CSUB Writing Resource Center’s
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Quick 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 kind of sources are there?
1.
Books
Last name, First name. Book Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Print.
Example. Updike, John. The Centaur. New York: Random House, 1991. Print.
a.) Book by Two or Three Authors
Last name, First name and First name Last name. Book Title. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year. Print.
Doe, John and Jane Smith. How to Write. New York: Basic, 2016. Print.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe and Smith 105).
b.) Book by More Than Three Authors
Last name, First name, et al. Book Title. City of Publication: Publisher,
Year. Print.
(“et al.” is the abbreviation of Latin et alii, “and others”)
Doe, John, et al. The Best Novel. New York: New York UP, 2016. Print.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe et al. 65).
2.
Selection from Anthology
Selection author last name, First name. “Selection Title.” Anthology Title. Edition.
Ed. Editor’s First and Last Name. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page
Range. Print.
Swift, Jonathan. “Gulliver’s Travels.” The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.
4th ed. Eds. Maynard Mack et al. New York: Norton. 165-224. Print.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Swift 45).
3.
E-Books
Last name, First name. Book Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Kindle file.
Ex.: Updike, John. The Centaur. New York: Random House, 1991. Kindle file.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Updike 3).
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 journals 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 Volume.Issue (Year).
Web. Date of access in Day Month Year format.
Camus, Cyril. "Neil Gaiman's Sandman as a Gateway from Comic Books to
Graphic Novels." Studies in the Novel 47.3 (2015): 308-318. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Doe 45).
b.) Article in a Scholarly Journal Published Only Online
Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Title Volume.Issue (Year).
Web. Date of access in Day Month Year format.
Doe, John. “Sleep: How Much is Enough?” Psychology Today 52.3 (2016).
Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
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 Volume.Issue (Year):
Page range. Web. Date of access in Day Month Year format.
Ex.: Smith, John. “Woodland Creatures of Northwestern America.” The
Naturalist 20.1 (2016): 356-370. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Smith 368).
5. Page from a Website
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 Webpage
Website Title. Editor or Contributor Name. Year. Web. Date of access in
Day Month Year format.
Ex.: The Guardian. Ed. Rusbridger, Alan. 2016. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (The Guardian).
b.)
Page from a Website
Last name, First name (if available). “Page or Article Title.” Website Title.
Sponsor of Site, Date of web publishing in Day Month Year format.
Web. Date of access in Day Month Year format.
Ex.: Ortberg, Mallory. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Toast. The Toast,
3 June 2015. Web. 26 January 2016.
In-Text Citation Ex.: (Ortberg 4).
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 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,
use the abbreviation “n.d.” for “no date.”
Note on Sponsor: The sponsor follows the name of the website and 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, use “N.p.” for “no publisher.”
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: Beginning and ending page numbers. Name
of Database. Web. Date of access in Day Month Year format.
Ex.: DeWayne, Wickham. "Clark Can Teach You To Make Your Writing Sing." USA Today 23
Jan. 2012: 5-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.
b) Magazine or Newspaper found Online
Last name, First name. “Title.” Name of Magazine/Newspaper. Sponsor of
Site, Date of web publishing in Day Month Year format. Web. Date of access
in Day Month Year format.
Ex.: Hesse, Monica. “Falling in Love with St. Andrews, Scotland.” Washington Post.
Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.
If you have any further questions about formatting and citation, feel free to come to the
Writing Resource Center!