Massachusetts Bay Community College Virtual Library

How to cite MLA Souces

M.L.A. Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (by Joseph Gibaldi) is published by the Modern Language Association and is used by students and faculty in English and the humanities. Other disciplines use alternative formats designed by their professional associations. Check with your professor if you are not sure which style to use. This handout gives simple and general guidelines . For greater detail, check the handbook which is found in the reference collection; its call number is Ref. LB 2369 .G53 1999. Other general manuals may also explain M.L.A. style. There is some additional information available at the MLA website at http://www.mla.org.

WORKS CITED
 

Works Cited, which is centered at the top of the page. Your list should be alphabetized by the last names of the authors. This enables the reader of your paper to refer to any of the sources you have used, whether book, journal, or website.

    Books

Authorís last name, Authorís first name. Title of book.
      City of publication : Publisherís name, date of publication.

example:

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
      New York: Random House, 1970.

    Reference books publishing previously published articles [for example,
    Gale Literary Criticism Series]

Author of article. "Title of article." Original Source Volume (date):
      Pages. Reprinted in Title of Reference Book. Editor. Volume.
      Place of publication: publisher, date. Page numbers.

example:

Jaskoski, Helen. "Words Like Bones." CEA Critic 55 (Fall 1992): 70-84.
      Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Eds. Anja Barnard and Anna Nesbitt.
      Vol. 37. Boston: Gale Group, 2000. 291-297.

    Journal articles

Authorís last name, Authorís first name. ìTitle of article.î
      Title of Journal Volume and/or date of publication: pages.

example:

Bailey, James. ìOur Machines, Ourselves.î Harperís Magazine
      May 1997 : 45-54.

    Computer sources

ìTitle of article or document.î Title of complete work. Editor or author.
      Vol. number or version (if available). Document date or date of last
      revision. Sponsoring institution. Date accessed <Web address or URL>.

example:

"T.S.Eliot Hypertext Project." T.S. Eliot 1888-1965. Ed. Arwin van Arum.
      7 Oct. 1999. Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. 11 June 2, 2001
      <http://people.a2000.nl/avanarum/>.

       There are many variations on this basic format, for instance, a book with more than two authors, a book that has been translated from another language, an article with no author listed, an interview or videotape, etc. Check the MLA Handbook (or other manual that explains MLA style) for the entire list of correct forms.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

Your reader will be able to see which resources you used from your Works Cited list. All you need to do within the text of your paper is to give enough information to identify the source. Generally, this means putting only the authorís last name and the page number of the quote or fact/idea you used at the end of the sentence in parentheses.

    example:

He declared For Whom the Bells Tolls to be ìa fine novel, better than anybody else writing could doî (Fitzgerald 469).