MLA STYLE GUIDE

The Modern Language Association (MLA) provides guidance to those studying and writing

about literature, culture, and languages, particularly English. The MLA Handbook and its

website, on which this style guide is based, provide a set of standards for formatting papers, evaluating ,

and integrating sources into scholarly writing, and crediting those sources via in-text citations and end-of-

text works cited entries. This guide focuses on how to format papers and how to credit sources.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

FONT, SPACING, MARGINS, ALIGNMENT, INDENTATION, & NUMBERS

TABLES, FIGURES , AND NOTES

HEADING: NAME, COURSE, INSTRUCTOR, DATE

TITLE

PAGE NUMBE RS

RUNNING HEAD

QUOTATIONS [SHORT & LONG]

PROSE, POETRY, & DRAMA

OMISSIONS & ALTERATIONS

WORKS CITED PAGE

HANGING INDENT GUIDE

IN-TEXT CITATIONS GENERAL RULES AND SPECIAL CASES

OVERVIEW

AUTHOR NAMED IN SIGNAL PHRASE AND PARENTHESES

TWO AUTHORS

THREE OR MORE AUTHORS

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

AUTHORS WITH THE SAME LAST NAME

ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

GENERATIVE AI

TWO OR MORE WORKS CITED TOGETHER

SOURCE QUOTED IN ANOTHER SOURCE

WORK WITHOUT PAGE NUMBERS

AN ENTIRE WORK

LITERARY WORKS [NOVEL, VERSE PLAY, POEM]

SACRED TEXTS

WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY

ENTRY IN A REFERENCE WORK

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED

WORKS CITED: CORE ELEMENTS METHOD

CORE ELEMENTS: AUTHOR, TITLE, PUBLISHER, DATE, LOCATION

WORKS CITED: TEMPLATE METHOD

AUTHOR TYPES

ONE AUTHOR & TWO AUTHORS

THREE OR MORE AUTHORS

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

AUTHOR AND EDITOR OR TRANSLATOR

ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHO R

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

SOURCE TYPES

PERIODICALS – ONLINE & PRINT

JOURNAL ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE– ONLINE & PRINT

BOOK REVIEW – ONLINE & PRINT

BOOKS – ELECTRONIC & PRINT

WORK OR CHAPTER IN AN ANTHOLOGY

ENTRY IN A REFERENCE BOOK – ONLINE & PRINT

WEBSITES

WORK ON A WEBSITE & ENTIRE WEBSITE & BLOG ENTRY

GENERATIVE AI

SOCIAL MEDIA & PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBO OK, TWITTER, INSTAGR AM, ETC.

UNPUBLISHED LETTER

E-MAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, & UNPUBLISHED INTERVIEW

AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA

FILM/DVD/VIDE O RECORDING

EPISODE FROM A TV SERIES,

STREAMING VIDEO, ONLINE VIDEO & PODCAST

ART OR ARTIFACT

LIVE PRESENTATION

CLASS RESOURCES: LECTURE, COURSE PACK, SYLLABUS, & BRIGHTSPACE,

COURT CASE ON A WEBSITE

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

FONT

MLA requires an easy -to-read “standard size” font in which italics is easily distinguished from regular

typeface. Twelve-point Times New Roman is the most commonly used font size and typefac e.

SPACING

Double space all text including all quotes and works cited entries .

MARGINS

Leave at least a 1-inch margin on all sides of the text.

ALIGNMENT

The body of the text should be aligned flush left. The title should be centered.

INDENTATION

Indent the first line of every paragraph a half inch. For consistency, consider use of the TAB key. The

works cited page makes use of a hanging indent: all lines of the entry except the first are indented a half

inch.

NUMBERS

Spell out numbers that can be written in one or two words ( seven, nineteen, forty-four, three million) and

use numerals for other numbers (3 ¾; 534; 1,003; 55,000,000).

TABLES, FIGURES, AND NOTES

Tables and figures are used to support or illustrate information given in

the main text. They are placed near the text that refers to them.

• Tables are made up of numbers and/or text arranged in rows and

columns.

• Figures include illustrations, photographs, maps, charts, graphs ,

and diagrams.

LABELS: Tables, figures (abbreviated as Fig.) are labelled as such and

are numbered separately and sequentially (Fig. 1, Fig. 2; Table 1, Table

2, etc.). Label placement depends on information type.

• TABLES: A flush left label (see Table 1 at right) precedes

the table and is followed by a flush left title in title case

on a new line.

▪ FIGURES: A flush left label (E.G. Fig. 1) follows figures.

Figures do not typically make use of titles (see Fig. 1 at

right).

CAPTIONS: Tables and figures are followed by caption s. Captions

include source information and, in some cases, an explanatory

note (see below). Captioned source information can be displayed

in either of the following forms:

• PARENTHETICAL CITATION: Source information can take the form of a parenthetical citation at the

end of a descriptive note. Be sure to include a full works cited entry for the source on your works

cited page.

o Fig. 2. Illustration of Clergy Daughters' School, Cowan Bridge where Charlotte Brontë’s

sisters, Maria and Elizabeth died (Bowen).

• FULL SOURCE INFORMATION: In some cases, full source information is included in the caption. If

the source is not used elsewhere in the paper, it is not necessary to also include the source as a

works cited entry.

The examples above are taken or adapted from the MLA style website.

NOTES: Notes provide commentary, examples, or explanation related to the text. They are also used to

acknowledge the contributions or use of generative AI. They can be styled as footnotes or endnotes and

use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). See the Reference tab on Microsoft Word’s toolbar and the Insert tab on

Google Docs’ toolbar to add footnotes or endnotes. For more information on notes styling see the MLA

website.

HEADING: NAME, COURSE, INSTRUCTOR, DATE

The MLA does not require a title page. Instead, students place important course information below

the header at the top of the first page

of their document. That information is

traditionally given in the following

order:

1. Student’s Full Name

2. Instructor’s Title and Surname

3. Course Name and section

number

4. Date in Day Month Year format

NOTE: While many instructors utilize the above requirements, some have specifications that differ from

these.

Check the course syllabus. If you cannot find answers there, ask your instructor.

TITLE

Type the full title of the paper directly after the heading (no space). Follow these formatting rules:

Type the title of the paper in Title Case:

1. Capitalize the first word of the title and of any subtitle

2. Capitalize all “major” words, including the second part of hyphenated major words

3. Do not capitalize conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), prepositions (in, on, by, etc.) or

articles (a, an, the) unless they begin the title or subtitle.

• The title should be in the same font size and typeface as the rest of the text.

• DO NOT quote, underline, italicize or boldface the title.

o Exception: If a work of literature is referred to in the title, format it as you would in the

text: italicize long works and place quotation marks around short works.

• Do not add any additional spaces before or after the title.

PAGE NUMBERS

Page numbers are inserted half an inch from the top of the document in the upper right corner of the

header. Numbering begins on the first page and proceed consecutively through all works cited pages. See

guidelines on insertin g your last name and page number (running head) below and on page 6.

RUNNING HEAD

The MLA requires the use of a running head. A running head is a heading printed at the top of each page

of a document or book. Most fiction makes use of a running head, usually the title of the work.

An MLA running head consists of the student’s last name and a page number. This information is typed in

the header area of the page and aligned flush right.

See the sample on page 4.

HOW TO INSERT AN MLA STYLE RUNNING HEAD

MICROSOFT WORD

1. Select the INSERT tab on the main toolbar.

2. In the Header & Footer group, select PAGE NUMBER.

3. On the Page Number drop down menu, select TOP OF PAGE.

4. Select PLAIN NUMBER 3 to insert a page number in the top right corner of the header.

5. Ensure that the cursor is to the left of the number.

6. Type your last name followed by a space.

7. Highlight your last name and the page number.

8. Go to the HOME

menu.

9. In the font group,

ensure the font size and

typeface are those you

will use throughout the

paper.

10. Close the header by

double-clicking into the

body of the document.

See sample header on

page 4.

GOOGLE DOCS

1. Select the INSERT tab on the main toolbar.

2. On the drop-down menu, select PAGE NUMBERS.

3. Choose the top left option to insert pages number

on the top right corner of all pages.

4. Move the cursor to the left of the number.

5. Type your last name followed by a space.

6. Highlight your last name and the page number.

7. Ensure the font size and typeface to those you will

use throughout the paper.

8. Close the header by double -clicking into the body of

the document.

See sample header on page 4.

NOTE: Some instructors prefer that the first page of the

document remain unnumbered. Always review and

follow class specific formatting requirement s.

QUOTATIONS

The MLA requires quotation of all word-for-word source material. The writer must provide th e reader

with enough information to be able to identify the source of any quotation. This is generally done through

in-text citations in the form of signal phrases and parenthetical citations.

In-text citations are short references that appear in the body of a paper and point readers to the source

of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. These short references use the first element of the source’s

works cited entry, most often the author(s) last name, and relevant page or line numbers that key to or

point to a full works cited entry. Guidelines for in-text citations are covered in depth on pages 13-19,

works cited entries are covered on pages 19-38.

This section makes use of in-text citation but focuses on integrating different types of quotations.

PROSE QUOTATIONS

Prose is ordinary language, the kind you speak every day. Most papers, textbooks, online sources, and

fiction is written in prose. Prose is distinct from p oetry and drama.

