MLA Citation Style Simplified, Module 3: Where do you find bibliographic information?

MLA Citation Style Simplified

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Module 1
Introduction

Module 2
In-text Citation

Module 3
Works-Cited Page - First Steps

Module 4
Works-Cited Page - Entries

Module 5
Making It Easier

Module 3 - Works-Cited Page - First Steps

Where do you find bibliographic information for your works-cited page?

Locating the bibliographic information for your works-cited page depends on the source you have found. Read the examples below to find out where to look for bibliographic information for

print books
periodical articles in print
articles located in subscription databases
materials from public access Web sites

Print Books

You will find most of the bibliographic information for print books (author(s), title, place of publication, and publisher) on the title page; sometimes the date will be on the title page, but more often it is on the copyright page. In the images below the necessary information has been annotated.

Title Page:

Title page

Copyright Page (verso):

Now you have all the information you need to create the citation below.

Template:

Author last name, Author first name. Book Title.

City of publication: publisher, publication date.

Filled in Citation:

Gogol, Nikolai. Dead Souls. New York: Modern

Library, 1936.

Periodical Articles in print

Sometimes you will go to a library and obtain a print copy of a periodical article, or you may receive an article in PDF format from an interlibrary loan request (such as from our DocumentExpress service). You will cite both types of articles in the same way--as print articles. For your citation you will usually find the article (author, title) and the periodical information (title, year, volume, issue number) you need on the first page of the article. In the images below the necessary information has been annotated.

Journal article

Now you have all the information you need to create the citation below.

Template:

Author last name, Author first name. "Article Title."

Periodical Title volume number (year): pages.

Filled in Citation:

Kemp, Wendy C. " Persistence of Adult Learners in

Distance Education." American Journal of

Distance Education 16 (2002): 65-81.

Subscription Databases and public access Web sites

Information about locating the necessary information for articles you find in subscription databases and sample citations will be provided in Module 4.

Bibliographic information for materials you find on the public access Web is often incomplete; read the next section for more information about how to locate it.