MLA Format: How Do I Cite
Books?
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: The Modern
Language Association of America, 2009. Print.
Library Call Number: Ref LB 2369 .G53 2009
Notes:
• Double-space all citations; examples are single-spaced to conserve space. If a
citation runs more than one line, indent the following line(s) one-half inch
from the left margin. 5.3.2
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides and choose an easily readable font, e.g., 12point Times New Roman.
• Arrange the list of references you used in alphabetical order by the last name
of the references’ authors. (5.3.3) In MLA format, this list appears on a
separate page and is titled Works Cited.
• The print books (paper format) listed below can be found in the College
Library; you may find it useful to compare the actual book with its citation.
• Notes and examples include the applicable chapter and section numbers of
the MLA Handbook. (e.g., 5.6.1 = Chapter 5, section 6, item 1)
IF YOUR BOOK IS IN PRINT (PAPER) FORMAT:
General Format 5.5.1
Author(s), if known. Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
No Author 5.5.9
APA Concise Dictionary of Psychology. Washington: American Psychological Association,
2009. Print.
Single Author 5.5.2; 5.3.4 for two or more works by the same author
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. New York: Henry
Holt, 2002. Print.
---. The Snarling Citizen: Essays. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995. Print.
Hall, Clarence A., Jr. Introduction to the Geology of Southern California and Its Native
Plants. Berkeley: U of California P, 2007. Print.
Single Editor 5.5.3
Johnson-Davies, Denys, ed. The Anchor Book of Modern Arabic Fiction. New York: Anchor,
2006. Print.
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Multiple Authors 5.5.4
Baird-Windle, Patricia, and Eleanor J. Bader. Targets of Hatred: Anti-Abortion Terrorism.
New York: Palgrave, 2001. Print.
McQuade, Samuel C., III, James P. Colt, and Nancy B.B. Meyer. Cyber Bullying: Protecting
Kids and Adults from Online Bullies. Westport: Praeger, 2009. Print.
Acceptable Alternatives for 4 or More Authors: Use Either Format 5.5.4
Amato, Paul, Alan Booth, David R. Johnson, and Stacy J. Rogers. Alone Together: How
Marriage in America Is Changing. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2007. Print.
Amato, Paul, et al. Alone Together: How Marriage in America Is Changing. Cambridge:
Harvard UP, 2007. Print.
Multiple Editors 5.5.4; 5.3.4 for works by the same editors
Haugen, David M., and Susan Musser, eds. Genetic Engineering. Detroit: Greenhaven-Gale,
2009. Print.
Haugen, David M., Susan Musser, and Kacy Lovelace, eds. Outsourcing. Detroit:
Greenhaven-Gale, 2009. Print.
Vicuña, Cecilia, and Ernesto Livon-Grosman, eds. The Oxford Book of Latin American
Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.
Corporate Author 5.5.5
County Supervisors Association of California. California County Fact Book. Sacramento:
County Supervisors Association of California, 2003. Print.
Editions, Compilations, Translations, or Series 5.5.3, 5.5.11, 5.5.13, 5.5.15
Author(s), if known. Title. Editor, Compiler or Translator, if known. edition. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Print. Series name and number, if
applicable.
Bragg, Steven M. Business Ratios and Formulas: A Comprehensive Guide. 2nd ed. Hoboken:
Wiley, 2007. Print.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. Works. Ed. F. N. Robinson. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1957. Print.
Stein, Richard Joseph. Internet Safety. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2009. Print. The Reference
Shelf 81.2.
Terranova, Antonino. Skyscrapers. Trans. Timothy Stroud. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003.
Print.
Twain, Mark. Mark Twain’s Satires & Burlesques. Ed. Franklin R. Rogers. Berkeley: U of
California P, 1967. Print.
Multivolume Works 5.5.14
(1) If you used most or all of only one volume of a multivolume work:
Author, if known, otherwise, Editor, if known. Title. Editor, if relevant. edition.
Volume used. City of Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
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Mote, Frederick W., and Denis Twitchett, eds. The Cambridge History of China. Vol. 8.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998. Print.
Newcomb, Horace, ed. Encyclopedia of Television. Vol. 1. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.
