MLA Style examples

MLA stands for Modern Language Association, and MLA is often the style of choice for papers in language and literature. Always remember to ask your professor which style he/she prefers.

This guide is based on: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.

Copies of the MLA Handbook are available on the Information Services Ready Reference shelves. For your convenience the sample citations included here are preceded by the MLA reference number. Sample citations are single spaced here. Sources should be double spaced. In the event that a citation encompasses more than one line then all subsequent lines must be indented one-half inch (see above).Please see MLA reference numbers 5.1 and 5.2 for information regarding documenting sources used in your paper and the manner of making parenthetical citations in your text.

5.6.1. A Book by a Single Author

Author. Book Title. Place: Publisher, Date.

Hatry, Harry P. Performance Measurement: Getting Results. Washington: The Urban Institute Press, 1999.

5.6.4. A Book by Two or More Authors

Author and Author. Book Title. Place: Publisher, Date.

Keck, Margaret E. and Kathryn Sikkink. Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1998.

5.6.7. Work in an Anthology (essay, short story, poem)

Entry Author. "Entry Title." Book Title. Book editor/author. Place: Publisher, Date. Cited piece page(s).

Smith, Allan Lloyd. "American Gothic." The Handbook to Gothic Literature. Ed. Marie Mulbey-Roberts. New York: New York University Press, 1998. 2-10.

5.6.8. An Article in a Reference Book

Entry author. "Entry Title." Book Title. Book author/editor. Place: Publisher, Date.

Carter, Rosalynn. "Mental Health: A Challenge for the New Century." The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2001. World Almanac Books. Mahwah, N.J.: World Almanac Books, 2001.

5.6.11. An Anonymous Book (no author's or editor's name on the title page)

Title. Place: Publisher, Date.

A Current Chinese - English Dictionary. Hong Kong: Cosmos Books Ltd., 1978.

Note: Treat a pamphlet as you would a book [4.6.20]
Renoir Lithographs. New York: Dover, 1994.

5.7.1. An Article in a Scholarly Journal with Continuous Pagination

Author. "Article Title." Journal Title volume number (date): page numbers.

Johnson, Juliet. "Path Contingency in Postcommunist Transformations." Comparative Politics 33 (2001): 253-274.

Ortega, Nuria and Helena Matute. "Interference between Elementally Trained Stimuli Can Take Place in One Trial." Learning and Motivation 31 (2000): 323-344.

5.7.2. An Article in a Scholarly Journal That Pages Each Issue Separately

Author. "Article Title." Journal Title volume number. issue number (date): page numbers.

Montgomery, DeMaris A. "Sampling Methods for Identifying Differences in Source Reliability." The Journal of General Psychology 128.1 (2001): 5-20.

5.7.5. An Article in a Newspaper

Author. "Article Title." Newspaper Title (omit initial articles and bracket city of publication if not in title) day month year, edition (if given): page number(s) (if article not on consecutive pages add +).

Salzer, James. "Georgia Rate of Attendance at College Debated." Atlanta Constitution 15 May 2001: B1+.

5.7.6. An Article in a Magazine

Author. "Article Title." Magazine Title day month year (just month year for monthly publications), edition (if given): page number(s) (if article not on consecutive pages add +).

Lienert, Anita. "Can Liz Wetzel's Baby Save Buick?" Working Woman May 2001: 33+.

5.7.9. An Anonymous Article in Newspaper or Magazine (or Database cf. 4.9.4f)

"Article Title." Newspaper or Magazine Title day month year, edition (if given): page number(s).

"Raising Resilient Kids." Newsweek 14 May 2001: 64.

"Fleeting Conciousness." US News Online 29 June 1998 (publication date). 1 July 1998 (access date) <http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/980629/29brai.htm> (electronic address).

Note: Electronic Publication formats vary. If your particular case is not covered here, please consult the MLA Handbook reference number 5.9 et seq. which contains many additional examples.

5.9.2. A Scholarly Project

Title of project. Editor of project (if given). Date of publication. Name of sponsoring organization. Access day month year <electronic address>

Victorian Woman Writers Project. Ed. Perry Willett. April 1997. Indiana U. 26 April 1997. <http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/>>

5.9.2. A Document or Article Within an Online Database

Author (if given). "Article Title." Journal Title volume number. issue number (date): pages (if given). Database title. Access day month year <Electronic address>

Baen, John S. "The Impact of Mineral Rights and Oil and Gas Activities on Agricultural Land Values." Appraisal Journal 64 . 1(1996): 67-76. EbscoHost Academic Search Premier. GALILEO. Columbus State U. Lib., Columbus, Georgia. 15 May 2001 <http://www.galileo.peachnet.edu>

5.9.2. An Article Within an Online Professional or Personal Site (web page or site)

Author (if given). "Article Title." (if given) Title of Site. Date of Posting/Revision. Institution/Organization associated with site (if given). Access day month year <Electronic address>

Dawe, James. Jane Austen Page. 15 May 2001 <http://www.jamesdawe.com/austen.html>

"The Plugged-In Continental Shelf." About Geology. 11 Mar. 2001. 16 May 2001 <http://geology.about.com/science/geology/library/weekly/mpreviss.htm>

5.9.3.a An Online Book

Author (if given). Book Title. Place: Publisher, Date. Access day month year <electronic address>.

Carlin, Deborah. Cather, Canon and the Politics of Reading. Amherst: U of Massachusetts Press, 1992. 12 September 2002 <www.netlibrary.com>.

5.9.4.a An Article in an Online Scholarly Journal

Author. "Article Title." Journal Title volume number. issue number (year): number of pages or range (if given). access day month year <Electronic address>

DeMauro, Karen. "Building Alliances With Private Industry." Educause QuarterlyM 24 . 1 (2001): 8-16. 15 May 2001 <http://www.educause.edu/pub/eq/eqm01/eqm011w.html>

Dickinson, Michael. "Solving the Mystery of Insect Flight." Scientific American June 2001: 12 pp. 16 May 2001 <http://www.sciam.com/2001/0601issuedickinson.html>

5.9.4.b An Article in an Online Newspaper

Author (if given). "Article Title." Newspaper Title day month year. access day month year <Electronic address>

Lange, Jennifer. "Funding in Jeopardy." Ledger-Enquirer Online [Columbus, GA] 15 May 2001. 15 May 2001 <http://www.ledger-enq.com/2001/05/15/news/0515GIRLSCLUB.htm>

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