Guide to MLA Reference Lists

** note : the 7th edition of MLA published in 2009
has several differences from the 6th edition.

The OWL at Purdue has an excellent guide to the new MLA format:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.

Introduction
Books
Journals/Magazine/Newspapers
Interviews
Electronic Resources
Internet

Introduction

Below are examples of citations for common types of resources. If a type of citation that you need is not included here, please ask for theMLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition at the Reference Desk or the Current Periodicals/Reserve Desk, or ask us by email, chat or phone. The 7th edition of the MLA Handbook has incorporated some major changes, particularly in regard to distinguishing the format of each source. MLA no longer recommends using specific URLs for Web publications and also recommends including both issue and volume numbers for all journal articles. Another significant difference from the 6th edition is using italics instead of underlining for titles. There are other minor changes, make sure you know which edition is required for a particular assignment. .

Basically, the MLA form of citing sources lists in parentheses within the content of the paper the author's last name and the page number of the source used. Below is an example.

“Reflection by the researcher at each stage of the research process can be considered beneficial to the ultimate outcomes of the research” (Hek and Moule 22).

Following the text of the paper is a list (Works Cited) of the sources referred to in the text.

Hek, Gil and Pam Moule.Making Sense of Research: An Introduction for Health and Social Care Practitioners. 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2006. Print.

The margins of the paper should be one inch at the top and bottom and on either side. Paragraphs should be indented one-half inch and set off quotations should be indented one inch or ten spaces. Text of the paper should be double-spaced. Entries in Works Cited should begin flush with the left margin. Second and subsequent lines in the entry should be indented one-half inch or five spaces. Double space between and within entries.

Books

Book by a Single Author:

Gibson, Mary Ellis. Epic Reinvented: Ezra Pound and the Victorians. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1995. Print.

Book by Two or More Authors:

Rodman, Hyman, Susan H. Lewis, and Saralyn B. Griffith. The Sexual Rights of Adolescents: Competence, Vulnerability. And Parental Control. New York: Columbia UP, 1984. Print.

Article or Essay in a Collection or Anthology:

Bracci, Sharon L. "The Fragile Hope of Seyla Benhabib's Interactive Universalism." Moral Engagement in Public Life: Theorists for Contemporary Ethics. Ed. Sharon L. Bracci and Clifford G. Christians. New York: P. Lang, 2002. 123-149. Print.

Encyclopedia Article (unsigned) from Familiar Encyclopedia:

"Flagellation." The Encyclopedia Americana. 1999 ed. Print.

Journals/Magazines/Newspapers

Print Journal Article with Continuous Pagination:

Donaldson, Scott. "Protecting the Troops from Hemingway: An Episode in Censorship." The Hemingway Review 15.1 (1995): 87-93. Print.

Print Journal article (scholarly journal that pages each issue separately):

Mitchell, Diana. "Teaching Ideas: Approaching Race and Gender Issues in the Context of the Language Arts Classroom." English Journal 85.8 (1996): 77. Print.

Magazine article (If the article is unsigned, begin the entry with the title.)

Leland, John and Allison Samuels. "The New Generation Gap." Newsweek 17 Mar. 1997: 52+.

Newspaper Article (If the newspaper is published in only one edition, omit the comma and edition information.):

Broad, William J. "The Comet's Gift: Hints of How Earth Came to Life." New York Times 1 Apr. 1997, late ed.: C1+. Print.

Interviews

Interviews – personal, telephone, or email – conducted by you need three elements: name of person interviewed, type of interview, and the date the interview was conducted.

Fogarty, N. Personal interview. 2 July 2003.

Electronic Journals:

Use the following for electronic formats of journals also published in print format and available from an online service such as JSTOR or EBSCO.
Include the following information if available:
Use the same format as for a print resource.

Title of the database
Medium of publication (Web)
Date of access (day, month, year)

Mallin, Irwin and Karrin Vasby Anderson. "Inviting Constructive Argument." Argumentation and Advocacy 36.3 (2000): 120, Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 July 2009.

Basic Entry for a Document from an Internet Site:

Basic Entry for a Document from an Internet Site:
This format is intended for documents that aren’t accessed through library databases. Include the following information if available:

1. Author's name (if available )
2. Title of the work or material: italicized if work is independent , and in quotation marks if part of a larger work.
3. Title of overall Web site in italics, if different from #2
4. Version or edition used
5. Publisher or sponsor of web site, if not available, use n. p.
6. Date of publication if available, if not available, use n. d.
7. Medium of publication (Web)
8. Date of access (day, month, year)

Cristall, Ann Batten. Poetical Sketches. London: J. Johnson, 1795. The Electronic Text Center. Alderman Lib. University of Virginia. Web. 7 July 2009.

NOTE: If a web page might be difficult to locate, YOU CAN ADD THE URL IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:
<http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/CriSket.html >

Updated by Mary Krautter and Hannah Winkler July 7, 2009 .

The University Libraries