Book with one author

Example

Weart, Spencer R. The Discovery of Global Warming. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2003.

Parts of citation

Name of author. Title of book. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.6.1

Book with an editor or translator (anthology, compilation, bibliography)

Example

Murray, John A., ed. American Nature Writing 2002. Golden: Fulcrum, 2001.

Parts of citation

Name of translator, editor or compiler. Title of book. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.6.2

Book with two authors

Example

May, David A., and James E. Headley. Identity Theft. New York: Lang, 2004.

Parts of citation

1st author's last name, first name, and 2nd author's first name last name. Title of book. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication.

Book with three authors

Example

Carlson, Karen J., Stephanie A. Eisenstat, and Terra D. Ziporyn. The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2004.

Parts of citation

1st author's last name, first name, 2nd author's first name last name, and 3rd author's first name last name. Title of book. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication.

Book with more than three authors

Example

Gregory, Darlene A., et al. Significant Others: A Study of Family and Its Meaning in the Twenty-First Century. Boston: McGraw, 2003.

Parts of citation

1st author's last name, first name, et al. Title of book. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.6.4

Book with no author or editor

Alphabetize sources with no author or editor by first significant word in title.

Example

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1992.

Parts of citation

Title of book. Edition. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.6.11

Dictionary entry or encyclopedia article

Examples

Parrish, Fred K. "Marsh." Encyclopedia Americana. 2004.

"Pride." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.

Parts of citation

Name of author. "Title of article or entry." Title of dictionary or encyclopedia. Edition. Year of publication.

Less Familiar Reference Books
Full publication information is necessary for less familiar reference books, especially those that only appear in one edition.

Example

Holten, Birgitte. "Brazilian Anti-Slavery Society." Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Ed. Junius P. Rodriguez. 2 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1997

Parts of citation

Name of author. "Title of article or entry." Title of dictionary or encyclopedia. Ed. Name of editor. Number of volumes. City of publication: Name of publisher, publication date.

Article or chapter in an edited book

Example

Goldberg, Vicki. "Death Takes a Holiday, Sort of." Why We Watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment. Ed. Jeffrey Goldstein. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. 27-52.

Parts of citation

Name of author of article. "Title of article." Title of book. Ed. Name of editor. City of publication: Name of publisher, publication date. Page range of article within the book.

Reprinted article or chapter

Example

Kaye, Julian B. "The Wings of Daedalus: Two Stories in 'Dubliners.' " Modern Fiction Studies 4 (1958): 31-41. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Paula Kepos. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 155-59.

Parts of citation

Name of author of article. "Title of article." Title of work in which article was originally published Volume number (Year of publication): page range of article in original collection. Rpt. in Name of collection. Ed. Name of collection editor. Volume number in collection. City of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication. Page range of article within the collection.

Journal with continuous pagination
The page numbers in one issue begin where the previous issue left off, so you do not need to include the issue number.

Example

Abraham, Maria. "Perceptions of Heavy Drinking and Alcohol Problems among Young Adults." Contemporary Drug Problems 30 (2003): 815-37.

Parts of citation

Name of author. "Title of article." Title of journal Volume number (year of publication): page range.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.7.1

Journal with non-continuous pagination
Each issue begins on page 1, so you must include both volume and issue number.

Example

Frank, Thomas H. "The Interpretation of Limits: Doctors and Novelists in the Fiction of Philip Roth." Journal of Popular Culture 28.4 (1995): 67-80.

Parts of citation

Name of author. "Title of article." Title of journal Volume number.issue number (Year of publication): page range.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.7.2

Newspaper article

Example

Peterson, Scott. "Asia Hungry for Nuclear Power." Christian Science Monitor 30 June 2004: 6.

Parts of citation

Name of author. "Title of article." Title of newspaper Publication date: page range.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.7.5

Magazine article

Example

Cose, Ellis. "Brown v. Board: A Dream Deferred." Newsweek 17 May 2004: 52-59.

Parts of citation

Name of author. "Title of article." Title of magazine Publication date: page range.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.7.6

Article with no author

Alphabetize sources with no author or editor by the first significant word in the title.

Example

"Ivory Crackdown." New Scientist 27 Mar. 2004: 4.

Parts of citation

"Title of article." Title of magazine Publication date: page range.

MLA Handbook Chapter 5.7.9