Citing Electronic Sources: MLA Style (77b)
We’re going to make this as simple as possible: be consistent.
Bibliographic (Works Cited) Entries: These citations follow a consistent format; if your source
does not provide all the information listed below, simply leave it out. However, if you are having
difficulty citing an electronic source because it has practically no bibliographic information, you
should find a more credible source. Authors who place credible information on the web usually want
the credit they deserve.
Author Last, First. “Title of Document.” Title of Complete Work. Date of Publication in Military
Format. Date of Access in Military Format <URL in angle brackets>.
 Harris, Jonathan G. “The Return of the Witch Hunts.” Witchhunt Information Page. 19
Apr. 1997. 16 Nov. 2002 <http://www.web.mit.edu/harris/fells.short.html>.
 Shade, Leslie R. “Gender Issues in Computer Networking.” 14 Feb. 1999. 26 Nov. 1999
<http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/sorokin/women/irs.html>.
For online databases, use the format for like printed source and tack on web information at the
end of the citation.
 Fox, Justin. “What in the World Happened to Economics?” Fortune 15 Mar. 2000: 90-102.
InfoTrac. James E. Walker Library, Murfreesboro. 2 Apr. 2001 <http://www.mtsu.edu/
~library/remote/eai.html>.
 “Endangered Species Act Upheld.” AP Online 22 June 1998. 25 June 1998
<http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-Court-Endangered.html>.
To remove the hyperlink that recent versions of Word convert URLs to, right click on the URL,
click “Hyperlink,” “Remove Hyperlink.”
Break URLs only at slash marks to fit your margins.
Notice in the above examples the lack of punctuation after the date of access. Note also that final
punctuation is a must for every citation.
Gibaldi, Joseph, ed. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Fifth Edition. New York: The
Modern Language Association of America, 1999. (Refer to sections 4.9 and 5.4 for other specific
examples of electronic source citations.
Parenthetical Citations: Online sources are more often than not unpaginated. In parenthetical
citation, refer simply to the author, or to the major words in the title if the author is unknown, or, if
Updated 11/19/02 PK
the original work has recognizable section breaks or paragraph numbers, refer to those by number.
Do not follow the pagination of your printer.
 In his 1997 article, Jonathan Harris argues that “[t]he Salem witch trials were the manifestation of
overactive imaginations, fueled by unbridled religious fervor.”
[no obvious section breaks or paragraph numbers]
 In his 1997 article, Jonathan Harris argues that “[t]he Salem witch trials were the manifestation of
overactive imaginations, fueled by unbridled religious fervor.”
[article does not have paragraphs numbered]
 One researcher argues, “The Salem witch trials were the manifestation of overactive
imaginations, fueled by unbridled religious fervor” (Harris).
[no obvious breaks or does not have paragraphs numbered]
 One researcher argues, “The Salem witch trials were the manifestation of overactive
imaginations, fueled by unbridled religious fervor” (Harris, par. 14).
[author known, not named in sentence, clear paragraph numbers]
 As the public becomes aware of the importance of each species on the planet, they exert more
pressure on their representatives to vote responsibly: “Endangered species were protected in the
last session of Congress by a five to one margin” (“Endangered”).
{author unknown, cite by first major word of title, no paragraph numbers]
 As the public becomes aware of the importance of each species on the planet, they exert more
pressure on their representatives to vote responsibly: “Endangered species were protected in the
last session of Congress by a five to one margin” (“Endangered,” par. 3).
[author unknown, cite by first major word of title, clear paragraph numbers]
Parenthetical references are designed to reduce the clutter within your essay by referring only to
as much information as necessary to point to the correct bibliographic citation in the Works Cited.
Don’t repeat information unnecessarily.
For more information about parenthetical and bibliographic citations of electronic sources, visit
the MLA Web site at <http://www.mla.org>.
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