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Modern Languages Association (MLA) style is one of several styles for academic citation. It is used in the humanities, especially English. The examples in this guide cover the more common sources only. For more detailed information, refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6 th ed) available in the Reference and the circulation collections at LB 2369.G53 2009. MLA Style provides rules for formatting:
- your essay as a whole: margins, indenting, etc.
- references included in the body of your essay
- the list of works cited at the end of your essay
General Rules
- Double-space the entire list.
- Use hanging indention format. Indent one-half inch from the left margin. In MS Word use Format>Paragraph>Special> Hanging.
- Alphabetize entries by the author's last name or, if there is no author, by title, ignoring initial articles such as A , An or The.
- Reverse the author's name for alphabetizing but otherwise give the author's name as it appears in the source.
- If there are two or more entries by the same author(s), give the name(s) in the first entry, and then use three hyphens in place of the name(s) in the following entry or entries; alphabetize the entries by title.
- Capitalize the first, the last and all significant words of a title and subtitle regardless of how they are capitalized in your source.
- Omit initial articles for titles of journals, magazines and newspapers; also omit subtitles .
- Italicize titles and subtitles for works published independently; use quotation marks for works published only as part of another work, e.g. essay in a book or article in a journal.
- If more than one city is listed for a publisher, give only the first city as place of publication.
- Shorten the publisher's name. Use U for university and P for press (p. 151).
- If two or more publishers are listed, give them in the same order as on the title page.
- Missing publication information that you provide is in square brackets to show it did not come from the source; otherwise use n.p. for no place of publication or no publisher given, and n.d. for no date of publication given (p. 179).
- To cite material from a database to which the library subscribes, such as JSTOR, add the word Web before the date of access.
Parenthetical References
1. Wherever you incorporate another's words, facts, or ideas, insert a brief parenthetical acknowledgement. Give the author's last name and the page(s) of the source.
If the author's name appears in the preceding sentence, you may omit it from the parenthetical citation.
- Medieval Europe was a place of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” (Townsend 10).
- Townsend notes that medieval Europe was a place of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” (10).
2. For web resources, unless the pages or paragraphs are numbered, use only the author's last name. If no author is indicated, use the first word of the title.
3. “If you borrow more than once from the same source within a single paragraph and no borrowing from another source intervenes, you may give a single parenthetical reference after the last borrowing.” (MLA Handbook 218)
4. In citing classic verse, plays and poems, omit page numbers and cite by division (act, scene, canto, book, part) and line, with periods separating the various numbers. Titles of famous works are often abbreviated ( Ham . 1.5.35-37).
What kinds of sources do I document?
- direct quotations from a book, article, film, letter, email, lecture, etc.
- single words, short phrases, sentences and longer passages quoted from books, articles etc.
- ideas you draw from a source but present entirely in your own words
- paraphrases and summaries of books, journal articles, pamphlets
- single words, short phrases, sentences and longer passages quoted from books or articles used
- statistics
How do I introduce sources in my essay?
In order to make your paper coherent and accurate, use the following tags and conventions to introduce other sources into your work:
- Boyd argues, describes, explains, claims, asserts, refers to, cites
- Santos contends, compares, speculates, hypothesizes, concludes, recommends
Sample Formats:
Books | Journal Articles | Web Documents | Media
| BOOKS & BOOK SECTIONS |
One Author
(p. 148 #5.5.2) |
Belton, Robert J. Sights of Resistance: Approaches to Canadian Visual Culture. Calgary: U of Calgary P, 2001. Print.
In-text reference: (Belton 32)
|
Two or More Authors
(p. 154 #5.5.4) |
Chambers, Ruth and Jan Gattrell. Okanagan History Vignettes: Readings for Adult Literacy Students. Kelowna: Okanagan University College, 2001. Print.
In-text reference: (Chambers and Gattrell 52-53)
|
More Than Three Authors
(p. 155 #5.5.4) |
Gillis, Sander, et al. Grammar of the English Language. New York: Random, 1987. Print.
In-text reference: (Gillis et al. 27)
|
Corporate Author
(p. 156 #5.5.5) |
Okanagan Writers' League. A Few Loose Feathers: an Anthology. Penticton: Sabre, 1994. Print.
In-text reference: (Okanagan Writers' League 65)
|
No Author
(p. 162 #5.5.9) |
A Guide to Our Federal Lands. Washington: Natl. Geographic Soc., 1984. Print.
