CSUB Writing Resource Center’sModern Language Association (MLA)

The New Eighth EditionQuick Reference

Why is it important to cite? It is important to cite external sources used in your papers for a number of reasons. By citing sources, you demonstrate that you have done research on your topic, which gives credibility to your work and allows your readers to locate the sources you have used. Additionally, you are showing integrity as a scholar by giving credit to the sources used in your work. And perhaps most importantly, citing prevents plagiarism. What is MLA? MLA is the Modern Language Association citation and format style. How do I know if I should use MLA? When determining whether to use the MLA citation and format in your writing, you should first and foremost ask your instructor which documentation style they prefer, as it is ultimately their decision. However, most disciplines tend to use particular styles. Here is a list of the disciplines that commonly use the MLA documentation style:· Communications· Philosophy· Religious Studies· English/Literature· Linguistics (APA is also common)· Theater/Drama

What kinds of sources are there?1. Books

Author Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year.Doe, Jane. A Really Good Book. My Publisher, 2016.

a.) Book by Two AuthorsLast name, First name, and First name Last name. Book Title. Publisher, Year. Doe, John, and Jane Smith. How to Write. Basic, 2016.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe and Smith 105).

In-Text Paragraph Numbers Ex: (Doe and Smith, par. 5)

*Only use paragraph numbers if the source provides them. Don’t count them.

b.) Book by Three or More AuthorsLast name, First name, et al. Book Title. Publisher, Year.

(“et al.” is the abbreviation of Latin et alii , “and others”) Doe, John, et al. The Best Novel. New York UP, 2016.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe et al. 65).

c.) Book with Editor, no AuthorLast name, First name, editor. Book Title. Publisher, Year.Doe, John, editor. The False Pages. New York UP, 2016.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe 32).

d.) Book with 2 or more editors, no AuthorLast name, First name, editor. Book Title. Publisher, Year.Doe, John, and Rupert Humphrey, editors. The False Pages. New York UP,

2016.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe and Humphrey 32).

e.) Book or source with Corporate Author*Corporate authors - an institution, association, government agency, or any other type of organization. See notes section for further information on corporate and anonymous works.

Organization Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year.United Nations. Consequences of Rapid Population Growth in Developing

Countries. Taylor and Francis, 1991.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (United Nations 32).

2. Selection from Anthology Selection author Last name, First name. “Selection Title.”

Anthology Title, edited by Editor’s First and Last Name, Edition., Publisher, Year, Page Range.

Swift, Jonathan. “Gulliver’s Travels.” The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.

edited by Maynard Mack, et al., 4th ed., Norton, 1980, pp. 165-224.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Swift 45).

3. E-Books Last name, First name. Book Title. Publisher, Year.

E-Source/Online Domain.Updike, John. The Centaur. Random House, 1991. Kindle file.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Updike 3).

Doe, Jane. Made-up Book: The Latest in Citations. No-House Publications, 2016. Google

Books.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe 2)

4. Academic (Peer-Reviewed) Journal Articles

Not everything on the web should be cited as a website. You may find academic journals online, but they are not simply websites! Peer-reviewed academic journals are easy to find through the CSUB Walter W. Stiern Library homepage. Just click on the Articles & Databases link and then search for the appropriate database by subject. Academic Journal Articles are cited differently if you get them in print, online through the journal’s own website, or through the library’s databases.

This is a sample search on the JSTOR database:

a.) Article in a Scholarly Journal Published in a Database (You will use this most of the time)

Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. issue #, Year, pp. Number Range. Database, DOI or URL.

Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante."

The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR,

doi:10.1353/pmc.2000.0021.

Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante."

The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Goldman 69).

b.) Article in a Scholarly Journal Published Only OnlineLast name, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol.

#, no. issue #, Date in Day Month Year format, URL.

Doe, John. “Sleep: How Much is Enough?” Psychology Today vol. 52, no. 3, 5

Mar. 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/sleep-how-much52/

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe 45).

c.) Article in a Scholarly Journal with a Print Version (You will rarely use this) Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol.

