21.4: MLA Documentation and Format
MLA style is the preferred form for documenting research sources in English and other humanities disciplines. The following are general features of MLA style:
- All material borrowed from sources is cited in the text of a paper by the author’s name and page number (if available).
- A works-cited list at the end of a paper provides full publication data for each source cited in the text of the paper.
- Additional explanatory information provided by the writer (but not from external sources) goes in either footnotes or endnotes. These notes are optional.
MLA In-Text Citations
In-text citations feature author names, page numbers, and sometimes titles, depending on what information is available. The Index located in H12 provides a listing of the models that are included below.
- One Author
When you quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source, include the last name of the source’s author, if known, in a signal phrase or in parentheses at the end of your sentence. Provide the page or pages on which the original material appeared. Do not include the word page or the abbreviations p. or pp. Use a hyphen [-] to indicate a number range (See Spotlight on … Citation for more on quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing sources):
Becker points out that Joe Biden’s views on same-sex marriage changed during a personal visit to a family while he was vice president (285-86).
While he was vice president, Joe Biden’s views on same-sex marriage changed during a personal visit with a family (Becker 285-86).
- Two or more works by the same author
If you cite two or more works by the same author in your paper, give the title of the specific work in your sentence or a short version of the title in parentheses:
According to Lewis Thomas in Lives of a Cell , many bacteria become dangerous only if they manufacture exotoxins (76).
According to Lewis Thomas, many bacteria become dangerous only if they manufacture exotoxins ( Lives 76).
Many bacteria become dangerous only if they manufacture exotoxins (Thomas, Lives 76).
See Model 18 for how to cite two works by the same author in the works-cited list.
- Two authors
If you cite a work with two authors, include both authors’ names in a signal phrase or in parentheses:
In the preface to Half the Sky , Kristof and WuDunn explain their focus on the issues of sex trafficking and sex work, violence against women, and maternal mortality (xxi).
In the preface to Half the Sky , the authors explain their focus on the issues of sex trafficking and sex work, violence against women, and maternal mortality (Kristof and WuDunn xxi).
- Three or more authors
For works with more than two authors, give the last name of the first author followed by “et al.”:
Of the survey respondents, twenty-two percent described themselves as concerned about future job prospects (Pronkowski et al. 9).
- Authors with the same last name
When authors of different sources have the same last name, include their initials:
Since the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, frequent use among adults has risen (J. T. Greene 21; M. Greene 30).
- Organization, government, corporation, or association as author
When no author is given for a work published by a corporation, a government, an organization, or an association, indicate the group’s name in a signal phrase or in parentheses:
The United States Forest Service describes its mission as “sustain[ing] the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations” (8).
- Unknown author
When the author of a work is unknown, use the work’s title in a signal phrase or a shortened version of the title in parentheses and a page number if available. Put quotation marks around article titles, and put book or journal titles in italics:
In a pointed 2020 editorial, “Don’t Let the Games Begin,” The New York Times argued that college athletic departments should support public health by canceling sports seasons until athletes and the public were vaccinated.
In a pointed 2020 editorial, The New York Times argued that college athletic departments should support public health by canceling sports seasons until athletes and the public were vaccinated (“Don’t Let”).
- Work in more than one volume
If you cite only one volume of a multivolume work, give the page number in parentheses. If you cite more than one volume of a multivolume work, give the volume number for each citation before the page number, and follow it with a colon and one space:
Hill notes that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventure of the Dancing Men was first published in the Strand Magazine and later in Collier’s Weekly (1: 332).
- Work with no page or other reference numbers
When the work has no page numbers, give the author’s name in a signal phrase or in parentheses. If the source has paragraph, chapter, or section numbers, use them with the abbreviations par. , ch. , or sec. :
Chen reports that the number of Americans seeking help with mental health rose during the pandemic that began in 2020. (ch. 2)
The number of Americans seeking help with mental health rose during the pandemic that began in 2020 (Chen, ch. 2).
