an essay, poem, cited chapter, etc. 
• A TV series is a container for a specific episode 
• A website is a container for a specific page within it. 
• A journal/periodical/magazine is a container for a specific article. 

Other contributors

These include people who, other than the ones you have cited already, you recognize as important contributors to the piece. This is where you’d include editors and translators. 

Barthes, Roland. “The Romans in Film.” Mythologies, translated by Annette Lavers , Vintage Classics, 2009, pp. 15–18. 

A source may often have a version. Books have different editions, and films, songs, and television shows may have different versions as well. If this is the case, include the version or edition of your source as part of the citation. 

Scott, Ridley, director. Blade Runner. Warner Bros., 1992. 

If the source is a part of a larger series or numbered sequence, then you must include the serial number or volume of the text. 

“Remedial Chaos Theory.” Community , created by Dan Harmon, season 3, episode 4, Krasnoff Foster Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2011.

Include the publisher of the source in your entry. A publisher is someone or an entity that puts the source material out for public use. Note that this section will not include information about the distributor of your source, such as Netflix, JSTOR, etc. 

Publication date

If your source mentions a publication date, include that information in your entry as well. Maintain the format and information as mentioned in the source. 

You may include years, specific dates, or even date ranges. 

If the location of publication is important for your source, include that as well. You’ll often find yourself doing this for books, as the location often reflects the language of the content itself. 

What happens when you’re missing parts of the citation? 

If you’re missing parts of the citation, simply omit that section and move on to the next. Since you’re using the same format for a myriad of types of sources, you’ll often find that the information you provide for each differs. 

Here’s a concise guide for missing out on important information: 

• If there’s no source author, start with the source title. 
• If there’s no title, provide a brief description of the source. (1 line) 
• If there’s no publication date, provide the date on which you accessed the source.

Frequently Asked Questions

In what order do i list the sources in the works cited section, how do i generate mla citations, how many editions of the mla handbook are there.

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Free MLA Citation Generator

Generate accurate citations in MLA format automatically, with MyBib!

😕 What is an MLA Citation Generator?

An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take information such as document titles, author, and URLs as in input, and output fully formatted citations that can be inserted into the Works Cited page of an MLA-compliant academic paper.

The citations on a Works Cited page show the external sources that were used to write the main body of the academic paper, either directly as references and quotes, or indirectly as ideas.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an MLA Citation Generator?

MLA style is most often used by middle school and high school students in preparation for transition to college and further education. Ironically, MLA style is not actually used all that often beyond middle and high school, with APA (American Psychological Association) style being the favored style at colleges across the country.

It is also important at this level to learn why it's critical to cite sources, not just how to cite them.

🙌 Why should I use a Citation Generator?

Writing citations manually is time consuming and error prone. Automating this process with a citation generator is easy, straightforward, and gives accurate results. It's also easier to keep citations organized and in the correct order.

The Works Cited page contributes to the overall grade of a paper, so it is important to produce accurately formatted citations that follow the guidelines in the official MLA Handbook .

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's MLA Citation Generator?

It's super easy to create MLA style citations with our MLA Citation Generator. Scroll back up to the generator at the top of the page and select the type of source you're citing. Books, journal articles, and webpages are all examples of the types of sources our generator can cite automatically. Then either search for the source, or enter the details manually in the citation form.

The generator will produce a formatted MLA citation that can be copied and pasted directly into your document, or saved to MyBib as part of your overall Works Cited page (which can be downloaded fully later!).

MyBib supports the following for MLA style:

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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MLA Style - UP Library Help

• MLA Style (9th edition) Citation Guide (UP Library) Provides examples for citing a variety of sources from the common (journal articles, books, websites) to the less common (lecture notes, blog posts, etc.).

More MLA Style Help

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MLA Style Handbook

On the  MLA Style Center website  you will find:

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Citation Management Tools

RefWorks  can be used to gather sources in one place and automatically-generate bibliographies in APA, MLA, Chicago, and many other styles.

Mendeley is another citation management tool and an alternative to RefWorks. It is free up to 2GB of storage. Students are not likely to need more storage than that for their projects. 

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Bibliography Examples

Discover the best bibliography examples for your research paper. Learn how to format citations correctly in various citation styles.

Creating a bibliography can often seem like a daunting task, but it’s an essential part of academic writing. A bibliography is a comprehensive list of all the sources you have referred to in your work, including detailed bibliography entries that provide readers with the information they need to locate these sources themselves. Understanding how to properly format and organize your bibliography is crucial for presenting a polished piece of writing. In this guide, we will delve into various bibliography examples, illustrating the correct way to cite different types of sources, from books and journal articles to websites and online resources.

