In the 7th edition of the Handbook, a separate set of citation instructions were given for each format type. The problem with this approach is that there is no way to anticipate all format types a student may encounter.
To solve this problem, this new edition of the MLA Handbook provides a "universal set of guidelines" for citing sources across all format types.
These guidelines state that, if given, these major elements should be included in the citation:
1. Author.
2. Title of Source
3. Title of Container
4. Other Contributors
5. Version
6. Number
7. Publisher
8. Publication date
9. Location
Sometimes, elements 3-9 will repeat again, if say, your journal was inside a database.
Putting it all together:
Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante." The Georgia Review, vol.64, no. 1, 2010, pp.69-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.
The discipline of English, as well as many other disciplines in the humanities, use MLA citation format. Below are some examples for formatting the Works Cited page. Look in the drop-down menu for examples of in-text citations.
|
Book, |
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Love in the Time of Cholera. Vintage, 1988. |
|
Book, |
Casell, Kay Ann, and Uma Hiremath. Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction. Neal-Schuman, 2004. |
|
Book, |
Robbins, Chandler S., et al. Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden, 1966. |
|
Book, |
Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles, Viking, 1996. Other common descriptions: Adapted by, Directed by, Edited by, Illustrated by, Introduction by, Narrated by, Performance by. |
|
A work (e.g., essay, short story, chapter) within a book |
Kimball, Jean. "Growing Up Together: Joyce and Psychoanalysis, 1900-1922." Joyce through the Ages: A Nonlinear View, edited by Michael Patrick Gillespie, UP of Florida, 1999, pp. 25-45. |
|
Book, |
Blamires, Harry. The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide through Ulysses. 3rd ed., Routledge, 1996. |
|
Article in an Online Database |
Hannah, Daniel K. "The Private Life, the Public Stage: Henry James in Recent Fiction." Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 30, no. 3, 2007, pp. 70-94. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.uwf.edu/stable/30053134. |
|
Article in Print Journal |
Hannah, Daniel K. "The Private Life, the Public Stage: Henry James in Recent Fiction." Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 30, no.3, 2007, pp. 70-94. |
|
Article (Web Page) on a Web Site |
Farkas, Meredith. "Tips for Being a Great Blogger (and a Good Person)." Information Wants to Be Free, 19 July 2011, meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2011/07/19/tips-for-being-a-great-blogger-and-good-person/. |
| Website (Whole site) |
Farkas, Meredith. Information Wants to Be Free. Jun. 2015, meredith.wolfwater.com. |
| AI Tool (eg. ChatGPT) | "List the pros and cons of free college tuition" prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 14 Aug, 2024, chat.openai.com/chat. |
1. vol. and no. are now spelled out.
Instead of 32.3; it's: vol. 32, no. 3
2. Place of publication is omitted.
3. Page numbers are designated with pp.
4. Date of access is omitted for print resources.
5. Medium of publication is omitted.
For a complete list of style rules, consult the MLA Handbook at the Reference Desk:
