MLA Documentation Reference Guide

MLA Documentation Reference Guide

Works Cited List (Use a handbook or a website like the Purdue OWL for formats not listed here).

List the MLA entries in alphabetical order. The first line of an entry should begin at the left margin. If the entry is more than one line long, all succeeding lines should be indented one Tab.

Book (There are other variations for books)

Author Name. Book Title. Publisher's City: Publisher, Year.

Kaufmann, Walter. Tragedy and Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.

If a book is a specific edition or part of a specific series, place that information immediately before the publisher's city.

Multiple Editions

Hacker, Diane. A Pocket Style Manual. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.

Multiple Authors/Editions

Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, and Janice Okoomian. The Little, Brown Handbook. 10th ed.

New York: Pearson Longman, 2007.

Work in an Anthology

Author Name. "Article Title." Book Title. Ed. Editor's Name. Publisher's City: Publisher, Year.

Page Numbers.

Lawrence, D. H. "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 10th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 593-603.

Online Book

Book Accessed from a General Website

Author Name. Book Title. Publisher's City: Publisher, Year. Website. Date of Electronic

Publication. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

Rawlins, Gregory J. E. Moths to the Flame: The Seductions of Computer Technology. Cambridge: MIT

Press, 1997. The MIT Press 8 Oct. 2007 <http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=

2&tid=6929>.

Book Accessed Through a Library Website

Author Name. Book Title. Editor. Series Name. Publisher's City: Publisher, Year. Website.

Sponsoring Organization. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

Drake, Frances. Global Warming: The Science of Climate Change. New York: Edward Arnold Ltd., 2000. NetLibrary. Odessa College. 17 Jan. 2009 <http://www.netlibrary.com/Details.aspx>.

Article from a Periodical

Professional Journal

Author. "Article Title." Journal Title. Volume.Issue (Year): Page numbers.

Wood, Michael. "Broken Dates: Fiction and the Century." Kenyon Review 22.3 (2000): 50-64.

Newpaper

Author. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title Date: Page numbers.

Randolph, James. “Global Warming.” Washington Post 13 Jan. 2007: A4.

Magazine

Author. “Article Title.” Magazine Title Date: Page numbers.

Sims, Patricia. “Growing Concern over Olympics.” Time Jan. 2008: 23-27.

Online Periodicals

Online Periodicals Accessed Using the Internet (674-676)

These are formatted in exactly the same way as regular periodicals except that you need to add a retrieval date and the web address for the article at the end.

Online Newspaper

Eckholm, Eric. “In Drug War, Tribe Feels Invaded by Both Sides.” The New York Times 24 Jan. 2010. 25 Jan. 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/us/25border.html?hp.

Online Magazine

Sequera, Vivian and Mike Melia. “Tent Cities Urgently Needed for Haitian Refugees.” Time 25 Jan. 2010. 25 Jan. 2010. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1956355,00.html.

Online Periodicals Accessed Through a Library Database (671-672)

Format periodicals accessed using library databases as you would a regular periodical (see above) but add the names of the database, service, and library, as well as a retrieval date and the web address. I have only given the example for a journal, but these additions are needed for any periodical accessed through a library database.

Online Journal (Accessed Through Library Database)

Author. "Article Title." Journal Title. Volume.Issue (Year): Page Numbers. Database. Service.

Library Information. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

Siegel, Jeremy J. "How to End Global Warming." Kiplinger's Personal Finance. 61.10 (2007): 61-62.

MasterFILE Premier. EBSCOhost. Odessa College Lib., Odessa, TX. 8 Oct. 2007 <http://

web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.mst.edu/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=101&sid=2d9500a1-8

bfd-4c5d-a80b-d54e73d07348%40sessionmgr104>.

Online Newspaper (Accessed Through Library Database)

Author. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title. Date: Page Numbers. Database. Service. Library Information. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

Hayes, Simon. “Unions to Battle Offshoring.” The Australian 10 Feb. 2004. Newspaper Source. EbscoHost. Odessa College. 25 Jan. 2010. <http://outlaw.odessa.edu:2102/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=200402101032560351&site=ehost-live>.

Online Magazine (Accessed Through Online Database)

Author. “Article Title.” Magazine Title. Volume.Issue (Year): Page Numbers. Database. Service. Library Information. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

Meacham, Jon. “The Winter of Our Discontent.” Newsweek 155.5 (Feb. 2010): 4. MasterFile Premier. EbscoHost. Odessa College. 25 Jan. 2010. <http://outlaw.odessa.edu:2053/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=112&sid=8ed71f88-058b-48c1-b13e- 84d947327beb%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=47726903#db=f5h&AN=47726903>.

Website

Author. "Webpage Title." Website Title. Update. Sponsor. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

Shiva, Vandana. "Bioethics: A Third World Issue." NativeWeb. NativeWeb, Inc. 8 Oct. 2007.

<http://www.nativeweb.org /pages/legal/shiva.html>.

Government Document

If no author’s name is available:

Government. Department. Organization. Document Title. Number and Session of Congress.

Publisher's City: Publisher, Date.

United States. Natl. Council on Disability. Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal Enforcement of the

Americans with Disabilities Act. Washington: GPO, 2000.

If there is an author’s name available:

Author Name. Document Title. Department. Publisher's City: Publisher, Date.

Stiller, Ann. Historic Preservation and Tax Incentives. US Dept. of Interior. Washington: GPO, 2002.