In-text reference: (Guide 241-42)
|
Anthology
(p. 152 #5.5.3) |
Armstrong, Jeannette C. and Lalage Grauer, eds. Native Poetry in Canada : A Contemporary Anthology. Peterborough: Broadview, 2001. Print.
In-text reference: (Armstrong and Grauer 142)
|
Poem in an Anthology
(p. 157 #5.5.6 & p. 95 #3.7.3) |
Page, P. K. “Images of Angels.” The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. 2nd ed. Ed. Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair. New York: Norton, 1988. 941-43. Print.
In-text reference: When describing angels, Page says, “Perhaps only a dog could accept them wholly, / be happy to follow at their heels / and bark and romp with them in the green fields” (59-61).
|
Article in an Anthology
(p. 157 #5.5.6) |
MacArthur, Janet. “Imaginary Homelands and Thoughts Abroad: Dennis Brutus' Hybrid Modernism.” Critical Perspectives on Dennis Brutus. Ed. Craig W. McLuckie and Patrick J. Colbert. Colorado Springs: Three Continents, 1995. 70-85. Print.
In-text reference: (MacArthur 70)
|
Article in a Reference Book
(p. 160 #5.5.7) |
Holmes, Nancy . “Writing Programs in Canada .” Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. Ed. William H. New. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2002. Print.
In-text reference: (Holmes 167)
|
Anonymous Entry in a Reference Book: Retrieved From Online Database
(p. 160 #5.5.7, p. 192 #5.6.4 &
p. 223 #6.4.4) |
“Passion.” Def. n. 6a. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. OED Online. Web. 25 Jan. 2008.
In-text reference: (“Passion," def. n. 6a”) or
One of the meanings of “passion” according to the OED is “….” ("Passion" def. n. 6a).
|
Anonymous Entry in an Edited Reference Book: Retrieved From Online Database
(p. 160 #5.5.7 &
p. 192 #5.6.4) |
“Keats, John.” The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. Ed. Margaret Drabble and Jenny Stringer. 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Web. 9 Feb. 2007.
In-text reference: (“Keats”)
|
An Introduction, Preface, Forward, or Afterword
(p. 161 #5.5.8) |
Glotfelty, Cheryll. “Literary Studies in an Age of Environmental Crisis.” Introduction. The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Ed. Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm. Athens: U of Georgia P, 1996. xv-xxxvii. Print.
In-text reference: (Glotfelty xvi)
|
A Scholarly Edition
(p. 163 #5.5.10) |
Eliot, George. The Mill on the Floss . Ed. Oliver Lovesey. Peterborough: Broadview, 2001. Print.
In-text reference: (Eliot 36)
|
Graphic Novel
(p. 167 #5.5.12) |
Yoshida, Akimi, writer and artist. Banana Fish. Eng. adapt. by Matt Thorn and Carl Gustav Horn. Trans. Matt Thorn. San Francisco: Viz, 2004. Print.
.
In-text reference: (Yoshida)
|
Book: 2nd or Subsequent Edition
(p. 166 #5.5.13) |
Moss, John. A Reader's Guide to the Canadian Novel. 2nd ed. Toronto: McClelland, 1987. Print.
In-text reference: (Moss 121)
|
Using One Volume of a Multivolume Work
(p. 169 #5.5.14 & p. 222 #6.4.3) |
Yeats, W. B. The Collected Letters of W. B. Yeats. Ed. John Kelly and Eric Domville. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon P; New York: Oxford U P, 1986. Print.
In-text reference: (Yeats 48)
|
Citing Indirect Sources
(p. 226 #6.4.7) [Volume and Page Number of a Multivolume Work] |
Boswell, James. The Life of Johnson . Ed. George Birkbeck Hill and L. F. Powell. 6 vols. Oxford: Clarendon, 1934-50. Print.
In-text reference:
Samuel Johnson admitted that Edmund Burke was an
“extraordinary man” (qtd. in Boswell 2: 450).
|
The Bible
(p. 163 #5.5.9 & p. 228 #6.4.8) |
New International Version. Ed. John R. Kohlenberger. Nashville: Holman Bible, 1986. Print.
In-text reference: (New International Version, Josh. 1.9)
|
Multiple Publishers
(p. 173 #5.5.18) |
Loughlin, Marie H. Hymeneutics: Interpreting Virginity on the Early Modern Stage. Lewisburg: Bucknell UP; London: Associated UP, 1997. Print.
In-text reference: (Loughlin 77)
|
Book in Language Other than English
(p. 178 #5.5.22) |
Rivére, Edmond. Jean-Charles Pandosy: de Marseilles a l'Ouest Canadien: 1857-1891. Cholet: Editions Pays & Terroirs, 2002. Print.