#, no. #, Abbreviated Month. Year, Page range. URL.Smith, John. “Woodland Creatures of Northwestern America.” The Naturalist,

vol. 20, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 356-370. www.notawebsite.com/woodland.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Smith 368).

Note: Because URLs may disappear or change over time, if a DOI is known, it replaces the URL in the Works Cited (preceded by doi:). This number can be found on the article itself if printed out or in the database as you’re searching. MLA recommends the inclusion of a DOI number. If not

available, use URL; however, if your instructor does not require

either, exclude it from your citation.

Chan, Evans. “Postmodernism and Hong Kong Cinema.” Postmodern Culture,

vol. 10, no. 3, May 2000. Project Muse, doi:10.1353/pmc.2000.0021.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Chan 3)

5. Websites Pages from websites should not be confused with online academic journals. While they can prove to be valuable resources for supplementary research, oftentimes they are neither academic nor peer-reviewed.

a.) Entire WebsiteWebsite Publisher’s Last Name, First Name (if available).

Website Title. Years of copyright, Web Address.

Hollmichel, Stefanie. So Many Books. 2003-13, somanybooksblog.com.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Hollmichel).

b.) Page from a Website (You will use this most

of the time)Last name, First name (if available). “Page or Article

Title.” Website Title, Date of web publishing in Day

Month Year format, URL.

Ortberg, Mallory. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Toast, 3 June 2015,

http://the-toast.net/2015/06/03/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight/.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Ortberg).

c.) Page from a Website with no author“Page or Article Title.” Website Title, Date of web

publishing in Day Month Year format, URL.

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Toast, 3 June 2015,

http://the-toast.net/2015/06/03/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight/.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (“Sir” 4). *If no author is given, use the first important word

in the title ignoring “a, an, the.” You will still use them in the works cited page.

6. News Periodicals (Magazines & Newspapers) a.) Magazine or Newspaper in an Online Library Database (common)Last name, First name. “Title.” Name of

Magazine/Newspaper, Date of web publishing in Day Month Year format, pp. Page Range. Name of Database. URL.

DeWayne, Wickham. "Clark Can Teach You To Make Your Writing Sing." USA

Today, 23 Jan. 2012, pp. 5-7. Academic Search Complete.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Dewayne 6)

b.) Magazine or Newspaper found OnlineLast name, First name. “Title.” Name of

Magazine/Newspaper. Publisher of Site, Date of web publishing in Day Month Year format, URL.

Hesse, Monica. “Falling in Love with St. Andrews, Scotland.” Washington Post.

Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2011, http://notasite.com/moni_fall

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Hesse 2)

7. Government Documents a.) Bill, Report, Resolution, or Documents of the United States CongressLast Name, First Name, compiler or United States,

Congress, House/Senate, Committee Name. Title. Publisher, Year. Number Congress, Session, Type and number.

United States, Congress, House, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Al-

Qaeda: The Many Faces of an Islamist Extremist Threat. Government

Printing Office, 2006. 109th Congress, 2nd session, House Report 615.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (United States, Congress, House 1).

Poore, Benjamin Perley, compiler. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Government

Publication of the United States, September 5, 1774-March 4, 1881.

Government Printing Office, 1885. 48th Congress, 2nd session,

Miscellaneous Document 67.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Poore 2)

b.) Government PublicationsGroup or Committee. Title. Organization, Year of Original

Work. Publisher, Year Published.

(Some information may not be present for different publications)

Foreign Direct Investment, the Service Sector, and International Banking. Centre

on Transnational Corporations, United Nations, 1987.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (“Foreign Direct Investment” 3).

United Nations. Consequences of Rapid Population Growth in Developing

Countries. Taylor and Francis, 1991.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (United Nations 4).

New York State, Committee on State Prisons. Investigation of the New York State

Prisons. 1883. Arno Press, 1974.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (New York State 2).

c.) Legislative Act (Law)Name of the Act/Law. Pub. L.(Public Law) Number. Stat.