SHORT OR RUN-IN QUOTATIONS

If a prose quote is no more than four lines of your paper , incorporate it into a sentence. See the SIGNAL

PHRASE HANDOUT and pages 13-19 for in-text citation guidelines. Enclose the quoted material in double

quotation marks - “”.

If the quoted material comes at the end of the sentence, place citation information before the closing

punctuation mark.

If the quoted material comes in the middle of the sentence, place any parenthetical citation at the first

natural pause and before the addition of an unsourced idea.

End of sentence

Wallace’s, we are told, worried about fiction in the postmodern world, worried that a “lack of

genuine concern and respect for the consumer was becoming more prevalent” (McAdams 121).

Mid-sentence

McCort argues that Holden Caufield is driven by a spiritual riddle which asks, "how he can hang

onto the innocence of childhood while moving, inexorably, into the phony world of adulthood . . .,”

(122) a phony world, it could be said, that Salinger himself evaded.

LONG QUOTATIONS

While short or run-in quotations are integrated into the main text, long quotes , those of more than four

lines of prose, are set-off in what is commonly called a block quotation.

Block quotations:

• Appear on a new line and are indented half an inch.

• Do NOT make use of quotation marks.

• Retain double spacing.

• Include any parenthetical citation information after the final punctuation mark.

• Have an additional first line indent only when multiple paragraphs are included.

• Are frequently introduced with a sentence ending in a colon . This is not required.

POETRY QUOTATIONS

SHORT OR RUN IN QUOTATIONS

When quoting three or fewer lines of a poem, integrate the lines into a sentence. Any line breaks should

be indicated by a forward slash /. A new stanza is indicated by a double forward slash //.

At the beginning of Sharon Olds’ “The Victims” the speaker r eflects on how her mother took or

endured the abuse of her father. Olds’ writes, “She took it and / took it in silence” for years (619).

In “Persimmons” the speakers’ heritage becomes the language of intimacy, the language that the

speaker uses to establish and mainta in affections. In the third stanza, the speaker gives a vocabulary

lesson to a young woman, “Ni, wo : you and me. / I part her legs” (Lee 513).

LONG QUOTATIONS

While short or run -in quotations are integrated into the main text, long quotes, those of more than three

lines of poetry, are set-off in what is commonly called a block quotation.

Block quotations for poetry:

• Try to mimic any unusual spacing or formatting seen in the original .

• Retain double spacing.

• Appear on a

new line and

are indented

half an inch.

• Do NOT make

use of

quotation

marks.

• Include any

parenthetical citation information after the final punctuation.

• Are frequently introduced with a sentence ending with a colon. This is common but not required.

DRAMA QUOTATIONS:

The main component of drama, whether in the form of a script or screenplay, is dialogue, the back and

forth of conversation between characters. Unlike prose and poetry, quoted dialogue (speech between two

or more characters) is never integrated into the main text o f the paper. Whether you are quoting two or

ten lines, set dialogue o ff from the main text by using the formatting specific to block quotations.

Single lines of a conversation can be integrated into a sentence. See verse plays on page 17 for an

example.

Block quotations in drama:

• Appear on a new line and are

indented half an inch.

• Do NOT make use of quotation

marks.

• Include the speaker or

character’s name in all capital

letters.

• Retain double spacing.

• Use a hanging indent when

dialogue extends to multiple

lines.

• Include any parenthetical

citation information after the

final punctuation mark.

• Are frequently introduced with a

sentence ending in a colon. This is not required .

NOTE: While a well-placed block quotation can illuminate an argument, liberal use of the block quotations

can give the impression of lazy writing or overreliance on source material. Use block quotations sparingly.

OMISSIONS & ALTERATIONS IN QUOTATIONS

OMISSIONS

Sometimes it is practical to omit words, sentences, or whole paragraphs from a quoted passage. When

omitting text, use an ellipsis to indicate the missing text. Take care that your omissions do not change the

meaning of the source material.

NOTE: An ellipsis is not necessary when quoting single words or phrases. In those cases, omission is

assumed.

AN OMISSION AT THE BEGINNING OR END OF A SENTENCE REQUIRES AN ELLIPSIS

BEGINNING

• ORIGINAL PASSAGE: “‘Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand

more.’ This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for

the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder .” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The

Brothers Ka ramazov

• QUOTE WITH OMISSION: Dostoyevsky’s uses Zosima to argue that the effect of a world that

encourages the privileging and fulfillment of personal needs is not freedom, but “ . . . for the rich

is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder” (341).

END

• ORIGINAL PASSAGE: “The point of marriage is not to

create a quick commonality by tearing down all

boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in

which each partner appoints the other to be the

guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other

the greatest possible trust.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke,

Letters of Young Poet

• QUOTES WITH OMISSION: In his seventh letter to Kappus, Rilke reveals his position on the

Romantic ideal of total intimacy and union of selves by noting that “the point of marriage is not to

create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries . . . ” (13).

AN OMISSION IN THE MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE OR PARAGRAPH REQUIRES AN ELLIPSIS

SENTENCE OR PARAGRAPH OMISSION

• ORIGINAL: “We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to

become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what

he is: each the other's opposite and complement. ” – Herman Hesse, Narcissus and Gold mund

• QUOTE WITH OMISSION: Narcissus offers an ideal of love that honors rather than obscures

separateness, “We are sun and moon, . . . . It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to

FORMATTING ELLIPSES

Various style guides format

ellipses differently.

The MLA specifies that an ellipsis

uses three periods with a space

before each period and after the

final period. That is, . . .

recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other's

opposite and complement.” (Hesse 298).

• Use an ellipsis followed by a period to indicate an omission between two sentences. [. . . .]

ALTERATIONS

When quoted material is removed from its original context, its meaning can become unclear. The MLA

indicates that it is permissible to add information to quoted material to clarify meaning. When

information is added or text changed, the writer must indicate the change through the use of brackets []

or, in some cases, a parenthetical comment ().

ITALICS FOR EMPHASIS

Tutu argues that “if you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies”

(emphasis added).

ADDITIONS OR CHANGES FOR CLARIFICATION

As Klotz points out, “He [Snegiryov] is so beaten down that he can no longer act in accordance with

the rules of society and must accept a role outside society as a weak ling and a dishonorable

person” (169).

COMMENT

Clyde and Sondra are described as “ . . . harmoniously abandoning themselves to the rhythm of the

music—like two small chips (sic) being tossed about on a rough but friendly sea ”(Dresier 328). The

imagery foreshadows and acts as a counterpoint the central tragedy of the novel.

Sic is Latin for thus. It is used after a quoted word that appears incorrect or odd and tells the reader that

the word appeared thus or in th is way in the original. The writer quoting Dresier’s An American Tragedy

uses a parenthetical comment to tell the reader that the word chips instead of ships was Dresier’s.

WORKS CITED PAGE

The MLA requires an end-of-text list of sources. This list includes all retrievable sources used in the

composition of the paper. The information on this list allows writers to credit sources and readers to find,

evaluate, and make further use of those sources. Works Cited list entries are covered on pages 19 - 38.

This section focuses on what to include and how to order the entries and format the reference page.

What to include

• Every source you paraphrased, summarized, or quoted in the text .

• Do not include sources that you consulted but did not cite.

How to order the entries

• Works cited entries are alphabetized by the first letter in the entry, generally an author’s last

name.

• Works cited entries that have no author or editor are alphabetized by title.

• When alphabetizing by title, ignore articles (A, An, and The) that begin the title.

• When an entry starts with a number, alphabetize the entry based on how the number would appear

if written.

• When an entry starts with a year, alphabetize the entry based on how the year would be spoken.

How to format the page

• The works cited list comes after the final page of text.

• The list begins at the top of a consecutively numbered new page.

• The list is preceded by the centered heading: Works Cited

• If only one entry is given, use the heading Work Cited

• Works Cited entries are double-spaced with NO SPACE between entries.

o See spacing settings in image below.

• Works Cited entries make use of a hanging indent.

o Learn how to create a handing indent on the next page.

HANGING INDENT

HOW TO CREATE A HANGING INDENT IN MICROSOFT WORD

1. Select the text that you would like to indent.

2. On the Home tab, click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the

Paragraph group.

3. In the Paragraph dialog box, u nder Indentation, in the Special

dropdown, select Hanging.

4. Under By, set the measurement to 0.5.

5. Ensure there is 0pt spacing after paragraphs OR check the

box indicating Don’t add a space between paragraphs of the

same style.

6. Click OK.

HOW TO CREATE A HANGING INDENT IN GOOGLE DOCS:

1. Highlight your works cited

entries.

2. Open the Format tab and select Align & indent

3. Select Indentation options… from the side menu

4. When the Indentation options window opens, select Hanging from the

SPECIAL dropdown menu and specify 0.5 inches.

5. Click the Apply button.

Steps 3 – 6

QUICK TIP | INSTALLED

MICROSOFT WORD

YOU CAN ADD A HANGING

INDENT TO YOUR ENTRIES IN

WORD BY HIGHLIGHTING

THEM AND PRESSING CTRL+T.

