Newell & Kester August 2010
Compiled from Diana Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual, 5th ed, &
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.
MLA Quick Reference Guide
Daytona State College English Department
Notes about parenthetical references for Web sources since the 2009 update
1. MLA suggests “omit[ing] the page number [in a parenthetical reference] if a work lacks
page numbers, as is the case with many Web sources” (Hacker 122).
2. There are two exceptions to this rule:

If a Web source is stable—a PDF file, for example—supply pages numbers in a
parenthetical reference (Hacker 122). Remind students to use PDF files when
available; they are better for a number of reasons.

“If a Web source numbers its paragraphs or screens, give the abbreviation ‘par.’
or ‘pars.’ or the word ‘screen’ or ‘screens’ in parentheses: (Smith, par. 4)”
(Hacker 122).
Notes about the list of works cited since the 2009 update
1. MLA requires italicizing instead of underlining in word processed documents. See pages
71-72 (“Quotation marks”) and 85-86 (“Italics”) in the Pocket Manual for further
explanation and examples.
2. MLA requires the medium of publication in all works cited entries. Typical designations
for the medium are “Print,” Web,” “Television,” “Film,” and “Lecture.”
3. MLA does not require URLs for Web sources.
4. MLA calls for a sponsor or publisher for most online sources.

Use “N.p” for “No publisher” if no publisher exists.
5. MLA calls for a date of publication or last update for online sources.

Use “n.d.” for “no date” if there is no date of publication or update.
6. MLA requires page numbers from articles in online scholarly journals or articles from
databases.

Use “n. pag.” for “No page” if an article in an online scholarly journal or database
does not contain page numbers. Many databases provide both PDF and HTML
file types. Once again, PDF files will have page numbers, and writers should use
them when available.
Basic Format for a book
Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.
Basic format for a periodical
Achenbach, Joel. “At the Heart of All Matter: The Hunt for the God Particle.” National
Geographic March 2008: 90-105. Print.
Basic format for online books
Lester, Faigley. Writing: A Guide for College and Beyond. 2nd ed. New York: Longman,
2010. Pearson eText. Web. 17 August, 2010.
Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. Brooklyn,1 1855. The Walt Whitman Archive. Web.
12 August, 2010.
1. Since the book was published before 1900, omit the place of publication.
Basic format for a Web site / Short work from a Web site
Quade, Alex. “Elite Team Rescues Troops behind Enemy Lines.” CNN.com.
Cable News Network, 19 Mar. 2007. Web. 15 May 2008.
Cloud, John. “Why Genes Aren’t Destiny.” Time. Time Magazine with CNN, 6 Jan.
2010. Web. 8 Jan. 2010.
Salda, Michael N., ed. The Cinderella Project. Vers. 1.2. U of Southern Mississippi,
Oct. 2005. Web. 15 May 2008.
Note: The first and second examples are short works or individually titled pages within larger
websites, while number three is an example of how to document an entire website.
Exceptions to the basic format for a Web source
Lessig, Lawrence. “Free Debates: More Republican Call on RNC.” Lessig 2.0. N.p1.,
4 May 2007. Web. 14 Aug. 2010.
1. No producer or sponsor available.
Liu, Alan, ed. Home page1. Voice of the Shuttle. Dept. of English, U of California, Santa
Barbara, n.d.2 Web. 15 May 2008.
2. When a short work from a website, or the site itself, has no title, substitute a
description such as “Home page” for the title.
3. No date of last update available.
“Hourly News Summary.”1 National Public Radio. Natl. Pubic Radio,2 20 July 2007.
Web. 20 July 2007.
1. No author available; begin with the title of the site.
2. The sponsor or producer of the site is the same as the title of the site.
Basic format for a work from a database
Baker, Beth. “US Forest Service Program Builds Bridges Between Government and
Public.” Bioscience. Jan. 1999: 18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 March
2007.
Exceptions to the basic format for a work from a database
Chan, Evans. “Postmodernism and Hong Kong Cinema.” Postmodern Culture 10.3
(2000): n. pag.1 Project Muse. Web. 5 June 2008.
1. Use “n. pag.” if a database article does not contain page numbers.
Richardson, Lynda. “Minority Students Languish in Special Education System.” New
York Times 6 Apr. 1994, late ed.:A1+.1 LexisNexis. Web. 15 Aug. 2007.
1. Use a “+” to designate non-consecutive pages.