For an audio or a video recording, give the start and stop times for the segment you are citing shown on the player in hours (if available), minutes, and seconds:
It is well known that maternity leave is available in countries around the world, including Norway, which popularized its policy in a comic YouTube video showing a pregnant woman on skis announcing the start of her one-year paid leave (01:48-02:07).
- One-page work or entire work
When you cite a work that is one page long or an entire work, such as a book, website, single-page article, tweet, video, or film, you do not need to cite a page or give a reference number:
In Da 5 Bloods , director Spike Lee connects the Civil Rights movement to the war in Vietnam through the music, montages of the era, and characters’ stories.
- Source quoted in another source (indirect quotation)
When a quotation or any information in your source is originally from another source, try to track down the original source. If you cannot find it, use the abbreviation “qtd. in”:
The group, which has researched global health including access to food, sounded the alarm about a potential “worldwide food crisis” in the early 2000s (qtd. in Sing 32).
- Literacy works
-
Poetry and verse plays
For poems, provide line numbers for reference, and include line or lines in the first reference:
In “The Character,” Aphra Behn describes a lovely young woman, starting with her eyes: “Her Eyes all sweet, and languishingly move” (line 4).
Cite verse plays using act, scene, and line numbers, separated by periods: ( Hamlet 4.4.31-39) -
Fiction and prose plays
When citing a prose literary work available in various editions, provide additional information after the page number, such as the chapter, act, or scene number, for readers who may be consulting a different edition. Use a semicolon to separate the page number from this additional information: (331; ch. 5) or (78; act 2).
- Two or more works in the same citation
When you cite more than one work in parentheses, use a semicolon between them:
Americans who resisted or ignored civil defense are often portrayed as heroic people who chose not to build fallout shelters or as marginalized people who could not afford them (Garrison 57; Mechling and Mechling 109).
- Sacred text
When you cite passages from the Bible or another sacred text such as the Qur’an, give the title of the edition you are consulting the first time you refer to it. Then give the book (abbreviate the title if it is longer than four letters), chapter, and verse, separated by periods:
Several times in the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus comments on wealth, telling his disciples, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” ( King James Version , Matt. 19.24).
Endnotes and Footnotes
Writers use notes to offer comments, explanations, or additional information that cannot easily be integrated into the rest of a paper. Use notes to cite several sources within a single context if a series of in-text citations will detract from the readability of the text.
Text with Superscript
The standard ingredients for guacamole include avocados, lemon juice, onion, tomatoes, coriander, salt, and pepper. 1 Hurtado’s poem, however, gives this traditional dish a whole new twist.
Note
- For variations see Beard 314, Egerton 197, Eckhardt 92, and Kafka 26. Beard’s version, which includes olives and green peppers, is the most unusual.
A note may be placed as a footnote at the bottom of the page on which the in-text citation appears or on a separate page of endnotes at the end of the paper. This should be titled “Notes” or “Endnotes” and appear between the last page of the paper and the works-cited list. Include all sources given in notes in the works-cited list.
MLA Works Cited
Each source cited in the text of your paper refers readers to the list of works cited, a complete list of all the sources you quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. Every source cited in the text of your paper must be included in the works-cited list, and every source in the works-cited list must be cited in the text of your paper.
Format of the List of Works Cited (MLA)
After the last page of the paper, start a new page with the centered title “Works Cited” at the top. Create an entry for each source using the following guidelines and examples:
- Begin each entry at the left margin, and indent subsequent lines one-half inch. (In Microsoft Word, you can also highlight the entire page when you are finished and select “Hanging” from the Special options on the Indentation section of the Paragraph menu.)
- Alphabetize the entries according to authors’ last names. If two or more authors have the same last name, alphabetize by first name or initial. Alphabetize sources with unknown authors by the first word of the title, excluding a , an , or the .
- Double-space the entire page.
