MLA CITATION OVERVIEW
CLASS MATERIALS IN CANVAS
9TH EDITION (2021)
Remember that a course management system such as Canvas is a container only when it is the platform of
publication for the work, as it is here. If your professor provides a link on Canvas to an external site,
then Canvas is not the container—the external site is. Cite the external site instead.
“Title of Handout or Video” or General Description or Citation Info for Article/Chapter/Poem/Etc. Title of Course, taught by Instructor Name. Canvas, Wayne State College, Date, URL.
Online Guide: libguides.wsc.edu/MLA | 8½x11 Format: bit.ly/quickMLA9big
“Introduction to Co-Teaching: Making the Marriage Works.” Introduction to Special Education, taught by
Deb Buresh. Canvas, Wayne State College, fall 2020, https://canvas.wsc.edu/courses/8548/files/
folder/Week%201?preview=324073.
HELPFUL VIDEOS
Syllabus for Seminar: Major Authors (Arthur Conan Doyle). Taught by Stephanie Marcellus. Canvas,
Wayne State College, summer 2021, https://canvas.wsc.edu/courses/10817/assignments/syllabus.
Bardhoshi, Gerta et al. “Understanding the Impact of School Factors on School Counselor Burnout: A
Mixed-Methods Study.” The Professional Counselor, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 426-443. Professional Ethical
and Legal Standards of Practice, taught by Dustin Reed. Canvas, Wayne State College, summer
2021, https://canvas.wsc.edu/courses/10578/files?preview=700804.
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
An in-text citation begins with whatever comes first in the entry. If a specific part of a work is
quoted or paraphrased includes a location marker such as page number, line number, time
stamp, or other indicator. Do not use p. or pp. If you cite a number other than a page number,
precede it with a label such as chapter (ch.) or scene (sc.). Quotations that run longer than four
lines should be set off from the text as a block with no quotation marks (see pp. 254-55).
Citation in
Prose
According to Naomi Baron, reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (194).
Parenthetical
Citation
Reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (Baron 194).
Others like Jay Lemery and Paul Auerbach, note that doctors have not yet adequately
explained the effects climate change will have on human health (4-5).
Others note that doctors have not yet adequately explained the effects climate change
will have on human health (Lemery and Auerbach 4-5).
AUTHOR TYPE
PARENTHETICAL CITATION
CITATION IN PROSE (No Middle Initials)
One Author
(Baron 194).
Naomi Baron
(Miller 9; act 1)
Arthur Miller
Two Author
(Lemery and Auerbach 4-5).
Jay Lemery and Paul Auerbach
Three or More
Authors (List all or
use and others /
colleagues)
(Nickerson et al. 135).
Ramond Nickerson and others
MLA Paper Formatting
bit.ly/wordformatMLA9
Introduction to MLA 9th Edition
bit.ly/introMLA9
How to Paraphrase
bit.ly/howparaphrase
Creating Works Cited
bit.ly/workscitedMLA8
Basics of In-Text Citations
bit.ly/intextMLA9
Integrating Quotations
bit.ly/quoteMLA9
CORE ELEMENTS
Each entry in your work-cited will be made up of core
elements arranged in a specific order as seen on the
right. If an element is not relevant to a particular source,
it may be omitted. Number 4-9 may be repeated for
works contained within other works.
1. AUTHOR.
In the Author element, list the primary creator of the work you
are citing. Authors should be listed in the order in which they
are presented in the work. See below examples. End element
with a period.
For information on how to cite names where the surname is
first, missing surnames, & pseudonyms, see pp. 113-119 of
the MLA Handbook.
TYPE
WHAT TO DO
EXAMPLE
One
Author / Editor
Start with the surname followed by a comma
and the rest of the name as presented in the
work.
Baron, Naomi S.
Two
Authors /
Editors
Reverse the first name, follow it with a comma
and the word and, and give the second name
in the normal order.
Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich.
Three or More
Authors /
Editors
Reverse the first of the names and follow it
with a comma and the abbreviation et al.
Charon, Rita, et al.
Corporate
Authors
Do not reverse organizational names. Omit
initial articles
(a, an, the).
Beatles.
Ramond Nickerson and colleagues
Ramond Nickerson, Samantha Jones
and Tom White
In the below examples, shorten parenthetical citation to the shortest noun phrase. Do not include subtitles
in prose. See pp. 327-28 in the MLA Handbook for details.
Organizational
Authors
(National Academy 9).
National Academy of Sciences and
the Royal Society
Work listed by Title
(Reading 3).
Reading at Risk
(“Traveling” 5).