CREDITING SOURCES

TO CREDIT SOURCES, MLA REQUIRES A TWO-PART SYSTEM. THAT SY STEM USES (1) BRIEF IN-TEXT OR

PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS THAT POINT TO (2) A FULL LIST OF SOURCES IN THE FORM OF AN END -OF-TEXT

WORKS CITED PAGE.

WHY CREDIT SOURCES

Citation is often discussed in the context o f avoiding plagiarism. It is true that using the words or ideas of

others without crediting them is a serious academic offense. When one plagiarizes , one intentionally or

unintentionally passes off the work of another as one’s own. Citations help prevent plagiarism. They also

have a collegial purpose.

Academic writing is a conversation between the writer and thinkers who have examined similar questions

and topics. IN-TEXT CITATIONS act as a record of that conversation. They tell the reader who said what. In-

text citations give credit to those who have helped the writer develop their current understanding. They

also allow readers to engage more deeply in the subject by pointing to WORKS CITED ENTRIES. These entries

tell readers exactly where they can find the sources the writer used.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

OVERVIEW

WHAT REQUIRES IN-TEXT CITATION?

In MLA style writing, paraphrases, summaries, and quotations all require the use of in -text citation s.

• A paraphrase restates the source material in new language and with original sentence structure. A

paraphrase uses approximately the same number of words as the original.

• A summary condenses the source material to reflect its main idea(s). A summary uses significantly

less words than the original.

• A quotation restates the source material using the exact language of that material.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN AN MLA IN-TEXT CITATION?

MLA in-text citations aim to answer two questions about the source material:

1. WHO: Most frequently reported as authors’ last names

2. WHERE: Most frequently reported as a page number

HOW DOES CITATION INFORMATION APPEAR IN THE TEXT?

To integrate this information, MLA style writing makes use of both signal phrases and parenthetical

citations. These are frequently used in combination.

Signal phrases (also known as attributive tags or narrative citation) appear in the same sentence as the

source material, either directly before or after that material . They signal to the reader that the idea or

language being used is from an outside source. Signal phrases generally use the author’s name and a

present tense verb to do this.

Zillinger argues that the often-examined contradiction between Millay’s “subversive ethos and her

traditional forms” is no contradiction at all (240).

Kupetz indicates that Kerouac uses disability “to signify radical social non -conformity” (135).

See the SIGNAL PHRASE GUIDELINES handout for a list of signal phrase verbs.

Parenthetical citations make use of parentheses () to provide source information. In MLA style,

parenthetical citations are placed where there is a natural pause. This most often occurs at the end of the

sentence in which the source information appear s. When placed at the end of a sentence, parenthetical

citations appear before the closing punctuation.

The article argues that Millay was a savvy contributor to her own mythos and that she used

“photography to construct a flexible poetic identity” (Parker 381).

The Art of Travel tells us that travel, with its gift of distancing us from our ordinary selves, gives us

the opportunity to “encounter our true selves” (de Botton 147).

FORMATTING THE PARENTHETICAL CITATION:

In most cases, the MLA does not require the use of punctuation between the major elements of a

parenthetical citation. There is also no abbreviation for page number. If a work has no page numbers, se e

page 1 6.

(Author(s) Last Name page number)

(Schroerlucke 237). (Happle and Navarre 7-19). (Johnston et al. para. 4). (A Woman in Berlin 154).

1. AUTHOR NAMED IN A SIGNAL PHRASE

QUOTATION, SUMMARY, OR PARAPHRASE

• The first time you name an author, use their full name (see below).

• When the name of the author appears in the sentence, d o not repeat it in the parentheses.

• Add the parenthetical citation with page number where there is a natural pause, generally at the end

of the sentence.

• Include the page number or other source location information in parentheses.

• Do not use p. or the word page.

After noting that his early writings were heavily revised, Jack Kerouac states, “I was writing one

sentence a day and the sentence had no feeling. Goddamn it, feeling is what l like in art, not

craftiness and the hiding of feelings” (72).

2. AUTHOR NAMED IN PARENTHESES

QUOTATION, SUMMARY, OR PARAPHRASE

• If the name of the author is not included in the sentence, put the name in parentheses along with any

page or other source location information.

• Parentheses should be placed in the same sentence as the source information and after a natural

pause. They generally appear at the end of the sentence and before any closing punctuation.

• In most cases, there is no need for punctuation in parenthetical citations.

To explain the monastic reclusiveness that characterized Hesse’s adult life, the article points not to

philosophy but to narcissism, depression, and the Pietis t family into which Hesse was born (Gray

91).

Jung, who is positioned as the man most responsible for the 20 th century shell-game where

“religion was replaced by therapeutic technique,” took Hesse as his patient (Gray 91).

SPECIAL CASES

3. TWO AUTHORS

When a work is authored by two individuals, mention both each time the work is cited. Use the word and

between the authors’ last names. When you first mention the authors, include their full names.

Didion and Dunne’s profile of wildcatter Glen McCarthy suggests that there is something uniquely

and tragically American in McCarthy stubborn independence (14). A friend of McCarthy’s is quoted

as saying, “He could have paid his taxes and put seventy -live million cash in the bank. But that's

not the way independents operate. No matter what the risk. . .” ( Didion and Dunne 14).

4. THREE OR MORE AUTHORS

When referencing a work with three or more authors, it is typical to use the first author’s last name

followed by the phrase et al., an abbreviation for the Latin phrase et alia meaning “and others.” You may

also use “and others” or “and colleagues” in the prose, but this is less common.

In their analysis of media coverage and public health response to Cobain’s suicide, Jobes et al.

indicate that absence of the anticipated Werther effect can be credited to Cobain’s method of

death. They note “the necessity of checking dental records to make a positive identification” and

suggest that the gun played against romantic images of suicide ( Jobes et al. 264).

5. TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

When citing multiple works by the same author, distinguish the source by including the title of the work in

the text or the parenthetical citation. Long works should be italicized. Short works are placed in quotation

marks.

The narrator tells us “elective ignorance wa s a great survival skill, perhaps the greatest” (Franzen,

The Corrections 265).

In a non-fiction essay about his father’s Parkinson’s disease, Franzen writes, “one of the stories

I’ve come to tell, then, as I try to forgive myself for my long blindness to his condition, is that he

was bent on concealing that condition . . .” (“My Father’s Brain” 80).

NOTE: It is acceptable to shorten the title of a work in the parenthetical citation. When the author’s last

name and the title appear together in a parenthetic al citation, use a comma to separate them.

6. AUTHORS WITH THE SAME LAST NAME

When two or more authors have the same last name, use authors’ full names in all signal phrases and first

initials in all parenthetical citations.

Kingsley Amis, reflecting on the influence of his position as an only child, noted that “writing for

me is to a large extent self -entertainment, and the only child is driven to do that” (42).

Talking about his father’s influence, the writer indicates that “he didn't try to form my mind, which

was partly laziness, but also partly instinct” ( M. Amis 70).

7. ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

Some sources do not list an individual author or authors . These sources may have an organization,

corporation, association, or a government agency as their author. In this case, the group’s name can be

used in place of an author’s name in signal phrases and parent hetical citations.

The 1936 report documents how communities were responding to what the U.S. Department of the

Interior called the youth problem, a problem succinctly identified as “five million young people -1

out of every 4 in the country - . . . without constructive occupation at school, work, or home” (2).

The Council of Social Agencies in five Orange County communities sponsored a “trial by jury of the

case of Youth vs. Society ” in order to “educate public opinion on the subject of social problems,

and more specifically youth problems, and to break ground for constructive commun ity action along

definite lines” ( U.S. Dept. of the Interior 19).

NOTE: It is acceptable to use abbreviations for commonly abbreviate terms, such as Dept. for Department.

8. UNKNOWN AUTHOR

Reference works, legal materials, and newspaper editorials frequently appear without an author. If no

author is given and the source has not been authored by an agency or organization (see above) , use the

source’s title in in-text citations. Long works are italicized. Short works are plac ed in quotation marks.

Long titles can be shortened to the first noun phrase. Remember to exclude articles (a, an, the) .

According to Brewer's Dictionary o f Ph ra se and Fable abracadabra is “a cabalistic charm said to be

made from the initials of the Hebr ew words Ab (Father), Ben (Son), and Ruach ACadsch (Holy

Spirit)” (3).

The editorial asserted that the opioid crisis can be curtailed by providing safe spaces and medical

supervision for users (“Safe Injection” 4).

*The full title of the article is “Safe Injection Facilities Save Lives.”

9. GENERATIVE AI

The MLA provides guidelines on acknowledging when content is generated by or with the help of

generative artificial intelligence (AI). This acknowledgment is done in the primary text and, in some cases,

in works cited entries. For a brief overview of generative AI, see page 32.

AI GENERATED CONTENT

The MLA indicates that writers should clearly identify any content written by or with the help of

generative AI, including images, data, and texts that paraphrase, summarize, or quote these tools.

Because it is often unable to reveal its source material , the MLA does not recommend including an author.

Instead, in-text citations make use of a shortened version of the “Title of the source,” typically the

prompt, a description of the prompt , or a description of the work.

See examples on the following page.

Review guidelines on works cited entries for generative AI on page 32.

SIGNAL PHRASE |

When initially asked to “Explain the meaning of life,” the tool resisted and noted that the question

was “profoundly personal.”