Core Elements (MLA)
Each entry in the list of works cited consists of core elements:
- Author. Who is responsible for the work?
- Title. What is the work called?
-
Publication information.
Where can the work be found so that others can consult it?
Publication information includes the date of publication and any larger work, which MLA calls a “container,” in which a shorter work is published, such as a journal, magazine, newspaper, database, streaming service, and so on.
A note on access dates. Although access dates for online sources are not required, MLA acknowledges that an access date can indicate the version of a source you consulted. If you add an access date, place it at the end of the works-cited entry in this format: “Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.” Ask your instructors whether they require access dates.
Authors and Contributors for Books and Articles (MLA)
- Authors. Give the author’s last name, a comma, the author’s first name and any middle name or middle initial, and then a period. For works with more than one author, an organization as an author, or an unknown author, see the models below.
- Contributors. People who contributed to the work in addition to the author are called contributors. Refer to them by their role in a phrase such as “adapted by,” “directed by,” “edited by,” “illustrated by,” “introduction by,” “narrated by,” “performance by,” and “translated by.” (See Models 19, 20, 21, 30, and 58 for examples.)
- Book: one author
Sotomayor, Sonia. My Beloved World . Vintage Books, 2013.
- Book: two atuhors
Kristoff, Nicholas D., and Sheryl WuDunn. H alf the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide . Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
- Book: three or more authors
Barlow, David H., et al. Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach . 8th ed., Cengage Learning, 2017.
- Book: two or more works by the same author
When you cite two works by the same author, use three hyphens in place of the author’s name, and alphabetize the works by title:
Trethewey, Natasha. Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir . Ecco, 2020.
---. Native Guard: Poems . Mariner Books, 2007.
- Book author and editor
Add the editor’s name after the title:
Hemingway, Ernest. Conversations with Ernest Hemingway , edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli, UP of Mississippi, 1986.
- Book author and translator
Add the translator’s name after the title:
Ferrante, Elena. My Brilliant Friend . Translated by Ann Goldstein, Europa Editions, 2012.
If you are citing the work of the translator, place the translator’s name in the author position:
Goldstein, Ann, translator. My Brilliant Friend . By Elena Ferrante, Europa Editions, 2012.
- Book author and illustrator
Add the illustrator’s name after the title. If you are citing the work of the illustrator, place the illustrator’s name in the author position, as shown in the preceding example:
Fasler, Joe. Light in the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process . Illustrated by Doug McLean, Penguin Books, 2017.
- Work by an organization, a government, a corporation, or an association
If the author and publisher are not the same, start with the author:
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration. Healthy Living Resource Guide . Government Printing Office, 2020.
If the author and the publisher are the same, give the title of the work in place of the author, and list the organization as the publisher:
MLA Handbook . 8th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016.
“This Is Who We Are.” U.S. Forest Service , United States Department of Agriculture, Mar. 2019, www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/This-is-Who-We-Are.pdf.
- Unknown author
If no author is given, start with the title.
“The Most Beautiful Battalion in the Army.” Grunt Magazine , 1968, pp. 12-15.
Articles in Journals, Magazines, and Newspaper (MLA)
Articles, reviews, editorials, and other short works are published in journals, newspapers, and magazines. They appear in print, on databases, and on websites (though often through a paywall). As a student, you are likely to access many articles and other short research sources primarily through databases available through your library.
- Basic format for a journal article in a database
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal , volume number, issue number, Date of Publication, page numbers. Title of Database , DOI or URL.
- Author. Give the last name, a comma, the first name, and any middle name or initial. Do not list an author’s professional title, such as Dr. or PhD. End with a period.
- Title of the article. Give the full title and any subtitle, separating them with a colon. Capitalize all significant words in the title. Put the title of the article in quotation marks. End with a period inside the closing quotation mark.
- Title of the journal. Put the title of the journal in italics. Capitalize all significant words in the title. End the title with a comma.