Référence dans le texte: (Rivére 87)
|
Government Publication
(p. 174 #5.5.20) |
Canada. Health Canada. Best Practices: Early Intervention, Outreach and Community Linkages for Women with Substance Use Problems. [Ottawa]: Health Canada, 2006. Print.
In-text reference: (Canada. Health Canada 12)
|
Government Publication: Online
(p. 174 #5.5.20, p. 184 #5.6.2c & p. 224 #6.4.5)
|
Kelowna. Planning and Development Services Dept. Kelowna Population Statistics . City of Kelowna, n.d. Web. 16 July 2009.
In-text reference: (Kelowna. Planning and Development Services Dept.)
|
Dissertation: Retrieved From an Online Database
(p. 180 #5.5.26 & p. 187 #5.6.2c & p. 192 #5.6.4) |
Blum, Martin Albert. “Body Politics: Otherness and the Representation of Bodies in Late Medieval Writings.” Diss. U of British Columbia , 1997. ProQuest Digital Dissertations Web. 22 Dec. 2006.
In-text reference: (Blum 65)
|
Electronic Book
(p. 187 #5.6.2c) |
Bradford, Richard. The Complete Critical Guide to John Milton. London: Routledge, 2001. MyiLibrary. Web. 29 July 2009.
In-text reference: (Bradford 53)
|
Electronic Book Published Before 1900: Retrieved From Online Database
(p. 187 #5.6.2c & p. 178 #5.5.23) |
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. London, 1719. Eighteenth-Century Fiction. Web. 22 Dec. 2006.
In-text reference: (Defoe 28) |
| JOURNAL ARTICLES |
Include the issue number, whenever available, along with the volume number. |
| |
|
Print Journal Article
(p. 137 #5.4.2) |
Keyes, Daniel. "The Imaginary Community of the Live Studio Audience of Television." Studies in Popular Culture 21.3 (1999): 65-78. Print.
In-text reference: (Keyes 66)
|
Electronic Journal Article Retrieved From Online Database
(p. 192 #5.6.4) |
Lawrence, Sean. "'Gods That We Adore': The Divine in King Lear.” Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 56.3 (2004): 143-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Dec. 2008.
In-text reference: ( Lawrence 144)
|
Electronic Form Only: No Pagination
(p. 190 #5.6.3) |
Eggleston, Robert. “Emma, the Movies, and First-Year Literature Classes.” Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal On-Line 3 (1999): n. pag. Web. 11 June 2006.
In-text reference: (Eggleston)
|
Article in a Magazine
(p. 142 #5.4.6)
|
Bemrose, John. “Art of the Ordinary: Carol Shields Turned the Mundane Details of Middle-Class Life Into the Stuff of Vision.” Maclean's 28 July 2003: 46. Print.
In-text reference: (Bemrose 46)
|
Newspaper Article
(p. 141 #5.4.5) |
Squire, J. P. “Couplet Canned by Council.” Daily Courier [Kelowna] 20 Jan. 2004: A1+. Print.
In-text reference: (Squire A1)
|
Anonymous Newspaper Article: Retrieved From Online Database
(p. 145 #5.4.9 & p. 192 #5.6.4) |
“Poet up for GG's Award.” Kelowna Capital News. 18 Oct. 2006: A25. Canadian Newsstand. Web. 22 Dec. 2006.
In-text reference: (“Poet” A25)
|
Book Review
(p. 144 #5.4.7) |
Grekul, Lisa. Rev. of The Honourable Member for Vegreville: The Memoirs and Diary of Anthony Hlynka, MP, Ed. Oleh W. Gems and Denis Hlynka. Canadian Ethnic Studies 38.1 (2006): 182-183. Print.
In-text reference: (Grekul 182)
|
Work Previously Published: Reprinted in Online Database
(p. 159 #5.5.6 &
p.192 #5.6.4)
|
Costello, Bonnie. “The Impersonal and the Interrogative in the Poetry of Elizabeth Bishop.” Elizabeth Bishop and her Art. Ed. Lloyd Schwartz and Sybil P. Estess. N.p.: U of Michigan P, 1983. 109-32. Rpt. in Literature Criticism Online. Web. 14 Feb. 2008.
In-text reference: (Costello 30)
|
Advertisement - Print
(p. 203 #5.7.10)
|
Telus. Advertisement. Maclean's 11 Dec. 2006: 27. Print.