(Statutes at Large Information. Date of Enactment. Museum and Library Services Act of 2003. Pub. L. 108-81. Stat. 117.991. 25

Sept. 2003.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Museum) *Use shortened title of act/law or source

d.) Court CasesName of First Plaintiff vs. Name of First Defendant. Law

Report Number. Court Name. Year of Decision. Title of Source, Publisher, Date of Publication, URL (if applicable).

*Name of case is not italicized in works-cited entry, but it is italicized in the in-text citation.

Citizens United vs. FEC. 558 US 310. Supreme Court of the US. 2010. Legal

Information Institute, Cornell U Law School,

www.law.cornell.edu/supct/pdf/08-205P.ZS.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Citizens United vs. FEC)

8. Short Online Audio Segment or Video (You would use this for a YouTube video )

Author name/poster’s username. “Title of Video.” Name of Website, Date Posted, URL.

Nayar, Vineet. “Employees First, Customers Second.” Youtube, 9 June 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCdu67s_C5E.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Nayar 00:03:17-17).

*If there is no Posted date, put the date you accessed it preceded by the word “Accessed.”

Jensing, Asher. “Why to Breathe Slowly.” MyVid, Accessed 2 Mar. 2016,

www.myvid.com/watch?v=cCess23s_C8S.

In-Text CItation Ex.: (Jensing 00:02:12-25)

9. Films and Television SeriesFilm/Series Title. Created by First Name Last Name,

performance by First Name Last Name, Production Company, Year(s).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle

Gellar, Mutant Enemy, 1997-2003.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (“Buffy” 00:03:17-17).

10. Single Episode of a Television Series “Episode Title.” Series Title. Created by First Name Last Name,

performance by First Name Last Name, season #, episode #, Production Company, Year(s).

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah

Michelle Gellar, season 4, episode 10, Mutant Enemy, 1999.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (“Hush” 00:03:23-24).

11. Episode of a Television Series Watched Online “Episode Title.”Series Title, season #, episode #, Production

Company, Date Posted on Websource. Websource, URL.“Under the Gun.” Pretty Little Liars, season 4, episode 6, ABC Family, 16 July 2013.

Hulu, www.hulu.com/watch/511318

In-Text Citation Ex.: (“Under the Gun” 00:21:02-11).

12. Lecture or Other Address Heard in Person Speaker Last Name, First Name. “Lecture/Address Title.” Panel

or Segment (if applicable). Conference or Event Title, Day Abbreviated Month Year, Location Building, City. Indication of Type of Presentation.

Atwood, Margaret. “Silencing the Scream.” Boundaries of Imagination Forum. MLA

Annual Convention, 29 Dec. 1993, Royal York Hotel, Toronto. Address.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Atwood)

13. Powerpoint Presentation Speaker Last Name, First Name. “Presentation Title.”

Institution Name, Day Abbreviated Month. Year, Indication of Type of Presentation.

Crowley, Edward. “Affective Filters in First Generation Students’ Language

Acquisition.” California State University, Bakersfield, 29 Nov. 2015. Powerpoint.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Crowley 3) *Where the page number would usually go, insert the slide number.

Notes: Note on Authors: If there is no author, simply list the title of the work first. For the in-text citation, you will simply use an abbreviation of the title in quotation marks (“Sir Gawain”). Page numbers are not required.

Note on Pseudonyms: Pseudonyms, including usernames, are mostly treated like regular author names. For example, @persiankiwi would be placed where the author’s name belongs. If you know the author’s real name, it can be placed in parentheses after the pseudonym. Inclusion of the author’s real name is optional, so if the author prefers to remain

anonymous, do not include his or her real name even if you know what it is.RagingLion (Peter Davidson). “An Examination of Wildcats.” Wildlife Studies, vol. 3, no. 2, July

2016, pp. 16-25. My Essay Finder, www.mef.com/Read?/Peter-exam-wild.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (RagingLion 18)

Note on Date of Publication: On websites, you may find the Last

Modified date or the date of copyright—both are acceptable to use as the date of publication. If there is absolutely no date, simply do not include it in the citation. Note on Article and Periodical Dates: If there is no month, but there is a

season (Fall, Winter, Spring,Summer) use the season in place of the month. Somny, Jason. “Interesting Article About Pizza.” The Seasonal Foods, vol. 17, no. 1, Summer

2015, pp. 16-21. www.mywebsource.com/pizza.