- Volume and issue numbers. Use the abbreviations vol. and no. followed by the number and a comma.
- Publication date. Give the month or season and the year of publication, if available. Use the following abbreviations for months: Jan. , Feb. , Mar. , Apr. , Aug. , Sept. , Oct. , Nov. , and Dec. Do not abbreviate May, June, or July.
- Page numbers. Give p. (singular) or pp. (plural) and the page number or numbers of the article, followed by a period.
- Title of the database. Put the database title in italics, followed by a comma.
- Location. Give a DOI if available, and end with a period. If there is no DOI, give a URL, preferably a permalink, without http://.
- Article in an academic journal
-
Database
Daddis, Gregory A. “Out of Balance: Evaluating American Strategy in Vietnam, 1968–72.” War & Society , vol. 32, no. 3, Oct. 2013, pp. 252-70. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1179/0729247313Z.00000000026. -
Print
Daddis, Gregory A. “Out of Balance: Evaluating American Strategy in Vietnam, 1968–72.” War & Society , vol. 32, no. 3, Oct. 2013, pp. 252-70. -
Online
Squires, Scot. “Do Generations Differ When It Comes to Green Values and Products?” Electronic Green Journal , no. 42, 2019, escholarship.org/uc/item/6f91213q.
The journal in the example numbers issues only, so no volume number is given.
- Article in a weekly or biweekly magazine
To cite an article in a weekly or biweekly magazine, give the author, title of the article, title of the magazine, publication date (day, month, year), and page numbers. If you found the article through a database, add the title of the database and a DOI or URL. If you found the article online, add the URL.
-
Database
Sanneh, Kelefa. “The Color of Money.” The New Yorker , 8 Feb. 2021, pp. 26-31. EBSCOhost , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=aph&AN=148411685&site=ehost-live&scope=site. -
Print
Sanneh, Kelefa. “The Color of Money.” The New Yorker , 8 Feb. 2021, pp. 26-31. -
Online
Ferrer, Ada. “My Brother’s Keeper.” The New Yorker , 22 Feb. 2021, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/ 03/01/my-brothers-keeper.
- Article in a monthly or bimonthly magazine
To cite an article in a monthly or bimonthly magazine, give the author, title of the article, title of the magazine, publication month and year, and page numbers. If you found the article through a database, add the title of the database and a DOI or URL. If you found the article online, add the URL.
-
Database
Sneed, Annie. “Giant Shape-Shifters.” Scientific American , Sept. 2017, pp. 20-22. EBSCOhost , doi:10.1038/ scientificamerican1017-20 . -
Print
Sneed, Annie. “Giant Shape-Shifters.” Scientific American , Sept. 2017, pp. 20-22. -
Online
Stewart, Jamila. “A Look Inside the Black Designers of Canada Initiative.” Essence , July 2020, www.essence.com/fashion/black-designers-of-canada-digital-index/.
To cite a comment on an article, see Model 54.
- Article in a newspaper
To cite an article in a newspaper, give the author, title of the article, title of the newspaper, publication date (day, month, year), and the page numbers. If you found the article through a database, add the title of the database and a DOI or a URL. If you found the article online, add the URL.
-
Database
Krueger, Alyson. “When Mom Knows Best, on Instagram.” The New York Times , 27 Nov. 2019, pp. B1-B4. EBSCOhost , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType =aph&AN=139891108&site=ehost-live&scope=site. -
Print
Krueger, Alyson. “When Mom Knows Best, on Instagram.” The New York Times , 27 Nov. 2019, pp. B1-B4. -
Online
Smith, Doug. “They’re Building Affordable Housing for the Homeless—Without Government Help.” Los Angeles Times , 10 Feb. 2021, www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-10/theyre-building-affordable-housing-for-the-homeless-without-government-help.
To cite a comment on an article, see Model 54.
- Editorial or letter to the editor
An editorial may or may not have an author’s name attached to it. If it does, give the author’s name first. If it does not, start with the title. In both situations, add the designation Editorial or Letter to the Editor after the title.