In-text reference: (Telus 27)
|
Advertisement - Internet Site
(p. 184 #5.6.2b)
|
Nike. Advertisement. "Don't Wait for Winter." 15 Sept. 2005. Web. 17 Oct. 2007.
In-text reference: (Nike)
|
Brochure
(p. 174 #5.5.19) |
Faculty of Creative & Critical Studies. Critical Studies. Kelowna: U of British Columbia Okanagan, n.d. Print.
In-text reference: (Faculty of Creative & Critical Studies)
|
Interview: Published
(p. 201 #5.7.7) |
Fleming, Anne. Interview by Lana Okerlund. Room of One's Own. 29.1 (2006): 98. Print.
In-text reference: (Fleming 98)
|
Interview: Conducted by Researcher
(p. 203 #5.8.7) |
Casticano, Jodey. Personal Interview. 15 Dec. 2006.
In-text reference: (Casticano)
|
Class Notes
(p. 203 #5.7.11) |
Senger, Lainie. “Historical Backgrounds to Beowulf .” Eng. 153. Readings in Narrative. U of British Columbia Okanagan. 27 May 2009. Class notes.
In-text reference: (Senger)
|
Custom Course Materials: Reprinted from Another Source
(p. 159 #5.5.6) |
Williams, William Carlos. “Raleigh was Right.” The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams. Vol 2. New York: New Directions, 1986. Rpt. in Custom Course Materials: ENGL 150. Ed. Sean Lawrence. Kelowna: U of British Columbia Okanagan, 2006. 68. Print.
In-text reference: (Williams 68)
|
WEB DOCUMENTS |
Internet Site: Single Author
(p. 184 #5.6.2b) |
Hogan, Joseph. “The Urizen Books of William Blake.” Voice of the Shuttle. Dept. of English. U of California, Santa Barbara, n.d. Web. 15 July 2009.
In-text reference: (Hogan)
|
Internet Site: No Author: No Date: URL Required
(p. 182 #5.6.1) |
The Intelligence of Dogs. n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2006 <http://www.petrix.com/dogint/>.
In-text reference: (Intelligence)
|
Blog
(p. 184 #5.6.2b) |
Zach, Richard. “Teaching Logic from Historical Sources.” LogBlog. N.p., 23 Nov. 2006. Web. 15 July 2009.
In-text reference: (Zach)
|
PowerPoint Posted to Vista
(p. 210 #5.7.18) |
Reeves, Margaret. Images and Context for Rachel Speght's Mouzell for Melastomus. Eng. 349A 001 Seventeenth Century Studies: Seventeenth-Century Women's Writing. Vista. U of British Columbia Okanagan. n.d. 19 Mar. 2009. PowerPoint file.
In-text reference: (Reeves)
|
Email
(p. 205 #5.7.13) |
Lovesey, Oliver. “Assignment Guidelines.” Message to the author. 22 Jan. 2007. E-mail.
In-text reference: (Lovesey)
|
| MEDIA |
A Film: Feature
(p. 197 #5.7.3) |
Hamlet . Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Mel Gibson. Warner Bros., 1990. DVD.
In-text reference: (Hamlet)
|
A Film: Documentary
(p. 197 #5.7.3) |
The Tribal Mind . National Film Board of Canada, 1994. Videocassette.
In-text reference: (Tribal)
|
Television Program
(p. 193 #5.7.1) |
“Money, Truth and Spin.” Narr. Linden MacIntyre. The Fifth Estate. CBC, Toronto. 8 Feb. 2006. Television.
In-text reference: (“Money”)
|
CD
(p. 195 #5.7.2) |
Letourneau, Denis, and Stu Goldberg. Reinventions. Dedication Records, 2006. CD.
In-text reference: (Letourneau and Goldberg)
|
Video Clip Posted to an Internet Site
(p. 189 #5.6.2d) |
“Margaret Atwood Lecture.” 22 Dec. 2006. YouTube. Web. 22 Jan. 2007.
In-text reference: ("Margaret")
|
Exhibit in a Gallery
(p. 200 #5.7.6) |
Johnston, Byron, and Bryan Ryley. Here and There II. U of British Columbia Okanagan FINA Gallery, Kelowna.
In-text reference: (Johnston and Ryley)
|
Painting: Retrieved From Online Database
(p. 200 #5.7.6 & p. 189 #5.6.2d) |
Monet, Claude. Haystacks. 1890. Art Institute of Chicago. ARTstor. Web. 22 Dec. 2006.
In-text reference: (Monet)
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