Wilson Senior High School Library
MLA Citation Examples
The following examples are based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers, 5th ed., by Joseph Gibaldi. (808/GIB) The numbers in < > refer to the appropriate chapters in the handbook.
For example, for more information about about citing a source by
two authors, see chapter 4.6.4.
Books Periodicals Internet Resources Other Sources
BOOKS
Format:
Author. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. |
- Take the title from the title page, not the cover.
- The author's name should be written Last Name, First Name.
One Author <4.6.1>
Borg, Jim. Tigers of the Sea: Hawaii's Deadly Sharks. Honolulu: Mutual, 1993.
Reagan, Michael D. Curing the Crisis: Options for America's Health Care.
Boulder: Westview Press, 1992.
Editor or Compiler <4.6.1>
- If the person named on the title page is the editor, rther than the author, add a comma then the abbreviation "ed." For a compiler, use "comp."
Fitzgerald, Terence J., ed. Police in Society. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2000.
Two or More Authors <4.6.4>
- List the names in the order in they appear on the title page.
- Only the first author's name should be reversed: Last Name, First Name.
- Use a comma between the authors' names. Place a period after the
last author's name.
Landre, Rick, Mike Miller, and Dee Porter. Gangs: A Handbook for Community
Awareness. New York: Facts on File, 1997.
- If the persons named on the title page are editors, add a comma after
the final name, then the abbreviation "eds." For compilers, use "comps."
- If there are more than three authors, name only the first and add
et al., or give all the names.
Cott, Nancy R., and Elizabeth H. Pleck, eds. A Heritage of Her Own:
Toward a New Social History of American Women. New York: Simon
and Schuster, 1979.
Daconta, Michael C., et al. Java 1.2 and JavaScript for C and C++ Programmers.
New York: Wiley, 1998.
Two or More Works by the Same Authors <4.6.3, 4.6.5>
- When citing two or more sources by the same author, give the name in
the first entry only. For the subsequent entries, type three hyphens,
add a period, and skip a space (---. ) then give the title. The three hyphens stand for the
name(s) in the preceding entry.
Mead, Margaret. Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of
Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation. New York: Morrow, 1961.
---. People and Places. Cleveland: World, 1959.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS and REFERENCE BOOKS <4.6.8>
Format:
Author of Article.(if given) "Article Title." Title of Book. City
of Publication: Publisher, Year. |
- When citing familiar reference books, especially those that often
appear in new editions, it is not necessary to include full publication
information. Give the edition (if available) and the year of publication.
- If articles are arranged alphabetically, you do not need to give
volume and page numbers.
Faron, Louis C. "Inca." Encyclopedia Americana. International Edition. 1999.
- When citing less familiar reference books, give full publication
information.
"Refrigeration." The New Illustrated Science and Invention Encyclopedia.
Ed. Donald Clarke. 28 vols. Westport: H.S. Stuttman, 1989.
Hosick, Howard L. "Cloning." Magill's Medical Guide. Ed. Tracy Irons-Georges.
Rev. ed. 3 vols. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1998.
MULTIVOLUME SETS <4.6.15>
Format:
Author or Editor. Title of Set. Total number of vols. City
of Publication: Publisher, Year. |
- Use this format when citing two or more volumes of a multivolume set.
- Reference to specific volumes and page numbers belong in the text of your paper
(e.g. 4: 149-53 means volume 4, pages 149-153), not in the Works Cited.
Jaffe, Jerome H., ed. Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol. 4 vols. New York:
Macmillan, 1995.
POEM or SHORT STORY in an ANTHOLOGY <4.6.7>
Format:
Author of Story. "Title of Story." Title of Book. Name of Editor.
City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page numbers of the story. |
Pukui, Mary Kawena. "The Marchers of the Night." A Hawaii Anthology.
Ed. Joseph Stanton. Honolulu: State Foundation on Culture and the Arts,
1997. 82-84.
ORGANIZATIONS, COMPANIES, or GOVERNMENT AGENCIES as AUTHORS
|
Corporate Author <4.6.6>
- Cite a book by corporate author when a group (such as an organization
or association), rather than individual persons, is the author.
American Welding Society. Structural Welding Code: Aluminum. Miami, FL:
AWS, 1997.
International Fire Service Training Association. Essentials of Fire Fighting.
3rd ed. Tulsa, OK: Fire Protection Publications, 1992.
Government Agency as Author <4.6.21>
- Give the name of the government first, then the name of the agency.
Abbreviations may be used.
Hawaii. Dept. of Business and Economic Development. The State of Hawaii
Data Book: A Statistical Abstract. Honolulu: Dept. of Business
and Economic Development, 1998.
MAGAZINE ARTICLES <4.7.6>
Format:
Author. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine Date: Page(s). |
- Abbreviate the months (except May, June, July). Give complete dates for magazines
issued every week or every two weeks, written in this order:
Day Month Year, e.g.19 January 1998
- If the article is on consecutive pages, specify the page numbers of the
entire article, e.g. 16-20. Give just the last two digits of the second
number, when possible: 188-89, but 196-200
- If the article is not on consecutive pages -- if, for example, it
begins on page 27, then skips to page 30, and continues on page 32 --
write only the first page number, followed by a plus sign: 27+.
- Do not give volume and issue numbers.
McCulley, Jeff. "On the Mark." Hawaii Business Feb. 1998: 20+.
Risen, James, and Judy L. Thomas. "Pro-life Turns Deadly." Newsweek
26 Jan. 1998: 68-69.
Taubes, Gary. "The Cell-Phone Scare." Technology Review Nov./Dec. 2000: 117-19.
No Author Given <4.7.9>
- If no author's name is given, begin with the title of the article.