“For Better Elections, Copy the Neighbors.” Editorial. The Wall Street Journal, 16 Feb. 2021, www.wsj.com/ articles/for-better-elections-copy-the-neighbors-11613518448.
- Review
To cite a review of a book, film, television show, or other work, give the name of the reviewer and title of the review, add Review of before the title of work being reviewed, and give the name of the work’s author, director, or creator after the title.
Girish, Devika. “Refocusing the Lens on Race and Gender.” Review of Test Pattern , directed by Shatara Michelle Ford. The New York Times , 18 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/movies/test-pattern-review.html.
Books and Parts of Books (MLA)
Use the following guidelines for books and parts of books, such as a selection from an anthology, an article in a collection, a published letter, and so on.
- Basic entry for a book
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . Publisher, Year of Publication.
- Author. Give the last name, a comma, the first name, and any middle name or initial. Do not list an author’s professional title, such as Dr. or PhD. End with a period.
- Title of the book. Put the book’s title in italics. Give the full title and any subtitle, separating them with a colon. Capitalize all significant words in the title, even if the book’s cover does not use conventional capitalization. End the title with a period.
- Publisher. List the publisher’s name without words such as “Inc.” or “Company.” Shorten “University Press” to “UP.” End with a comma.
- Year of publication. Provide the publication date, and end with a period.
- Print book
Wilkerson, Isabel. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration . Vintage Books, 2010.
- E-book formatted for a specific reader device or service
Wilkerson, Isabel. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration . Kindle ed., Vintage Books, 2010.
- Book, anthology, or collection with an editor
Add the abbreviation ed. or eds. (if more than one) after the editor’s first name:
Lunsford, Andrea, ed. Reclaiming Rhetorica: Women in the Rhetorical Tradition . U of Pittsburgh P, 1995.
- Work in an anthology or chpater in an edited collection
After the author and title of the work, give the title of the anthology or edited collection, name of the editor, publication information, and page numbers of the work:
Royster, Jacqueline Jones. “To Call a Thing by Its True Name: The Rhetoric of Ida B. Wells.” Reclaiming Rhetorica: Women in the Rhetorical Tradition , edited by Andrea Lunsford, U of Pittsburgh P, 1995, pp. 167-84.
- Two or more works in an anthology or edited collection
When you cite two or more selections from the same anthology or edited collection, list the anthology separately under the editor’s name. In the entries for the selections you cite, include the editor’s name and the page numbers on which the selections appear:
Lipscomb, Drema R. “Sojourner Truth: A Practical Public Discourse." Lunsford, pp. 227-46.
Lunsford, Andrea, ed. Reclaiming Rhetorica: Women in the Rhetorical Tradition . U of Pittsburgh P, 1995.
Royster, Jacqueline Jones. “To Call a Thing by Its True Name: The Rhetoric of Ida B. Wells.” Lunsford, pp. 167-84.
- Revised or later edition
For a book published in an edition other than the first, give the edition number after the title:
Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style , 4th ed., Pearson, 2019.
- Multivolume work
For a book published in more than one volume, give the total number of volumes after the title:
Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes . 2 vols., W. W. Norton, 2005.
- One volume of a multivolume work
Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes . Vol. 2, W. W. Norton, 2005.
When each volume of a multivolume set has an individual title, list the volume’s full publication information first, followed by series information (number of volumes, dates). When separate volumes were published in different years, give inclusive dates:
Churchill, Winston S. Triumph and Tragedy . Houghton Mifflin, 1953. Vol. 6 of The Second World War . 6 vols. 1948-53.
However, if the volume you are using has its own title, you may cite the book without referring to the other volumes as if it were an independent publication.
- Book in a series
Add the title of the series at the end of the entry:
Thaiss, Christopher. Language across the Curriculum in the Elementary Grades . WAC Clearinghouse, 2011, wac.colostate.edu/books/landmarks/thaiss/. Landmark Publications in Writing Studies.
