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MLA Quick Citation Guide

Below are some examples of common citation formats in MLA (Modern Language Association) Style. For complete citation information, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (for undergraduates) or the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (for scholars).

These guidelines are based on the 3rd edition (2008) of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing and the 7th edition (2009) of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

Download a PDF with the examples of MLA citations shown on this page.

For additional examples of citations in MLA style see the OWL at Purdue MLA Formatting and Style Guide. Examples of in-text citation in MLA style can also be found in the OWL at Purdue Guide and in the Research and Documentation Online Guide.

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

 

Print Publications

Books

Important Elements:

  • Author (last name, first name)
  • Title (in italics)
  • Edition (if other than 1st)
  • Place of publication
  • Publisher
  • Publication date
  • Medium of publication (Print)

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Books
Source Example Citation

Book by a single author

Rollin, Bernard E. Science and Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.

Book by two authors

Sherman, Chris, and Gary Price. The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can’t See. Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books, 2001. Print.

Book by three or more authors

Goodpaster, Kenneth E., Laura L. Nash, and Henri-Claude de Bettignies. Business Ethics: Policies and Persons. 3rd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006. Print.

Book by a corporate author

American Medical Association. American Medical Association Family Medical Guide. 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004. Print.

Article or chapter within an edited book

Winne, Philip H. “Self-regulated Learning Viewed from Models of Information Processing.” Self-regulated Learning and Academic Achievement. Eds. Barry J. Zimmerman and Dale H. Schunk.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.

Translation

Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace. Trans. Anthony Briggs. New York: Viking, 2006. Print.

 

Articles from Print Periodicals (magazines, journals, and newspapers)

Important Elements:

  • Author (last name, first name)
  • Title of article (in quotation marks)
  • Title of publication in italics (i.e., Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Newsweek, New York Times)
  • Volume and issue number (for journals only)
  • Date of publication of article (month and year for monthly publications, exact date for weekly and daily)
  • Page numbers of article
  • Medium of publication (Print)

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Articles from Print publications
Source Example Citation

Article in a monthly magazine

Swedin, Eric G. “Designing Babies: A Eugenics Race with China?”The Futurist May/June 2006: 18-21. Print.

Article in a weekly magazine

Will, George F. “Waging War on Wal-Mart.” Newsweek 5 July 2004: 64. Print.

Article in a daily newspaper

Dougherty, Ryan. “Jury Convicts Man in Drunk Driving Death.”Centre Daily Times 11 Jan. 2006: 1A. Print.

Rimer, Sara. “A Campus Fad That’s Being Copied: Internet Plagiarism Seems on the Rise.” New York Times 3 Sept. 2003, late ed.: B7. Print.

Article in a scholarly journal 

Stock, Carol D. and Philip A. Fisher. “Language Delays Among Foster Children: Implications for Policy and Practice.” Child Welfare 85.3 (2006): 445-462. Print.

Book review

Rifkind, Donna. “Breaking Their Vows.” Rev. of The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. Washington Post 10 Apr. 2005, final ed.: T6. Print.

 

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Electronic Resources

Articles from the Library’s Online Databases

(articles from print publications accessible electronically through the library’s subscription databases)

Important Elements

  • publication information (see Periodicals, above)
  • name of database in italics (if known)
  • Medium of publication (Web)
  • date you accessed the article

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Articles from Print Publications accessible electronically through the library’s subscription databases
Source Citation

Magazine article from an online database: ProQuest

Poe, Marshall. “The Hive.” Atlantic Monthly Sept. 2006: 86-95.ProQuest. Web. 27 Nov. 2008.

Newspaper article from an online database: LexisNexis

Barnes, Tom. “Booze Binge Fad Alarming Colleges.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 16 Apr. 2005: A1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 27 Nov. 2008.

Journal article from an online database:
Professional Development Collection

Cross, Tracy L. “Nerds and Geeks: Society’s Evolving Stereotypes of Our Students with Gifts and Talents.” Gifted Child Today 28.4 (2005): 26-27. Professional Development Collection. Web. 8 Dec. 2008.