Understanding Bibliography Examples

What is a bibliography.

A bibliography is an organized list of all the sources you have referenced in your research or writing. It typically appears at the end of your document, allowing readers to trace the origins of your information. Each bibliography entry gives detailed information about the source, such as the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication date, and where it was published. This not only lends credibility to your work but also prevents plagiarism by giving proper credit to the original authors. Bibliographies are essential in academic and professional contexts, where accuracy and accountability of information are paramount. Whether you are writing an essay, a research paper, or a book, having a well-organized bibliography will enhance the overall quality and reliability of your work.

Importance of a Bibliography

The importance of a bibliography cannot be overstated. Firstly, it lends credibility to your work by showing that you have conducted thorough research and consulted a range of reliable sources. This boosts your reader’s confidence in the accuracy and validity of your information. Additionally, an annotated bibliography can provide additional insights and context for the sources listed, helping readers understand the relevance and quality of each source. Secondly, a bibliography helps to avoid plagiarism by giving proper credit to original authors and creators. This is crucial in maintaining academic integrity and ethical standards. Furthermore, a well-structured bibliography allows readers to delve deeper into your topic by providing them with the resources to explore further. Lastly, it showcases your organizational skills and attention to detail, which are highly valued in both academic and professional settings. Overall, a comprehensive bibliography enhances the quality and trustworthiness of your work, making it an indispensable part of any research or writing project.

Common Bibliography Formats

When creating a bibliography, it is essential to use a consistent format, such as the APA style. The most common bibliography formats include APA, MLA style, and Chicago styles. The Chicago Manual of Style is versatile, used across various disciplines. It has two systems: Notes and Bibliography (for humanities) and Author-Date (for sciences). Each system has specific rules for listing authors, titles, and publication details. Familiarising yourself with these formats is crucial for ensuring that your bibliography meets academic standards and is easy for readers to navigate. Always check the specific guidelines required by your institution or publisher.

Creating an Annotated Bibliography

Gathering sources effectively.

Effective source gathering is key to creating a comprehensive and accurate bibliography. Start by identifying credible sources relevant to your topic. Academic journals, books, and reputable websites are good starting points. Utilize library databases and online academic repositories to access peer-reviewed articles. When citing an article online, it is important to include URLs to ensure the source can be easily accessed and verified. Take meticulous notes as you read, ensuring you record all necessary citation information such as author names, publication dates, and titles. Use citation management tools like EndNote or Zotero to organize your sources and generate citations automatically. Additionally, be mindful of the relevance and timeliness of your sources; outdated or unrelated references can weaken your work. Lastly, always cross-check your sources to ensure their accuracy and reliability. By gathering sources effectively, you not only create a strong foundation for your bibliography but also enhance the overall quality of your research.

Organizing Your Bibliography

Organizing your bibliography is a crucial step in presenting your research coherently. Begin by deciding on the citation style required for your work, whether it be APA, MLA, or Chicago. For MLA style, organize a works cited page by listing sources alphabetically by the author’s last name. Each style has specific rules for arranging entries, such as alphabetically by the author’s last name. Be consistent in your formatting to maintain a professional appearance. Use hanging indents for each entry to enhance readability. Group similar types of sources together if your citation style allows, such as books, journal articles, and websites. Double-check that all necessary information is included for each source, like author names, titles, publication dates, and publishers. Keeping your bibliography organized not only helps your readers but also ensures that you have not missed any sources. A well-organized bibliography reflects your attention to detail and commitment to academic integrity.

Formatting Tips and Tricks in MLA Style

Formatting a bibliography correctly can significantly improve the clarity and professionalism of your work. Firstly, ensure that you use the correct font and size as specified by your citation style, typically Times New Roman, 12-point font. Use double spacing throughout your bibliography to enhance readability. Apply a hanging indent to each entry, where the first line is flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented. This helps distinguish individual entries clearly. Pay attention to punctuation; different styles have specific rules regarding the use of commas, periods, and italics. For instance, book titles are often italicized in MLA and APA styles. Use consistent abbreviation rules for publishers and journal titles. Additionally, employ citation management tools like EndNote or Zotero to automate much of the formatting process, reducing the likelihood of errors. Following these tips and tricks will ensure your bibliography is both accurate and easy to read.

For annotated bibliographies, include a brief summary and evaluation of each source after the citation. This provides context and relevance, helping readers understand the significance of each source.

Bibliography Examples for Books

Single author books.

