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MLA Citation Examples
Some General Rules
WORKS CITED LIST EXAMPLES
- Articles
- Books
- E-books
- Web Sites
- WebTycho Classroom Materials
- Technical and Research Reports
- Dissertations and Theses
- Images
- Interviews and E-mail Messages
Need More Help?
For a more detailed explanation of how to use MLA style, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. This is the Modern Language Association's official citation guide. The manual is unfortunately not available online, but reference copies are available in all 16 University of Maryland libraries.
You can also contact a librarian 24-7 for help finding a copy in a library near you or to ask a citation-related question.
Some General Rules
(or a work that has no page numbers)Include information in the text of your paper that will allow the reader to locate the source in your works cited list.
If it is not possible to include this information in the text, follow the sentence where the citation needs to be made with an in-text citation containing only the name of the author.
In his article "Allston Gothic," local historian Forman Jackson demonstrates how completely the neighborhood's gruesome past has been forgotten by its residents.
OR
A recent newspaper article demonstrated just how thoroughly the neighborhood's gruesome past has been forgotten by its residents (Jackson).
(Cortois 70)
Jacobs has argued this point (190-210).
(Green 1: 112-14)
"1" is the volume number.See Authors, below.
Works Cited List
In-Text CitationCourtois, Charles A.
(Cortois 70) Martin, Jonathan A., and Christopher Jackson.
Hughes, Jane C., Elizabeth V. Brestan, and Linda Anne Valle.
(Martin and Jackson 127-28)
(Hughes, Brestan, and Valle 2-3)
Fontela, Pablo, Antonio Sorio, Javier Mielgo, and Juan de Blas.
or
Fontela, Pablo, et al.
If a work has more than 3 authors, MLA gives you the option of listing only the first author followed by "et al" (Latin for "and others").
(Fontela, Sorio, Mielgo, and Blas 153-54)
or
(Fontela et al. 153-54)
Modern Language Association.
(Modern Language Association 111)
"None to Claim Their Bones: Relics of an Old Brooklyn Graveyard." New York Times 8 Apr. 1888: 3-4. ProQuest National Newspapers. ProQuest. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 10 June 2006 <http://www.proquest.com>.
List that source by title in your works cited list. The title should be followed by the name of the source in the citation, and the remainder of the citation composed as appropriate for the source type. Alphabetize reference list entries beginning with a title using the primary word of the title (excluding a, an, or the).
("None to Claim Their Bones" 3)
In-text citations should include the title and the page number(s) of the text you are quoting or referring to, with the titles of articles in quotations, and the titles of books or Web sites underlined. In cases where the title contains a colon, use only the text before the colon in the in-text citation.
Titles of books, periodicals, art works, reports and Web sites are underlined. Please check the appropriate sample citation on this page to make sure you are using underlining correctly.
With the exception of May, June and July, the names of the months must be abbreviated in MLA works cited lists as follows:
- January = Jan.
- February = Feb.
- March = Mar.
- April = Apr.
- August = Aug.
- September = Sept.
- October= Oct.
- November = Nov.
- December = Dec.
Undated Sources: Use "n.d." (for "no date") in the appropriate place in your citation.
No date given Knowles, Allison. House of Dust. n.d. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 7 Aug. 2006 <http://www.groveart.com>.
Volume and issue numbers are often not available for articles in online periodicals. In these cases simply follow the date of the magazine or journal with a period in your works cited list citation, omitting the volume number where necessary.
Child and Family Behavior Therapy 26.1 (2004).
26 is the volume number and 1 is the issue number.
New York Times Magazine (2004).
125-35 (not 125-135)
3200-22 (not 3200-3222)
Do not repeat any numbers that can be easily inferred by the reader. This is done to minimize the length of works cited lists.
American Psychologist 59 (2004).
Follow the date of the magazine or journal with a period.
Citing a Source within a Source
You read an article by Brown that cites, on page 424, another article by Larsen. You want to cite Larsen's article, but you have not read Larsen's article itself.
Brown, J. D. "Librarians as Business People: A Review of the Literature." Journal of For-Profit Librarianship 28 (2006): 421-436. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 15 May 2007 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Your Works Cited list will contain the article you read, by Brown. Your Works Cited list will NOT contain a citation for Larsen's article.