- Republished book
Give the original publication date after the title and the date the book was republished after the publisher:
Evans, Elizabeth E. G. The Abuse of Maternity . 1875. Arno, 1974.
- Sacred text
Give the complete title of the version you consulted followed by the name of the editor and/or translator, the edition, the publisher, and the publication date:
The Bible . Authorized King James Version. Edited by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett, Oxford UP, 2008.
The Koran . Translated by N. J. Dawood, rev. ed., Penguin Books, 2015.
- Introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword
Start with the author of the introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword, followed by a description of the work you are citing, such as “Foreword.” Give the author of the work after the title:
Offill, Jenny. Foreword. Mrs. Dalloway , by Virginia Woolf, Penguin Classics, 2021, pp. vii-xiv.
- Published letter
Roosevelt, Theodore. Letter to Upton Sinclair. 15 Mar. 1906. Theodore Roosevelt: Letters and Speeche s, edited by Louis Auchincloss, 2004, pp. 310-11.
- Conference paper
Killi, Stainer, and Andrew Morrison. “Could the Food Market Pull 3D Printing Appetites Further?” Industry 4.0—Shaping the Future of the Digital World: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable & Smart Manufacturing , edited by Paulo Bartolo et al., CRC Press, 2021, pp. 197-203.
Websites and Parts of Websites (MLA)
Use the following guidelines for works that are published only online and do not have an overarching publication, such as a journal, newspaper, magazine, or database.
- Basic format for a short work or page on a website
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Short Work.” Title of Website , Publisher, Publication Date, URL.
- Author. Give the last name, a comma, the first name, and any middle name or initial. Do not list an author’s professional title, such as Dr. or PhD. End with a period.
- Title of the short work. Put the title in quotation marks. Give the full title and any subtitle, separating them with a colon. Capitalize all significant words in the title. End with a period inside the closing quotation mark.
- Title of the website. Put the title of the website in italics. Capitalize all significant words in the title. End the title with a comma.
- Publisher. If the publisher of the website is different from the title of the website (as shown in Model 48), give it next, followed by a comma. If they are the same (as shown in Model 47), give only the title of the website.
- Publication date. Give the day, month, and year the work was posted, if available. Use the following abbreviations for months: Jan. , Feb. , Mar. , Apr. , Aug. , Sept. , Oct. , Nov. , and Dec. Do not abbreviate May, June, and July.
- URL. Give the URL, without “http://.”
- Short work or page on a website
Shetterly, Margot Lee. “Katherine Johnson Biography.” NASA , 24 Feb. 2020, www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography.
If the source you are citing has no author listed, start with the title. If the page has no title, give the name of the site and a descriptive label, such as “Home page” or “Blog post.”
- Blog post
Blazich, Frank A. “The Cold Morning of the Day After.” Smithsonian Voices, Smithsonian Magazine , 5 Feb. 2021, www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-history/2021/02/05/cold-morning-day-after/.
- Entire website
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library . Yale U, 2021, beinecke.library.yale.edu/.
If the website lists an editor, give the person’s name as you would an author, followed by a comma and ed.
- Wiki
“Coronavirus.” Wikipedia . Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Feb. 2021, en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus.
Social Media (MLA)
- Basic format for a social media post
Author. “Text of untitled post” or “Title of post” or Descriptive label. Title of Site , Date of Post, Time of Post, URL.
- Author. Give the author’s handle and name. End with a period.
- Text, title, or description of post. Match the capitalization exactly, add quotation marks, and end with a period inside the closing quotation mark.
- Title of the social media site. Put the title of the site in italics, ending with a comma.
- Publication date and time. Give the day, month, year, and time of the post. Use the following abbreviations for months: Jan. , Feb. , Mar ., Apr. , Aug. , Sept. , Oct. , Nov. , and Dec. Do not abbreviate May, June, and July.