PARENTHETICAL CITATION |

A pasteurized alternative to the spin-laden media, a foil to the infoglut of the internet, a truthy

friend who refuses to take sides, large language models apologize for our mistakes, do our

synthesis for us, and provide us with distilled shots of collectivized wisdom: “reflect on your own

values, beliefs, and experiences” (“Explain the meaning”).

AI ASSISTED PROCESSES

In addition to citing language and ideas, the MLA indicates that writers should acknowledge any

processes completed by or with the help of generative AI such as outlining, organization, and editing.

This can be done in the text or in a footnote or endnote. See page 4 for information on formatting notes.

The example note below this paragraph would appear at the end of the page in the footer (footnote) or in

a separate end-of-text list (endnote).

This essay’s structure was proposed by generative A.I chat tool Perplexity.

NOTE | SOME INSTRUCTORS MAY NOT PERMIT THE USE OF GENERATIVE AI IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. OTHERS MAY

ENCOURAGE ITS USE AND REQUIRE LESS FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ITS CONTRIBUTIONS. AS ALWAYS, FOLLOW

GUIDELINES PROVIDED BY YOUR INSTRUCTOR.

10. TWO OR MORE WORKS CITED TOGETHER

If a sentence makes use of more than one source, list all sources in the signal phrase or parentheses .

When multiple sources are listed in parentheses, s eparate each source with a semicolon.

Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of educa ting incarcerated men (Lochner and

Moretti; Esperian; Hughes; Utheim).

11. SOURCE QUOTED IN ANOTHER SOURCE

If you cite a source quoted in another source, add the abbreviation qtd. in to your parenthetical citation .

To explain his unorthodox approach to studying criminal genius, the author points to a desire to

convey what Katz refers to as “the moral and sensual attractions of doing evil” (qtd. in Oleson

194).

12. WORK WITHOUT PAGE NUMBERS

PARAGRAPH, SECTION OR CHAPTER NUMBERS

Many electronic documents do not have page numbers. Some have paragraph, section, or chapter

numbers. If such numbers appear, use them with the appropriate abbreviation. See below. If the author’s

name appears in the parenthetical citation , separate the name from the abbreviation w ith a comma.

• Paragraph (Jones, par. 4). Paragraphs (pars. 4-7).

• Section (sec. 3) Sections (Eisenstein, secs. 2-5)

• Chapter (ch. 17). Chapters (chs. 17-18)

The MLA indicates that writers should not count unnumbered paragraphs or sections for the purposes of in-text

citation. However, in order to be able to assess how source material is being used, instructors sometimes ask students

to do this. Always follow your instructor’s guidelines.

For poems and verse

plays, see page 17.

HEADINGS

Some sources, especially those found online, do not have numbered page, paragraph, chapter , or section

numbers. Some of these make use of headings. The MLA indicates that in the absence of other numbers

headings can be used to help a reader locate the rele vant information. It is permissible to shorten long

heading titles.

Under the heading “I Like You. You're Like Me,” the author indicates that, like other animals,

humans engage in assortative mating (Latson).

AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL

To reference a specific portion of a video or audio recording, provide the timestamp for that portion in

parentheses. Include the hours, minutes, and seconds separated by colons. E.G. (01:16:23-01:18:42).

13. AN ENTIRE WORK

If you would like to point the reader to an entire work, name the author in a signal phrase or in a

parenthetical reference. Do not give page numbers.

The biography portrays a woman worn down by her own mythos and mitigates some of the

romanticism that has attached itself to Mill ay (Milford).

14. LITERARY WORKS

Many literary works assigned in college courses have been widely read for many years and published in

multiple editions. The MLA provides special guidelines to aid readers who may be using a different edition

of a text. This supplemental information is placed in the parenthetical citation and depends on source

type.

NOVELS

When citing a novel that has been published multiple times, follow the page number with a semicolon, use

the abbreviation ch. for chapter and include a chapter number.

The self-reliant Jane tells us, “I stood lonely enough; but to that feeling of isolation I was

accustomed; it did not oppress me much (Bronte 2; ch. 42).

VERSE PLAYS

Verse plays, such as those by William Shakespeare, frequently have numbered lines. When quoting from a

verse play with numbered line, include the following elements in your parenthetical citation and separate

each element with a period: act number, scene number, and line number (s).

Hamlet is not only referring to cosmetics when he tells Ophelia, “God has given you one face and

you make yourselves another” (Shakespeare 1.3.142-144).

POEMS

Many poems read in literature course s are widely anthologized. If the poem you are referring to has been

republished many times, help your readers identify the lines you are referring to by using section and line

numbers in parenthetical citations. Separate the section number from the line number(s) with a period.

Reflecting on the afternoon of Yeats’ death, Auden writes “The current of his feeling failed: he

became his admirers” (1.17). Not only does Yeats live on in those who read his work, but the work,

also living, continues to change: “The words of a dead man / Are modified in the guts of the living.”

(Auden 1.22-23).

If a poem makes use of line numbers but not section numbers, use the word line or lines the first time you

reference the source.

The poem chronicles the different ways in which men and women grieve and how such differences

can add isolation to despair . The speaker asks his wife, “What was it brought you up to think it the

thing / To take your mother-loss of a first child / So inconsolably —in the face of love” (Frost, lines

63-65). Several stanzas later the wife wonders aloud at the speaker’s ability to converse on

mundane topics after digging his child’s grave. She asks, “What had how long it takes a birch to rot

/ To do with what was in the darkened parlor?” (95-96).

For information on how to note line and stanza breaks, see Poetry Quotations on page 7.

15. SACRED TEXTS

The Quran, Talmud, Bible, Sutras, Vedas and other sacred texts are often read in translation. Because

different translations often lead to different interpretations, it is important that your reader know which

version of a sacred text you have referenced. The first time you use a sacred or religious text, name the

version in the sentence.

For texts with multiple books, chapters, and verses or the equivalent, give each element separated by a

period in a parenthetical citation. It is acceptable to abbreviate books of the Bible. Include sacred texts in

your works cited list.

In both narratives fathers offer their daughters to prevent the rape of a man to whom they are not

related. In the New International Version Bible , a Levite protecting a man with whom he is

travelling says, “Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concub ine. I will bring them out to you

now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such

an outrageous thing” (Judg. 19.4). The concubine is accepted as a substitute and dies as a result.

16. WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY

Many college courses make use of anthologies or collections of writ ing by multiple

authors. These collectio ns are typically compiled by an editor whose name is given on the

anthology’s cover (see Kelly J. Mays, right). When creating an in -text citation for a work

from an anthology, refer to the author of the piece, not the editor of the collection.

17. ENTRY IN A REFERENCE WORK

Reference works entries, such as those found in dictionaries and encyclopedias ,

frequently do not list an author. If an entry has no author, use the title of the entry in the in -text citation.

The word robot has its etymological origins in the Czech word for "forced labor, compulsory

service, drudgery "(“Robot”).

18. LEGAL DOCUMENTS

When referencing law and court cases, refer to the particular case or law by name in the signal phrase or

parentheses. Italicize legal cases. Leave laws, acts, and historical documents, such as the Magna Carta, in

plain text.

Prior to 1963 and the case of Gideon v. Wain wright , those who were unable to afford a lawyer had

no recourse to legal counsel. The only exception occurred when a person was accused of crime

punishable by the death penalty.

WORKS CITED ENTRIES – CORE ELEMENTS

The Modern Language Association (MLA) requires (1) a list of source information at the end of the text in

the form of a works cited page and (2) brief in -text documentation of sources. This section provides

guidelines for constructing works cited entries for the most frequently used source types. It is based on

the 8

ed. of the MLA Handbook (2018) and A Guide to MLA Style published by Norton. For sources types

not covered here, visit the MLA Style Center at https://style.mla.org/.

CORE ELEMENTS OVERVIEW

To construct a works cited entry, t he MLA asks writers to identify certain

core elements of their sources and to list as many of those elements as

possible in a prescribed order.

If a source does not have one of the elements, that element is simply left out

of the entry. The image on the right lists the core elements and t he order in

which they should be given. Each element is described in more detail on the

following pages (20-24). In addition, you can visit the MLA Style Center to

learn about optional elements.

While one can construct almost any entry using the core elements method,

some writers prefer to use a template specific to the source type.

Works cited entry templates are provided on pages 25-38.

1. AUTHOR.

ONE AUTHOR:

• The name of a single author is given last name, first name.

• Include middle names or initials when given.

o Poe, Edgar Allen. Wallace, David Foster.

TWO AUTHORS:

o The first author is listed last name, first name.

o The first author’s name is followed by the word and.

o The second author’s name is given first name last name.

o List names in the order that they are given in the source material.

o Brown, Stephen, and Anthony Patterson.

THREE OR MORE AUTHORS

• The first author is listed last name , first name.

• Other authors’ names are replaced by the Latin phrase et al. the

abbreviation for et alia, meaning “and others.”

o Boerman-Cornell, William, et al.

EDITOR, TRANSLATOR, DIRECTOR ETC.

• If your writing focuses on the editor, translator, director or anyone other

than the author of the work , add a comma after the name and specify the

person’s role in lower case.

o Mays, Kelly J., editor.

2. TITLE OF SOURCE.

BOOKS, PERIODICALS, AND OTHER LONG WORKS

• Italicize titles of books and other self-contained works such as journals, films, television shows,

magazines, and newspapers.