“Traveling in the Breakdown Lane”
(Hamlet 1.5.35-37).
Hamlet
Avoiding Ambiguity: If two or more works have the same surname or have the same
author(s), extra details are needed to differentiate between sources. See pages 234-36 & 241
in the MLA Handbook for details.
U.S. Conn Library - www.wsc.edu/library - asklibrary@wsc.edu - (402) 375-7258
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan
Gubar, editors.
Frankfort, Gerald K., et al., editors.
United Nations.
U.S. Department of Labor.
Online
Handles
If an authors, online handle differs from the
author’s account name, it may be helpful to
supply the handle in square brackets after the
name.
No Author
Skip the Author element and begin the entry with the work’s title.
Last Updated: October 2022
For further examples, consult:
Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook. 9th ed., 2021.
COPY AVAILABLE AT THE CIRCULATION DESK
Nunberg, Geoffrey, editor.
Fogarty, Mignon [@GrammarGirl].
Ngyen, Viet Thanh
[@viet_t_nguyen].
NOTE: When a nongovernment organization is both author and publisher, treat it as a
source with no author, listing the organization only as publisher.
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2. TITLE OF SOURCE.
WEB ARTICLE (NO DATE)
In the Title of Source element, list the title of the work you are citing exactly as they are found in
the source, except that capitalization, the punctuation between the main title and a subtitle, and
the styling is standardized using Title Case. End element with a period (unless the title ends in a
question mark or exclamation point).
Author Names. “Title of Article/Entry.” Title of Larger Work, Publisher, URL. Accessed Date.
WHEN TO USE ITALICS
WHEN TO USE QUOTATION MARKS
Use italics if the source is self-contained and independent or a container (see below).
Use quotation marks if the source is part of a larger
work (i.e. inside a container).
Book, Collection of Essays/Stories/Poems, Periodical Title (Journal/Magazine/Newspaper), Television
Series, Website, Music Album, etc.
Essay/Story/Poem, Article in a Periodical, Episode
in a Television Series, Article on a Website, Song
on an Album, etc.
No Title? Provide a concise but informative description of the work. See pp. 121-124; 132 of
the MLA Handbook.
3. TITLE OF CONTAINER,
Beaton, Kate. “The Secret Garden.” Hark! A Vagrant, www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id350. Accessed
17 Jan. 2017.
“Prose poem, N.” Cambridge Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/prose-poem.
Accessed 16 July 2021.
REPORTS & GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
Author Names. Title of Report. Publisher, Date, URL.
Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America. National Endowment for the Arts, June 2004.
Powell, Catherine, and Ann Mei Chang. Women in Tech as Driver for Growth in Emerging Economies.
Council on Foreign Relations Press, July 2016, cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2016/06/
Discussion_Paper_Powell_Chang_Women_ICT_OR.pdf.
U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-2015. Skyhorse Publishing, 2014.
DISSERTATIONS & THESES
Author Names. Title of Dissertation of Theses. Date. University, Type of Manuscript. Website or Database Name, permalink or URL.
A container is a work that contains another work. Follow the same guidelines as those for the
Title of Source element. The element is normally italicized and followed by a comma, since the
information that comes next provides publication details for the work in the container.
CONTAINER
contains
Journal, Magazine or Newspaper
article
Anthology
essay, poem or short story
Blog
blog post
Website like Facebook
post, comment, photo or video clip
Album
song
Website like YouTube
video clip or movie
TV series, podcast or radio program
individual episode
Museum website
digital image of a painting
App like Bible Gateway
version of the Bible
Self-contained works: The title of the work is listed in the Title of Source element. The Title of
Container element is left blank.
Works in containers: The title of the item in the container is listed in the Title of Source element. The container is listed in the Title of Container element.
Works with more than one container: Complete elements 3-9 of the smaller container. Then
complete elements 3-9 for the larger container.
No Title? Provide a concise but informative description of the container. See pg. 145 of the
MLA Handbook.
Determining when a website/app is a container: A website is a container ONLY when it
serves as the platform of the work you consult. It is not a container when it is passive conduit
providing access to the work. For example, if you click on a link in Canvas or Facebook and it
takes you to another website, neither are containers. However, when something like a lecture,
comments, or a post is published, those sites are considered containers.
Njus, Jesse. Performing the Passion: A Study on the Nature of Medieval Acting. 2010. Northwestern U,
PhD dissertation. ProQuest, search.proquest.com/docview/305212264.
FILM, TV & VIDEO
PHYSICAL MEDIA:
Title of Film. Contributors, Publisher, Date, URL. Format.