Print.
(2) If you used most or all of two or more volumes of a multivolume work:
Author, if known, otherwise, Editor, if known. Title. Editor, if relevant. edition.
Total number of volumes in set. City of Publication: Publisher, Year
Published. Print.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Four Novels and the Fifty-Six
Short Stories Complete. Ed. William S. Baring-Gould. 2 vols. New York: C.N. Potter,
1967. Print.
Frawley, William J., ed. International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. 2nd ed. 4 vols. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 2003. Print.
West’s Encyclopedia of American Law. 12 vols. Minneapolis: West, 1998. Print.
Government Publications 5.5.20; 5.3.4 for two or more works by the same author
The standard book format applies with some notes: Cite the author of the
publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national
(or state) government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or
agencies) that serves as the organizational author. US government documents are
typically published by the Government Printing Office, which MLA abbreviates as
GPO.
California. California Coastal Commission. California Coastal Access Guide. 6th rev. ed.
Berkeley: U of California P, 2003. Print.
---. Community Care Licensing Division. Manual of Policies and Procedures,
Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Center, Division 12, Chapter 1.
Sacramento: State of California, Health and Human Services Agency, Department of
Social Services, 2004. Print.
United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Career Guide to America’s Top Industries:
Essential Data on Job Opportunities in Over 40 Industries. Indianapolis: JIST, 2004.
Print.
---. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. 20102011 ed. Washington: GPO, 2010. Print.
IF YOUR BOOK IS ONLINE:
Note:
• URLs are an optional part of the citation. Include a URL “as supplementary
information only when the reader probably cannot locate the source without
it or when your instructor requires it.” See 5.6.1 (p. 182) for more
information.
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Books from the Library’s Online Databases 5.6.2.c
Use the appropriate format above for print books. Add the following elements: Title
of the Online Database. Web. Date you accessed the e-book.
Evans, Kim Masters, ed. Endangered Species: Protecting Biodiversity. Detroit: Gale, 2007.
Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 May 2010.
Stanford Bulletin 2009-2010. College Catalog. Stanford: Office of the University Registrar,
n.d.. College Source Online. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
Printed Books that You Found on the Web 5.6.2.c
Many books are found on Web sites that include complete publication information on
the books’ printed editions. (If you have incomplete publication information on a book’s
printed edition, see the following section.)
Use the appropriate format above for books published in print. Add the following
elements: Title of the Web Site where you found the book. Web. Date you accessed
the e-book.
Kornspan, Alan S. Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Champaign: Human
Kinetics, 2009. Human Kinetics’ Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Science Series.
Google Books. Web. 4 Sept. 2010.
Libicki, Martin C. Cyberdeterrence and Cyberwar. Santa Monica: RAND Corp., 2009.
RAND.org. Web. 21 Oct. 2009.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Trans. George Long. The
Harvard Classics. Ed. Charles W. Eliot. Vol. 2 pt. 3. New York: Collier, 1909-1914.
Bartleby.com. Web. 11 Sept. 2009.
Smith, Justin H. The War with Mexico. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan, 1919. The Online Books
Page. Web. 26 July 2010.
E-Books with incomplete Publication Information and Online-Only Books 5.6.2.b
• For Web sites that provide incomplete publication information on the e-books’
printed edition (e.g., no publisher name or city of publication), and
• For books that exist only on a Web site, i.e., the book has no print equivalent:
Gather as much publication information as you can from the Web site, refer to the
above examples for print books, then follow this format:
Author, editor, or compiler (if known). Title of the Work. Title of Overall Web site, if
distinct from the title of the work. Version or edition. Publisher or sponsor of
the Web site (use n.p. if not available), Date of publication (use n.d. if not
available). Web. Date accessed.
Felluga, Dino. Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 31 Jan.
2011.
Tolstoy, Leo. Father Sergius. Trans. Louise and Aylmer Maude. FullBooks.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
22 Nov. 2010.
Johnson, Gary K., comp. Official 2010 Men’s Final Four Record Book. NCAA Publications.com.
National Collegiate Athletic Association, Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/F410.pdf>.
JSM F2010
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