- URL. Give the URL, without “http://.”
- Social media post
@Holleratcha (James Holler). “People go out and vote tomorrow!” Twitter , 2 Nov. 2020, 2:08 p.m., twitter.com/ holleratcha/status/1270432672544784384.
Death Valley National Park. “What does it mean to protect something you love?” Facebook , 23 Feb. 2021, 5:01 p.m., www.facebook.com/DeathValleyNPS/posts/4108808255810092.
See Model 54 for how to cite a comment.
- Online forum post
@Duckpond318. “Turkeys in the arboretum.” Reddit , 15 Mar. 2021, 11:22 a.m., www.reddit.com/r/Wildlife/ comments/lqlbo3/turkeys_in_the_arboretum/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2021.
- Online comment
AKJersey. Comment on “Can We Stop Fighting about Charter Schools?” The New York Times , 22 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/opinion/charter-schools-democrats.html#commentsContainer.
Personal Communication (MLA)
Use the following guidelines to cite email, text messages, and letters that you sent or received.
Roberts, Jeffrey. “Study results.” Received by Kenneth Berg, 21 Oct. 2020.
- Text message
Roberts, Jeffrey. “Study results.” Received by Kenneth Berg, 21 Oct. 2020.
- Personal letter
Atwood, Margaret. Letter to the author. 11 Mar. 2007.
Video, Audio, and Other Media Sources (MLA)
Use the following guidelines to cite various media sources.
- Film
Begin with the title, followed by the director, the studio, and the year released.
Casablanca . Directed by Michael Curtiz, Warner Brothers, 1942.
You may also cite other contributors and their roles after the title (as illustrated below). If your paper is concerned with a particular person’s work on a film, such as the director, an actor, or someone else, begin with that person’s name and arrange all other information accordingly. For a film you stream, add the title of the streaming service and the URL:
Moonlight . Directed by Barry Jenkins, performances by Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and Trevante Rhodes. A24, 2016. Netflix , www.netflix.com/watch/80121348?trackId=13752289&tctx=8%2C.
- Online video
NASA. “Apollo 11 Moonwalk – Original NASA EVA Mission Video.” 20 July 1969. YouTube , 17 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9HdPi9Ikhk.
- Television series or episode
-
TV Series
The Good Place . Michael Schur, creator. NBC, 2016-20. -
Streamed TV episode
“Jason Mendoza.” The Good Place , season 1, episode 4, NBC, 2016. Netflix , www.netflix.com/watch/ 80191852?trackId=13752289&tctx=%2C%2C.
- Advertisement
-
Print
XOFLUZA. Flu medication advertisement. The New Yorker , 8. Feb. 2021, pp. 5-6. -
Online
General Motors. “Will Ferrell Super Bowl Ad.” YouTube , 3 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mdsPvbSpB2Y&t=24s.
- Cartoon or comic
-
Print
Davis, Jim. “Garfield.” Cartoon. Courier [Findlay, OH], 17 May 1996, p. 18.
If the source you cite appears in a local newspaper, as it does here, give the city and state in brackets after the name of the newspaper if the city is not part of the newspaper’s name. -
Online
Gauld, Tom. “Waiting for Godot to Join the Zoom Meeting.” You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack , 31 Jan. 2021, myjetpack.tumblr.com/.
- Painting or other visual artwork
-
Original work
Rivera, Diego. Detroit Industry Murals . 1932-33. Detroit Institute of Art.
If the city is not part of the name of the museum, add it after museum. For example, if the work you viewed was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, you would end the entry as follows: Museum of Modern Art, New York. -
Reproduction
Neel, Alice. Elenka . 1936. Alice Neel: People Come First , by Kelly Baum and Randall Griffey, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021, p. 142. -
Online
Basquiat, Jean-Michel. Untitled . 1983. Museum of Modern Art , www.moma.org/collection/works/ 63997?artist_id=370&page=1&sov_referrer=artist. Accessed 24 Sept. 2020.