Larsen's study (cited in Brown 424) found that . . .
Your in-text citation gives credit to Larsen and shows the source in which you found Larsen's ideas.
OR
Larsen writes, "Today's librarian is part teacher, part entrepreneur" (qtd. in Brown 424).
If Brown's article quotes Larsen's article directly and you want to use that quotation, MLA style employs the abbreviation "qtd. in" for "quoted in."
Articles
Journals with Continuous Pagination: Include volume number but not issue number.
Continuous pagination means that the entire year or volume's worth of issues are numbered consecutively. For example, volume 1, issue 1 starts with page 1, volume 1, issue 2 starts with page 150, etc.
Courtois, Charles A. "The Transition to Retirement: Stages and Factors That Influence Retirement Adjustment." International Journal of Aging and Human Development 59 (2000): 63-84. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 22 May 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Giancola, Peter R. "Executive Functioning and Alcohol-Related Aggression." American Psychologist 59 (2004): 5-7. 12 Jan. 2006 <http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/amp59129.pdf>.
Courtois, Charles A. "The Transition to Retirement: Stages and Factors That Influence Retirement Adjustment." International Journal of Aging and Human Development 59 (2000): 63-84.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Journals Paginated by Issue: Include volume and issue numbers.
Pagination by issue means that each new issue begins with page 1.
Hughes, Jane C., Elizabeth V. Brestan, and Linda Anne Valle. "Problem-Solving Interactions between Mothers and Children." Child and Family Behavior Therapy 26.1 (2004): 1-16. PsycINFO. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 12 Nov. 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Martin, Pearl Y., and Sonia Jackson. "Educational Success for Children in Public Care: Advice from a Group of High Achievers." Child and Family Social Work 7.2 (2002): 121-30. 15 Nov. 2006 <http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1046.pdf>.
Hughes, Jane C., Elizabeth V. Brestan, and Linda Anne Valle. "Problem-Solving Interactions between Mothers and Children." Child and Family Behavior Therapy 26.1 (2004): 1-16.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tip:
- If you cannot tell whether the journal has continuous pagination or is paginated by issue, simply make the best guess you can given the available information, and remember to include at least the volume number and page numbers of your article.
Daily or Weekly Magazines
Borowitz, Adam. "Pavlov's Brother." New Yorker 11 Nov. 2004: 63-65. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 12 Nov. 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Springen, Karen. "Artful Aging." Newsweek 25 Jan. 2005. 12 May 2005 <http://www.msnbc.com/6803302/newsweek/
links/doi/10.1046.pdf>.Borowitz, Adam. "Pavlov's Brother." New Yorker 11 Nov. 2004: 63-65.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Monthly Magazines
Ives, Frank, and Jonathan Lydon. "Freud's Vienna Revisited." Discover Aug. 2005: 16-17. PsycINFO. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 15 Mar. 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Gelb, Norman. "Winter of Discontent." Smithsonian May 2003. 3 Apr. 2005 <http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/may03/gelb/>.
Ives, Frank, and Jonathan Lydon. "Freud's Vienna Revisited." Discover Aug. 2005: 16-17.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tip:
- When an issue of a magazine covers several months, the name of the first and last month in the range should be given in the citation, separated by a dash, for example: Apr.-May 2003.
Brown, Patricia Leigh. "Tiffany Glass and Other Tales from the Crypt." New York Times 5 Sept. 1999: A1+. ProQuest Newspapers. ProQuest. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 10 June 2006 <http://www.proquest.com>.
Forman, Jackson. "Allston Gothic." Boston Globe 12 Aug. 2003. 12 June 2006 <http://www.boston.com/03_8_12/allston>.
Brown, Patricia Leigh. "Tiffany Glass and Other Tales from the Crypt." New York Times 5 Sept. 1999: A1+.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tip:
- When an article appears on nonconsecutive pages (for example A1 and A6) give only the first page number followed by a "+" as shown above. Give the page number on which the material you've used appears in your in-text citation, for example: (Brown A6).