Citing single-author books in your bibliography is straightforward but requires attention to detail. Begin with the author’s last name, followed by their first name. Next, italicize the book title and capitalize the significant words. Include the edition number if it is not the first edition. Follow this with the place of publication, the name of the publisher, and the year of publication. For example, a proper citation in MLA format would look like this:

Smith, John. Understanding Bibliographies . 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2020.

In APA format, the citation would be:

Smith, J. (2020). Understanding bibliographies (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Each citation style has its own nuances, so it’s crucial to refer to the specific guidelines for the style you are using. Accurately citing single-author books enhances the credibility of your work and makes it easier for readers to find your referenced sources. For instance, an APA reference list entry for a book would look like this: Smith, J. (2020). Understanding bibliographies (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Multiple Author Books

Citing multiple author books in your bibliography requires listing all authors in a specific order. For works with up to three authors, list each author by their last name followed by their first name, separated by commas. Use ‘and’ before the final author’s name. For example, in MLA format, a citation would appear as:

Brown, Lisa, and Mark Johnson. Exploring Bibliographies . Cambridge University Press, 2018.

For books with more than three authors, MLA allows you to list the first author followed by ‘et al.’:

Brown, Lisa, et al. Exploring Bibliographies . Cambridge University Press, 2018.

In APA format, the citation for a book by two authors would be:

Brown, L., & Johnson, M. (2018). Exploring bibliographies . Cambridge University Press.

For more than three authors, list all names up to 20 authors before using ‘et al.’.

Consistently following the correct format ensures that your citations are clear and verifiable, enhancing the reliability of your work. Multiple author books are cited similarly across different citation styles, ensuring consistency and clarity.

Edited Collections

When citing edited collections in your bibliography, the format differs slightly from single-author books. Begin with the editor’s name, followed by the abbreviation ‘ed.’ for a single editor or ‘eds.’ for multiple editors. The book title should be italicized and capitalized appropriately. Next, include the place of publication, the publisher’s name, and the year of publication. For instance, in MLA format, an edited collection citation would appear as follows:

Jones, Michael, ed. Perspectives on Bibliographies . Routledge, 2019.

For multiple editors, it would be:

Jones, Michael, and Sarah Lee, eds. Perspectives on Bibliographies . Routledge, 2019.

In APA format, the citation for a single editor would be:

Jones, M. (Ed.). (2019). Perspectives on bibliographies . Routledge.

For multiple editors, use:

Jones, M., & Lee, S. (Eds.). (2019). Perspectives on bibliographies . Routledge.

This accurate citation style ensures that credit is given to the editors and provides clear reference points for your readers. For more detailed guidelines on citing edited collections, refer to the MLA handbook.

Bibliography Examples for Articles

Journal articles.

Citing journal articles in your bibliography involves including several key details. Start with the author’s last name, followed by their initials. Next, provide the year of publication in parentheses. The title of the article should be in sentence case, meaning only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalized. Follow this with the title of the journal in italics and title case. Include the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses, and the page range. For example, in APA format, a citation would appear as:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding bibliographies: A comprehensive guide. Journal of Academic Writing , 15 (2), 45-67.

In MLA format, the citation would be:

Smith, John A. “Understanding Bibliographies: A Comprehensive Guide.” Journal of Academic Writing , vol. 15, no. 2, 2020, pp. 45-67.

An example of an annotated bibliography entry for a journal article in APA format would be:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding bibliographies: A comprehensive guide. Journal of Academic Writing , 15 (2), 45-67. This article provides a detailed overview of the structure and purpose of bibliographies, making it a valuable resource for academic writers.

By accurately citing journal articles, you provide a clear and reliable pathway for readers to locate the original source, enhancing the credibility of your work.

Magazine Articles

Citing magazine articles requires specific details to ensure accuracy. Start with the author’s last name, followed by their first name. Next, include the title of the article in quotation marks, with major words capitalized. Follow this with the title of the magazine in italics and title case. Include the date of publication, which may be in the format of day, month, and year, and then the page numbers the article spans. In MLA format, a citation would look like:

Doe, Jane. “The Evolution of Bibliographies.” Modern Research Magazine , 15 Mar. 2021, pp. 22-27.

In APA format, the citation is slightly different:

Doe, J. (2021, March 15). The evolution of bibliographies. Modern Research Magazine , 22-27.

An example of a bibliography entry for a magazine article in The Chicago Manual of Style would be:

Doe, Jane. “The Evolution of Bibliographies.” Modern Research Magazine , March 15, 2021.

By following these guidelines, you ensure that your bibliography is precise and allows readers to easily locate the original source, thereby enhancing the credibility and reliability of your work.