"Where the Business Is." Motor Age Sep. 2000: 58.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES <4.7.5>
Format:
Author. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper Date, edition: Page(s). |
- Take the name of the newspaper from the masthead, but omit any
introductory article: Honolulu Advertiser, not The Honolulu Advertiser.
- If the city of publication is not part of the newspaper's name, add
it in square brackets: News and Observer [Raleigh, NC]
- Specify the edition of the newspaper, if one is given on the masthead.
- If the article is not on consecutive pages, write the first page number and a plus sign: B1+.
Kakesako, Gregg K. "Clinton Vows to Support Akaka Bill." Honolulu Star-Bulletin
14 Nov. 1998, night final ed.: A1+.
SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLES <4.7.1>
Format:
Author. "Title of Article." Title of Journal volume number (Year): Pages. |
Cooksey, Elizabeth C. "Consequences of Young Mothers' Marital Histories for
Children's Cognitive Development." Journal of Marriage and the Family
59 (1997): 245-61.
- If the journal begins each issue on page 1, include the issue number: <4.7.2>
e.g. 21.3 means vol. 21, no. 3.
Lenhoff, Rosalyn, and Lynn Huber. "Young Children Make Maps!" Young Children 55.5
(2000): 6-12.
TELEVISION PROGRAMS <4.8.1>
Format:
"Title of Episode or Segment." Credit (Performer or author). Title of Program.
Name of Network. Call letters (if any), City of Local Station (if any).
Broadcast Date. |
"Designing Woman." Rept. by Maria Shriver. Dateline. NBC. KHNL,
Honolulu. 15 Mar. 1998.
"Hurricane." Raging Planet. Discovery Channel. 21 Mar. 1998.
"Secrets of Lost Empires." Nova. PBS. KHET, Honolulu. 26 May 1998.
VIDEOTAPES, DVDs, LASERDISCS <4.8.3>
Format:
Title. Director, Producer, and/or Writers. Medium. Distributor, Year. |
Monet: Legacy of Light. Writ., dir., and prod. by Michael Miller.
Videocassette. WBGH Boston, 1989.
INTERVIEWS <4.8.7>
Format:
Person Interviewed. Type of interview (personal or telephone). Date. |
Mink, Patsy T. Telephone interview. 21 October 2000.
- For a broadcast or published interview, add descriptive and bibliographic information.
Waihee, John. Interview with Leslie Wilcox. Channel 2 News. FOX. KHON, Honolulu.
7 Nov. 2000.
WEB SITE -- Professional or Personal <4.9.2c>
Format:
Creator's name (if given). Web Page Title. Institution or organization. Date
of access <URL network address>. |
Basic Hula Words. 8 Nov. 2000 <http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/o-h-general.html>.
Li, Rong-Chang. English as a Second Language. 6 Nov. 2000 <http://www.rong-chang.com/>.
Harden, Mark. Picasso the Legend. The Artchive. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/picasso_postww2.html>.
Dinosaurs in Hawaii! Honolulu Community College. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/dinos.1.html>.
Online Service: INFOTRAC <4.9.7>
Format:
Author's name (if given). "Title of Article." Name of Magazine Date
of Publication: Pages. Name of Database. InfoTrac. Library Name.
Date of Access <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/hawaii_honolulu>. |
Milius, Susan. "Science Pokes Loopholes in Cloning Bans." Science News 28 Feb. 1998: 137.
General Reference Center. InfoTrac. Honolulu Community College Library. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/hawaii_honolulu>.
Online Service: NEWSBANK <4.9.7>
Format:
Author's name (if given). "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper [State]
Date of Publication: Pages. NewsBank NewsFile. Library Name.
Date of Access <http://infoweb.newsbank.com/>.
|
Le, Phuong. "Two Charged in Girl's Drive-by Slaying." Chicago Tribune [IL]
28 Mar. 1998: 5. NewsBank NewsFile. Honolulu Community College Library.
6 Nov. 2000 <http://infoweb.newsbank.com/>.
Online Newspaper Article <4.9.4b>
Format:
Author's name (if given). "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper
Date of Publication. Date of Access <URL network address>.
|
Barayuga, Debra. "Verdict in Uyesugi Trial Prompts New Stage of Grief."
Star Bulletin.com 15 June 2000. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://starbulletin.com/2000/06/15/news/story3.html>
TenBruggencate, Jan. "Blue Shark May Be on Road to Recovery."
HonoluluAdvertiser.com18 June 2000. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2000/Jun/18/localnews18.html#top>.
Online Magazine Article <4.9.4c>
Format:
Author's name (if given). "Title of Article." Name of Magazine
Date of Publication. Date of Access <URL network address>.
|
Bremner, Brian. "Japan Takes the First Step to Recovery." Business Week
10 Oct. 2000. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2000/nf20001010_917.htm>.
Youmans, Susanne. "Henry Lee Returns to Investigating." Popular Science
10 Oct. 2000. 6 Nov. 2000 <http://www.popsci.com/news/10102000_sleuth.html>.
E-mail <4.9.9j>
Format:
Sender's Name. "Title." (from Subject line) E-mail to the author. Date of message. |
Crispen, Patrick D. "Online Tutorials." E-mail to the author. 31 Aug. 2000.
Online Discussion Lists <4.10.7>
Format:
Writer's Name. "Title of Message." (from Subject line) Online posting.
Date of Message. Name of Discussion Group/List. Date of access
<URL of Group's Internet Site, or E-mail Address of List Moderator>.
|
Dargen, Michael. "Netscape Woes." Online posting. 7 Nov. 2000. Web4Lib.
8 Nov. 2000 <http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/>.