MLA Citation Style Guide This guide is intended to be a quick reference. For specific information you should refer to the MLA Handbook. The examples below are consistent with the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition, 2009. Gen Ref LB/2369/.G53/2009 There are two things to consider when creating a citation. It is very important to give credit where credit is due. To use someone else’s words or ideas without a citation is plagiarism. The reader should be able to locate the source using only your citation. The latest edition of the MLA Handbook contains some important changes regarding citations. It is now required that each citation in the Works Cited list contain the medium of publication. Also, MLA no longer recommends that URLs be included in the citations for web publications, due to the ever changing World Wide Web. In-Text Citations In addition to listing all the sources consulted during the writing of your paper on the Works Cited page, it is also necessary to identify what content was used, and where in the source it was found. MLA style uses an in-text citation or a parenthetical reference immediately following the borrowed content. If the author’s name is included in the text, do not repeat it in the citation. You must also include the page number where the information was found in the source. Below are two examples of parenthetical references. Author’s name included in the text Author’s name included in the citation According to Heartney, Paine’s art is a result of observed contradictions between the interaction of nature and industrial development (18). Paine’s art is a result of observed contradictions between the interaction of nature and industrial development (Heartney 18). Works Cited Page The Works Cited page should list all materials that have been cited in the text of your paper. This list should be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, or by title if there is no author. Main titles should be italicized. The first line of each entry should be flush with the left margin, and each additional line should be indented by one-half inch. The page should be single spaced and placed at the end of the paper. The following are examples of citations from commonly used types of PRINT sources: Type of resource Book or exhibition catalog – single author Book or exhibition catalog – two authors Anthology or compilation Example from works cited page Heartney, Eleanor. Roxy Paine. Munich: Prestel, 2009. Print. Block, Jonathan, and Jerry Leisure. Understanding Three Dimensions. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1987. Print. Snyder, Jeffrey B., ed. Printmakers Today. Altglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2010. Print. Article or essay from a book Periodical or journal article Review of a titled exhibition Exhibition catalog – two publishers Graphic narrative – one creator Graphic narrative – text and illustrations by different creators Work of art reproduced in a book Holmes, Wendy. “Decoding Collage: Signs and Surfaces.” Collage: Critical Views. Ed. Katherine Hoffman. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1989. 193-212. Print. Kelly, Peter. “Profile: Heatherwick Studio.” Blueprint May 2010: 36-41. Print. Mac Adam, Alfred. “Henri Matisse: Museum of Modern Art.” Rev. of Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917, by Henri Matisse. Museum of Modern Art, New York. ARTnews 109.8 (2010): 104. Print. Rauschenberg, Robert. Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Interchange. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art; Munich: Prestel, 1991. Print. Spiegelman, Art. Maus I: a Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986. Print. Juster, Norton. The Hello, Goodbye Window. Illus. Chris Raschka. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005. Print. Bonheur, Rosa. The Horse Fair.1853. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Art History. Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. 976. Print. The following are examples of citations from commonly used types of NON-PRINT sources: Article from online database Article from online reference work Article or page from website Entire website Videotapes, films, and DVDs Original work of art Museum label or plaque Personal interview conducted by the researcher Email message to the researcher Kemske, Bonnie. “The Beauty of Imperfection.” Ceramic Review 225 (May/June 2007): 30-33. ArtFullText. Web. 8 Aug. 2011. Compton, Susan. “Marc Chagall.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Web. 10 Aug. 2011. Rosenberg, Bonnie. “Alhambra to Open Hidden Secrets.” The Art Newspaper. 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Aug. 2011. Delahunt, Michael. ArtLex Art Dictionary. N.p. 2006. Web. 10 Aug. 2011. Helvetica. Dir. Gary Hustwit. Plexifilm, 2007. DVD. Krasner, Lee. Celebration. 1960. Oil on canvas. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH. Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum label for Edgar Degas, Before the Race. Cleveland, OH, 10 Aug. 2011. Goldsworthy, Simon. Personal interview. 11 Aug. 2011. Hirst, Damien. Message to the author. 10 Aug. 2011. E-mail. If you still have questions about citations using MLA style, please ask your instructor or consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. © Gund Library staff, Cleveland Institute of Art. May be reproduced only for non-profit, educational purposes. Last updated 8/2011