Newspaper Articles

Citing newspaper articles in your bibliography requires attention to detail. Start with the author’s last name, followed by their first name. Then, include the title of the article in quotation marks, capitalizing the major words. Next, provide the name of the newspaper in italics and title case. Follow this with the complete date of publication in the format of day, month, and year. If available, include the section and page number. For example, in MLA format, a citation would look like:

Brown, Lisa. “The Future of Bibliographies.” The Times , 12 Apr. 2021, p. A3.

Brown, L. (2021, April 12). The future of bibliographies. The Times , p. A3.

For online newspaper articles, include the URL at the end of the citation. For example, an MLA citation for an article online would be:

Brown, Lisa. “The Future of Bibliographies.” The Times , 12 Apr. 2021, (LINK 1).

Accurate citations help readers locate the original source, ensuring the credibility and traceability of your information. This thoroughness enhances the academic integrity of your work.

Bibliography Examples for Online Sources

Websites and blogs.

Citing websites and blogs requires different details compared to print sources. Start with the author’s name, if available, followed by the title of the page or post in quotation marks. Next, include the name of the website or blog in italics. Follow this with the date of publication in the format of day, month, and year. Finally, provide the full URL. For example, in MLA format, a citation would look like:

Doe, John. “Understanding Bibliographies in the Digital Age.” Research Insights , 15 Mar. 2021, www.researchinsights.com/understanding-bibliographies.

Doe, J. (2021, March 15). Understanding bibliographies in the digital age. Research Insights . https://www.researchinsights.com/understanding-bibliographies

If no author is available, start with the title of the page. Including URLs ensures that readers can directly access the source, maintaining the transparency and reliability of your work. Accurate citations for online sources are essential for a comprehensive and credible bibliography. For example, in APA style, a website citation would look like this: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of web page. Website Name . URL.

Online Journals

When citing online journal articles, it’s essential to include several key details to ensure accuracy and credibility. Start with the author’s last name, followed by their initials. Then, include the year of publication in parentheses. The title of the article should be in sentence case, meaning only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalized. Follow this with the title of the journal in italics and title case. Include the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses, and the page range. Finally, provide the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL. For example, in APA format, a citation would look like:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding bibliographies: A comprehensive guide. Journal of Academic Writing , 15 (2), 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1234/jaw.2020.15.2.45

An example of an APA reference list for online journals would include all cited articles formatted as shown above, ensuring consistency and adherence to APA guidelines.

Including DOIs or URLs allows readers to easily locate the original source, ensuring the reliability and traceability of your information.

Social Media Posts and Publication Date

Citing social media posts in your bibliography requires specific details to ensure clarity and credibility. Start with the author’s real name, if available, followed by their username in square brackets. Include the date of the post in the format of day, month, and year. Next, provide the content of the post in quotation marks, ensuring it captures the essence of the original. Specify the type of post (e.g., Tweet, Facebook post) and include the URL directly linking to the post. For example, in APA format, a citation would look like:

Doe, John [@johndoe]. (2021, April 12). “Understanding bibliographies can enhance your research.” Twitter . https://twitter.com/johndoe/status/1381534321

Doe, John [@johndoe]. “Understanding bibliographies can enhance your research.” Twitter , 12 Apr. 2021, https://twitter.com/johndoe/status/1381534321 .

Accurate citations for social media posts ensure that readers can verify the source, thereby enhancing the transparency and reliability of your research. Social media posts are cited similarly across different citation styles by including URLs or the name of the database if the post was consulted online.

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• A complete guide to MLA in-text citations

MLA In-text Citations | A Complete Guide (9th Edition)

Published on July 9, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on March 5, 2024.

An MLA in-text citation provides the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses.

If a source has two authors, name both. If a source has more than two authors, name only the first author, followed by “ et al. ”

If the part you’re citing spans multiple pages, include the full page range. If you want to cite multiple non-consecutive pages at the same time, separate the page numbers with commas.

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Table of contents

Where to include an mla in-text citation, citing sources with no author, citing sources with no page numbers, citing different sources with the same author name, citing sources indirectly, frequently asked questions about mla in-text citations.

Place the parenthetical citation directly after the relevant quote or paraphrase , and before the period or other punctuation mark (except with  block quotes , where the citation comes after the period).

If you have already named the author in the sentence, add only the page number in parentheses. When mentioning a source with three or more authors outside of parentheses, use “and others” or “and colleagues” in place of “et al.”