In-Text Citation Ex.: (Somny 17)

Note on Publisher: The publisher is usually found on the bottom of the web page next to the copyright date. Sometimes, it is exactly the same as the website name, and other times, it will be a variation of the website title or something completely different. If there is no publisher, simply do not include it in the citation. If there are multiple publishers listed, separate the

publishers with a slash, and includes a space before and after the slash (see example below).Hornby, Nick. About a Boy. Riverhead / Penguin Putnam, 1998.

Note on Indirect Sources: Occasionally, you will find a source that quotes someone else. If what you quote or paraphrase from a source that is itself a quotation, put the abbreviation qtd. in (“quoted in”) before the indirect source in your in-text citation.Ex) In a book by John Doe, you find an interesting quote by Jane Smith. In your essay, you

write: Jane Smith states,“to find a quote is easier than one might think” (qtd. in Doe 45).

Note on Repeated Use of Source: If you borrow more than once from the same source within a single paragraph and no other source intervenes, you may use just the page number in the in-text citation (parenthetical reference) in subsequent uses. For example,

Romeo and Juliet presents an opposition between two worlds: “the world of the everyday,”

associated with the adults in the play, and “the world of romance,” associated with the two

lovers (Zender 138). Romeo and Juliet’s language of love nevertheless becomes “fully

responsive to the tang of actuality” (141).

Formatting MLA Research Papers*adapted from MLA Style Center (https://style.mla.org/formatting-papers/)

MarginsLeave margins of one inch at the top and bottom and on both sides of the text.

Text Formatting

Always choose an easily readable typeface (e.g., Times New Roman) in which the regular type style contrasts clearly with the italic, and set it to a standard size (e.g., 12 points). Do not justify the lines of text at the right margin. Double-space the entire research paper, including quotations, notes, and the list of works cited. Indent the first line of a paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Indent set-off quotations half an inch as well (for examples, see 76–80 in the MLA Handbook). Leave one space after a period or other concluding punctuation mark, unless your instructor prefers two spaces.

Heading and TitleA research paper does not need a title page. Instead, beginning one inch from the top of the first page and flush with the left margin, type your name, your instructor’s name, the course number, and the date on separate lines, double-spacing the lines. On a new, double-spaced line, center the title (fig. 1). Do not italicize or underline your title, put it in quotation marks or boldface, or type it in all capital letters. Follow the rules for capitalization in the MLA Handbook (67–68), and italicize only the words that you would italicize in the text.(Example)Local Television Coverage of International News Events

The Attitude toward Violence in A Clockwork Orange

The Use of the Words Fair and Foul in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Romanticism in England and the Scapigliatura in Italy

Do not use a period after your title or after any heading in the paper (e.g., Works Cited). Begin your text on a new, double-spaced line after the title, indenting the first line of the paragraph half an inch from the left margin. If your teacher requires a title page, format it according to the instructions you are given.

Fig. 1. The top of the first page of a research paper.

Page NumbersNumber all pages consecutively throughout the research paper in the upper right-hand corner, half an inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Type your last name, followed by a space, before the page number.

Works CitedThe list of works cited is begun on a new page at the end of the paper. The title, Works Cited, is centered one inch below the top of the page. On a new, double-spaced line, begin inputting the sources. The first line of each citation begins flush against the left margin, and each additional line of that citation is indented half an inch from the left margin, and the entire works cited page is double-spaced. All entries are alphabetized.

If you have any further questions about formatting and citation, feel

free to come to the Writing Resource Center!