“Title of Episode.” Original date. Title of DVD or Blu-Ray, contributors, season, episode, Publisher, Date, disc. Format.
Opening Night. Directed by John Cassavetes, Faces Distribution, 1977. DVD.
“Hush.” 1999. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Season, created by Joss Whedon, episode
10, Mutant Enemy / Twentieth Century Fox, 2003, disc 3. Blu-Ray.
VIEWED ONLINE OR IN APP:
Title of Film. Publisher, Date. App or Website Name, URL.
“Title of Episode.” Title of Series, season, episode, Publisher, Date. App or Website Name, URL.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Universal Studios, 1982. Netflix app.
“I, Borg.” Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 5, episode 23, Paramount Pictures, 1992. Netflix,
www.netflix.com.
UPLOADED:
“Title of Video.” Website Name, uploaded by Name, Date, URL.
“What Is the MLA International Bibliography?” Vimeo, uploaded by MLA International Bibliography, 14 Oct.
2016, vimeo.com/187399565.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Author Name [Handle]. “Title or Text of post” or Description. Title of Website, Date, URL.
Chacer Doth Tweet [@ALeVostreCC]. “A daye without anachronism ys lyke Emily Dickinson wythout her
lighsaber.” Twitter, 7 Apr. 2018, twitter.com/LeVostreGC/status/982859987286827009.
Thomas, Angie. Photo of The Hate U Give cover. Instagram, 4 Dec. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/
Bq_PAxKgqPw/.
World Wildlife Fund. “Five Things to Know on Shark Awareness Day.” Facebook, 14 July 2020,
www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/videos/745925785979440/.
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOOKS
4. CONTRIBUTOR,
INTRODUCTION, PREFACE, FORWARD OR AFTERWORD:
People, groups, and organizations can contribute to a work while not being its primary creator.
Introduce each name (or group of names) by with a label that describes the role followed by the
word, by (or in some cases with), and the name of the contributor in standard prose. Names are
not reversed. End element with a comma.
Author Names. “Title of the Introduction Etc.” Label. Title of Book, contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date, pages.
Felstiner, John. Preface. Selected Poems and Prose of Paul Celan, translated by Felstiner, W. W. Norton,
2001, pp. xix-xxxvi.
Wallach, Rick. “Cormac McCarthy’s Canon as Accidental Artifact.” Introduction. Myth, Legend, Dust: Critical
Responses to Cormac McCarthy, edited by Wallach, Manchester UP, 2000. pp. xiv-xvi.
ENTRY IN A REFERENCE WORK:
Author Names. “Title of Entry, Part of speech (Definition #).” Title of Reference Work, contributors, version, number, Publisher,
Date, pages, URL.
Botterill, Steven N. “Angela Da Foligno, Saint.” Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia, edited by Christopher
Kleinhenz et al., vol. 1, Routledge, 2004, pp. 35-36.
“Content, N. (4).” Merriam-Webster, 2020, www.merriam-wbster.com/dictionary/content.
“Patanjalii.” Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, edited by Bruce Murphy, 4th ed., HarperCollins Publishers,
1996, p. 782.
“Professional Learning Community.” The Glossary of Education Reform, 3 Mar. 2014, www.edglossary.org/
professional-learning-community/.
PERIODICALS
JOURNAL / MAGAZINE / NEWS / BLOG ARTICLE:
Author Names. “Title of Article.” Periodical Title, vol. #, no. #, date, pages, URL or https://doi.org/.
Alpert-Abrams, Hannah. “Machine Reading the Primeros Libros.” Digital Humanities Quarterly, vol. 10, no.
4, 2016, www.digitalhumnities.org/dhq/vol/10/4/000268/000268.html.
Boggs, Collen Glenney. “Public Reading and the Civil War Draft Lottery.” American Periodicals, vol. 26, no.
2, 2016, pp. 149-66.
Chois, Elaine Hsieh. “Carrot Legs.” Guernica, 12 Sept. 2019, www,guernicamag.com/carrot-legs/.
Tribble, Ivan. “Bloggers Need Not Apply.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 July 2005, chronicle.com/
article/Bloggers-Need-Not-Apply/45022.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (PRINT):
Author Names. “Title of Article.” News Publication, version, date, section, pages, URL.
Soloski, Alexis. “The Time Has Come to Play Othello.” The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2016, Arts and
Leisure sec., p. 5.
JOURNAL / MAGAZINE / NEWS ARTICLE (DATABASE):
Author Names. “Title of Article.” Periodical Title, vol. #, no. #, date, pages. Database, permalink or https://doi.org/.