• Follow title case capitalization rules for all titles regardless of original capitalization. See page 4.

o Jane Eyre. The Atlantic. Something Wicked This Way Come s. Dead Poets Society.

ARTICLES, ESSAYS, POEMS, SHORT STORIES

• Place quotation marks around short works such as poems, essays, and short stories.

• Follow title case capitalization rules for all titles regardless of original capitalization. See page 4.

o “A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again .” “Silent Snow, Secret Snow.”

UNTITLED WORKS

• Sources without titles are described without quotations or italics and use sentence case capitalization.

o Lecture transcript. Letter to the author’s mother. PowerPoint slides.

• When an untitled poem is known by its first line, use that line in quotes and retain the capitalization

of the original.

o “I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -.”

3. TITLE OF CONTAINER,

• If the source is contained within a larger work or publication, include the title of the container in

italics followed by a comma.

COMMON CONTAINERS

• Collections of poems, short stories, and essays.

o Poems That Make Grown Men Cry , Magic for Beginners, In Fact: The Best o f Crea tive Non fiction

• Periodicals such as journals, magazine, newspapers

o Journal of Peace Research, The New York Times, Esquire,

• Websites

o Internet Histo ry Sourcebooks Project , Pew Research Center, Modern American Poetry ,

• Television series

o Madmen, Game of Thrones, My So-Called Life,

4. OTHER CONTRIBUTORS,

• If you want to highlight the contributions of individuals other than the

author, state what the contributor did, use the word by, and give the

contributor or contributors’ first and last name(s).

• If the core element preceding the entry ends in a period, capitalize the

first letter of this element.

EXAMPLES

Aleksievich, Svetlana. The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral Histo ry of

Women in Wo rld Wa r II . Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa

Volokhonsky, Random House, 2018.

“The Battle of the Birds.” Fairy Tales from Many Lands, illustrated by Arthur

Rackham, Penguin Books, 1978, pp. 15-27.

Dickinson, Emily. Bolts of Melody: New Poems of Emily Dickinson . Edited by Mabel Loomis Todd and

Millicent Todd Bingham, Harper & Brothers, 1945.

Nicholson, Jack. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Directed by Miloš Forman, Fantasy Films, 1997.

5. VERSION,

• If your source exists in more than one version, provide information to help your reader identify which

version you have used.

BOOKS: EDITION

• Some works of literature and most text books exist in more than one version. Versions of books are

called editions.

• Specify the edition number or type followed by the abbreviation for edition. E.G. Expanded ed.

• If it not necessary to specify the first edition of a text.

• When noting an edition number, write the ordinal value using Arabic numerals. E.G. 3rd ed. 6th ed.

• If the previous core element ended with a period, t his core element begins with a capital letter. If the

previous section ended with a comma , begin with a lowercase letter. See examples below.

EXAMPLES – BOOK EDITIONS

Koch, Tom. Cartographies of Disease: Maps, Mapping, and Medicine . Expanded ed., Esri Press, 2017.

Reyhner, Jon Allan, and Jeanne M. Oyawin Eder. “Language and Culture Revitalization, 1990 - 2017.”

Ame rican Indian Education: A History , 2nd ed., U of Oklahoma P, 2017, pp. 326-340.

Royce, Josiah. Race Questions, Provincialism, and Other American Problems. Edited by Scott L. Pratt and

Shannon Sullivan, expanded ed., Fordham UP, 2009.

MEDIA VERSIONS

• Music, images, audiobooks, television programs, and films are sometimes published in multiple

versions.

• If your source material is not the only version available, make use of this core element to indicate the

version you have used.

• This core element begins with a capital letter if the previous section

ended with a period and with a lower case letter if the previous section

ended with a comma.

MEDIA EXAMPLES

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Read by Bob Lawrence, abridged version,

Naxos Audiobooks, 2007.

Roeg, Nicolas, director. Walkabout. Director’s cut, Max L. Raab-Si Litvinoff

Films, 1998.

6. NUMBER,

• If a source is part of a numbered sequence, include information to help

the reader identify the part of the sequence.

• Journals, magazines, encyclopedias, and comic books are often published as a numbered sequence.

• If the numbered sequence makes use of volumes, use the abbreviation vol. before the volume number.

If it makes use of issue numbers, use the abbreviation no. before the issue number. Many use both.

• If the core element before the number ends with a period , capitalize the first letter of the first

abbreviation. E.G. Vol.

• When citing an episode of a television show, include season and episode numbers along with those

descriptors.

EXAMPLES

Brooker, Charlie and William Bridges, writers. "Shut Up and Dance." Black Mirror, directed by James

Watkins, season 3, episode 3, Endemol, 2016.

Brummitt, Cassie. “Pottermore: Transmedia Storytelling and Authorship in Harry Potter.” The Midwest

Qua rterly, no. 1, 2016, pp. 112-122.

Gaiman, Neil. “The Kindly Ones.” The Sa ndman. Vol. 13 no. 69, DC Comics, 1995.

McKenzie-Jones, Paul. “Occupation of Alcatraz, 1969 –1971.” 50 Events That Shaped American Indian

Histo ry: An Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic , edited by Donna Martinez and Jennifer L.

Williams Bordeaux, vol. 2., Greenwood, 2017, pp. 549 – 560.

McNett, Gabriel. “Using Stories to Facilitate Learning.” College Teaching , vol. 64, no. 4, Oct. 2016, pp.

184–193. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/ 10.1080/87567555.2016.1189389.

7. PUBLISHER,

• A publisher is a company, organization, or person who has distributed a source to the public.

• Select source types DO NOT require the publisher to be named :

• Journals, magazines, and newspapers

• Works published by their author or editor

• Certain kinds of websites. See next page.

THE FOLLOWING SOURCE TYPES GENERALLY INCLUDE A PUBLISHER :

BOOKS

• To determine the publisher of a book, look on the title page . If you do not see the publisher there,

look on the next page.

• Do not include words like Company or Inc. in the publisher’s name. Use the word and instead of &.

• Abbreviate the words University (U) and Press (P) in academic presses. Oxford University Press =

Oxford UP | SUNY Press or State University of New York Press = State U of New York P.

o Duvernoy, John. Something in the Wa y // Obstruction Blu es. Horse Less Press, 2014.

WEBSITES

• To determine a website’s publisher, l ook for the copyright notice. It can often be found at

the bottom of the home page or on the website’s footer. If you cannot locate it there, look

for an about page. It is sometimes there.

• If a website’s title is the same as its publisher, do not repeat it.

• If a website houses but does not produce the material it distributes, skip this core element. E.G.

YouTube.

Harris, Richard. “What We’ve Learned in Two Decades Without Morrie.” Next Avenue, Twin Cities Public

Television, 4 Nov. 2015, www.nextavenue.org/what-weve-learned-in-two-decades-without-morrie/

FILMS AND TELEVISION

• Films and television shows do not have publishers, but they often have producers, distributors,

studios, and production companies. The MLA asks that works cited entries for these sources list the

company that played the largest role in the source’s production and distribution. This can be difficult

to assess without in-depth investigation. Listing the production company is common practice.

Paris, Texas . Directed by Wim Wenders. Road Movies Filmproduktion GmbH, 1984.

“University.” The Sopranos, directed by Allen Coulter, season 3, episode2 , HBO Entertainment, 2001.

8. PUBLICATION DATE,

• Source information may include time, day, month, season, and year of publication. Although the MLA

allows writers to determine how much of the given information to include, it is common practice to

include all available date information.

• If more than one publication date is given, use the most recent date. See page 30 for an exception.

• If an online source does not have a publication date or is likely to change or be removed , include an

access date at the end of the entry.

FORMAT

• Dates are given in DAY MONTH YEAR format. E.G. 11 May 1993,

o This format does not require commas between items.

• All months over four letters should be abbreviated:

o Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.

• If a source includes a timestamp, include it after the full date.

o 29 Sept. 1984, 4:33 a.m.,

9. LOCATION.

TEXT SOURCES IN CONTAINERS

• If your source is part of a larger work such as a periodical or anthology,

include a page number or page range at the end of the entry.

• Use the abbreviation p. before a single page number and pp. before a

page range.

ONLINE SOURCES

• If the source has page numbers, use p. before a single page or pp. before

a page range.

• When available, include a DOI or digital object identifier .

o As of 2021, the preferred format is https://doi.org/xxxxx.

o If no DOI is given, include a URL, preferably a stable URL or

permalink.

• When providing URLs, remove everything prior to and including the double forward slash // .

o If a URL runs more than three lines, truncate it.

• If the source does not have a publication date or is likely to change, include a date of access.

Bazar, Jennifer L. “The Utica Crib: Biography of an Unknown Barbarous Object.” History of Psychology, vol.

18, no. 2, May 2015, pp. 132–145. Psych Articles, http://doi.org/10.1037/a0038971.

Burns, Stanley B. “Utica Crib.” CBS N ews, CBS Interactive, www.cbsnews.com/pictures/19th-and-20th-

century-psychiatry-22-rare-photos/12/. Accessed 18 June 2019.