Articles Freely Available on the Web
George, Angela. "The Brontes and the World They Made." The Victorian Web 22 June 2003. 10 Jan. 2005 <http://www.victorians.org/bronte.html>.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Book, Film and Product Reviews
Grimes, William. "Beyond Mandalay, the Road to Isolation and Xenophobia." Rev. of The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma, by Thant Myint-U. New York Times 13 Dec. 2006: E8. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 11 Dec. 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
An untitled book, film, or product review (for example, a review covering multiple works):
Guha, Martin. Rev. of Fleeting Pleasures: A History of Intoxicants, by Mervyn London, and Substance Use among Young People in Urban Environments, by Isidore S. Obot and Shekhar Saxena. Journal of Mental Health 15 (2006): 713-16. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 2 Apr. 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Grimes, William. "Beyond Mandalay, the Road to Isolation and Xenophobia." Rev. of The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma, by Thant Myint-U. New York Times 13 Dec. 2006: E8+.
An untitled book, film, or product review (for example, a review covering multiple works):
Guha, Martin. Rev. of Fleeting Pleasures: A History of Intoxicants, by Mervyn London, and Substance Use among Young People in Urban Environments, by Isidore S. Obot and Shekhar Saxena. Journal of Mental Health 15 (2006): 713-16.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tip:
- The name of the work being reviewed should be preceded by "Rev.", and underlining or other formatting done as appropriate for items reviewed and the source of the review itself.
Books
Jans, Nick. The Last Light Breaking: Life among Alaska's Inupiat Eskimos. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Books, 1993.
Miller, John, and Tim Smith, eds. Cape Cod Stories: Tales from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996.
Please see the sample citation for a chapter or article in an anthology below for information on citing a component of an edited collection.
Arking, Robert. The Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Culliney, John L. (2006). Islands in a Far Sea: The Fate of Nature in Hawai'i. Rev. ed. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2006.
Green, Constance McLaughlin. Washington. 2 vols. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1962-63.
In-text citation: (Green 1: 112-14)
"1" is the volume number.
De Maria, Walter. "The Lightning Field." 1980. Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings. Ed. Kristine Styles and Peter Selz. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. 527-30.
If the piece being cited was previously published, give the original date of publication after its title as shown above. The page numbers of the chapter or article should follow publication information for the book in your citation. Additional examples of citations for anthology contents can be found on pages 158-60 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.).
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tips:
- Note on citation elements in books
Give the city of publication, publisher's name and year of publication (e.g."New York: Random House, 1977"). If several cities are listed, give only the first. For cities outside the United States, add an abbreviation of the country (or province for Canadian cities) if you think the location will be unfamilar to your readers, for example:
- Bells Yew Green, Eng.
- Neepawa, MB
A complete list of geographic name abbreviations is available on pages 264-65 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.), and you can always contact the library if you need help finding an abbreviation.
E-Books
Kornblum, William. At Sea in the City: New York from the Water's Edge. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2002. NetLibrary. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 23 June 2006 <http://www.netlibrary.com>.
Seton, Ernest Thompson. The Arctic Prairies: A Canoe-Journey of 2,000 Miles in Search of the Caribou. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911. Project Gutenberg. 8 May 2006 <http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6818>.
Herlong, Mark. "Traces of the Past in Blagden Alley." Washington Palimpsest. Ed. Ryan Shepard and Mark Herlong. Washington: Reedbird Hill Press, 2005. 102-15. Academic Search Premier. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 11 Apr. 2006 <http://www.ebsco.com>.
Information about the publisher of a book can be found by clicking on its title in the record for the chapter in Academic Search Premier. Author information may be omitted from your citation if it is not available in the record.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tips:
- Note on citation elements in e-books
Give the city of publication, publisher's name and year of publication (e.g."Boston: David R. Godine, 1977"). If several cities are listed, give only the first. For cities outside the United States, add an abbreviation of the country (or province for Canadian cities) if you think the location will be unfamiliar to your readers, for example:
- Bells Yew Green, Eng.
- Neepawa, MB
A complete list of geographic name abbreviations is available on pages 264-65 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.), and you can always contact the library if you need help finding an abbreviation.
Web Sites
Sea Turtle Restoration Project. 2006. Sea Turtle Restoration Project. 9 Aug. 2006 <http://www.seaturtles.org>.
"Global Sea Turtle Populations Decline." Sea Turtle Restoration Project. 26 May 2002. Sea Turtle Restoration Project. 22 Sept. 2006 <http://www.seaturtles.org/decline>.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
WebTycho Classroom Materials
Whitford, Denny. "Cross-Curricular Initiatives in NSCI170." Document posted in University of Maryland University College NSCI 170 6981 online classroom. Oct. 2006. 22 Dec. 2006 <http://webtycho.umuc.edu>.