• MLA is the second most popular citation style (Smith and Morrison 17–19) .
• According to Smith and Morrison , MLA is the second most popular citation style (17–19) .
• APA is by far “the most used citation style in the US” (Moore et al. 74) , but it is less dominant in the UK (Smith 16) .
• Moore and colleagues state that APA is more popular in the US than elsewhere (74) .

Combining citations

If a sentence is supported by more than one source, you can combine the citations in a single set of parentheses. Separate the two sources with a semicolon .

Livestock farming is one of the biggest global contributors to climate change (Garcia 64; Davies 14) .

Consecutive citations of the same source

If you cite the same source repeatedly within a paragraph, you can include the full citation the first time you cite it, then just the page number for subsequent citations.

MLA is the second most popular citation style (Smith and Morrison 17–19) . It is more popular than Chicago style, but less popular than APA (21) .

You can do this as long as it remains clear what source you’re citing. If you cite something else in between or start a new paragraph, reintroduce the full citation again to avoid ambiguity.

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For sources with no named author , the in-text citation must match the first element of the Works Cited entry. This may be the name of an organization, or the title of the source.

If the source title or organization name is longer than four words, shorten it to the first word or phrase in the in-text citation, excluding any articles ( a, an, and the ). The shortened title or organization name should begin with the word the source is alphabetized by in the Works Cited.

Follow the general MLA rules for formatting titles : If the source is a self-contained work (e.g. a whole website or an entire book ), put the title in italics; if the source is contained within a larger whole (e.g. a page on a website or a chapter of a book), put the title in quotation marks.

If a source does not have page numbers but is divided into numbered parts (e.g. chapters, sections, scenes, Bible books and verses, Articles of the Constitution , or timestamps), use these numbers to locate the relevant passage.

If the source does not use any numbering system, include only the author’s name in the in-text citation. Don’t include paragraph numbers unless they are explicitly numbered in the source.

Note that if there are no numbered divisions and you have already named the author in your sentence, then no parenthetical citation is necessary.

If your Works Cited page includes more than one entry under the same last name, you need to distinguish between these sources in your in-text citations.

Multiple sources by the same author

If you cite more than one work by the same author, add a shortened title to signal which source you are referring to.

In this example, the first source is a whole book, so the title appears in italics; the second is an article published in a journal, so the title appears in quotation marks.

Different authors with the same last name

To distinguish between different authors with the same last name, use the authors’ initials (or, if the initials are the same, full first names) in your in-text citations:

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Sometimes you might want to cite something that you found quoted in a secondary source . If possible, always seek out the original source and cite it directly.

If you can’t access the original source, make sure to name both the original author and the author of the source that you accessed . Use the abbreviation “qtd. in” (short for “quoted in”) to indicate where you found the quotation.

In these cases, only the source you accessed directly is included in the Works Cited list.

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 ).

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)

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.

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

• Rajaram  argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
• The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

Yes. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words (nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives , adverbs , and some conjunctions ) are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization .

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2024, March 05). MLA In-text Citations | A Complete Guide (9th Edition). Scribbr. Retrieved August 5, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/in-text-citations/

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How to Write Your Research Paper in APA Format

The American Psychological Association (APA) is an official style format that is used by researchers and authors for academic and scientific writing. It is basically a standardized style guide used in psychology, education, and social science. It provides a framework for structuring research papers, presenting findings in a clear and concise manner and for accurately cite sources. The other commonly used style guides are the MLA and the Chicago style formats.  

How to write your research paper in APA format    

In the APA style, you need to adhere to specific formats and guidelines throughout the research paper. Some of these are explained below:  

The APA format allows different types of fonts. Some of the recommended ones include 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, 11-point Calibri and 11-point Arial. The chosen font should be consistently used throughout the document. Figure images have to be in sans serif font with size between 8 and 14 points. Footnotes should be smaller than the text font and the line spacing will also be different.  

APA style provides for five levels of headings, each having its own format. Level 1 is the main heading, level 2 corresponds to the sub-heading of level 1, level 3 corresponds to the sub-heading of level 2 and so on. The headings should be double spaced and should not be numbered or lettered.  

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Line spacing:

Generally, the APA format recommends double spacing throughout the text with few exceptions.  

A one inch margin is to be provided on each side of the paper. For dissertations and thesis, experts’ advice considering specific instructions provided by your institution.  

Paragraph alignment and indentation:

Text should be aligned to the left margin leaving the right margin uneven or “ragged”. The first line of each paragraph in the text should be indented 0.5 inches from the left margin.  