 

Articles in Online Journals, Magazines and Newspapers

(articles from online publications accessible free on the Web, not from the library’s databases)

Important Elements

  • Author (last name, first name)
  • Title of article (in quotation marks)
  • Title of publication (in italics)
  • Volume and issue number (for scholarly journals, if given)
  • Date of publication of article
  • Page numbers (if no page numbers are given, use n. pag. for no pagination)
  • Medium of publication (Web)
  • Date you accessed the article


Note: MLA style recommends including the URLs for websites only if the source cannot be readily located without the URL. If you wish to include the URL, put it in angle brackets after the date of access. Break URLS only after slashes. Example: <http://www.mla.org/style>

Citing Articles in Online Journals, Magazines and Newspapers
Source Example Citation

Article in an online scholarly journal

Sankey, Michael. “Considering Visual Literacy When Designing Instruction.” e-Journal of Instruction Service and Technology 5.2 (2002): 1-14. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.

Article in an online magazine

Ervin, Kathleen A. “Some Kind of Wonderful: Frank Capra Examines Failure.” Failure Magazine. Mar. 2001. n. pag. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.

 

Web Sites

Important Elements

  • Author (if known)
  • Title of Web site (in italics)
  • Publisher or sponsor 
  • Date of publication (if no date given use n.d. for no date)
  • Medium of Publication (Web)
  • Date you accessed the information


Note: MLA style recommends including the URLs for websites only if the source cannot be readily located without the URL. If you wish to include the URL, put it in angle brackets after the date of access. Break URLS only after slashes. Example: <http://www.mla.org/style>

Citing Web Sites
Source Example Citation

Web site with author

Kraizer, Sherryll. Safe Child. Coalition for Children, Inc. 2008. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.

Web site with unknown author

The Nittany Lion Mascot. Penn State University. 2006. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.
YouTube Video Penn State University. "This Is Penn State, This Is Your Career." YouTube. Web. 21 Sep. 2012.
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Entry in an Online Reference Work

Important Elements:

  • Author
  • Title of entry (in quotation marks)
  • Title of reference work (in italics)
  • Publication date
  • Name of database (in italics)
  • Medium
  • Date of access

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Online References
Source Example Citation

Entry from Gale Virtual Reference Library

Rey, Georges. "Behaviorism.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.
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Multimedia Resources

Film/Video/DVD

Important Elements

  • Title (in italics)
  • Director
  • Lead actors
  • Distributor
  • Date of release
  • Medium (i.e., DVD)

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Films/Videos/DVDs
Source Example Citation

Film

Hidalgo. Dir. Joe Johnston. Perf. Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif, and Louise Lombard. Touchstone/Disney, 2004. Film.

DVD

Ballroom Dancing. Dir. Steve Kemsley. Perf. Angela Rippon and Ian Waite. American Home Treasures, 2006. DVD.

 

Television/Radio Program

  • Important Elements
  • Title of television episode or radio segment
  • Title of program (in italics)
  • Names of writer, director, performers and/or host (if known)
  • Network
  • Local station and location
  • Date of broadcast
  • Medium (i.e., Radio)

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Television Programs
Source Example Citation

Television Program

“Dogs and More Dogs.” NOVA. Dir. Noel Buckner and Rob Whittlesey. PBS. WPSU, State College, PA. 30 Nov. 2006. Television.

Radio Program

“Could Shakespeare Survive in Hollywood?” All Things Considered. By Elizabeth Blair. NPR. WPSU-FM, State College, PA. 20 Nov. 2006. Radio.

 

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Other Formats

Government Publications

Important Elements

  • Government (i.e., United States)
  • Government Agency
  • Title of document (in italics)
  • Place of publication (for print documents)
  • Publisher (government agency)
  • Date of publication
  • Medium of publication (i.e., Print)
  • Date of access (for online documents)

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Government Publications
Source Example Citation

Print document

United States. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence: Know the Facts. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, 2000. Print.

Online document

United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Acid Rain. 4 Apr. 2008. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.

 

Personal Interview

Important Elements

  • Name of person interviewed
  • Type of interview (personal, email, telephone)
  • Date of interview

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.

Citing Personal Interviews
Source Example Citation

Interview

Smith, John. Personal interview. 31 Aug. 2007.

 

Please address questions and comments to UL-instruct@lists.psu.edu.