MLA Citation Style
Alliant Library Home Page http://library.alliant.edu
This search guide covers the MLA’s (Modern Language Association) system or style of
documenting print and electronic sources. Print copies of the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers and MLA Style Manual and Guide for Scholarly Publishing may be available
at your home library or through interlibrary loans. FAQ are posted on the MLA web site at
http://www.mla.org/style_faq1. EBSCO databases allow the emailing of citations in the MLA
style. See EBSCO handout for further details.
Print Sources (Section 5.4-5.8 of the MLA Handbook, 7th ed.)
Basic Entry: Book by single author 5.5.2
Author. Title of Book. Place of publication: Publisher, year of publication. Print.
Yakan, Muhammad. Almanac of African peoples & nations. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction, 1999.
Print.
An Anthology or a Compilation 5.5.3
Editor(s) or compiler(s). Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher, year of publication. Print.
Lawson, Gary, and Ann Lawson, eds. Alcoholism & substance abuse in special populations. Rockville,
Md. :Aspen Publishers, 1989. Print.
A Work in an Anthology 5.5.6
Author(s). “Title of Article.” Trans. [if applicable]. Title of Book. Ed(s). Editor’s Name(s). Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year. Pages. Print.
Chomsky, Carol. “Stages in language development and reading exposure. “ Language issues in literacy
and bilingual/multicultural education. Eds. Masahiko Minami and Bruce P. Kennedy. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard Educ. Rev., 1991. 48-73. Print.
Published Dissertation 5.5.26 (unpublished dissertations 5.6.25)
Author(s). Title of Dissertation. Diss. Institution, Year. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication. Print.
Harvey, Rebecca. Adult resiliency after group home care during adolescence Diss. Alliant International
University, San Diego, 2006. Ann Arbor: MI: UMI, 2006. Print.
Article in a Magazine 5.4.6
Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Source. Day Month Year: Pages. Print.
Lenzer, Robert. "Quelling your inner jerk." Forbes 5 September 2005: 156-160. Print.
Article in Scholarly Journal 5.4.2
Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Journal. Vol (Year): Pages. Print.
Templer, Donald I. "Correlational and factor analytic support for Rushton’s differential K life history
theory." Personality & Individual Differences 45.6 (15 Oct. 2008): 440-444. Print.
– If you decide to present a URL in your
works-cited list entry, place the entire URL in angle brackets: <http://website>.
Electronic Sources (Section 5.9 of the MLA Handbook)
From the Web – A nonperiodical publication 5.6.2.b
Author(s), compiler, director, editor, narrator, performer, or translator of the work. “Title of the
part of work.” Title of the Work. Version or edition (see 5.5.13). Publisher or sponsor of site
(use N.p. if not available). Date (day, month, year). Medium of publication. Date of Access.
Quade, Alex. “Elite Team Rescues Troops behind Enemy Lines.” CNN.com. Cable News Network, 19
Mar. 2007. Web. 15 May 2008.
Work on the Web Cited with Print Publication Data 5.6.2.c.
Author [if given]. Title of work. Name of editor [if relevant]. Publication information for the original
print version. Electronic publication information [e.g. title of the Internet site]. Web. Date of
access.
Constantine, Madonna G. and Derald Wing Sue. Strategies for building multicultural competence in
mental health and educational settings. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (US), 2005.
NetLibrary. Web. 25 January 2007
Work on the Web Cited with Publication Data for Another Medium besides Print 5.6.2.d.
Author [if given]. Title. Name of editor, director, etc. [if relevant]. Publication information. Title of
the Internet site. Web. Date of access
Currin, John. Blonde Angel. 2001. Indianapolis Museum of Art. IMA: It’s My Art. Web. 9 May 2007.
Scholarly Journal 5.6.3
Author [if given]. “Title of the work or material.” Name of the periodical. Volume number. issue
number (year): n. pag. Web. Date of access.
Sengers, Phoebe. “Cultural informatics: artificial intelligence and the humanities.” Surfaces 8.107 (1999):
n. pag. Web. 8 Aug 2008.
This guide is to help you prepare your list of works cited. For further assistance please contact your
home library.