Under the APA format , there are also certain guidelines to be followed while preparing different sections of the research paper. These include –   

• Title page: All manuscripts must have a title page. The title should be concise, and must accurately reflect the contents of the paper. The author’s name and institutional affiliation should be centred, and positioned just below the title.  
• Abstract: A key part of academic manuscripts, an abstract must provide a brief summary of the research paper, including the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. It should be written within 250 words and should be the second page of your paper. The heading needs to be given as “Abstract” which is centred and bold. The text of the abstract should be written in a single paragraph, double spaced and must not be indented. Three to five keywords can be given one line below the abstract. These should not be italicized or bold but must be written in lower case. They should be separated by commas and there should not be any ending punctuation at the end of the keywords.  
• Introduction: The introduction is an essential part of scientific manuscripts and should be presented in an interesting and engaging manner. It should be able to convey clearly a critical overview of existing empirical knowledge and highlight knowledge gaps in the topic of study. Additionally, the aim of the research, a well formulated hypothesis, and a description of what you intend to address in the study must be clearly mentioned.  
• Methods: This is another critical part of an academic paper that requires researchers to describe the methods and procedures that were used during the study or experiment. Providing a detailed description contributes to ensuring the reproducibility and replicability of the study. The methods section should explain the research design that was adopted, details of the participants of the study, the equipment or materials used and the variables of the study.  
• Results: Here, researchers have to provide a brief summary of the results of their study. It is important that data is presented in a tabular format or in the form of graphs and figures to make it more interesting and to be easily understood by the reader. It is important to keep in mind that a clear narrative must accompany the statistics provided.  
• Discussion: Researchers must use the discussion section to provide their interpretation of the results of their research and explain its significance. Subsequently, it is in this section that they must present whether or not their results support their hypothesis.  
• References: Each and every source mentioned in a research paper must be referenced and accurately cited in this section.  

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References and citations in APA format  

In the APA format, the author-date citation system is followed. Here, a brief in-text citation is provided in the text of your paper of a research paper. It can even appear in tables, figures, footnotes or appendix. Only the author and date of publication is provided here. The readers can refer to the corresponding entry in the reference list where the full citation is provided.   

While writing in-text citations, it is important to ensure that spelling of author names and publication dates are same in the in-text and reference list. The reference provides an alphabetical listing. Following are some examples of citations in APA format for different sources.  

• Books : The author surname with first and middle initials is written first. Only the title of the book is italicized. For eg: Author Surname, A.B. (Publication Year). Title of the book . Publisher.  
• Journal article: Author surname, A.B. (Publication Year). Article Title: Subtitle. Journal title, Volume (issue), page range. URL or DOI.  
• Newspaper or magazine article : Surname. (Date of Publication). Title of the article. Title of the Newspaper or Magazine . URL.  

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Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

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How to Cite a Chapter of a Book in the MLA Text

July 23, 2024

One of the crucial problems is how to in text cite a chapter in a book MLA. The issue of proper citing is of great importance for every academic work. Many students underestimate its importance. However, the practice shows that many grades get lost due to incorrect citing. Commonly, one should cite in MLA format. This is referred to informative sources in general, as well as one or several chapters. Therefore, one should learn how to cite a chapter in a book in text MLA.

The abbreviation MLA is recognized as Modern Language Association. This style is typical for the liberal arts and humanities. There is an important necessity to follow various bibliographic items. Commonly, these are the name of the author(s) and/or contributors, the title of the used literature, date of publication, the publisher, and the pagination. However, there might be some other elements.

At times, it’s demanded to quote certain parts out of a chapter of a book. Undoubtedly, the citing of a chapter or more in the custom book report writing has some peculiarities. Nonetheless, all elements and rules are followed in accordance with the MLA format. What are the main demands and elements? You are to mention the author, the certain chapter, publisher, year of publication, and the page or pages you quoted.

This is it. These obligations don’t severely differ from the common rules. Therefore, it would be easy to learn how to cite a specific chapter in a book MLA if you are already familiar with this style.

General MLA Citing Guidelines

In order to find out MLA how to cite a chapter in a book, it might be enough to simply know the general rules. The typical citing format is to name the author (possible contributors, editors or translators), title, the publisher, and publication date.

For instance, such format is supposed to look like this: Tolkien, John R. R. “Silmarillion,” HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. It is remarkable that this book was edited. Therefore, one should mention the editors as well. Remember that you aren’t supposed to name the city of publication unless the book was issued before 1900.

There is one more critical point which is worth your attention. A lot depends on the kind of the book or other publications. The number of authors, their absence, and other peculiarities affect the way it is expected to be cited. Consider definite cases. There might be a book with:

• A single author
• Many authors
• Several books by the same writer
• Corporate authors or organization
• The books might also be:
• Translated, republished and/or edited
• Issued as an anthology and/or collection
• Multivolume work etc.

