Broome
Community
College
State University of New York
P.O. Box 1017  Binghamton, NY 13902
State University of New York
P.O. Box 1017  Binghamton, NY 13902
Learning Resources Center -- Library
http://www.sunybroome.edu/library
reference: 607 778-5043
MLA Style
The following examples are based on the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers, published by the Modern Language Association of America (MLA). You can
find copies in the library’s reference and circulating collections, call number PN147 .G53 2009.
General Rules
 Italicize titles of books, periodicals, and databases.
 Use a Medium of publication for every citation:
Examples: Print, Web (Internet or database sources), Videocassette, DVD,
 All Web citations require a date of access following the medium of publication, but do not require
a URL, unless the citation would be difficult to find using a search engine, or your instructor
requires it. URLs should be placed in <angle brackets> following the date of access.
 All scholarly journals require both volume & issue number.

Abbreviations can be used for the following:
N.p.
no publisher given; also for no place of publication
n.d.
no date
n.pag. no pages given
Citation Examples
Book: Single author (Print)
Medium of
Publication
Roth, Philip. Indignation. Boston: Houghton, 2008. Print.
Book: Two or more by the same author (Print)
Morrison, Toni. Love. New York: Knopf, 2003. Print.
---. A Mercy. New York: Knopf, 2008. Print.
Book: Two or three authors (Print)
Anderson, Craig Alan, Douglas A. Gentile, and Katherine E. Buckley. Violent Video Game Effects on
Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Ebook
Austen, Jane. Emma. Westminster: Modern Library, 2000. ebrary. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.
Work in an Anthology (or a Chapter in a Printed Book)
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Dreams and Inward Journeys: A Rhetoric and Reader for Writers. Ed.
Marjorie Ford and Jon Ford. 7th ed. New York: Longman-Pearson, 2010. 34-44. Print.
Article: Encyclopedia or Dictionary (Online Database)
Lawrence, Frederick M. “Hate Crimes.” Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. Ed. Joshua Dressler. 2nd ed.
Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 774-79. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 6 Apr. 2009.
Article: Popular Magazine (Print)
Walsh, Bryan, and Tiffany Sharples. “Sizing Up Carbon Footprints.” Time 26 May 2008: 53-55. Print.
Article: Popular Magazine (Online Database)
Walsh, Bryan, and Tiffany Sharples. “Sizing Up Carbon Footprints.” Time 26 May 2008: 53-55.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Apr. 2009.
Article: Popular Magazine (Internet only: Add publisher before date of publication)
Publisher
Wallis, Claudia. “Researchers Find First Signs of Autism Even in Infancy.” Time. Time, 4 May 2009.
Web. 4 May 2009.
Date of Access
Date of Publication
Article: Scholarly journal, more than 3 authors (Print)
Belsky, Jay, et al. “Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care?” Child Development 78.2 (2007):
681-701. Print.
Article: Scholarly journal, more than 3 authors (Online database)
Volume.Issue
Belsky, Jay, et al. “Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care?” Child Development 78.2 (2007):
681-701. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Apr. 2009.
Newspaper Editorial: Print publication
“Fairness in Drug Sentencing.” Editorial. New York Times 1 May 2009, late ed.: A22. Print.
Newspaper Editorial on the Internet
“Fairness in Drug Sentencing.” Editorial. New York Times. New York Times, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 4 May
2009.
Work on the Web with Print Publication Data
United States. Dept. of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Violence by
Teenage Girls: Trends and Contexts. By Margaret A. Zahn and Susan Brumbaugh. May 2008.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Web. 4 May 2009.
Part of a Website (no date given)
Brigham, Robert K. “A Brief History.” Battlefield Vietnam. PBS, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2009.
Video
Sense and Sensibility. Dir. Ang Lee. Perf. Emma Thomas, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant.
1995. Columbia TriStar, 1999. DVD.
Documenting Sources in Your Paper
A writer must document all information and ideas taken from others, whether quoting that source or
putting it in your own words. To do this, you can use parenthetical documentation which points your
reader to the exact source on your Works Cited list, as well as the location within that source. This usually
means citing the author and page (Tan 40).
If the author’s name is included in a signal phrase, you only need to cite the page number in
parentheses: Tan describes her mother’s English as “broken” or “fractured” (40).
For long quotations (more than four typed lines), indent one inch from the left margin, double space the
lines, do not use quotation marks, and cite as above, placing the parentheses after the final punctuation.
Lately, I have been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like
others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when
I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than
“broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness
and soundness. (Tan 40)
To distinguish between two works by the same author, you will need to lead your reader to the correct
title by using the author’s name and a shortened version of the title (Morrison, Mercy 161).
Works with two authors, include both names (Walsh and Sharples 54).
Works with three authors, include all three names (Anderson, Gentile and Buckley 160-63).
With four or more authors, cite the first author et al. (meaning “and others”) (Belsky et al. 696-97).
For a source with no author, give the full title (if brief), or a shortened version of the title. Add the page
number, if available (“Fairness” A22).
Formatting Your Paper




Margins should be set at one inch on all sides.
Double-space throughout your paper, including the Works Cited list.
Indent the beginning of each paragraph one-half inch, or one tab.
Use a header with your last name and page number, one-half inch from the top of each
page, flush with the right margin.
Sample Works Cited Page on next page
Start the Works Cited list on a new page, using a hanging indent for the entries. Alphabetize your
list by author, or by the title when no author is given, ignoring any initial A, An, or The.
Links to Other Resources
Avoiding Plagiarism
Purdue’s OWL
Proper Paraphrasing
Purdue’s OWL
Indiana University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
MLA Guide from Purdue’s OWL
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Citation Fox (Univ. at Albany)
http://library.albany.edu/cfox?type=mla
BCC Writing Center
K. Pitcher 9/30/09; rev. 11/9/12
http://www.sunybroome.edu/web/www/writing-center1
Works Cited
Anderson, Craig Alan, Douglas A. Gentile, and Katherine E. Buckley. Violent Video Game Effects on
Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Austen, Jane. Emma. Westminster: Modern Library, 2000. ebrary. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.
Belsky, Jay, et al. “Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care?” Child Development 78.2 (2007):
681-701. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Apr. 2009.
Brigham, Robert K. “A Brief History.” Battlefield Vietnam. PBS, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2009.
“Fairness in Drug Sentencing.” Editorial. New York Times 1 May 2009, late ed.: A22. Print.
Lawrence, Frederick M. “Hate Crimes.’ Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. Ed. Joshua Dressler. 2nd ed.
Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 774-79. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 6 Apr. 2009.
Morrison, Toni. Love. New York: Knopf, 2003. Print.
---. A Mercy. New York: Knopf, 2008. Print.
Roth, Philip. Indignation. Boston: Houghton, 2008. Print.
Sense and Sensibility. Dir. Ang Lee. Perf. Emma Thomas, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant.
1995. Columbia TriStar, 1999. DVD.
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Dreams and Inward Journeys: A Rhetoric and Reader for Writers. Ed.
Marjorie Ford and Jon Ford. 7th ed. New York: Longman-Pearson, 2010. 34-44. Print.
United States. Dept. of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Violence by
Teenage Girls: Trends and Contexts. By Margaret A. Zahn and Susan Brumbaugh. May 2008.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Web. 4 May 2009.
Wallis, Claudia. “Researchers Find First Signs of Autism Even in Infancy.” Time. Time, 4 May 2009.
Web. 4 May 2009.
Walsh, Bryan, and Tiffany Sharples. “Sizing Up Carbon Footprints.” Time 26 May 2008: 53-55. Print.