How to Cite Sources in MLA Format  Tags: mla citations style_guides how_to  

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition, 2009, is the standard guide for college students to the documentation style of the Modern Languages Association (MLA). The following information and most of the examples are taken from the Handbook. Consult the full Handbook for specific citation types not included here. (Copies of the 7th edition are not yet available in the APU libraries, but may be purchased from the APU bookstore).

Research Tip:
As you proceed with your research print the first page of any web page you will be citing in your paper. This printed copy will usually include the URL (network address) and the date of access—information you will need for your Works Cited list.

For any type of source, you must include information in your text that directs readers to the correct entry in the works-cited list. Electronic sources can include reference databases, electronic books, electronic periodical articles, and professional and personal web sites. In-text parenthetical references for electronic sources are cited just like printed works (Author page number).

Example:

Ancient writers attributed the invention of the monochord to Pythagoras, who lived in the sixth century BC (Marcuse 197).

The parenthetical citation “(Marcuse 197)” tells the reader that the information in the sentence was derived from page 197 of a work by an author named Marcuse. If the reader wants more information about this source, he/she can turn to the works cited list, where a complete citation for Marcuse’s work will be found.

If no author is given, include a brief version of the title of the work, along with the page number. If the title has quotation marks in the works cited list, use quotation marks in the parenthetical reference; if the title is italicized in the works cited list, italicize it in the parenthetical citation.

Example:

By most estimates, "Iraq has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world behind Saudi Arabia, Canada and Iran" ("Deterring Foreign Investors" 61).

This in-text citation refers back to this entry in the works cited list:

"Deterring Foreign Investors." The Economist 26 Sept 2009: 61-62. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

Web documents usually do not have fixed page numbers or any kind of section numbering. If your source lacks numbering, you have to omit numbers from your parenthetical references. If your source includes fixed page numbers or section numbering, such as numbering of paragraphs, cite the relevant numbers.

The citation for an electronic source must do the same thing as the citation for a traditional print source--it must identify the source and give enough information to enable the reader to locate it. Since electronic texts are usually not as stable and fixed as their print counterparts, your citation must provide more information than print citations generally give. Following are examples of some of the most commonly cited types of electronic sources.

Citing an eBook:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book. Ed. Editor’s Name [if applicable]. Place of Publication: Publisher, date of publication. Title of Electronic Text Collection or Project. Web. Date of electronic access.

Example:

Detwiler, Fritz. Standing on the Premises of God: The Christian Right's Fight to Redefine America's Public Schools. New York: New York UP, 1999. NetLibrary. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim's Progress From This World to That Which is to Come. Ed. Will D. Howe. New York: Scribner's, 1918. Google Books. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

Citing a scholarly journal article, found in an online database:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical Volume number.Issue number (year): pages. Name of Database. Web. Date of access.

Examples:

Hall, Todd W., Annie Fujikawa, Sarah R. Halcrow, Peter C. Hill, and Harold Delaney. “Attachment to God and Implicit Spirituality: Clarifying Correspondence and Compensation Models.” Journal of Psychology and Theology 37.4 (2009): 227-244. ProQuest Religion. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

Belaire, Christine, J. Scott Young, and Anastasia Elder. “Inclusion of Religious Behaviors and Attitudes in Counseling: Expectations of Conservative Christians.” Counseling & Values 49.2 (2005): 82-94. Academic Search Elite. Web. 6 Sept. 2005.

Citing a magazine article, found in an online database:

Format

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day [include only if magazine is published more than once per month] Month [abbreviate except for May, June, or July] Year: pages. Name of database. Web. Date of access.

Example:

Jeschke, Marlin. “Fixing Church Discipline: What Corrective Love Really Looks Like in the Body of Christ.” Christianity Today Aug. 2005: 30-32. ProQuest Religion. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

Citing a magazine article, found on the web:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine. Publisher, Day Month Year of publication. Web. Date of access.

Example

Obama, Barack. "Why Haiti Matters." Newsweek. Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

Citing a newspaper article, found in an online database:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name of Newspaper Day Month Year, edition of newspaper [if there is one]: section and page number [use + if article covers more than one page]. Name of Database. Web. Date of access.

Example

Goodstein, Laurie, and David D. Kirkpatrick. “On a Christian Mission to the Top.” New York Times 22 May 2005: A1+. Academic Search Elite. Web. 6 Sept. 2005.

Citing a newspaper article, found on the web:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper. Publisher, Day Month Year of publication. Web. Date of access.

Example

Carter, Bill. "Conan O'Brien and NBC to Part Ways." New York Times. New York Times, 21 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

Citing an online government publication:

Format:

Government Name. Government Agency. Title of Online Publication. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. Web. Date of Access.

Example:

United States. Census Bureau. The 2009 Statistical Abstract. Washington: GPO, 2009. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

Citing a web site:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Web Page [italicized if citing a main page; in quotes if part of a larger site; begin with this if no author is given]. Title of the Overall Web Site. Publisher: Date of the last update, if given. Web. Date of access.

Examples:

"C.P. Haggard Graduate School of Theology: Free Methodist Center." apu.edu. Azusa Pacific University: 2009. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

Citing an online video:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name [or organization name; this can also be a user name. If no author is identified, begin with the title]. "Title of the Video". Title of the Overall Web Site. Publisher: Date of creation. Web. Date of access.

Examples:

GoogleDevelopers. "Using the JavaScript Client Library with Google Calendar." YouTube. GoogleDevelopers: 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

Citing a podcast:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name [or organization name; this can also be a user name. If no author is identified, begin with the title]. "Title of the Podcast". Title of the Overall Web Site. Publisher: Date of creation. Web. Date of access.

Examples:

Focus on the Family. "105: The Boundless Podcast." Boundless.org. Focus on the Family: 20 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

Citing a blog post:

Format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name [or organization name; this can also be a user name. If no author is identified, begin with the title]. "Title of the Blog Post". Title of the Overall Web Site. Publisher: Date of creation. Web. Date of access.

Examples:

Black, Sheree. "On the Job: Design vs. Content (ding, ding!)" The Azusa Pacific Blog. Azusa Pacific University: 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.