Azhar, Sheeba, and Syed Abid Ali. “Evolution of Shakespeare’s Dramatic Art: A Short Survey.” Language
in India, vol. 19, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 290-300. Communication & Mass Media Complete,
ezproxy.wsc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=ufh&AN=134904250&site=eds-live.
Grunes, Marissa. “Open Interiority: Emily Dickinson, Augustine, and the Spatial Self.” Women’s Studies,
vol. 47, no. 3, spring 2018, pp. 350-71. Academic Search Complete, https://
doi.org/10.1080/00497878.2018.1450000.
WEB ARTICLE (NOT IN A PERIODICAL OR BLOG)
Author Names. “Title of Article.” Title of Website, Publisher, Date, URL.
Martin Lille, Charlene M. “Be kind to Yourself: How Self-Compassion Can Improve Your Resiliency.” Mayo
Clinic, 29 Dec. 2016, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/selfcompassion-can-improve-your-resiliency/art-20267193.
“People at high risk of developing flu-related complications.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 23
Jan. 2018, www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm.
Key contributors include translators, editors responsible for scholarly editions and anthologies
of a primary author’s works, & editors responsible for edited collections of works by various
primary authors from which you cite an individual contribution. See pg. 148 of the MLA
Handbook for other types of contributors.
Common Labels: adapted by, choreographed by, conducted by, created by, directed by, edited
by, illustrated by, introduction by, narrated by, performance by, translated by, etc.
5. VERSION,
If the source carries a notation indicating that it is a version of a work released in more than
one form, identify the version in your entry. Write ordinal numbers with Arabic numerals and no
superscript (2nd, 10th). Abbreviate revised (rev.) and edition (ed.). The word version is not abbreviated. Additional abbreviations are available in appendix 1 of the MLA Handbook.
Capitalize the first word of a descriptive term if it follows a period. Use a lowercase letter if it
follows a comma. Versions that are proper nouns remain capitalized and are not abbreviated.
End the element with a comma.
Examples: revised ed., 2nd ed., expanded ed., unabridged ed., director’s cut, version 1.3.1,
Authorized King James Version, Norton Critical Edition, etc.
6. NUMBER,
The source you are documenting may be part of a sequence,
like a numbered volume, issue, episode, or season. If your
source used a numbering system, include the number in your
entry, preceded by a common abbreviation or term that identifies
the kind of division the number refers to (see appendix 1 in the
MLA Handbook for commonly abbreviated terms). Roman
numerals and numbers that are spelled out in the source should
be rendered as Arabic numbers. Capitalize the abbreviation if it
follows a period. Use a lowercase letter if it follows a comma.
End the element with a comma.
IN THE SOURCE
USE
Volume Two
vol. 2
Number XXIX
no. 29
Season 4
season 4
Episode 10
episode 10
7. PUBLISHER,
The publisher is the entity primarily responsible for producing the work or making it available to
the public. Record the name of the publisher, including its punctuation, as presented in the work
you are citing using Title Case. Change an ampersand (&) or a plus sign (+) to and. End the
element with a comma.
When you give publishers’ names, include the word Publishing, Publishers, or Pictures if it
appears, but omit words denoting the type of legal corporate entity the publisher is like
Company (Co.), Corporation (Corp.), Incorporated (Inc.), and Limited (Ltd). Also omit initial
articles (The).
Common abbreviations:
In the name of an academic press contains the words University and Press, use the
abbreviation UP. Examples: Oxford UP or State U of New York P.
If the world University does not appear in the name of the press but the word Press does,
spell out Press. Examples: Belknap Press or MIT Press.
When to omit a publisher: A publisher’s name may be omitted for periodicals, self-published
works, websites whose titles are essentially the same as the names of their publisher, websites
not involved in producing the works they make available (such as WordPress or YouTube).
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Copublishers: If two or more independent organizations are named in the source and they
seem equally responsible for the work, include each of them in the Publisher element, separating the names with a forward slash (/). Example: Pennsylvania State UP / Bibliographic Society
of America.
AUTHORED BOOK (WITH CONTRIBUTORS):
Divisions of nongovernment organizations: When a work is published by a division of a
organization, list the entities from largest to smallest and separate them with commas. Example:
U of Oxford, Bodleain Libraries.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Edited by Deidre Shauna Lynch, Norton
Critical Edition, 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 2009.
Government agencies: If the government agency as it appears in the source has many component parts, you can truncate the name, keeping only the name of the government and the
primary agency. Example: U.S. Dept. of Justice.
Editor Names, editor. Title of Book. Version, number, Publisher, Date.
Cities of publication: Generally, the city of publication is not included except in the case of
books published before 1900 or publishers who release different versions of a novel in
different cities. See pp. 172-173 in the MLA Handbook for details.