Tenney, Lauren J. “Who Fancies to Have a Revolution Here? The Opal Revisited (1851 -1860).” Radical

Psycho logy: A Journal of Psychology, Politics & Radicalism , vol. 5, June 2006, p. 7.

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=25134707&site=eds -live.

EPISODE ON A DVD

• If the work accessed was part of a multidisc DVD, tell the reader which disc was used.

“Blue Lightening.” 2014. Shetland, performance by Douglas Henshall, seaso n 2, episodes 5 -6, ITV Studios,

2018, disc three.

ART, ARTIFACT, PERFORMANCE, OR PRESENTATION

• If you viewed a work in person, give the name of the institution and city in which you viewed the work.

• If the city’s name is the name of the institution, do not repeat it. E.G. Museum of London

Eaton, Scott. “Mind Hunting: Distinguishing the Fact from Fiction of Serial Homicide.” Mohawk Valley

Community College, 29 Apr. 2019, Schafer Theater, Utica.

Mann, Sally. The Two Virginia s #4. 1991, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Ruiz-Perilla, Martha. “ Opposing Forces.” The Moth, 3 Nov. 2016, The Cooper Union, New York City .

WORKS CITED ENTRY TEMPLATES

Works cited entries can be constructed using the core elements method outlined on page s 19-24.

Alternatively, entries can be constructed by looking up the relevant author type (pages 25-26) and using it

with the appropriate source type template ( pages 27 – 38).

AUTHOR TYPES

ONE AUTHOR

• Give the author’s last name followed by their first name and any middle initial.

• Do not include degrees (PhD , M.D., etcetera)

TEMPLATE: Author’s Last Name, First Name.

SAMPLE: McCullers, Carson. The Heart Is a Lo nely Hunter . Houghton Mifflin, 1940.

TWO AUTHORS

• Give the first author’s last name followed by their first name and any middle initial.

• Do not invert the second author’s name.

• Separate the authors’ names with the word and.

TEMPLATE: 1

Author’s Last Name, First Name and 2

Author’s First Name Last Name.

SAMPLE: Bernstein, Carl, and Bob Woodward. All the President’s Men . Simon and Schuster Paperbacks,

2014.

THREE OR MORE AUTHORS

• If a work has three or more authors, list the first author’s last name and first name follow by a comma

and the abbreviation et al. from the Latin et alia meaning and others.

TEMPLATE: Author’s Last Name, First Name , et al.

SAMPLE: Bosmia, Anand, et al. “The Foot-Reading Cult of Japan.” Jou rnal of Religion & Health , vol. 56, no.

5, Oct. 2017, pp. 1600–1604. Academic Search Complete , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-

013-9736-8.

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

• When using more than one work by an author, organize entries alphabetically by the title of the work.

• Provide the author’s name for the first entry.

• After the first entry, use three hyphens in place of the author’s name. End the section with a period.

SAMPLE:

Baldwin, James. “Letter from a Region in My Mind.” The N ew Yorker, vol. 94 no. 39, 6 Nov. 1962, pp. 30-

39.

- - -. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Oxford Book of American Sho rt Stories , edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Oxford UP,

2013, pp. 483-513.

- - -. “Stranger in the Village. ” Collected Essays, edited by Toni Morrison, Penguin Putnam, 1998, pp. 117-

129.

AUTHOR AND EDITOR OR TRANSLATOR

• For sources that make use of an editor, translator, or other contributor, after the title of the work

include the individual’s role followed by the word by and their first and last name.

• Capitalize the contributor’s role if the previous core element ends with a period.

• If you want to highlight the work of the editor, translator, illustrato r, etc., list that person first.

TEMPLATE:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. T it l e o f Work. Editor/Translate/Editor/Translate/Another Role by First

Name Last Name, Publisher, Date.

SAMPLES:

Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. Translated by Lydia Davis, Viking Adult. 2010.

McEwen, Alastair, translator. Ocean Sea. By Alessandro Baricco, Canongate Books, 2008.

Wilson, Ella. “Take Care.” Show Me All Your Scars: True Stories of Living with Mental Illness , edited by Lee

Gutkind, In Fact Books, 2016.

ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

• Sometimes credit for a source is given to an entire organiza tion rather than an individual. When this

occurs, list the organization or government in the space designated for the author.

• When using a source authored by a government agency, record the name of the organization as written

in the source.

• When the author of your source is a government or organization, there is a good chance t hat the

organization or government is also the publisher.

o When this occurs, start the entry with the title of work and list the organization or government

in the space designated for the publisher. See the Pew Resea rch Center example below.

TEMPLATE:

Organization’s Name or Government Agency (if different from publisher). T it le of Work. Publisher, Date.

SAMPLES:

Bard Prison Initiative. “What Is College For?” Bard College, bpi.bard.edu/. Accessed 18 June 2019.

Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers . Pew Research Center.

20 Feb. 2019.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Rabies: A Forgotten Killer.” Vital Signs, Government Printing

Office, 12 June 2019.

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

• When the author is unknown, begin the entry with the title of the work.

Diary o f an Oxygen Thief. Gallery Books, 2016.

“I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” Editorial. The New York Times, 5 Sept.

2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump -white-house-anonymous-

resistance.html?module=inline .

ENTRY TEMPLATES BY SOURCE TYPE

PERIODICALS

JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS

JOURNAL ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

JOURNAL ARTICLE FORMATTING NOTES:

• Use title case capitalization for article and journal titles. See page 4.

• Place quotes around article titles.

• Italicize journal titles.

• Volume is abbreviated vol.

• Issue number is abbreviated no.

Online sources:

• When available, include a DOI or digital object identifier . It is preferrable to a URL.

▪ As of 2021, the preferred format for a DOI is https://doi.org/xxxxx.

• If a permalink is available, use it in place of the address bar URL.

• When providing URLs, remove everything before and including any double forward slash //.

• Include a date of access if no publication date is available or if required by your instructor.

JOURNAL ARTICLE – FROM A DATABASE

• Italicize database names.

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name . “Title of Article.” Tit le o f Jo u rn a l, volume number, issue number, Date

of Publication, page range. Dat abas e Name , DOI or URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLES

Clapton, William and Laura J. Shepherd. "Lessons from Westeros: Gender and Power in Game of

Th rones." Politics, vol. 37, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 5 -18. Academic Search Complete ,

https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395715612101. Accessed 14 Aug. 2018.

Griesinger, Emily. "Harry Potter and the 'Deeper Magic': Narrating Hope in Children's

Literature." Ch ristia nit y and L ite rature , vol. 51, no. 3, 2002, pp. 455 - 480. Literature Resource

Center , https://doi.org/10.1177/014833310205100308 . Accessed 14 Aug. 2018.

Watson, Courtney. "Other Rooms: Safe Havens and Sacred Spaces in the Works of Truman Capote." Studies

in Ame rican Cultu re , vol. 37, no. 1, Oct. 2014, pp. 101 -116. MLA International Bibliography ,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2017381758&site=eds -live. Accessed 14

Aug. 2018.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal , volume number, issue number, Date

of Publication, page range. DOI or URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLE

Carson, Anne. “Eddy.” Paris Review, no. 221, summer 2017. www.theparisreview.org/fiction/6945/eddy -

anne-carson. Accessed 18 June 2019.

PRINT JOURNAL ARTICLE

• Print journal article reference entries look like their online counterparts but en d after the page range.

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” T it le o f Jou rna l , volume number, issue number, Date

of Publication, page range.

SAMPLE

Sperling, Alison. "Freak Temporality: Female Adolescence in the Novels of Carson McCullers." Girlhood

Studies, no. 1, 2016, pp. 88 -104.

MAGAZINE & NEWSPAPER ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

MAGAZINE & NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FORMATTING NOTES:

• Publication date:

▪ Include all available date information.

▪ All months over four letters are abbreviated. See page 23 for abbreviations.

▪ If an online source has no publication date, include a date of access at the end of entry.

• If a volume or issue numbers are available, include them after the title.

▪ Use the abbreviation vol. for volume number and no. for issue number.

• If no author is given for a magazine or newspaper article, begin the entry with the article’s title.

• To designate page numbers, use p. (for one page) or pp. (for a page range).

• Online sources:

▪ When available, include a DOI or digital object identifier . It is preferrable to a URL.

▪ As of 2021, the preferred format for a DOI is https://doi.org/xxxxx.

▪ If a permalink is available, use it in place of the address bar URL.

▪ When providing URLs, remove everything before and including any double forward slash //.

▪ While not required, the MLA recommends including a date of access for all online material.

▪ Some instructors require a date of access for all online sources. Follow instructor guidelines.

MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM A DATABASE

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name . “Title of Article.” Mag az in e or Newspaper T itle , Date of Publication,

page(s). Da t a ba s e n a me , DOI or URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLE

Pala, Christopher. "Anthrax Island." The New York Time s Maga zine , 12 Jan. 2003, p. 36. Gale Literature

Resou rce Center , suny-mvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_MVC/romaec/cdi_

proquest_miscellaneous_215481291 6. Accessed 25 Feb. 2019.

ONLINE MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Magazine o r Ne wsp a pe r T itle , Date of Publication,

page(s), URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLES

Bergner, Daniel. “The Struggles of Rejecting the Gender Binary.” The New York Times, 4 June 2019,

www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/magazine/gender -nonbinary.html. Accessed 6 June 2019.