No official MLA format for citing online classroom materials exists. This is merely a recommended format to use in citing such documents.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Technical and Research Reports
United States. General Accounting Office. Telemedicine: Federal Strategy Is Needed to Guide Investments. Feb. 1997. 29 June 2003 <http://www.gao.gov/archive/1997/n397067.pdf>.
United States. General Accounting Office. Telemedicine: Federal Strategy Is Needed to Guide Investments. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1997.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Dissertations and Theses
MLA does not provide official citation formats for dissertations and theses retrieved from online sources, but we recommend the use of the following:
Dissertations
Pecore, Joanna Theresa. "Sounding the Spirit of Cambodia: The Living Tradition of Khmer Music and Dance-Drama in a Washington, D.C. Community." Diss. U of MD, College Park, 2004. Dissertations and Theses. ProQuest. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 12 June 2006 <http://www.proquest.com>.
Caprette, Christopher L. "Conquering the Cold Shudder: The Origin and Evolution of Snake Eyes." Diss. OH State U, 2005. 9 Aug. 2006 <http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/send-pdf.cgi?acc_num=osu111118498>.
Caprette, Christopher L. "Conquering the Cold Shudder: The Origin and Evolution of Snake Eyes." Diss. OH State U, 2005.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Master's Theses
Harzbecker, Joseph John. "Life and Death in Washington, D.C.: An Analysis of the Mortality Census of 1850." MA Thesis U of MA, Boston, 1999. Dissertations and Theses. ProQuest. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 22 Nov. 2006 <http://www.proquest.com>.
Angelova, Anelia Nedelcheva. “Data Pruning.” MS Thesis CA Inst. of Technology, 2004. 29 May 2007 <http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-05282004-000943>.
Angelova, Anelia Nedelcheva. “Data Pruning.” MS Thesis CA Inst. of Technology, 2004.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tips:
- For Masters of Science theses, replace "MA" with "MS".
- Note on abbreviating names of academic institutions:
For complete rules on abbreviating the names of academic institutions, please see pages 264-72 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed). Abbreviation is suggested by MLA in order to minimize the length of works cited lists, but is not mandatory: you may give the full name of the institution if you do not have access to the Handbook (month abbreviations such as "Sept." may not omitted, however).
Images
MLA provides limited guidance on citing images: if you are unable to cite the image that you need to using the formats below, please contact us for assistance.
Titled Image
Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 22 Nov. 2006 <http://www.groveart.com>.
Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. 8 Aug. 2006 <http://www.uwm.edu/~wash/rousseau.jpg>.
The collection which owns the image should be included in your citation along with its location as shown above.
Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris. By Claire Fresches, et al. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2006. 232.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Untitled Image
If an image is untitled, create a brief, descriptive title for it. Do not underline this title or place it in quotes, and capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
Muybridge, Eadweard. Photograph of a horse running. 1887. National Gallery, London. Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. U of MD U Coll. Information and Lib. Services. 30 Oct. 2006 <http://www.groveart.com>.
Muybridge, Eadweard. Photograph of a horse running. 1887. National Gallery, London. Eadweard Muybridge: The Father of the Motion Picture. By Gordon Hendricks. New York: Grossman, 1975. 202.
Give the number of the page that the image appears on after the book's publication information.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Tips:
- If known, the collection which owns the image should be included in your citation along with its location as shown above.
Interviews and E-mail Messages
Brown, Jane. Personal interview. 18 Nov. 2006.
Smith, John. Telephone interview. 12 Aug. 2006.
Whiting, Jennifer. E-mail interview. 2-10 Dec. 2005.
To cite an interview you have conducted as part of your research, give the name of the person you interviewed, the type of interview, and the date or range of dates.
Smith, Joe. "The server is down." E-mail to the author. 18 Nov. 2006.
The name of the recipient of the e-mail should be given in the “e-mail to” line. You should refer to yourself as “the author” as shown above if the e-mail was addressed to you by its writer. The date given should be the date the e-mail was sent.
- In-text citation examples
- General Rules has more information about citing multiple authors, undated sources, etc.