8. PUBLICATION DATE,
Author Names. Title of Book. Contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date.
Stendhal. The Red and the Black. Translated by Roger Gard, Penguin Books, 2002.
EDITED BOOK:
Sanchez Prado, Ingancio M., editor. Mexican Literature in Theory. Bloomsburg Academic, 2018.
REPUBLISHED BOOK:
Author Names. Title of Book. Original date. Contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date, pages.
London, Jack. Call of the Wild. 1903. Dover, 1990.
DATE
EXAMPLE
The publication date tells your reader when
the version of the work you are citing was
published. Use the day-month-year style to
minimize commas in your entry, proving the
most specific date you can find in your source.
Names of months that are longer than four
letters are abbreviated. Roman numbers
should be rendered as Arabic numbers.
End element with a comma.
Year
1992
Month & Year
Mar. 2020
Day, Month & Year
19 Apr. 1997
O-Connor, Patricia. Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. E-book ed.,
Riverhead Books, 2009.
Season
spring 2008
AUDIOBOOK VERSION:
Time
2:00 p.m.
Author Names. Title of Book. Narrated by Names, audiobook ed., version, number, Publisher, Date.
14:00
9. LOCATION.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Narrated by Sissy Spacek, audiobook ed., unabridged ed.,
HarperAudio, 2014.
Date range
16 Nov. 2018-28 July 2019
E-BOOK VERSION:
Author Names. Title of Book. Version, e-book ed., number, Publisher, Date.
PUBLISHED ON A WEBSITE:
How to specify a work’s location depends on the format of the work. End element with a period.
Author Names. Title of Book. Contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date. Website Name, URL.
Pages: Provide the entire page range for the contained work, not just the page or pages you
used. Precede a page number or range with the abbreviation pp. or p. Use the same numeric
symbols for page numbers and in the same case. If a work is not printed on consecutive pages,
include only the first page number and a plus sign. Examples: pp. 149-66, pp. xix-xxxvi, pp. A11
-A12, pp. 1+.
Gikandi, Simon. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Cambridge UP, 2000. ACLS Humanities E-Book, hdl.handle.net/2027/
heb,07588.0001.001.
DOIs: A DOI is a string of numbers and letters that typically begins with the number 10.
If the DOI is not preceded by http:// or https:// in your source, precede the DOI in you entry with
http://doi.org/. Doing so will allow others to call up the source in a browser window. Example:
https://doi.org/10.1353/mod.2016.0011.
Permalinks: If your source offers a URL it identifies as stable, permanent, or persistent, use it
in your entry instead of the URL that appears in your browser, and copy it directly from the
source. You can usually omit http:// or https:// (do not do this with DOIs). Never introduce a
hyphen or space. Do not use automatic hyperlinks.
COMMON WORKS-CITED EXAMPLES
PUBLISHED IN AN APP:
Author Names. Title of Book. Contributors, version, number. App Name, version, Publisher, Date. App.
The Bible. King James Version. Bible Gateway, version 42, Bible Gateway / Zondervan, 2016. App.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOOKS
PLAY:
Author Names. Title of Play. Title of Book, contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date, pages.
Euripides. The Trojan Women. Ten Plays, translated by Paul Roche, New American Library, 1998, pp. 457512.
POEM, SHORT STORY OR ESSAY:
Author Names. “Title of Source.” Title of Book, contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date, pages.
BOOKS
Dewar, James A., and Peng Hwa Ang. “The Cultural Consequences of Printing and the Internet.” Agent of
Change: Print Culture Studies after Elizabeth L. Eisenetsin, edited by Sabrina Alcorn Baron et al., U
of Massachusetts P / Library of Congress, Center for the Book, 2007, pp. 365-77.
AUTHORED BOOK (NO CONTRIBUTORS):
Author Names. Title of Book. Version, number, Publisher, Date.
Charon, Rita, et al. The Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine. Oxford UP, 2017.
Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma’ Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie
Holiday. Pantheon, 1998.
Milkis, Sidney M., and Michael Nelson. The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-1993.
2nd ed., CQ Press, 1994.
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Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Masque of the Red Death.” The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, edited by
James A. Harrison, vol. 4, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1902, pp. 250-28.
REPUBLISHED WORK:
Author Names. “Title of Source.” Original date. Title of Book, contributors, version, number, Publisher, Date, pages.
Franklin, Benjamin. “Emigration to America.” 1782. The Faber Book of America, edited by Christopher
Ricks and William L. Vance, Faber and Faber, 1992, pp. 24-26.
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