Dockerman, Elaina. “The History of Why It’s Impossible to Find Clothes That F it.” Time, 2 Sept. 2016,

time.com/4477865/clothes-fit-history/?xid=homepage. Accessed 31 Oct. 2018

PRINT MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Mag a z in e o r Ne w s p ap e r T it le , volume number, issue

number (when available), Date of Publication, page(s).

SAMPLES

Fernandez, Sandy M. “This Football Player Had a Secret Eating Disorder.” Choices/Current Health , no. 6, 1

Mar. 2017, pp. 10-15.

Hedegaard, Erik. “The Sound & the Fury of Meat Loaf.” Rolling Stone , no. 1306/1307, Feb. 2018, p p. 40-43.

BOOK REVIEW FROM A JOURNAL, MAGAZINE, OR NEWSPAPER

BOOK REVIEW FORMATTING NOTES:

• For print book reviews, end the reference entry with the page or page range of the review.

• If no review author or title is given, begin the entry with Review of followed by the book’s title.

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Review of Tit le of Book , by Book Author’s First Name

Last Name. Title of Publication , volume number, issue number (when available), Date of

Publication, page(s). Da tabas e (if applicable), DOI or URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLE

Cremean, David. “The Road by Cormac McCarthy.” Review of The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Western

Ame rican Literature , vol. 43, no. 1, 2008, p. 85. Humanities Source , search.ebscohost.com/login.

aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.43025127&site=eds -live. Accessed 18 June 2019.

BOOKS

BOOK FORMATTING NOTES:

• If the book has been reprinted, it is only necessary to list the most recent year of publication.

• If you want to highlight the original date of publication , include it after the title followed by a period.

• Give the publisher in as brief a form as possible. Omit business terms like Company (Co.), Corporation

(Corp.), Incorporated (Inc.), and Limited (Ltd.). Retain publishing industry terms like Books and Press.

• For academic presses, replace the word university with U and press with P. Replace the term University

Press with UP.

• For an edition other than the first, add the edition name o r number after the title. See pages 21.

• If your source is a multivolume work, place the abbreviation Vol. or vol. and the volume number after

the title of the work. See page 22.

PRINT BOOK

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. T it l e o f B o ok . Publisher, Year of Publication.

SAMPLE

Carson, Anne. Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse . Vintage Contemporaries, 1999.

FORWARD, INTRODUCTION, PREFACE OR AFTERWARD

TEMPLATE

Section Author’s Last Name, First Name. Name of Section. Title o f B ook , by Author’s First Name Last

Name, Publisher, Year of Public ation, page(s).

ELECTRONIC BOOK

EBOOK FROM A DATABASE

TEMPLATE:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. T it l e o f B o ok . Publisher, Year of Publication. Nam e o f Dat a ba s e , DOI or

URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLE

Eisen, Lauren -Brooke. Inside Private Prisons: An American Dilemma in the Age of Mass Incarce ration .

Columbia UP, 2018. eBook Collectio n (E BSCOhost) , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&

db=nlebk&AN=1628840&site=eds-live.

EBOOK NOT FROM A DATABASE

TEMPLATE:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. T it l e o f B o ok . E-book or type of e-book, Publisher, Year of Publication.

SAMPLE

Gawande, Atul. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End . Kindle ed. Metropolitan Books, 2014.

WORK OR CHAPTER IN AN EDITED COLLECTION OR ANTHOLOGY

TEMPLATE

Work or Chapter Author’s Last Name , First Name. “Title of Work or Chapter.” T i t l e o f Collect ion or

An t holog y, edited by First and Last Name of Editor(s), Publisher, Year of Publication, page range

of article or chapter.

SAMPLE

Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The Norton Introduction to Literature,

edited by Kelly J. Mays, W.W. Norton, 2017, pp. 94 -108.

ENTRY IN A REFERENCE BOOK—DICTIONARY/ENCYCLOPEDIA

• If a reference entry is unsigned, start with the title of the entry .

PRINT REFERENCE BOOK

TEMPLATE

Entry Author’s Last Name, First Name (if available). “Title of Entry.” Title of R e f e re n c e Work, edited by

First and Last Name of Editor(s) (if applicable), Edition Number (if applicable), Publisher, Date of

Publication, page(s).

SAMPLE

Miller, Benjamin D. and Claire Brackman Keane. “Cat Scratch Disease (Fever).” Encyclopedia and Dictionary

of Medicine, Nu rsing and Allied Health , 3rd ed., W.B. Saunders, 1983, pp. 200 -201.

ONLINE REFERENCE WORK

• Online reference work entries include the same information as their print counterparts (when

available) as well as a DOI (https://doi.org/xxx-xx) or URL and, if required, a date of access.

SAMPLE

Adkins, A. W. H., and John Richard Thornhill Pollard . “Greek Mythology.” Encyclopædia Britannica , 13 Feb.

2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Greek -mythology.

WEBSITES

FORMATTING NOTES:

• When providing URLs, remove everything before and including any double forward slash //.

• Publication date:

o It is common practice to include all available date information.

o All months over four letters are abbreviated.

o While not required, the MLA recommends including a date of access for online material if no

publication is date available or if content is likely to change or be removed.

• Author

o If no author is given, begin the entry with the title of work.

o If the author of the work is an organization and that organization is also the publisher, start

the entry with the title of the work and list the organization as the publisher.

• Publisher

o On personal websites the author is the publisher. It is not necessary to repeat the name.

o When the publisher is the same as the title of the website, omit the publisher.

WORK ON A WEBSITE

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Work.” T it le of Webs it e. Publisher of Website (if different

from website title), Date of Publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLES

Frye, Carrie. “How to Be a Monster: Life Lessons from Lord Byron.” The Awl, Michael Macher, 15 Mar.

2013, www.theawl.com/2013/03/how -to-be-a-monster-life-lessons-from-lord-byron/. Accessed 20

June 2019.

“Problem Statement.” The Inside -Out Priso n Exchange Pro gram, Temple University,

www.insideoutcenter.org/about-problem-statement.html. Accessed 21 June 2019.

ENTIRE WEBSITE

TEMPLATE

Last Name, First Name, role or contribution to website (if other than author). T itle of Webs ite . Publisher

of Website (if different from website title), Date of Publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if

required).

SAMPLE

Hoke, Jeff. The Museum of Lost Wonder. 2017, www.lostwonder.org/. Accessed 21 June 2019.

BLOG ENTRY

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “ Title of Blog Entry.” Name of Blog , Day Month Year, Time, URL.

Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLE

Fritz, Katherine. “Me, Too.” I Am Begging My Mother Not to Read This Blog, 17 Oct. 2017,

iambeggingmymothernottoreadthisblog.com/2017/10/17/me -too/. Accessed 22 June 2019.

GENERATIVE AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capacity of machines or software to engage in processes, such as decision

making, image creation, or composition, typically associated with human beings or animals. Generative AI

is artificial intelligence that has been trained on large data sets to recognize and predict patterns. Large

language models are a type of generative AI trained on texts and able to predict patterns in language. This

prediction allows them to create human -like responses to prompts or questions. It is important to note

that responses are based on probability not reality or verifiable facts.

Because of its weak relationship with verifiable information, the MLA indicates that writers should

verify the validity of AI generated information including that of secondary sources and provide in-text

citations, notes, and works cited entries to acknowledge its contr ibutions to their work. See page 15 for

more information on when to use in -text citations and when to use notes.

TEMPLATE

“Prompt, question, or description of work generated by AI” type of work, prompt, or follow-up prompt.

AI To ol, version, Publisher, Day Month Year of content generation, Tool URL or shareable link to

results.

SAMPLE

“The Lonesome Road” microfiction in the style of Jack Kerouac. ChatGPT, 3 Aug. version, OpenAI, 24 Aug.

2023 chat.openai.com/share/6e419eec-eba7-4a26-a0a9-c972b66b1958

“Will generative AI destroy our ability to think for ourselves?” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI,

15 April 2023, chat.openai.com

NOTE | SOME INSTRUCTORS MAY NOT PERMIT THE USE OF GENERATIVE AI IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. OTHERS MAY

ENCOURAGE ITS USE AND REQUIRE LESS FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ITS CONTRIBUTIONS. AS ALWAYS, FOLLOW

GUIDELINES PROVIDED BY YOUR INSTRUCTOR.

SOCIAL MEDIA & PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

FORMATTING NOTES

• When providing URLs, remove everything before and including any double forward slash //.

SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, ETC.

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name (if known) or Handle. “Full text of brief untitled post.” or “ Title of post.” or

Descriptive label. Name of Site, Day Month Year, Time, URL.

SAMPLES

@9scientist. “Cognitive Challenge.” Facebook, 28 Aug. 2008, 12:31 pm, www.facebook.com/notes/9 -

scientist/cognitive-challenge/146223732737/?__tn__=HH -R

Bates, Jordan. Image of altered Google friendship definition. Faceboo k, 14 May 2019, 7:20 am,

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156006890705824&set=a.10150532548955824&type=3&thea

ter

UNPUBLISHED LETTER

TEMPLATE

Sender’s Last Name, First Name. Letter to the author. Day Month Year.

SAMPLE

Atwood, Margaret. Letter to the author. 17 Sept. 2017.

