The Modern Language Association (MLA) is an organization of teachers and scholars devoted to the study of language and literature. MLA style has been widely adopted by academic journals, schools, and instructors. Since its initial publication, the MLA Style Manual has become the predominant style guide for use in the Humanities in the United States, and is commonly used in Canada and other countries worldwide.
Alphabetize each entry in a works cited list by the first letter, ignoring the articles A, An, and The. Indent subsequent lines of entries one-half inch.
Names: Author names should appear as they do on the title page, whether spelled out or using initials. The first author is listed last name first, but any other authors appear in normal order. Name of the editor, compiler, or translator of a book (if applicable and if not cited earlier), proceeded by any appropriate abbreviation, such as Ed.
Titles: Capitalize the first, last, and all principal words.
Dates: Use the order: day month year. Shorten the month to the standard 3- or 4- letter abbreviation. If no publication date is available, use "n.d." in place of date.
Spacing: Citations should be double-spaced.
The following examples are citations from EBSCO databases. If you cannot find
some of this information, cite what is available. Different styles may apply
when citing print and other sources.
Pattern:
[Author last name], [First name] [Middle initial]. “[Title of work].” [Periodical name] [Volume number].[Issue number] ([Published Year]): [Page number starts]-[Ends]. [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
Maynard, W. Barksdale W. "Thoreau's House at Walden." Art Bulletin 81.2 (1999): 303-25. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Eastern Kentucky University Library, Richmond, VA. 19 Nov. 2002. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=1958407&site=ehost-live>.
Pattern:
“[Title of work].” [Periodical name] [Volume number].[Issue number] ([Published year]): [Page number starts]-[Ends]. [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
“Thoreau's House at Walden.” Art Bulletin 81.2 (1999): 303-25. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Eastern Kentucky University Library, Richmond, VA. 19 Nov. 2002. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=1958407&site=ehost-live>.
Pattern:
[Author last name], [First name] [Middle initial]. “[Title of article].” [Title of magazine] [Published day] [Month abbreviation] [Year].: [Page number starts]-[ends] [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
Burrell, Diana. “Making the Most of Brevity.” Writer 25 April 2004.: 51-53. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Springfield Public Library, Springfield, MA. 30 Jan. 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=12602258&site=ehost-live>.
Pattern:
[Author last name], [First name] [Middle initial]. “[Article title].” [Title of newspaper] [Published day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]: [Section number] [Page number starts]-[ends]. [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
Howe, Peter. “Ski Resorts Hop onto the Trail of Environmentalism.” The Boston Globe 26 Jan. 2007: Business Section. Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Springfield Public Library, Springfield, MA. 30 Jan. 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W62W62103099589&site=ehost-live>.
Pattern:
[Author last name], [First name] [Middle initial]. [Title of book]. [Place of publication]: [Publisher], [Publication year]. [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
Vitale, Ann. Regional Folklore. Pennsylvania: Mason Crest Publishers, 2003. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Springfield Public Library, Springfield, MA. 29 Jan. 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&jid=NJH&site=ehost-live>.
Pattern:
[Author last name], [First name] [Middle initial]. “[Title of chapter/essay].” [Title of work]. Ed. [Editor first name] [Last name]. [Place of publication]: [Publisher], [Publication year]. [Page number starts]-[ends]. [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
Ellman, Richard. “Bloom Unbound.” Bloom's Major Literary Characters: Leopold Bloom. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York, NY: InfoBase Publishing, 2004. 21-25. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Springfield Public Library, Springfield, MA. 29 Jan. 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=16287482&site=ehost-live>.
Pattern:
“[Title of work].” [Copyright holder]. [Title of database]. [Name of subscription service]. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[Persistent link]>.
Example:
“Clown Fish.” Getty Images. Points of View. EBSCO. Springfield Public Library, Springfield, MA. 30 Jan. 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=imh&AN=imh214038>.
Pattern:
“[Title of Podcast].” [Topic of podcast]. [Podcast relay day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. [Accessed day] [Month abbreviation] [Year]. <[URL]>.
Example:
“Prevention of HIV infection. Treatment of COPD.” EBSCO: DynaMed Podcasts. 6 Mar. 2007. 22 Mar. 2007. <http://support.epnet.com/support_news/podcasts/3.6.07_DynaMed_Update.mp3>.
These are only basic examples of the MLA style. More detailed information is available through the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition), the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2nd edition) and http://www.mla.org/style. In addition, a variety of third-party style guides and web sites can provide further assistance.