Online Government Document

Government. Department. Organization. Document Title. Number and Session of Congress.

Publisher's City: Publisher, Date. Retrieval Date <Web Address>.

United States. Dept. of Transportation. Natl. Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An Investigation of

the Safety Implications of Wireless Communication in Vehicles. Nov. 1997. 8 Oct. 2007 <http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/wireless>.

Blogs, Wikipedia, and other dictionaries or encyclopedias do not count as official sources.

Works Cited

Drake, Frances. Global Warming: The Science of Climate Change. New York: Edward Arnold Ltd., 2000. NetLibrary. Odessa College. 17 Jan. 2009 <http://www.netlibrary.com/Details.aspx>.

Eckholm, Eric. “In Drug War, Tribe Feels Invaded by Both Sides.” The New York Times 24 Jan. 2010. 25 Jan. 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/us/25border.html?hp.

Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, and Janice Okoomian. The Little, Brown Handbook. 10th ed.

New York: Pearson Longman, 2007.

Hacker, Diane. A Pocket Style Manual. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.

"Judge Rules in Favor of Marine Life in Navy Sonar Case." The Humane Society of the United

States. 10 Jan. 2008. HSUS. 15 Jan. 2008 < http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/

marine_mammals_news/01_08_sonar_ruling.html>.

Lawrence, D. H. "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 10th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 593-603.

Meacham, Jon. “The Winter of Our Discontent.” Newsweek 155.5 (Feb. 2010): 4. MasterFile Premier. EbscoHost. Odessa College. 25 Jan. 2010. <http://outlaw.odessa.edu:2053/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=112&sid=8ed71f88-058b-48c1-b13e-84d947327beb%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=47726903#db=f5h&AN=47726903

Randolph, James. “Global Warming.” Washington Post 13 Jan. 2007: A4.

Rawlins, Gregory J. E. Moths to the Flame: The Seductions of Computer Technology.

Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997. The MIT Press 8 Oct. 2007 <http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=6929>.

Sequera, Vivian and Mike Melia. “Tent Cities Urgently Needed for Haitian Refugees.” Time 25 Jan. 2010. 25 Jan. 2010. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1956355,00.html.

Shiva, Vandana. "Bioethics: A Third World Issue." NativeWeb. NativeWeb, Inc. 8 Oct. 2007.

<http://www.nativeweb.org /pages/legal/shiva.html>.

Siegel, Jeremy J. "How to End Global Warming." Kiplinger's Personal Finance. 61.10 (2007):

61-62. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCOhost. East Central College Lib., Rolla, MO. 8 Oct. 2007 < http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.mst.edu/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=

101&sid=2d9500a1-8bfd-4c5d-a80b-d54e73d07348%40sessionmgr104>.

Sims, Patricia. “Growing Concern over Olympics.” Time Jan. 2008: 23-27.

Stiller, Ann. Historic Preservation and Tax Incentives. US Dept. of Interior. Washington: GPO,

2002.

United States. Dept. of Transportation. Natl. Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An

Investigation of the Safety Implications of Wireless Communication in Vehicles. Nov. 1997. 8 Oct. 2007 <http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/wireless>.

United States. Natl. Council on Disability. Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal Enforcement

of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Washington: GPO, 2000.

Wood, Michael. "Broken Dates: Fiction and the Century." Kenyon Review 22.3 (2000): 50-64.

Citing Sources

Cite sources using the parenthetical citation method. Place the citation immediately after the information you have taken from the source.
The basic MLA citation has the author’s last name and the page number where the information came from.

(Author Page)

(Hacker 56)

(Fowler, Aaron, and Okoomian 78)

If you mention the author's name when you present the cited information, you only need the page number in the citation.

As Hacker explains, the MLA changes grammar rules every other year (56).

Hacker explains how the "MLA convenes every other December to evaluate published grammar rules and changes are officially adopted by the following January" (56).

Always provide a citation when you use information from a source.

The first item in the citation should match the first item in the MLA Works Cited entry.

If you are using a Website or online source, you may not have a page. Just use the author.

If you do not have an author, use the first item in the MLA entry. If it is an article title, then use enough of the title to distinguish it from other sources. Put it in quotes just as you would in any other situation.

If the first item is a website title, book title, or journal title, then make sure to underline it in the citation just as you would in any other situation.

It is a good idea to bracket paraphrased information with a signal phrase and the citation. Especially when you paraphrase, indicate where the source information begins, and the citation will indicate where the source information ends.

Example of Citing a Source Without an Author

"Judge Rules in Favor of Marine Life in Navy Sonar Case." The Humane Society of the United

States. 10 Jan. 2008. HSUS. 15 Jan. 2008 < http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/

marine_mammals_news/01_08_sonar_ruling.html>.

Recently a federal judge ruled to expand the limits of Navy radar use of the coast of Southern California ("Judge Rules in Favor").

As of Jan. 3, 2008, a federal judge decision "bars the Navy from using mid-frequency sonar within 12 nautical miles of the California coast, [which] expands the 'shut-down' zone—an area in which sonar must be turned off in the presence of marine mammals—from 1,100 yards to 2,200 yards and forbids sonar use in the Catalina Basin, among other restrictions" ("Judge Rules in Favor").

According to a recent article on the Humane Society website, recently a federal judge ruled to expand the limits of Navy radar use of the coast of Southern California ("Judge Rules in Favor").