E-MAIL OR TEXT MESSAGE

TEMPLATE

Sender’s Last Name, First Name. Text or Email to Recipient(s) name . Day Month Year sent.

SAMPLE

Martin, George Raymond Richard. Text message to Thiha Tayza. 21 Jan. 2019.

Rios, Victor. E -mail to the author. 22 Oct. 2018.

UNPUBLISHED INTERVIEW

TEMPLATE

Interviewee’s Last Name, First Name. Interview. Conducted by Interviewer’s First and Last Name(s), Day

Month Year that interview was conducted.

SAMPLE

Vuong, Ocean. Interview. Conducted by Khin Aung, 17 Sept. 2019.

Jones, Nick. Telephone interview with the author. 22 Oct. 2021.

AUDIOVISUAL & MEDIA

TEMPLATE

“Title of Advertisement” or Advertisement for Company Name. Tit le of Pe r iod i ca l , Date of publication,

page number.

SAMPLE

“Everytown for Gun Safety, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America : List of Members of

Congress Who Have Taken Money from NRA Lobbyists.” The New York Times , 21 Feb. 2018, pp. A12-

A13.

Advertisement for World Wildlife Federation. National Geographic, July 2011, p. 18.

WEB

TEMPLATE

“Title of Advertisement” or Advertisement f or Company Name. Na me o f We b s ite , Date of publication,

URL.

SAMPLE

Advertisement for Humanoide. Ads of the World , 25 May 2015,

www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/humanoide_technology_2 .

FILM | DVD | TELEVSION| VIDEO

FORMATTING NOTES

Contributors

• Key contributors are individuals relevant to your focus and can be named before the title of the work.

o If a paper analyzes the writing in a film, the screenwriter is a key contributor .

o If the focus is on the performance, the performer is a key contributor.

o If you name a key contributor, include the contributor’s role after their name.

▪ E.G. Scorsese, Martin, director.

• Other contributors are listed after the title. The individual’s role is given before their name. If not

given as a key contributor, it is customary to list the director here. E.G. Directed by Martin Scorsese.

FILM/DVD/VIDEO RECORDING

TEMPLATE

Mo vie T itle. Other contributor’s Role by First Name Last Name, Production Company or Distributor, Y ear of

Release.

Key Contributor’s Last Name, First Name, role (optional element). Movie T itle. Other contributors’ Role(s) by

First Name Last Name, Production Company or Distributor, Year of Release.

SAMPLES

Locke. Performed by Thomas Hardy, directed by Steven Knight. Shoebox Films/IM Global, 2013.

Crowe, Russell, performer. A Beautiful Mind. Directed by Ron Howard, Imagine Entertainment, 2001.

SINGLE EPISODE FROM A SERIES

If you viewed the episode on a streaming service, include the streaming service after the publication date

and add the Name of St reaming Serv ice and URL. If you did not watch the episode on the air date, only a

year is required. See “Smithereens” example below.

TEMPLATE

Key Contributor’s Last Name, First Name, role (optional element). “Title of Episode.” T it le of Sh ow ,

contributor’s role by First Name Last Name (optional), season number, episode number, Network,

Day Month Year of Airing.

SAMPLE

"Furs by Sebastian ." Maniac, created by Patrick Somerville and Nick Cuse, season 1, episode 4, Netflix, 21

Sept. 2018.

Scott, Andrew, performer. “Smithereens.” Black Mirror, created by Charlie Booker, season 5, episode 2,

Netflix, 2019, Amazon Prime, www.amazon.com/Black -Mirror/dp/B087QNHVKQ

STREAMING VIDEO

• Videos viewed via subscription streaming service s such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime look like

their film or television counterparts but include the name of the streaming service in the entry.

TEMPLATE

Key Contributor’s Last Name, First Name, role (optional element). Title of Film or Pr ogra m. Contributor’s Role

by First and Last Name (optional element), Production Company or Distributor , Copyright date.

Streaming Service, URL.

SAMPLES

Marling, Brit, and Zal Batmanglij, creators. The OA. Plan B Entertainment, 2016. Netflix,

www.netflix.com/title/80044950 .

ONLINE VIDEO

• Author: When the creator of an online video is apparent, list the author before the title. If not, do not.

• If the author’s name is the same as the uploader, do not repeat the author’s name.

• Styling the Title: For long works, such as movies, or works that appear to be independent use italics.

For short works, such as music videos, or works that are part of a larger whole, use quotation marks.

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name (if available) “Title of Video.” or T it le of V ideo . Name of Host Site ,

uploaded by screen name (if different from author), date uploaded, URL.

SAMPLES

Lavarone, Luca, and Raffaello Durso. Doll Test: The Effects of Racism on Children. YouTube, uploaded by

Fanpage.it, Mar 21, 2016, youtu.be/QRZPw-9sJtQ.

Salads, Joey. “ Taking Child in Front of Parents.” YouTube, 18, Aug. 2018, youtu.be/TQwqRwgjQFg.

PODCAST

TEMPLATE

Last Name, First Name, role. “Title of Episode.” T it le o f P rog ram , season, episode (when available),

Sponsor, Date of Release, URL (if accessed online) or Se r vi ce . Accessed Day Month Year (if

accessed online).

SAMPLES

Parvaz, Dorothy, storyteller. “Bearing Witness.” The Moth Radio Hour , The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic

Public Media, 12 Feb. 2019. Spotify.

Shankar Vedantam, host. “What Can a Personality Test Tell Us about Who We Are?” H idde n Brain , NPR, 15

Apr. 2019, 4:27 PM, www.npr.org/2019/04/12/712876949/what -can-a-personality-test-tell-us-

about-who-we-are/. Accessed 20 June 2019.

ART OR ARTIFACT

ONLINE

TEMPLATE

Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title o f Work. Year Created. Na me o f Sit e , URL. Accessed Day Month Year

(if required by instructor).

SAMPLE

Nerdrum, Odd. Crossing the Border. 2014. Nerdrum, nerdrum.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/

Crossing-the-border.jpg. Accessed 24 June 2019.

IN A BOOK

TEMPLATE

Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title o f Work. Year Created. Titl e o f B ook , by Author’s First and Last

Name, Publisher, Year of Publication, page .

SAMPLE

Van Eyck, Jan, Arnolfini Portrait . 1434. Art across Time , 4th ed., by Laurie Schneider Adams, McGraw Hill,

2011, p. 520.

ORIGINAL

TEMPLATE

Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title o f Work. Year Created. Site, City.

SAMPLE

Brown, Tommy. Porch Girl. 1984. Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute, Utica.

LIVE PRESENTATION

TEMPLATE

Presenter or Performer’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Presentation.” Sponsoring Institution, Date of

Presentation or Performance, Location .

SAMPLE

Amal Kassir, Amal. “The Muslim on the Airplane.” Mohawk Valley Community College, 20 Feb. 2019,

Schafer Theater, Utica.

CLASS RESOURCES

LECTURE

• Cite material heard in a lecture as a presentation. See previous entry.

SELECTION FROM PRINTED COURSE PACK

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Short Work.” Course pack for Course #: Course Name, compiled

by Instructor’s name, semester year, Institution.

SAMPLE

Bloom, Amy. “Silver Water.” Course pack for EN102: Ideas and Values in Literature, compiled by Kristen

Raab, Fall 2021, Mohawk Valley Community College.

SYLLABUS

TEMPLATE

Syllabus for Full Course Name. Taught by Instructor’s First Name Last Name, s emester Year, Institution,

City.

SAMPLE

Syllabus for Chemical Dependencies. Taught by Melissa Thomas, Fall 202 2, Mohawk Valley Community

College, Utica.

MATERIAL ON BRIGHTSPACE (or other Learning Management System [LMS])

• If the source is untitled, provide a sentence case description. E.G., “Week two slides.”

• D2L is the publisher of Brightspace.

TEMPLATE

Author’s Last Name, First Name (if available). “Title of Course Material.” Title of course, taught by

Instructor’s First Name and Last Name. Publisher of LMS , Institution, Day Month Year of

publication or posting, URL. Accessed Day Month Year (if no publication or posting date).

SAMPLE

Bradbury, Ray. “There Will Come Soft Rains.” English 2: Ideas and Values in Literature , taught by Sam

McManus. D2L, Mohawk Valley Community College, 8 Jun 2023, mylearning.suny.edu/d2l/

EN_102/course_readings/Bradbury

COURT CASE ON A WEBSITE

Legal works such as laws and court cases are often cited in accord with legal citation standards. These

standards differ significantly from those of the MLA. The association indicates that writers can choose to

follow the core elements template. The following guidelines do that.

TEMPLATE

Government Entity. N a me o f C as e . Day Month Year of Decision. Title of the Website , Publisher, URL.

Accessed Day Month Year (if required).

SAMPLE

United States, Supreme Court. Bro wn v. Board o f Education. 17 May 1954. Legal Information Institute ,

Cornell U Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.

SOURCE NOTES:

This guide is based on the 9

edition of the MLA Handbook and information from style.mla.org. It makes

use of the MLA citation guide created by Jocelyn Ireland and Kristen Raab. Like everything, it is a work in

progress. Please report suggestions and corrections to Danielle at ddel-giudice.mvcc.edu . This work is

licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution -NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .