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    Modern Language Association (MLA) Citations

    For a Works Cited Page

    MLA1 MLA2 MLA3
     

    a. Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper.  It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.

     

    b. Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.

     

    c. Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.

     

    d. Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations.

     

    e. The citations should be put in alphabetical order by authorís last name.

     

    f. Punctuation matters in citations, so be careful.

     

    g. Alphabetize works with no known author by their title.

     

    h. All of the titles should be italicized.

     

    i. Some materials do not provide all of the information requested by MLA.  Do your best to make as complete of a citation as you can.  Some information may be missing.  If so, skip it and move on to the next requested piece of information.

      
     

    BOOKS WITH ONE AUTHOR

    Format:

    Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication:

         Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

     

    Examples:

    Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York:

         Penguin, 1987. Print.

     

    Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray,

         1999. Print.

     

     

    BOOKS WITH TWO OR THREE AUTHORS

    Format:

    Lastname, Firstname, and Lastname, Firstname. Title of

         Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of

         Publication. Medium of Publication.

     

    Example:

    Gillespie, Paula, and Lerner, Neil. The Allyn and Bacon

         Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print.

     

     

    BOOKS WITH MORE THAN THREE AUTHORS

    Format:

    First Author’s Lastname, Firstname, et al. Title of

         Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of

         Publication. Medium of Publication.

     

    Example:

    Gebhard, David, et al. A Guide to Architecture in San

         Francisco & Northern California.  Santa Barbara:

         Peregrine, 1973. Print.

     

     

    WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY, REFERENCE, OR COLLECTION

    Format:

    Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of

         Collection/Book. Ed. Editor's Name(s). City of

         Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry.

         Medium of Publication.

     

    Examples:

    Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A

             Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One. Ed. Ben

             Rafoth. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print.

     

    Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal

         Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The

         'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer.

          Ed. Steven Heller. New York: Allworth Press, 1998.
          13-24. Print.

     

     

    ARTICLE IN A REFERENCE BOOK (encyclopedia, dictionary)

    Format:

    “Title of Article or Entry.” Title of Reference Book.

         Edition.  Year. Format.

     

    Example:

    "Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997.

         Print.

     

    “Los Angeles.”  The New Encyclopaedia Britannica:

         Macropaedia. 15th ed. 1998. Print.

      

     

    NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

    Format:

    Author’s last name, firstname. “Title of Article.”

         Italicized Title of Newspaper Day Month Year of

         Publication, edition: page number(s). Format.

     

    Examples:

    Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's

         Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24 May 2007,

         LZ01. Print.

     

    Krugman, Andrew. "Fear of Eating." New York Times 21 May

         2007, late ed.: A1. Print.

      

     
    MAGAZINE ARTICLE

    Format:

    Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day

         Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.

     

    Examples:

    Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20

         Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.

     

    Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping

         Mar. 2006: 143-48. Print.

     

     

    CITING AN ENTIRE WEBSITE

    Format:

    Editor, author, or compiler’s last name, first name (if

         available). Name of Site. Version number (if

         available). Name of institution/organization

         affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date

         of resource creation (day month year). Medium of

         publication. Date of access (day month year).

     

     

    Example:

    The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at

         Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2008.

     

    Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.

        Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.

     

     

    CITING A PAGE ON A WEBSITE

    Format:

    Author’s last name, firstname. “Title of the work.” Italicized Title of the Website.

                Name of Institution/Organization,  Day month and year of publication (as

                available).  Format. Day month and year of access.

     

    Example:

    "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow. Demand Media, n.d.

         Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

     

    n.d. = no date

     

     

    CITING AN ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE DATABASE

    Format:

    Author’s last name, firstname. “Title of the article.”

         Italicized Title of Journal. Volume number. Issue (when

         issue number is available). Day Month Year of

         Publication: page range. Italicized Name of Database.

         Format. Day Month Year when accessed. 

     

    Examples:

    Junge, Wolfgang, and Nelson, Nathan. “Nature's Rotary

         Electromotors.” Science. 29 Apr. 2005: 642-44. Science

         Online. Web. 5 Mar. 2009.

     

    Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-

         Century England.” Historical Journal. 50.1 (2007): 173-

         96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.

     

    Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style:

     
    MLA heading