Mind that there are some more kinds of books, journals, manuals, theses and other literature. They also have some peculiarities that you should know about.

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MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources

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Several sources have multiple means for citation, especially those that appear in varied formats: films, DVDs, television shows, music, published and unpublished interviews, interviews over e-mail, published and unpublished conference proceedings. The following section discusses these sorts of citations as well as others not covered in the print, periodical, and electronic sources sections.

Use the following format for all sources:

Author. Title. Title of container (self contained if book), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs URL or DOI). 2 nd container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).

An Interview

Interviews typically fall into two categories: print or broadcast published and unpublished (personal) interviews, although interviews may also appear in other, similar formats such as in e-mail format or as a Web document.

Personal Interviews

Personal interviews refer to those interviews that you conduct yourself. List the interview by the name of the interviewee. Include the descriptor Personal interview and the date of the interview.

Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 19 May 2014.

Published Interviews (Print or Broadcast)

List the interview by the full name of the interviewee. If the name of the interview is part of a larger work like a book, a television program, or a film series, place the title of the interview in quotation marks and place the title of the larger work in italics. If the interview appears as an independent title, italicize it. For books, include the author or editor name after the book title.

Note: If the interview from which you quote does not feature a title, add the descriptor, Interview by (unformatted) after the interviewee’s name and before the interviewer’s name.

Gaitskill, Mary. Interview with Charles Bock. Mississippi Review , vol. 27, no. 3, 1999, pp. 129-50.

Amis, Kingsley. “Mimic and Moralist.” Interviews with Britain’s Angry Young Men , By Dale Salwak, Borgo P, 1984.

Online-only Published Interviews

List the interview by the name of the interviewee. If the interview has a title, place it in quotation marks. Cite the remainder of the entry as you would other exclusive web content. Place the name of the website in italics, give the publisher name (or sponsor), the publication date, and the URL.

Note: If the interview from which you quote does not feature a title, add the descriptor Interview by (unformatted) after the interviewee’s name and before the interviewer’s name.

Zinkievich, Craig. Interview by Gareth Von Kallenbach. Skewed & Reviewed , 27 Apr. 2009, www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/1056940-skewed-%2526-reviewed-interviews-craig. Accessed 15 May 2009.

Speeches, Lectures, or Other Oral Presentations (including Conference Presentations)

Start with speaker’s name. Then, give the title of the speech (if any) in quotation marks. Follow with the title of the particular conference or meeting and then the name of the organization. Name the venue and its city (if the name of the city is not listed in the venue’s name). Use the descriptor that appropriately expresses the type of presentation (e.g., Address, Lecture, Reading, Keynote Speech, Guest Lecture, Conference Presentation).

Stein, Bob. “Reading and Writing in the Digital Era.” Discovering Digital Dimensions, Computers and Writing Conference, 23 May 2003, Union Club Hotel, West Lafayette, IN. Keynote Address.

Panel Discussions and Question-and-Answer Sessions

The MLA Handbook makes a distinction between the formal, rehearsed portion of a presentation and the informal discussion that often occurs after. To format an entry for a panel discussion or question-and-answer session, treat the panel members or speakers as authors by listing them first. If these people are formally listed as panelists, indicate this by following their names with a comma and the title "panelist(s)." Follow with the title of the discussion, or, if there is no title, a simple description. In the latter case, don't capitalize the description. Follow this with the title of the conference or event. End with the date and the location.

Bavis, Jim and Stein, Tammi, panelists. Panel discussion. Dawn or Doom Conference, 4 Nov. 2018, Stewart Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Treat recorded discussions as instances of the appropriate medium (e.g., if you want to cite a recording of a panel discussion hosted on YouTube, cite it the same way you would cite an ordinary online video ).

Published Conference Proceedings

Cite published conference proceedings like a book. If the date and location of the conference are not part of the published title, add this information after the published proceedings title.

Last Name, First Name, editor. Conference Title , Conference Date and Location, Publisher, Date of Publication.

To cite a presentation from published conference proceedings, begin with the presenter’s name. Place the name of the presentation in quotation marks. Follow with publication information for the conference proceedings.

Last Name, First Name. “Conference Paper Title.” Conference Title that Includes Conference Date and Location , edited by Conference Editor(s), Publisher, Date of Publication.

A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph

Provide the artist's name, the title of the artwork in italics, and the date of composition. Finally, provide the name of the institution that houses the artwork followed by the location of the institution (if the location is not listed in the name of the institution, e.g. The Art Institute of Chicago).