- Map, chart, or diagram
-
Print
Everglades National Park . National Geographic Society Maps, 2019. -
Online
“Map: Expedition of Lewis and Clark.” National Park Service , 2 Jan. 2018, nps.gov/subjects/ travellewisandclark/map.htm.
- Sound recording
Sound recordings include songs, albums, and spoken word. If you stream a sound recording or watch a performance online, add the name of the streaming service, such as Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, after the date. If you access the recording online, add the name of the website and the URL after the date.
-
Album
Prince. Purple Rain . Warner Brothers, 1984. -
Song
The Supremes. “Baby Love.” Where Did Our Love Go , Motown, 1964. Spotify. -
Online
Gorman, Amanda. “The Hill We Climb.” 20 Jan. 2021, YouTube , www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4.
- Radio
The Road to Higher Ground . Hosted by Jonathan Overby. WPR, 9 Jan. 2021.
If you listened to the radio program online, add the URL after the date.
- Podcast
McEvers, Kelly, host. “This Is Not a Joke.” Embedded , season 9, episode 2, NPR, 7 Nov. 2019, Apple Podcasts.
If you listened to the podcast on the web, add the URL instead of the podcast service.
- Interview
-
Broadcast
Wilkerson, Isabel. Interview. Fresh Air , NPR, 4 Aug. 2020. -
Online
Sowell, Thomas. Interview. Hoover Institution , 3 Jan. 2015, www.wsj.com/video/uncommon-knowledg-thomas-sowell-basic-economics/51837CB6-9FF2-305AE55D179A.html. -
Personal interview
Wong, Diana. Personal interview. 12 Sept. 2020.
- Video game, software, or app
Houser, Dan, et al., writers. Grand Theft Auto V . Rockstar Games, 2013. Xbox 360.
Other Sources (MLA)
- Live lecture, speech, address, or reading
Diaz, Shanna. “Your Dazzling Brain: The Symphony of Sleep.” Community Lecture Series, University of New Mexico Health Science and the City of Albuquerque, 13 Mar. 2018, Albuquerque Academy.
- Live performance
Hamilton . By Lin-Manuel Miranda, directed by Thomas Kail, 11 Mar. 2018, CIBC Theater, Chicago.
If you watch a video of a performance online, cite it as you would cite an online video.
- Letter in an archive
Mucklestone, Ada. Letter to Maj. Gen. Ralph J. Olson. 6 Nov. 1958. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Alphabetical Subject File, 1950-66, 1715, Box 13.
- Dissertation
-
Database
Park, Eun Jung. Korean American Artists and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots . 2013. U of California, San Diego, PhD dissertation. ProQuest, www.proquest.com/doc-view/1425303659. -
Print
Boothby, Daniel W. The Determinants of Earnings and Occupation for Young Women . 1978. U of California, Berkeley, PhD dissertation.
- Pamphlet
“Facts about Fallout.” Civil Defense Administration, 1961.
MLA Paper Format
Follow your instructor’s formatting guidelines or those indicated here. For sample papers with MLA format and works-cited pages, visit this site ( https://openstax.org/r/this-site1 ) .
- Margins. Use one-inch margins on all sides.
- Spacing. Double-space throughout the paper, including the works-cited page.
- Paragraph format. Indent paragraphs one-half inch.
- Page numbers. Start numbering on the first page of your paper and continue to the end of the works-cited page. Place page numbers in the upper-right corner, and add your last name before the page number: “Coleman 3.”
- Identifying information. Put your name, your instructor’s name, the course title, and the date in the left corner of the first page of the body of the paper, not in the header. Double-space this information.
- Title. Center the title on the first page. Do not use italics, boldface, all capitals, or quotation marks. Do not add extra space below the title.
- Long quotations and quotations from poetry. See Quotations for how to cite long quotations and poetry quotations.