MLA Style Guide
7th Edition
MLA style
In an MLA works cited entry, the first author’s name is inverted (the last name
comes first, followed by a comma and the first name), and all other names are in
normal order [for four or more authors, name the first author followed by “et al.”
(Latin for “and others”)].
All works cited entries must include the medium in which a work was
published, produced, or delivered. The medium usually appears at the end of
the entry, capitalized but neither italicized nor in quotation marks. Typical
designations for the medium are “Print,” “Web,” “Radio,” “Television,” “CD,”
“DVD,” “Photograph,” “Performance,” “Lecture,” “MP3 file,” and “PDF file.”
Article in an Online Database (5.6.4)
Use this rule to cite articles found in a library database like Expanded Academic ASAP or
Academic Search Complete. Entries for publications periodicals consist of several elements
in a prescribed sequence. This list shows most of the possible components of an entry for an
article in a print periodical and the order in which they are normally arranged:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Author’s name(s)
Title of the article (in quotation marks)
Name of the periodical (italicized)
Series number or name (if relevant; see 5.4.4 for more info)
Volume number (for a scholarly journal)
Issue number (if available, for a scholarly journal)
Date of publication (for a scholarly journal, the year; for other periodicals, the day,
month, and year, as available)
8. Inclusive page numbers
9. Title of the database (italicized)
10. Medium of publication consulted (Web)
11. Date of access (day, month, and year)
Samples:
Woodruff-Pak, Diana S. "Animal Models of Alzheimer's Disease: Therapeutic Implications." Journal of
Alzheimer's Disease 16.4 (Dec. 2009): 507-521. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 June 2009.
Selingo, Jeffrey. "How a Little Data Can Solve One of Higher Education's Biggest Problems." The
Chronicle of Higher Education 59.37 (2013). Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 2 July 2013.
A Work Cited Only on the Web (5.6.2)
Use this rule to cite items, articles, postings found on the Web. An entry for a nonperiodical
publication on the Web usually contains most of the following components, in sequence:
1. Name of the author, compiler, director, editor, narrator, performer, or translator of
the work
2. Title of the work (italicized if the work is independent; in roman type and quotation
marks if the work is part of a larger work [see 3.6.2–3])
3. Title of the overall Web site (italicized), if distinct from item 2
4. Version or edition used
5. Publisher or sponsor of the site; if not available, use N.p.
6. Date of publication (day, month, and year, as available); if nothing is available, use
n.d.
7. Medium of publication (Web)
8. Date of access (day, month, and year)
If you cannot find some of this information, cite what is available.
Samples:
Brunstein, Joshua. “The Social-Media Bubble is Quietly Deflating.” Businessweek.com.
Bloomberg Businessweek, 16 July 2013. Web. 17 July 2013.
“Elif Shafak: Writing under a Watchful Eye.” Fresh Air. Narr. Terry Gross. Natl. Public Radio, 6
Feb. 2007. NPR.org. Web. 22 Feb. 2009.
“Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education
and Research, 1 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 July 2013.
Murphy, Beth. “Tips for a Good Profile Piece.” YouTube. YouTube, 7 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 Apr.
2009.
Smith, Andrew D. “Poll: More than 70% of US Workers Use Internet on the Job.”
Dallasnews.com. Dallas Morning News, 25 Sept. 2008. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.
United States. Dept. of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Animal Care and Service Workers."
Occupational Outlook Handbook. Dept. of Labor, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 July 2013.
Utah v. Evans. 536 US 452. Supreme Court of the US. 2002. Supreme Court Collection. Legal
Information Inst., Cornell U Law School, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2008.
A Book (5.5.2-4)
Book citations remain largely the same as before except for the addition of the medium of
publication, Print, at the end of the entry.
Sample:
Carré, John le. The Tailor of Panama. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Print.
An Electronic Book (5.6.2.c)
Same as a print book, but instead of concluding with Print as the medium of publication,
record the following information in sequence:
1. Title of the database or Web site (italicized)
2. Medium of publication consulted (Web)
3. Date of access (day, month, and year)
Sample:
Seifert, Kathryn, Robert Schmidt, and Karen Ray. Youth Violence : Theory, Prevention, And Intervention.
New York: Springer Pub. Co, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 July 2013.
A Work in an Anthology (5.5.6)
If you are citing an essay, a short story, a poem, or another work that appears within an
anthology or some other book collection, you need to add the following information to the
basic book entry (see above).

Author, title, translator or editor (if applicable), and page numbers of cited piece
Samples
Allende, Isabel. “Toad’s Mouth.” Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. A Hammock Beneath the
Mangoes: Stories from Latin America. Ed. Thomas Colchie. New York: Plume, 1992. 8388. Print.
Lyderson, Kari. "Childhood Sexual Abuse Often Leads to Prostitution." Prostitution and Sex
Trafficking. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. 114-119. Print.
An Article in a Reference Book (5.5.7)
Treat an encyclopedia article or a dictionary entry as you would a work in an anthology (see
prior entry). If the article is signed, give the author’s name first (often articles in reference
books are signed with initials identified elsewhere in the work); if it is unsigned, give the title
first.
When citing widely used reference books, especially those that frequently appear in new
editions, do not give full publication information. For such works, list only the edition (if
stated), the year of publication, and the medium of publication consulted.
Samples
“Azimuthal Equidistant Projection.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed.
2003. Print.
“Ginsburg, Ruth Bader.” Who’s Who in America. 62nd ed. 2008. Print.
“Japan.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 2013 ed. Print.
When citing specialized reference works, however, especially those that have appeared in
only one edition, give full publication information, omitting inclusive page numbers for the
article if the dictionary or encyclopedia is arranged alphabetically.
Samples
Allen, Anita L. “Privacy in Health Care.” Encyclopedia of Bioethics. Ed. Stephen G. Post. 3rd ed.
Vol. 4. New York: Macmillan-Thomson, 2004. Print.
Jödicke, Ansgar. “Alchemy.” Religion Past and Present: Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion.
Ed. Hans Dieter Betz, Don S. Browning, Bernd Janowski, and Eberhard Jüngel. Vol. 1.
Leiden: Brill, 2007. Print.
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