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV . 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid.

If the medium and/or materials (e.g., oil on canvas) are important to the reference, you can include this information at the end of the entry. However, it is not required.

For photographic reproductions of artwork (e.g. images of artwork in a book), treat the book or website as a container. Remember that for a second container, the title is listed first, before the contributors. Cite the bibliographic information as above followed by the information for the source in which the photograph appears, including page or reference numbers (plate, figure, etc.).

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV . 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid. Gardener's Art Through the Ages , 10 th ed., by Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner, Harcourt Brace, p. 939.

If you viewed the artwork on the museum's website, treat the name of the website as the container and include the website's publisher and the URL at the end of the citation. Omit publisher information if it is the same as the name of the website. Note the period after the date below, rather than the comma: this is because the date refers to the painting's original creation, rather than to its publication on the website. Thus, MLA format considers it an "optional element."

Goya, Francisco.  The Family of Charles IV . 1800 . Museo del Prado,  museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74.

A Song or Album

Music can be cited multiple ways. Mainly, this depends on the container that you accessed the music from. Generally, citations begin with the artist name. They might also be listed by composers or performers. Otherwise, list composer and performer information after the album title. Put individual song titles in quotation marks. Album names are italicized. Provide the name of the recording manufacturer followed by the publication date.

If information such as record label or name of album is unavailable from your source, do not list that information.

Morris, Rae. “Skin.” Cold, Atlantic Records, 2014. Spotify , open.spotify.com/track/0OPES3Tw5r86O6fudK8gxi.

Online Album

Beyoncé. “Pray You Catch Me.” Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.

Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind , Geffen, 1991.

Films or Movies

List films by their title. Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and the release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director's name.

Speed Racer . Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, performances by Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Elia, Susan Sarandon, Ariel Winter, and John Goodman, Warner Brothers, 2008.

To emphasize specific performers or directors, begin the citation with the name of the desired performer or director, followed by the appropriate title for that person.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope . Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.

Television Shows

Recorded Television Episodes

Cite recorded television episodes like films (see above). Begin with the episode name in quotation marks. Follow with the series name in italics. When the title of the collection of recordings is different than the original series (e.g., the show Friends is in DVD release under the title Friends: The Complete Sixth Season), list the title that would help researchers to locate the recording. Give the distributor name followed by the date of distribution.

"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season , written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, directed by Kevin Bright, Warner Brothers, 2004.

Broadcast TV or Radio Program

Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Provide the name of the series or program in italics. Also include the network name, call letters of the station followed by the date of broadcast and city.

"The Blessing Way." The X-Files . Fox, WXIA, Atlanta, 19 Jul. 1998.

Netflix, Hulu, Google Play

Generally, when citing a specific episode, follow the format below.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, season 2, episode 21, NBC, 29 Apr. 2010. Netflix, www.netflix.com/watch/70152031.

An Entire TV Series

When citing the entire series of a TV show, use the following format.

Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation . Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.

A Specific Performance or Aspect of a TV Show

If you want to emphasize a particular aspect of the show, include that particular information. For instance, if you are writing about a specific character during a certain episode, include the performer’s name as well as the creator’s.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2010.

If you wish to emphasize a particular character throughout the show’s run time, follow this format.

Poehler, Amy, performer. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2009-2015.

Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Provide the name of the series in italics. Then follow with MLA format per usual.

“Best of Not My Job Musicians.” Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! from NPR, 4 June 2016, www.npr.org/podcasts/344098539/wait-wait-don-t-tell-me.

Spoken-Word Albums such as Comedy Albums

Treat spoken-word albums the same as musical albums.

Hedberg, Mitch. Strategic Grill Locations . Comedy Central, 2003.

Digital Files (PDFs, MP3s, JPEGs)

Determine the type of work to cite (e.g., article, image, sound recording) and cite appropriately. End the entry with the name of the digital format (e.g., PDF, JPEG file, Microsoft Word file, MP3). If the work does not follow traditional parameters for citation, give the author’s name, the name of the work, the date of creation, and the location.

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Moonlight Sonata . Crownstar, 2006.

Smith, George. “Pax Americana: Strife in a Time of Peace.” 2005. Microsoft Word file.

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, and National Writing Project. Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing . CWPA, NCTE, and NWP, 2011, wpacouncil.org/files/framework-for-success-postsecondary-writing.pdf.

Bentley, Phyllis. “Yorkshire and the Novelist.” The Kenyon Review , vol. 30, no. 4, 1968, pp. 509-22. JSTOR , www.jstor.org.iii/stable/4334841.